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Tami Barker cancelled Dyne Suh’s booking, telling her in a message: "One word says it all. Asian.”
The fine was imposed due to a new agreement between AirBnB and California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).
It lets the DFEH examine hosts that have had discrimination complaints.
AirBnB is a service that allows normal members of the public to rent out spare rooms, or entire properties, to travellers.
The measures followed research and anecdotal evidence that suggested certain races find it more difficult to book rooms than others.
The fine and demand to attend a course, as well as community service with a civil rights organisation, marked the first time the landmark agreement has been used to punish an AirBnB host.
"The host walked into this mediation with an attitude of contribution,” Kevin Kish, director of the DFEH, told the BBC.
"That opened the door to a lot of creative thinking."
Cancelled
Ms Barker cancelled Ms Suh’s booking shortly before the 26-year-old was due to arrive at the location in Big Bear, California, the DFEH said.
In messages sent via the AirBnB app, Ms Barker said: "I wouldn’t rent it to u if u were the last person on earth.”
Later, she added: “I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners” and “It’s why we have Trump”.
In a recording made just after the accommodation was cancelled, Ms Suh gave an emotional account of what had happened.
"It stings that after living in the US for over 23 years, this is what happens,” she said.
"No matter how well I treat others, it doesn’t matter. If you’re Asian, you’re less than human. People can treat you like trash.”
According to the Guardian, a lawyer for Ms Barker said she regretted her behaviour, and that the DFEH’s action will hopefully be a "positive outcome out of an unfortunate incident”.
‘Fundamentally good’
Ms Suh got in touch with the DFEH to make a complaint. The department is now working with AirBnB to make it clearer to discriminated-against guests that there is a strong complaints procedure.
"Not everybody knows that we’re here,” the DFEH’s Mr Kish told the BBC.
"People don’t intuitively know where to turn. In the agreement that we reached with Airbnb, they will mandatorily provide guests with information about us.”
However, such close ties only currently exist in California, AirBnB’s home state, where regulators have been aggressive in clamping down on various issues that have arisen from the company’s growth.
"There’s nothing to prevent other states - or other countries - from reaching similar agreements. It’s going to create work for AirBnB, but I don’t think people create one of these platforms with the intent that people will discriminate. I think it can come as a surprise to some of these founders,” Mr Kish said.
He added that he was impressed with the way in which AirBnB was dealing with the issue "head on".
In an interview with the BBC last year, AirBnB co-founder Brian Chesky said: "We started this company with the belief people are fundamentally good.
"Mostly everyone is really good, but when you have 100 million people, there are some who don’t believe in what you believe in."
___________
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC
You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370 | A racist AirBnB host who discriminated against an Asian guest has been fined $5,000 - and told she must attend a course on Asian-American studies. | 40602926 |
The men, aged in their 30s and 40s, collapsed in Rochdale between 15:50 and 17:50 BST on Tuesday, police said.
It is thought the man in the most serious condition took a substance known as Clockwork Orange.
It follows eight incidents in the town on Friday and Saturday in which men fell ill after taking the highs.
Police said the latest casualties had taken a variety of substances including Clockwork Orange, Pandora's Box, and Kronic.
Det Insp Lee Hopwood, of Greater Manchester Police, said the force had issued warnings about the dangers of legal highs over the past few days.
"I cannot stress enough how dangerous they are and even though they might not be illegal, please do not take the risk," he said. | Four men have been hospitalised after taking legal highs in Greater Manchester, with one left in a life-threatening condition. | 36375032 |
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was willing to go to the conciliation service after initially refusing when the strike ballot results were revealed last week.
He said the industrial action, due to start next week, should be cancelled to "avoid harming vulnerable patients".
But the British Medical Association said the strikes would take place.
The first day of action is Tuesday, starting at 08:00 and lasting 24 hours.
Acas is an independent body that can help parties - normally an employer and unions - resolve employment disputes.
There are several services offered, including arbitration where Acas is asked to make a decision in the dispute.
But the two sides involved here have been talking about conciliation, which means Acas is just being asked to host the talks rather than make binding recommendations.
In a letter to BMA leader Dr Mark Porter, Mr Hunt said it was time to "work together" in the long-running dispute over the new junior doctors contract.
He said he was "disappointed" that the BMA had refused to agree to the offer he had put forward, adding: "The extreme strike action planned in December poses a serious threat to that safety."
But the letter does not make any mention of dropping his threat to impose the contract from next summer - a key sticking point for the BMA.
That has prompted the union to refuse to call off the strike.
Dr Porter said: "We hope to start these talks as soon as possible in order to reach a collaborative agreement for the benefit of patients and the NHS.
"Importantly, Jeremy Hunt must finally remove his threat of imposition in order to defer Tuesday's industrial action."
Read more from Nick
Follow Nick on Twitter | The government has agreed to talks at Acas in the junior doctors' dispute - but strikes have not been called off. | 34915820 |
South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness opened in 1994 and now houses more than 1,500 animals, including tigers, giraffes and rare birds.
Barrow Council is considering whether to grant the site a new zoo licence.
Owner David Gill has "stepped away from all trading and management activities", a spokesperson said.
The zoo was fined £297,500 for health and safety breaches when keeper Sarah McClay, 24, was mauled to death by a tiger in 2013.
Recent inspections have revealed poor veterinary care, uncontrolled breeding and overcrowding.
A report compiled by the local authority shows that between December 2013 and last September, 486 animals died.
They included two snow leopards that were found partially eaten, a pair of squirrel monkeys diagnosed with septicaemia and a giraffe which a post-mortem examination showed was overweight.
Previous inspections called for improvements to be made at the zoo, focusing on the safety of staff, the visiting public and the animals.
But earlier this year government inspectors said any progress had been "seriously undermined" by "deplorable" welfare standards.
Owner David Gill has faced criticism for his "intrusive" style, with inspectors recommending the zoo's licence should not be reissued until new management was in place.
A spokesman for Mr Gill said: "The current arrangement sees the entire zoo site leased to Cumbria Zoo Company Limited under a six-month lease.
"Mr Gill remains the licence holder, but otherwise has stepped away from all trading and management activities connected with the zoo."
He has since brought in a new management company to oversee the zoo's operation.
However, the council is being recommended to refuse the licence renewal, which could see the zoo close.
A spokeswoman for the charity Captive Animals' Protection Society (Caps), which has conducted its own inspection visits, said: "The conduct of this zoo has been some of the worst we have seen in many years and feel that a cause for closure is strong.
"We have urged the council to take the opportunity to prevent more animal suffering at this zoo."
Barrow councillors will make a decision on the new application on 6 March. | Almost 500 animals have died in four years at a zoo where a keeper was mauled to death by a tiger, a report has said. | 39116282 |
The 29-year-old, ranked 196 in the world, is the second player to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour this year, after Justin Thomas' effort at the Sony Open in Hawaii, but only the fourth ever to achieve the feat on a par-72 course.
The last player to post a 13-under round was David Duval in the final round of the Bob Hope Classic in 1999.
Hadwin's total of 13 birdies ties Chip Beck's record from the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational.
"I got away with a few shots on the back nine and, for whatever reason, whenever I hit a putt, it went in," he said. "I legitimately thought about it [shooting 59] walking off the green on 11."
Hadwin goes into Sunday's final round seeking a first win on the PGA Tour, leading Dominic Bozzelli by a stroke, with a chasing pack of eight players within four strokes of the lead.
Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy of Australia is five strokes behind with Scotland's Martin Laird a further shot behind and Greg Owen of England on 10 under. | Canadian Adam Hadwin posted a 13-under-par 59 in the third round of the PGA Tour's CareerBuilder Challenge at La Quinta, California - the ninth score in history below 60. | 38708786 |
Opening the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Syria would be discussed at the working dinner.
US President Barack Obama is pushing for support for military strikes. Russia and China have warned the US not to take action without UN backing.
Meanwhile, Syria's parliamentary speaker has written to the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
In his letter to John Boehner, Mohammed Jihad al-Lahham urged the US Congress not to rush into what he called "irresponsible, reckless action".
Mr Putin, in his opening remarks, told the leaders gathered in St Petersburg that some participants had asked for time to discuss "very acute topics of international politics, in particular the situation around Syria", even though it is not on the agenda.
By Jeremy BowenBBC Middle East editor, Damascus
Even though the traffic is moving, Damascus is not a normal city. Manufacturing has been badly hit. The way people live has been badly hit. There are two million people displaced in the city.
As for the rest of the country, many cities are pretty much in ruins. The whole structure of society in Syria has been fractured by more than two years of fighting. In a sense, looking ahead to an American attack if it happens, people are saying "look, we've been through a lot already, we're tough, we're hardened".
But there is something about an attack by the most powerful country in the world that is uniquely alarming. Among Assad supporters, there is a feeling of being more on a war footing, especially for the men who carry guns for the regime. They are concerned that if there is an American attack, there could be follow-up attacks by rebels who are in the suburbs not far from here.
"I suggest we do this during dinner so that we... in the first part can discuss the [economic] problems we had gathered here for," he said.
The BBC's Bridget Kendall in St Petersburg says, in the short-term, the leaders can only hope that their discussion over Syria at dinner does not descend into an even more bitter row than it is already.
The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is accused of using chemical weapons against civilians on several occasions during the 30-month conflict.
The US said the most recent attack took place on 21 August on the outskirts of Damascus and had killed 1,429 people. It released an intelligence assessment blaming the Syrian government.
German and US media reports published further analysis on Thursday both claiming that the gas used in the attack was more potent than expected, and that Syrian forces may have got the mix wrong.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has told the BBC British scientists have uncovered further evidence linking the Damascus attack to the use of chemical weapons.
Mr Assad's government has denied involvement and said the rebels were responsible.
Some 100,000 people have died in the conflict, and more than two million Syrians are classified as refugees, according to the UN.
On the G20 sidelines, Mr Putin's spokesman once again dismissed the US intelligence assessment on the Damascus attack.
"We can't accept proof that is a long way from being convincing," said Dmitry Peskov.
Mr Obama, who is trying to build support in the US for military action against the Syrian government, held informal talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the issue.
Mr Obama said Japan and the US had a "joint recognition" that the use of chemical weapons in Syria was a tragedy and a violation of international law.
Mr Abe has not stated publicly whether he supports military strikes.
In the run-up to the summit, the US and Russia have engaged in tit-for-tat insults.
US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of "obstructionism", and Mr Putin responded by calling Mr Kerry a "liar".
On Thursday, the US envoy to the UN continued the tough rhetoric, accusing Russia of holding the UN Security Council hostage.
Samantha Power said that Russia, which has twice blocked resolutions on Syria, had ensured that there was "no viable path" for action through the Security Council.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev told the BBC's Newsnight programme in an interview to be broadcast later on Thursday that Mr Obama and Mr Putin must meet.
"They must strike up a conversation that will lead to the improvement of relations and stop the things which are happening now," he said.
In other developments:
France has strongly backed the US plan for military action. The French parliament debated the issue on Wednesday, although no vote was held.
On Wednesday, a US Senate panel approved the use of military force in Syria for 60 days with the possibility to extend it for 30 days.
The measure now goes to a full Senate vote next week and must also be approved by the US House of Representatives.
Mr Lahham, in his letter to Mr Boehner, invited a congressional delegation to Damascus and urged US congressmen to embrace civilised dialogue instead of the language of fire and blood.
He stressed the US and Syria have a common enemy - al-Qaeda and its affiliates who are playing an increasingly prominent role in the armed opposition in Syria.
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Damascus says the letter is similar to the one emailed to the speaker of the UK's House of Commons and copied to all the MPs just before they decided to vote against military action.
On Thursday the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said one of its surgeons, a Syrian working in Aleppo province, had been killed.
It gave no details of the circumstances but called for humanitarian workers to be protected.
Separately, Syrian rebels have launched an assault on the religiously mixed village of Maaloula, in western Syria, held by government forces.
A Christian nun in Maaloula told the Associated Press news agency that the rebels had seized a mountain-top hotel and were shelling the community below. | World leaders are locked in a divisive debate over Syria, at the end of the first day of the G20 summit in Russia. | 23967567 |
The BT-owned company said the problem only affected those who had received new Plusnet Sim cards within the past seven days.
After installing them, users have been able to access voice and text services but not mobile broadband.
Plusnet said it was working to resolve the problem "as quickly as possible".
However, it would not comment on exactly how many customers had been affected.
"We're aware a small number of customers who... have been affected by a configuration issue, which means they can't access data services," a representative told the BBC.
Users reacted angrily on the company's community forum, with some saying that replacement Sims subsequently sent out had also not worked.
Others complained that Plusnet's customer service had been poor, including GMcNeill, who posted on Tuesday: "I'm new to Plusnet and have today had my mobile number ported across successfully (within two working days [as] stated), but I have no mobile data.
"I'm not seeing any announcements to customers about this - would have saved me a lot of time checking my APN [access point name] settings if Plusnet had been more proactive in making us aware of this known issue."
On Sunday, user BarN posted: "This is now the third day without mobile data.
"My patience is wearing thin, and I'm sure many others feel the same."
Plusnet's network was launched in November and piggybacks off the BT-owned EE network.
All three companies were recently criticised for their fixed broadband services, having been ranked the most complained-about ISPs in the third quarter of 2016, according to regulator Ofcom. | A "small number" of Plusnet mobile network users have been unable to access 3G and 4G data services for almost a week. | 38587831 |
The two Greater Manchester Police officers were sent to the home of Fred Thomson and his 95-year-old wife Doris in Middleton.
GMP Middleton tweeted: "Just dealt with a 95 year old couple who called the Police as they were lonely.
"What else could we do but make them a brew and have a chat."
Mr Thomson said he was touched by the officers' care saying that he felt like his home had been "locked off from everything".
He added: "You feel somebody cares and oh that does matter... simple things they talk about, nothing very special but they showed that they cared by being there and talking to you."
The officers, PCs Stu Ockwell and Andy Richardson, spent 30 minutes with the couple, putting the kettle on while they spoke to Mr Thomson.
Asked if the police should be spending time on such calls, PC Ockwell replied: "It's neighbourhood policing for me."
PC Richardson added: "We've got to look after people as well, it's not just fighting crime, it's protecting people in whatever situation they find themselves."
They received a series of supportive tweets from members of the public.
James McAuley tweeted: "@gmpolice hats off to Stu Ockwell guys. An amazing story and a very noble guy. Fred & Doris need more like him!"
And Ash Daswani tweeted: "@GMPMiddleton Just read the article about what you did for the elderly couple. Thank you for the wonderful job you all do..."
Juha Remes tweeted: "@GMPMiddleton Excellent job! It makes me so sad that the elderly get so lonely, but I am happy there are still people like you who care." | Police officers came to the aid of an elderly couple who dialled 999 because they were lonely - and made them both a cup of tea. | 34798739 |
Salah Abdeslam is angered at being placed under 24-hour video surveillance, Frank Berton told BFM TV.
"We said from the beginning... that if our client remained silent we would quit his defence," he said alongside fellow lawyer Sven Mary.
The attacks in Paris last November killed 130 people.
So-called Islamic State said it was behind the coordinated assaults on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France
Salah Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels in March and has kept silent since his transfer to France in April.
He is being monitored 24 hours a day by video in his prison cell. Mr Berton said in May the suspect was "particularly disturbed" by the surveillance.
He told BFM TV the decision to monitor Abdeslam was a "political" one.
Abdeslam is thought to have played a key role in planning the Paris attacks and transporting the attackers, but investigators are yet to determine his specific role.
The lawyers informed their client they would no longer represent him on 6 October, BFM TV reports (in French). It says that at present, he does not want to be represented by anyone else.
Legal representation is not required while the investigation continues but will be at his trial.
"The real victims of all of this are the victims of the Paris attacks, because they are entitled to this truth and they have the right to try to comprehend the incomprehensible," Sven Mary said. | Lawyers for the main suspect in last year's Islamist attacks in Paris say they will no longer defend him as he has chosen to remain silent. | 37628038 |
Two men, both aged 32, were injured in separate gun attacks in Newry between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Detectives detained three men after searching a house in Coalisland in County Tyrone on Friday.
The men, aged 20, 27 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted murder and possession of a firearm.
A 26-year-old man who was arrested in Dungannon in County Tyrone on Thursday remains in custody.
Another man, aged 28, who was also arrested on Thursday, has been released on bail pending further inquiries. | Three men have been arrested by police investigating two shootings in County Down. | 34297862 |
The 25-year-old, who can play any role in the backs, began his career with Saints and has made 98 appearances in the Super League.
He also played for Hull FC and Bradford Bulls before switching codes in 2014 to join Hull RUFC as a centre.
The Giants are struggling with injuries after captain Danny Brough and Scott Grix failed to make it through Friday's defeat at St Helens. | Huddersfield Giants are giving a trial to ex-St Helens winger Jamie Foster. | 35522049 |
Roy Hodgson's side, who won every game in qualifying, start their campaign on Saturday against Russia in Marseille.
"If we can be on the right end of key moments, we will go far," said Hart.
The Manchester City keeper also said he "fully believes" in England's defensive options, despite criticism over a perceived lack of strength in depth.
"It's very balanced and very comfortable," said Hart.
"We're going to attack as a team and defend as a team. We'll work hard, we are well regimented and we are ready."
Hodgson's 23-man party - the youngest England squad for 58 years - features three central defenders in Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling and John Stones, with defensive midfielder Eric Dier as a back-up option.
Hart, who has 59 caps, was England's first-choice keeper as they exited the 2014 World Cup at the group stage for the first time in 58 years.
But he is adamant England's past displays are irrelevant: "Playing to a decent standard isn't enough, we have to be ruthless at both ends of the pitch."
England are joined by Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B.
With three teams potentially reaching the last 16, hopes are high of replicating the run to the semi-finals in 1996, which Hart watched as a nine-year-old.
"That was a fantastic tournament, one I enjoyed watching and I'd love for other nine-year-olds to have memories of 2016," he added. | Goalkeeper Joe Hart says England must be "ruthless" to succeed at Euro 2016, where he hopes to give a new generation of fans their own Euro '96 moment. | 36490479 |
Powys council said five schools in Crickhowell would test the scheme, which will then be rolled out across the county.
The aim is to reduce the risks and costs of handling cash.
Pupils will use cards which can be topped up online or via PayPoint outlets and parents will be able to see what their children are eating.
Cards will also inform catering staff of any dietary requirements or allergies. | A new system of cashless payments for school transactions including meals is being piloted in Powys. | 35493908 |
As a consultant in geriatric medicine, he is an unlikely addition to the Moor Park Health and Leisure Centre, where schoolchildren queue for swimming lessons and people grab coffees between Zumba lessons.
"Moving out of the hospital and into the community is the best thing I've done as a consultant."
Dr Weatherburn works on the Fylde Coast, an NHS Vanguard area. The local health service here is pioneering a new model of working, which could become a blueprint for the rest of the NHS.
Blackpool and Fylde suffer from many of the problems that plague the NHS nationally. With constantly increasing demand and a shortfall in supply, the local services have been under considerable strain for years.
Add to that a higher than average elderly population, which is set to double by 2030, and the local health service begins to look unsustainable.
"It's about 3% of our population that use about 50% of the resources," says Dr Tony Naughton, the head of the clinical commissioning group in Fylde.
As a part-time GP, he understands the need for an accurate diagnosis so their first innovation was to use patient data to work out who was actually using the services.
They were predominantly elderly and tended to suffer from more than one long-term condition. Rather than waiting for these patients to arrive at A&E, the Fylde Coast district set up the Extensive Care system, targeting resources on actively trying to keep them healthier.
Rather than providing temporary fixes every time a patient is in hospital, this model takes a more holistic approach.
"These patients were going off to see a kidney specialist and then a diabetic specialist and then a heart specialist. They had a career in attending hospital, whereas this service wraps all of those outpatients appointments together and looks at each person as an individual, rather than as a heart or as a kidney."
Dr Naughton explains that to make this more joined up system work, it was taken out of the rigid departmental structure of the hospital and placed firmly in the community.
Dr Weatherburn, at his clinic in the leisure centre, believes the benefits are obvious. "I definitely know my patients much better now."
While in hospital, he would have had about 10 minutes to assess a patient's most urgent needs. Now every patient who is referred to them receives a thorough two-hour assessment with a group of medics, who then hold a meeting to come up with a co-ordinated treatment plan for each one.
This system uses welfare workers as well as medics to manage each patients needs.
"Somebody may come in with a chest infection, but that maybe because they're not eating properly or they have a damp house. Now, I can't write a prescription for a dry house, but I can put them in touch with someone who can help with their housing problem," explains Dr Naughton.
The welfare workers spend more time with the patients, helping them with broader social issues and finding ways of managing their illnesses at home. Their job is really to empower patients to take control of their own health.
Dr Weatherburn says it is working. "It's often the little things that made the big difference. It's not the big medical interventions and fancy tests, it's helping with loneliness, and helping the carers and families as well."
This may sound expensive, but the scheme should pay for itself. The new welfare workers are not medically trained so employment costs are lower, but their intervention can solve underlying problems which keep people coming back to A&E.
The results are certainly impressive. After a year-and-a-half of trialling the scheme, the Fylde Coast has already seen 13% fewer attendances at A&E, and 23-24% fewer outpatient attendances.
When Lily Greenwood's husband, Peter, left hospital after suffering from a stroke, they were referred to the Extensive Care service.
"The doctor sent us here. We didn't want to come, but it's been the best thing ever."
Although Lily wasn't the patient, the team's approach of looking at every aspect of the patient's well-being, meant that attention turned to 80-year-old Lily too, as Peter's sole carer. The team helped her to take control.
"It took its toll on me at the beginning, but now, I just feel that with coming here, we can cope with it."
The team filled in all the forms that Lily had been baffled by, they helped her to apply for the extra benefits she was entitled to and, most importantly, they helped her to manage her husband's condition.
They even introduced her to local support groups for carers so that she no longer feels alone or overwhelmed.
"The nurses to me are friends. They have time for you. We're a lot happier now. I feel I can cope with Peter now."
A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year.
Given their success in reducing pressure on A&E departments, Blackpool and Fylde applied a similarly local, holistic model of care to a broader section of the population.
Every neighbourhood received its own dedicated team of therapists, nurses and welfare workers who could treat patients at home in order to reduce the pressures on GP surgeries.
"It's a cultural change. We don't just do the therapy and rush to the next appointment, we think about a patient's overall well-being."
Lucy Leonard is part of a neighbourhood team in Blackpool. Having been an occupational therapist for 17 years, she knows the NHS is notoriously resistant to change. Yet, she insists, this system is being embraced by patients and practitioners alike.
"Sometimes people can feel a bit frightened and threatened by change, especially when they worry about their professional identity and being asked to do new roles, but really, it's just about putting the patient at the heart of what we do."
This system has been a success on the Fylde Coast, and the principles could be replicated across the country. By investing in a more holistic approach, not only has the pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries been eased but, vitally, people are healthier and better able to manage their health too. | "My colleagues think I'm mad," says Dr Andrew Weatherburn. | 38911008 |
It's 1885, and John and James Dobson stand accused of nicking designs from other carpet makers and selling them off as their own.
A couple of companies, Hartford Carpet and Bigelow Carpet, were so incensed they took the Dobsons all the way to the highest court in the land.
The firms were quite right to be upset, the Supreme Court agreed, but then it got more complicated. The court hit a stumbling block over the amount of money the firms deserved in damages.
The issue was that the judges couldn't determine precisely how valuable design was when compared with everything else that goes into making a nice carpet. A lovely design on a poor quality rug wouldn't sell, after all.
And so it meant the companies got just six cents each. Which, even back then, was pitiful. Nominal damages.
This caught the eye of Connecticut senator Orville Platt who, pressured by worried carpet makers, lobbied Congress to amend the Patent Act to make sure design patents were given more weight. By 1887, those changes were written into law.
Senator Platt was looking to protect the interests of a thriving local industry - and he certainly achieved that.
But he also put in place the framework that means, 129 years on, Samsung and Apple find themselves arguing over the very same principle.
In 2011 Apple accused Samsung of being the Dobson brothers of the smartphone world, pinching three bits of iPhone design and using them in several Samsung devices.
Specifically, Apple argued that Samsung copied the device's round corners, its bezel, and the app grid of icons when the phone is switched on.
Last year a court agreed with Apple, and so the amendment backed by carpet saviour Senator Platt was put into play.
The amendment that said if a company is found to have infringed a design patent, it must pay out all of the profit it made in damages or $250, whichever amount is greater.
It'll come as no surprise that Samsung had to do the former. The profit on the devices was deemed to be $548m (£362m), and in December the court ordered Samsung to pay that amount to Apple in full, which it did. But Samsung now feels it should be given back at least $399m.
Several thousand cases are referred to the Supreme Court of the United States every year, but it actually only hears fewer than 100. The cases are picked carefully and as a last resort - if there is no acceptable precedent in law, that's when the Supreme Court, or SCOTUS, if you will, steps in.
Clearly, the decision over the complexity of carpet won't cut it in today's modern world. It didn't even cut it in 1885.
And so the judges have taken this on to set a new precedent over punishment for infringing a design patent. It's not considering if Samsung is guilty of copying Apple (it did), but rather how much money Apple is entitled to receive.
The question the judges are essentially asking is: why do people buy a certain phone? Is it because of how it looks, or how it functions?
Samsung says it's mostly the latter, and therefore the damages should be a lot lower as there's an awful lot more work that goes into a phone beyond its aesthetics.
Apple takes the opposite view - it's the iconic design of the iPhone that had if flying off the shelves, it argues, and so if Samsung stole that design then that profit money should surely be Apple's.
We won't know the Supreme Court's decision until June 2017. But speculation among those in the know sides with Samsung in that it makes the most sense that Samsung should pay some damages, but not the entirety of its profit on the device sales.
"That would be the understanding the majority of law professors would advocate for," suggested Prof Andrea Matwyshyn from Northwestern University in Boston.
She said while design of, say, a carpet could be considered the be-all-and-end-all of its success, a smartphone is a far more complex device. Design is important, but not the only factor.
Samsung has had support from its technology peers - most notably Facebook and Google parent company Alphabet.
Apple has backing too - Calvin Klein has lent its support, as have Adidas and jewellery maker Tiffany and Co.
The fact that Apple is pushing for full damages is a strategy that suggests extreme confidence in its ability to stay ahead of the curve in technology, Prof Matwyshyn said.
"It is a corporate decision that should be approached with thoughtfulness and caution, because the future of innovation is always uncertain.
"Tomorrow's devices may bring an unanticipated set of legal challenges.
"It's possible they view their own corporate culture so forward looking that they think it's more likely their designs will be used by others, rather than ever being on the defendant side."
Tuesday's hearing will be 90 minutes long - each side will have a chance to put forth its view, and the US Justice Department will also have its say.
It's expected that the Justice Department's view will be that the law should be interpreted with greater flexibility, with more power given to lower courts to determine whether all of the profit should be awarded as damages.
That should be taken on a case-by-case basis that allows regional court judges to consider how integral certain design features are to the product as a whole.
If the Supreme Court accepts Samsung's appeal, the matter will be referred down to a federal court to determine what the damages should be - and potentially how cases like this will be dealt with in future.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook | To find context ahead of Tuesday's showdown between Apple and Samsung in the US Supreme Court, you need to go back over a century to a row over some rather attractive carpets. | 37614014 |
The incident happened in Dobsons Way in Bessbrook on Friday morning.
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment but later died from his injuries.
Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact officers in Newry by calling 101, quoting reference number 399 of 11/08/17. | A young boy has died after being knocked down by a car in County Armagh, police have said. | 40905442 |
He called himself a hero, an economic soldier of the Islamic revolution who came to his country's rescue when the government could not sell oil or, even if they did, no international banks would agree to transfer Iran's money due to the sanctions.
He established one of the biggest enterprises in Iran's recent history, a holding that was involved in everything from transport to construction, from owning football clubs to selling oil, banking both inside Iran and abroad.
At one stage he valued himself at around $13.5bn (£9.5bn), an extraordinary figure for a country where most of the economy is owned by the state and the private sector is restricted.
It appears that he fronted his country in the markets, selling oil and returning money to Iran through a complex network of banks and businesses, some of which were set up and owned by his business empire, Sorinet Group.
For years things worked well for the businessman, who appeared in photos with high-ranking officials and was not shy of showing off his wealth, such as private jets and luxury cars.
But when the local media started to report on his wealth, he came under the spotlight and under suspicion.
Questions were eventually raised about how he could have made so much money so fast.
He was already under scrutiny when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in office and, a few months after the moderate government of Hassan Rouhani took office, Zanjani was arrested and accused of corruption and embezzlement.
The ministry of oil in the new government said Zanjani owed them $1.9bn in oil money and new claims were laid against him later on.
His defence team has always denied all the charges of corruption and says that, if he is released from prison and allowed access to his business network, he will return all the money he owes - something that sounds very unlikely after the death sentence announced on Sunday.
The sentence could have wider implications for Iran's economy, where many were involved in finding ways to avoid the sanctions.
Years of sanctions and the unorthodox ways that Iranian businesses found to get around the sanctions have created a situation where many business activities could fall into a grey area. | Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death in Iran for corruption, was an extraordinary person who went from trading sheepskins in the 1980s to becoming a key player in selling Iran's oil in the years when crippling international sanctions were imposed over the country's nuclear programme. | 35740106 |
The four cameras were installed in October on a two-mile stretch and during a trial period hundreds of motorists a day were found to be ignoring the speed limit.
Enforcement action will come into force from Monday.
It will be the first permanent installation to go into operation on a Welsh section of the motorway.
Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership GoSafe said the testing period gave motorists a chance to become familiar with the limit and adjust their speeds and driving behaviour. | New average 50mph speed enforcement cameras on the M4 through Port Talbot have gone live. | 30870235 |
Delegates at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference backed a possible boycott by 96% to 4%.
The motion urges discussions with other unions, "to see if they would join such a boycott" but this year's tests are unlikely to be affected.
Proposer Jean Roberts said government plans to scrap tests for seven-year-olds did not go far enough.
The government's consultation announcement last month followed years of pressure from teachers, parents and educationalists opposed to putting young pupils high stakes national Sats tests.
The Department for Education proposed a new assessment for pupils when they first start school instead.
The idea would be that children do not know they are being tested, according to the DfE.
Last year parents of seven-year-olds in the Let Our Kids be Kids campaign removed their children from school on the day of the tests.
Ms Roberts, a delegate from the London borough of Brent, said the union should say no to the "baseline" testing of five-year-olds - as well as to the testing of 11-year-olds, which are the basis of primary school league tables.
"The time has passed for moaning about the tests. The time has come to put the nail in the coffin of testing. Our children deserve better," said Ms Roberts.
She argued that national tests in primary schools were leading to stress in children and a narrowing of the curriculum, while teachers are being judged on test results, "not on the quality of teaching".
Another speaker, Michael Catty, from Hertfordshire, said education in England was "in a pit", caught between testing and league tables, which left little room for education.
"We can't do anything about league tables but we can do something about testing.
"Nobody wants it, the children don't want it, the parents don't want it, the teachers don't want it. Let's get rid of it. We can do it," urged Mr Catty.
In her keynote speech to the conference, ATL General Secretary Dr Mary Bousted the union had "worked hard" with Department for Education over the past year and had "managed to secure some improvements" to primary testing.
"That said, we think the DfE could be far more ambitious with their plans for primary assessment and accountability," she added.
Dr Bousted later told journalists that she believed that Education Secretary Justine Greening was taking the issue seriously and that some of the government's proposals were "a serious attempt to engage with the profession".
However, the union would not agree to new tests for five-year-olds and the government was giving out mixed messages on testing, she said.
She said the chaos of last year's tests for 11-year-olds - when changes to content and marking systems meant almost half of children failed to meet the required standard - had left teachers with "huge scars".
"It's not surprising that teachers say 'we want the option if we don't get significant, serious progress, we want the option of a boycott.'"
The motion instructs the union's executive committee "to explore a possible boycott of all tests at primary level".
"Further, that discussions are held with both the NUT and NAHT to see if they would join such a boycott."
A formal boycott of the tests would be a form of industrial action and would therefore need to be put to a ballot of all the union's members - this means this year's tests are likely to go ahead as normal.
The ATL is due to amalgamate fully with the National Union of Teachers by 2019.
The NUT annual conference, in Cardiff over Easter, will also debate a motion on a primary test boycott.
A boycott of SATs tests in 2010 by the NUT and head teachers' union, NAHT, affected about a quarter of England's primaries, with tens of thousands of pupils missing the tests. | Teachers have voted to explore the possibility of boycotting all national tests at primary level in England. | 39485062 |
He sacked the respected Nhlanhla Nene in a surprise move on Wednesday evening and replaced him with the little-known David van Rooyen.
Not only was this seen as a blunder by opposition parties, who called for his resignation, but also by the general public and the financial markets
The president acknowledged his initial mistake, hence the change of mind and the appointment of the experienced Pravin Gordhan.
But why in the first place did the president fire the seemingly competent Nhlanhla Nene?
The presidency issued a statement saying that Mr Nene was being moved because he was being put forward as a candidate to run the newly established development bank for the Brics nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
But many believe that Mr Nene was sacked for being critical of the way state companies were run - in particular his apparent refusal to bail out the national carrier South African Airways, which is run by Dudu Myeni a close associate of President Zuma.
Mr Zuma was forced to issue a statement over the weekend denying that he was in anyway romantically involved with Ms Myeni, who is also chairman of his charitable foundation.
This can all be seen as a mistake by an individual - the president - but it is also symptomatic of an ANC that is increasingly lethargic.
The question is: "What is happening with the governing African National Congress, once led by giants like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu?"
The ANC leadership was not consulted over the recent sackings and seemed to be hearing about the dramatic appointments at the same time as the rest of us.
There is no doubt that the continent's oldest liberation movement is in disarray.
Its president has been described by observers as "a wrecking ball".
We have always been led to believe that the ANC works as a collective, and the party is known to have what it calls a deployments committee.
This is a group of people who sit down and carefully select members of the organisation who have the skills to deliver on specific tasks that will ultimately give ordinary South Africans a better life.
Granted, ministers are appointed to cabinet by the president alone but there is an accepted understanding that the deployments committee would have put names forward for the president to consider.
There is no sign that this is what happened this time around.
Barbara Hogan, a former cabinet minister and anti-apartheid stalwart, openly criticised the president's decision to fire Mr Nene.
She said if the ANC does "not want to recall [Mr Zuma], then it must hold him accountable".
Ms Hogan, whose spouse Ahmed Kathrada was in prison with Nelson Mandela for 27 years, also said: "This is the final straw. If the president is now intent on dismantling the treasury, anyone who has been in government knows that a lot of government revolves around a treasury."
And she was not alone.
Another senior ANC member Mavuso Msimang was a signatory to a scathing open letter written to Mr Zuma about the latest fiasco.
It said: "We write to you with the sole intention of making you aware that we are gravely concerned about the manner in which you are governing us. We find many of your decisions detrimental to the interests of the people."
And it concluded: "We do not understand your authority to appoint or dismiss ministers as a licence for you to act against national interests."
In a comment more sympathetic to the president, Mzwanele Manyi, leader of the ANC-aligned Progressive Professionals Forum, said: "Clearly our president is not an arrogant man. He is a listening and a receptive person."
And the ANC's Zizi Kodwa echoed Mr Manyi's views: "President Zuma's decision to appoint Comrade Gordhan is an explicit demonstration of a responsive and accountable government."
This row has also got caught up in the battle to see who will lead the ANC from 2017, and lines have already been drawn based on which candidate people support.
The race is between the former wife of President Zuma, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is currently African Union commission chairperson, and deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.
These divisions are pitting brother against brother, just as they did in 2007, when Mr Zuma ousted then President Thabo Mbeki as ANC leader.
There are many who believe that part of the reason why the ANC seems to have its eyes off the ball, not just in the appointment of finance ministers but in the running of the country as well, is because of the race which has already begun even before the starting gun has been fired.
President Zuma's reputation will emerge weaker from this - though he is likely to survive despite the #ZumaMustStillFall hashtag, as the vast majority of South Africans are very loyal to the party, if not the individual in the shape of the president.
Unless the party decides to recall him first. | To lose one finance minister may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness, and President Jacob Zuma's decision to get rid of two finance ministers in less than a week has been a colossal blunder. | 35096449 |
A coastguard search and rescue helicopter was called out following a report that a man had injured his ankle on the mountain's Tower Ridge at about 14:30 on Wednesday.
Both climbers were eventually winched to safety.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and the Scottish Ambulance Service were also involved in the rescue operation. | Two climbers were airlifted to safety after getting into difficulty on Ben Nevis. | 38522413 |
25 November 2015 Last updated at 10:31 GMT
Jessy McCabe, 17, says Edexcel, one of Britain's biggest exam boards, contacted her to apologise and pledged to change its course for next year.
"They gave me no clear reason why there was an omission of women," says Jessy, who is one of the BBC's 100 Women 2015.
"Yes - there were fewer female composers but it doesn't mean to say there weren't any," she tells the BBC's Joe Inwood.
100 Women 2015
This year's season features two weeks of inspirational stories about the BBC's 100 Women and others who are defying stereotypes around the world.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram using the hashtag #100Women. Listen to the programmes here. | A UK student who lobbied to change the A-level music syllabus after spotting it featured no female composers has spoken to the BBC's 100 Women about her campaign. | 34920585 |
Concerned members of the public called police at around 00:24 GMT after seeing the woman outside Tesco in Pool, Cornwall.
Officers said the woman with the baby was not the mother but was thought to be babysitting the child.
The baby was taken into police protection and passed into the care of social services.
The woman has not been charged with any offence and officers will now work with social services to investigate the matter. | Police took a three-month-old baby into emergency care from an "intoxicated" babysitter outside a supermarket. | 35793450 |
The Hungarian federation is charged with crowd disturbances, the setting off of fireworks and the throwing of objects during their draw with Iceland.
The Belgian association is charged with the setting off of fireworks and the throwing of objects during their win over Republic of Ireland, while Portugal are charged with a field invasion during the draw with Austria.
The Hungarian case will be heard on 21 June while a date is yet to be set for the other two hearings.
Media playback is not supported on this device
On Monday, Croatia will find out whether they will be punished after crowd trouble marred the closing stages of 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic in Saint-Etienne on 17 June.
Referee Mark Clattenburg had to briefly halt the game when fireworks were thrown on the pitch, one of which exploded near a steward who was trying to remove it.
Earlier in the tournament, the Russian Football Union was fined 150,000 Euros (£119,000) and given a suspended disqualification after supporters caused trouble inside the stadium during their draw with England in Marseille.
Uefa threatened to disqualify England and Russia if there is any repeat of the violence that occurred in the centre of Marseille prior to kick-off.
Create leagues and play against your friends in BBC Sport's new Euro 2016 Predictor game | The football associations of Hungary, Belgium and Portugal are the latest to be charged by Uefa over the behaviour of their supporters at Euro 2016. | 36570929 |
At least 15 people were injured on Thursday after a rally by the Jat community, demanding better access to jobs and education, turned violent.
The protesters blocked major highways, stopped railway traffic and clashed with rival caste groups.
The Jat community wants quotas in government jobs, but other caste groups have opposed their demands.
The police have also suspended mobile internet services in Rohtak and banned any gathering of more than four people.
Rohtak's superintendent of police Shashank Anand said that the measures were taken "to maintain law and order" in the district.
Extra paramilitary forces had been deployed to help the police in keeping the city calm, he added.
The Haryana state administration has also tightened security in the neighbouring towns of Sonepat and Jhajjar.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held an emergency meeting on Thursday night to asses the situation in the state.
The Jats are currently listed as upper caste but they are demanding the status of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The community's leaders say that the quotas for OBCs and other lower castes puts them at a disadvantage in government jobs and state-run educational institutes.
The Indian government has divided people from lower castes in three categories as part of its affirmative action policy to offer quotas in jobs and educational institutes.
The communities listed as the Scheduled Castes (SCs) are essentially the lowest in the Hindu caste hierarchy, locally referred to as Dalits.
The Scheduled Tribes (STs) are the people who mostly live in remote areas.
The OBCs are educationally and economically backward but do not face so much exclusion or isolation. | Authorities in the northern Indian town of Rohtak have tightened security to control caste-related violence. | 35610329 |
Families of personnel who died while serving in The Royal Welsh will attend the service, in front of the Bastion Wall memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
They will visit the The Royal Welsh monument, built as a place of sanctuary and reflection.
Brig Philip Napier is due to address the families at midday.
Lt Col Chris Kilmister, regimental secretary of the Royal Welsh, said: "It is very fitting that we have gathered as the regimental family to pay our respects to all those who fell as the result of our fighting in Afghanistan."
The memorial replicates the design of the original Camp Bastion memorial wall at the UK's former Helmand Province base in Afghanistan, bearing the names of all 454 UK personnel who died in the conflict. | Welsh soldiers will commemorate the end of operations in Afghanistan during a ceremony on Saturday. | 34224960 |
The decision was announced after the Indian company held a board meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.
AMs are currently on an Easter break but with the election campaign under way there are no plans for the Senedd to meet until after polling day.
Tata said it would "explore all options", including "divestment".
In a joint statement, the Welsh and UK governments said they were both "working tirelessly to look at all viable options to keep a strong British steel industry at the heart of our manufacturing base".
The decision puts the jobs of thousands of UK workers under threat - including those in Port Talbot, Trostre in Llanelli, Llanwern in Newport and Shotton in Flintshire.
It came after Tata announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs - 750 at Port Talbot - in January.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said "no stone will be left unturned" in supporting Welsh steelworkers and their families.
Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood both backed the idea of recalling the assembly.
Any recall would need the approval of Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler and would need to happen before 6 April - the pre-election point at which members are no longer officially AMs.
Commenting on reports of the sale, Mr Davies said it was "quite clear that the assembly must now be recalled prior to dissolution".
He said the issue "goes above party politics" and that "all parties will have to work together" to ensure a successful sale and "a sustainable future for the industry in Wales".
Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood said: "If it proves to be true that Tata intends to sell the Port Talbot steelworks, politicians from all parties and from within the Welsh and UK governments must work together to secure the future of the plant."
The priority now was to seek out a reliable potential buyer, she added.
In a statement, the first minster said: "Whilst we have serious disagreements with the UK Government on many issues at the moment, we will work with them, and anyone else, who can help to secure a sustainable steel industry in Wales.
"Wales has faced up to tough times before, and we will always stand in solidarity with our brilliant, skilled workforce and with our communities."
Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock told the BBC he was "very disappointed that the turn-around plan was not accepted".
"The fundamental point is that the fight is always on to ensure that we continue to make steel in Port Talbot.
"If that's under the ownership of Tata Steel or another company will remain to be seen."
General secretary of the Community union Roy Rickhuss, who was in Mumbai as part of the delegation meeting Tata, said their "worst fear" had not been realised.
"We believe we have got a position that is better than we expected, in regards to the strong indication and rumours before we came here that the potential closure not just of Port Talbot but potentially of other assets within the UK is not being considered," he said.
"It's not an ideal situation. Nobody is saying it's what we wanted. What we wanted was for the Tata board to buy into the turn-around plan."
The Tata board said in a statement it had "noted with deep concern the deteriorating financial performance of the UK subsidiary in the last twelve months".
It said global steel demand had remained "muted", while trading conditions in the UK and Europe had "deteriorated".
The board had come to the "unanimous conclusion" that a transformation plan put forward was "unaffordable", the statement said.
"Following the strategic view taken by the Tata Steel Board regarding the UK business, it has advised the Board of its European holding company... to explore all options for portfolio restructuring including the potential divestment of Tata Steel UK, in whole or in parts," it added. | Calls for the Welsh Assembly to be recalled have been made after Tata confirmed it is considering selling its UK business. | 35921929 |
The Premier League club and landowners Peel Holdings have reached agreement on the Bramley Moore Dock site near the River Mersey.
It was announced as the preferred site for the club's proposed new stadium in January.
Liverpool City Council said it would act as a guarantor to help Everton secure funding for the project.
Planning permission would still have to be given for any development.
The club have been working with the council to find a replacement for Goodison Park.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said the purchase agreement was a "significant step".
The local authority said it would "securitize" any loans taken out by the club - in other words act as guarantor - as it looks to find funding, expected to be in excess of £300m, for the new stadium.
Mr Anderson said: "We will provide security using our status as an organisation, enabling them to go the market to secure a loan.
"It won't cost Liverpool City Council taxpayers any funding... Indeed, the reverse is true. Out of the deal for that security [Liverpool City Council] would receive a substantial amount of money, in excess of £4.4m every year."
Legal and financial advice had been sought and the financial model will be taken to the council's cabinet for approval, Mr Anderson said.
"For us it is a great deal - we're spending no money.
"It is also a fantastic deal for the city because it helps us revitalise north Liverpool," he said, adding: "It will be a catalyst for that particular area."
Richard Kemp, leader of the city's Liberal Democrats, said his party broadly welcomed the development.
But he warned: "The two areas that we will want reassurance on are finance - where we cannot see the need for a guarantee from the council, nor how this will not affect our own ability to borrow - and traffic.
"We need to see that there will be a considerable investment in the public transport and road systems if people are to get to and from the ground safely and speedily."
No timeframe has been set for building a new stadium.
Everton's chief executive Robert Elstone said: "Clearly, it is vital we have clarity on cost and we have to recognise that the stadium will be significantly more expensive at Bramley Moore Dock.
"To get that certainty, and ensure the stadium is affordable, we need to confirm stadium design, capacity and configuration."
He said the club was committed to a full consultation process and keeping fans informed.
Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri bought a 49.9% stake in Everton in February 2016 and quickly outlined plans for a move from Goodison Park, which has a capacity of 39,572.
An initial plan was to build a stadium at Walton Hall Park, a short distance north-east of the club's home since 1892, but it was strongly opposed by local residents.
Those plans were abandoned in May, with the club moving its attention to the site at Bramley Moore Dock.
Everton also abandoned plans to move to King's Dock in 2003, and Kirkby in 2009.
Liverpool increased Anfield's capacity to just over 54,000 with the opening of the stadium's Main Stand in September.
Analysis: Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer
This could be the most significant moment in Everton's recent history.
Goodison Park remains a gloriously atmospheric old arena but even the sentimentalists among Everton's support accept the time has come to move into a new era and new home in line with the ambitions of major shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
Moshiri, along with manager Ronald Koeman, sees this move as crucial to the plan to shift Everton into Europe's elite group, in a modern stadium offering greater profile, greater finances and greater attendances. The new stadium has been regarded as the key to a brighter future from the moment the billionaire arrived at the club in February 2016.
It is also a major move on the way to a dream that has been a long time in the making for Everton and their supporters.
Everton were forced to abandon plans to build a new 55,000-capacity stadium at King's Dock in April 2003 after they could not raise about £30m to fund the £155m project, and a proposed relocation to a new ground in Kirkby failed amid much acrimony from supporters in 2009.
Now, with the backing of Moshiri's finances, Everton seem to be on course to finally move from Goodison Park to a new home in the city's iconic waterfront in the most compelling piece of evidence yet of the club's fierce new ambition.
While Everton recognise this is a day of huge significance and an important development for the club's future, it should also be noted this is the first step - albeit a large and very important one - on a complicated journey.
It is likely to be many months before the complexities are ironed out and the remaining hurdles are overcome - but there is genuine excitement at Everton and among their supporters, albeit laced with caution. | Everton have agreed a deal to acquire land on which to build a new £300m stadium in Liverpool. | 39356244 |
Chasing a revised 327 from 47 overs, the hosts crumbled from 53-1 to 84 all out, suffering their heaviest runs defeat in List A cricket.
England seamer David Willey took 3-44 and Kyle Carver 3-5 as Yorkshire recorded their biggest victory.
Opener Adam Lyth's 92-ball 136 set the platform for Yorkshire's 325-7.
Lyth, capped seven times by England at Test level but never in white-ball cricket, struck seven sixes and 12 fours as he posted a career-best List A score for the second time in less than 24 hours.
Having improved on the 125 he made in Tuesday's One-Day Cup win against Northants, he became the first Yorkshire batsman to score two List A hundreds in successive days.
Kane Williamson (40) and Gary Ballance (34) chipped in with useful contributions as Yorkshire compiled what looked to be a competitive total at the midway stage - but few could have predicted the collapse that was to follow.
Lancashire's reply got off to a promising start, with New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill clobbering Willey for successive maximums on his way to 45 from 24 deliveries.
But the 26-year-old former Northants all-rounder came back to bowl Guptill with his next ball, a dismissal that sparked a spectacular collapse.
Willey, Carver, Tim Bresnan (2-22) and Adil Rashid (2-10) ripped through the Lancashire order and no other batsman was able to reach double figures, meaning Guptill's score would make up more than half of his team's total.
Lancashire, who currently sit top of the County Championship, were dismissed in only 17.3 overs.
Lancashire's 242-run hammering was their worst runs defeat in this format of the game, surpassing the 171-run loss suffered to Middlesex at Lord's in 1984.
Their total of 84 at Old Trafford was also their 10th lowest, and their third lowest against rivals Yorkshire.
The White Rose bettered their previous biggest runs victory, set in 1996 when they beat Nottinghamshire by 205 runs at Headingley.
Lancashire director of cricket and head coach Ashley Giles told BBC Radio Manchester:
"It was poor cricket from start to finish - with bat, ball, in the field and from a coaching perspective. If you lose like that, we all have to be accountable for it.
"There are no excuses. We played bad cricket. They got too many runs. Lyth played well, but we didn't bowl enough balls in the right place.
"Not to get anywhere near and in the manner we got out, you have to show more application and play better shots. From start to finish, it was not good enough."
Yorkshire captain Alex Lees:
"We're delighted with the performance. In particular, Adam Lyth's been outstanding in the last two one-day innings. They've been the match-winning innings we've needed. And the lads have batted well around him.
"Bowling wise we were probably a bit more savvy than Lancs to start with. We made sure they had lots of mix-ups.
"But, when you get over 300 in this format, you've only got to bowl a few decent overs for that rate to climb. The seamers bowled brilliantly and Adil and Karl saw us home at the end." | Lancashire lost their last nine wickets for 31 runs on their way to a 242-run thrashing by Roses rivals Yorkshire at Old Trafford in the One-Day Cup. | 36530595 |
Youth organisations and unions were demonstrating on the same day as a rail strike over a wage dispute.
The proposed law would remove some of the protection workers enjoy against being laid off, in a bid to encourage businesses to hire more people.
But many on the left see it as a betrayal of their values.
In pushing the reform, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has united a formidable array of leftist forces against him, says the BBC's Hugh Schofield.
That includes not just the unions but much of his own Socialist party - plus the students, who were leading Wednesday's protests.
Teenagers and students were among thousands marching in Paris chanting slogans such as "El Khomri, you're beat, the youth are in the street", in reference to Labour Minister Myriam el Khomri.
Dozens of schools around the country were barricaded by students.
Maryanne Gicquel, a spokesperson for the FIDL student union, described young people's experience of the job market as "a succession of internships and poorly-paid jobs".
"Now we're being told that it will be easier for companies to lay off workers," she told AP news agency.
This reform has crystallised all those forces on the left who, while feeling increasingly unhappy about the government's drift, until now had no clear-cut issue around which to rally, our correspondent reports.
It was - to be only a little bit unfair - all the usual suspects at the Paris demo. Trotskyite students chanting against the patriarchy; anarchists; grizzled veterans of '68; plenty of pensioners; theatre-workers. In other words the regular left-wing alphabetti-spaghetti.
One is tempted to ask who these people actually represent. The proportion of lycee and university students who turned out for the protest must have been absolutely minuscule. The vast majority didn't care enough and stayed away.
But the thing about French demos is that - more often than not - it is only the regular protesters who turn out. That is par for the course.
What counts is not what the protesters think - that we know - but what the rest of the country thinks about the protesters. If ordinary people disown the movement, then it is doomed.
But ordinary people in France are always reluctant to disown movements which deploy effectively the slogans of workers' rights and social progress. And this movement is definitely one of them.
In Paris, the rail strike caused early disruption, with only one in three trains running and long queues of traffic, said reports.
Sit-ins and street marches were planned across the country - though some reports suggested a lower than expected turnout, with some protesters possibly deterred by heavy rain.
President Francois Hollande's four years in office have been marked by poor economic growth and spiralling unemployment - now reaching 10% and 24% among youth.
The government of Mr Hollande, who faces presidential elections next year, is aiming to address those issues - with reforms to France's labour code, which is famously longer than the bible.
The reforms would:
The most visible proponents of the bill - Mr Valls and Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron - have urged backing for the proposals, pointing out that they would bring France into line with practice in the rest of Europe.
"The terrible thing would be the status quo," Mr Valls has said.
But labour protections and the 35-hour week are sacred totems on the French left, and polls show strong opposition to the reforms.
An online petition against the law has been signed by more than a million people. | Protests have been held around France as unions and young people joined forces to show their opposition to proposed labour reforms. | 35762251 |
The lorry overturned between junctions 12 and 11 of the London-bound M4 near Reading on Wednesday. The 49-year-old driver, from Essex, died at the scene.
Repair work was carried out through the night on the road and central reservation that had been damaged.
The closure meant some drivers were stuck in their cars in tailbacks for up to seven hours.
Anyone who witnessed the crash has been urged to contact police. | A stretch of motorway in Berkshire that was closed for 19 hours after a fatal lorry crash has reopened. | 36273479 |
Dan y Wenallt, starring Rhys Ifans and Charlotte Church, was chosen by Bafta as the UK's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film award.
Submissions will be shortlisted in December, with the final five nominees announced in January 2016, ahead of the ceremony in February.
Director Kevin Allen said he was "absolutely thrilled".
"It's a shot in the arm for both versions of our back-to-back Under Milk Wood productions," he said.
A partnership between fFatti fFilms, Tinopolis, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Goldfinch Pictures and S4C, it was the first film adaptation of the play since 1972, with both Welsh and English language versions filmed at the same time.
Two previous S4C foreign language film submissions have led to nominations - Hedd Wyn in 1994 and Solomon a Gaenor in 2000. | The Welsh film adaptation of poet Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood will be submitted for the Oscars. | 34505937 |
Lee, 22, moved into the top 10 of the Race to Dubai after his Monday win at Genzon Golf Club, which was hit by rain and electrical storms during the event.
Lee finished on 16-under, two shots clear of South Africa's Brandon Stone and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands.
Overnight co-leaders Lee Slattery of England and France's Alexander Levy finished three shots behind Lee.
Just one shot separated the top six going into Monday morning - which was itself delayed by fog - when 23 players returned to complete their rounds after Sunday's play was stopped due to bad light.
Lee made the decisive move when he birdied the 16th and then eagled the 17th to secure victory in just his sixth European Tour start.
Lee was glad to banish the memory of his near miss at the Maybank Championship Malaysia in February, when he double-bogeyed two of the last three holes to finish two shots behind Marcus Fraser.
"Yesterday I was really, really nervous. But we have a lot of break time and then this morning I felt really comfortable," he said.
Slattery, from Liverpool, bogeyed the 15th and could not pick up any shots on the closing three holes - unlike American Bubba Watson, who made three birdies in the last four holes to sign for a 66 and finish tied eighth. | South Korea's Soomin Lee claimed his first European Tour title at China's weather-delayed Shenzhen International. | 36127536 |
She took 11,507 votes - 69% of those cast - and won a majority of 9,936.
Liberal Democrat Marc Ramsbottom was second with 1,571 votes, with Conservative Matthew Sephton third on 754 votes - five more votes than were achieved by UKIP's Chris Cassidy.
The turnout of just over 18% is believed to be the lowest in a by-election since World War II.
Ms Powell is the first Labour woman to be elected in the city of Manchester, birthplace of Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the founders of the suffragette movement.
The result represents a swing of nearly 17% from the Lib Dems to Labour since the general election of 2010.
The by-election was triggered by Labour's Tony Lloyd standing down as MP to run as his party's police and crime commissioner candidate for Greater Manchester.
The result of that election is expected later.
Mr Sephton is expected to lose his deposit after winning less than 5% of the vote.
Ms Powell said: "With this result Manchester Central has sent this Tory-Lib Dem government a message - a clear message that we think their policies are wrong and unfair.
"They're wrong and unfair that our city is facing disproportionate and savage cuts, wrong and unfair that our communities are seeing the break-up of services and institutions that they value and that they need, and unfair and wrong that the people of Manchester are having to deal with a huge squeeze in their living standards and incomes while millionaires get a tax break."
Prof Jonathan Tonge, of the University of Liverpool, said the low voter turnout was shocking.
"I blame the electors. Four days after the nation remembered the fight for democratic freedom the fact that only 18% of the voters of Manchester Central can be bothered to vote in a parliamentary election - the lowest turnout in British political history - that is shameful," he said.
"People received information about the parliamentary candidates in a way that they didn't receive information about the Police and Crime Commissioner candidates." | Manchester has elected its first female Labour MP, with Lucy Powell holding Manchester Central in a by-election. | 20346068 |
The painting, Odalisque in Red Pants, was recovered in Miami Beach in an undercover operation two years ago.
An American and a Mexican citizen were both arrested and convicted of theft.
The painting, which used to be on display in a museum in Caracas, was replaced by a fake but the switch took years to discover.
It was exchanged for a bad copy sometime between 1999 and 2002 but it was not until 2003 that officials at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas realised what had happened.
The original was found by US undercover agents in a hotel room in Miami.
"The work is in extraordinary condition, with only slight imperfections on the edges, but it is fine," said Joel Espinoza, an official with Venezuela's attorney general's office.
The painting was flown back and arrived in Venezuela on Monday where it will go on public display in two weeks time.
Painted in 1925, Odalisque in Red Pants has been valued at more than $3m.
It was bought by the Venezuelan government from a gallery in New York in 1981. | A painting by the French artist Henri Matisse, stolen more than a decade ago, has been handed back to the Venezuelan authorities by US officials. | 28205390 |
William Hanks, 83, was found inside the house at Kildonan by firefighters called to the incident on Wednesday.
A joint investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Our thoughts continue to be with Mr Hanks' family at this tragic time."
The fire was quickly brought under control and no-one else was at the property at the time. | A fire that killed an elderly man at his home on South Uist was not suspicious, investigators have said. | 39017974 |
13 October 2016 Last updated at 08:07 BST
The headset can plug into existing PS4 consoles and Sony are hoping fans will splash out hundreds of pounds for the gadget.
Lots of games are currently being designed for the device which will allow players to fly like an eagle, drive sports cars in high-speed races, and explore castles.
Currently it's normal for games to last just a few minutes but developers are trying to see how far they can extend play without players feeling tired or sick.
It goes into competition with other VR headsets like Facebook's Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive - which are currently even more expensive.
Sony hopes the headset will be used not just for gaming but also for other things like watching films. | Sony is the latest company to release a virtual reality headset which will go on sale in Japan and North America on Thursday. | 37640879 |
The "hair ice" is a highly unusual type of frost that needs a very particular set of conditions to form.
Suzanne Humphris, a ranger team leader for the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, discovered the ice in the Bracklinn Woods on Friday.
The strange, candy floss look is caused by a fungus called exidiopsis effusa.
The action of the fungus is to enable the ice to form very thin hairs - with a diameter of about 0.01mm - and to keep this shape for many hours when temperatures are close to freezing.
Ms Humphris told BBC Scotland: "It looks like snow or fungus growing from wood, but it melts in your hand when you touch it - it instantly disappears.
"I've never seen so much of it. If there's other frost around you don't really notice it, but there wasn't this time so it stood out."
The ice only appears on wood which has fungus growing in it and there also needs to be exactly the right combination of humidity and temperature.
Ms Humphris said: "The conditions are to have lots of water in the wood, humid air and for it to be below freezing."
Formations of hair ice were also spotted at the weekend in West Lothian and near Nairn in Moray.
A study by scientists at the University of Bern in Switzerland, published in July 2015, linked the formation of hair ice to the exidiopsis effusa fungus. | National park rangers have found a rare form of ice covering dozens of pieces of dead wood in woodland near Callander. | 35280155 |
But a long-standing arrangement between the Republic of Ireland and the UK means the Irish will.
They'll join British citizens at the polls on 23 June - so long as they're UK residents and have registered to vote.
It's a reciprocal relationship - British citizens can vote in Ireland when they hold national elections.
Other EU nationals, who have come to live in Great Britain, won't get to vote. But EU citizens from Commonwealth countries - such as Malta and Cyprus - can vote if they live in the UK.
The big question is whether the UK should stay in, or leave the EU - and it's a hotly contested issue.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny made the trip to London on May 30 to encourage Irish people living there to get involved with the referendum.
He said that a "substantial number of Irish people" make up the British electorate and he urged them to have their say by registering to vote by 7 June.
"Our wish in Ireland is that Britain would stay as a strong member of the European Union - as a central member - for the time to come," said Mr Kenny.
In Northern Ireland, the DUP and TUV have been campaigning for Brexit and argue that the UK would be better off going it alone.
Sammy Wilson, DUP, told BBC NI's The View programme on Thursday: "If you look at the countries which are in recession at the moment, they are the countries which are most closely tied into the EU and especially into the eurozone.
"If you look at the countries where young people don't have a chance for the future - 50% youth unemployment in Spain, Italy, the economy of Greece in ruins." | Most European Union (EU) nationals won't get a say in the upcoming EU referendum. | 36445169 |
Research commissioned by the BBC from data analysts Experian, suggested export was a key factor in the number of growing companies in the area.
It said 2.8% of south Cambridgeshire businesses were involved in export, well above the 0.6% national average.
Mark Howard, of sensor production company Zettlex, said exporting around the world had ensured its growth.
Experian surveyed business growth and potential growth in 324 areas of the UK.
It placed south Cambridgeshire seventh in terms of the proportion of its businesses considered to be high performers capable of continued growth.
Mr Howard said Zettlex's success overseas had contributed to its £1.5m turnover in the past year.
The eight-year-old Newton-based company employs 10 people, and has filled orders from the UK, USA, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Romania and Belgium since the beginning of 2012.
"We're about to start a major project with the UK Space Agency, putting our sensors onto things like landing vehicles for the Mars rover," Mr Howard said.
"It's a great feather in our cap that a small hi-tech company like us can even be considered for that.
"It's a global market out there, and because of the contracts we've signed up to we will continue growing."
Norman Shires, managing director of 12-man AV Engineering in Melbourn, said his plastic moulding business was growing for similar reasons.
"We work to a very broad spectrum of customers and export all over the world," he said.
"We send bespoke parts to China and we recently got a contract with Triumph Motorcycles, who have a plant just outside Bangkok."
He said the company had weathered four recessions and if it had not been self-financed it would have struggled to survive.
"A lot of plastics companies were mothballed, but we are still here," he said.
"Business is booming at the moment.
"Frankly the supply chain has got indigestion. We just can't get things through quickly enough." | A small business founder says his south Cambridgeshire company is thriving because of its "global outlook". | 17370140 |
The environment secretary told the BBC that the UK would not "compromise" on or "dilute" its animal welfare standards in the interests of trade.
The EU currently bans chlorine-washed chickens on welfare grounds.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has questioned this but downplayed the potential for UK-US disagreement.
It will be up to the UK to decide whether to retain the ban once it leaves the EU in March 2019.
On a visit to Washington on Monday, Mr Fox said chlorinated chicken was just one detail in one sector that would only be addressed at the end of discussions about a free trade deal - which are likely to be years away.
He has suggested there are no food safety issues regarding chlorine-washed chickens, a view shared by many UK experts.
In the US, it is legal to wash chicken carcasses in strongly chlorinated water.
Producers argue that it stops the spread of microbial contamination from the animal's digestive tract to the meat, while regulators agree.
The practice is banned in the EU, which argues that it could increase the risk of bacterial-based diseases such as salmonella on the grounds that dirty abattoirs with sloppy standards would rely on it as a decontaminant rather than making sure their basic hygiene protocols were up to scratch.
There are also concerns that such "washes" would be used by less scrupulous meat processing plants to increase the shelf-life of meat, making it appear fresher than it really is.
The European Food Standards Agency is currently considering whether to allow peroxyacetic acid as a poultry rinse.
Agriculture is likely to be one of the sticking points in talks over a deal, amid concerns about differing farming and welfare practices, such the use of growth hormones given to cows and cattle.
Asked whether lifting the ban on chlorinated chickens was a price to be paid for sealing a post-Brexit deal with the US, Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4's Today: "No. I have made it perfectly clear we are not going to dilute our high environmental standards or our animal welfare standards in the pursuit of a trade deal.
"We need to ensure that we do not compromise those standards. And we need to be in a position as we leave the European Union to be leaders in environmental and in animal welfare standards."
While membership of the EU meant the UK had to accept some environmental obligations "which do not work in the interests of the environment", he said the UK had been a world leader in environmental standards for decades and that would continue after Brexit.
A Lords report on Wednesday warned that UK farmers' livelihoods could be threatened by an influx of cheaper food imports from the US. It said there was evidence that UK consumers would be willing to pay more for food reared to higher standards but it remained to be seen if this would happen in practice.
Journalist Ross Clark said the European Food Standards Agency accepted there was no public health risk from chlorinated chickens and the EU's stance amounted to "protectionism in disguise".
He told Today that the UK should not be lecturing the US on food safety standards, given past scandals such as BSE and horsemeat. | The UK should not accept imports of chlorinated chickens as part of any future trade deal with the US, Michael Gove has said. | 40726208 |
The claims emerged from an investigation into alleged failings in the organisation's culture.
British Cycling responded by admitting it did not pay "sufficient care and attention" to staff and athletes well being at the expense of winning medals.
But James said: "I've had an amazing experience with British Cycling."
Published in the Daily Mail, the leaked report claims British Cycling "sanitised" its own probe into claims former coach Shane Sutton used sexist language towards Jess Varnish.
It also spoke of a "culture of fear", with some staff "bullied" and said weak leadership allowed first Sir Dave Brailsford, described as an "untouchable" figure, and then Sutton to work without supervision as British Cycling chiefs, creating a "dysfunctional structure".
In October of 2016, British Cycling found Sutton, who has left the organisation, guilty on one from nine charges of using sexist language towards Varnish who was dropped from British Cycling's elite programme in April.
Sutton under scrutiny
Media playback is not supported on this device
James said she was unaware of the leaked report and the subsequent British Cycling statement.
She has outlined the role Sutton played in her recovery from almost two years of injury and illness which culminated in battling back to win two silver Olympic medals in Rio.
"I didn't work very closely with Dave but I work closely with Shane," James told BBC Radio Wales.
"He was the one that supported me through my injuries, he was the one that believed in me getting to Rio.
"He pushed me through my training and believed in me.
"He told me if I trained hard and knuckled down that I could get to Rio and I did and I won silver medals.
"I've always had support from British Cycling."
Post Olympics break
The 25-year-old has not returned to full training yet and will not compete in the World Championships in Hong Kong next month.
"It's been amazing [since the Olympics]," said James.
"It takes a long time to sink in. I have loved my life and enjoyed every minute of it.
"I have worked so hard and it's been like a bubble. It's nice to live in the real world for a bit.
"It's natural for riders [to take a break] after an Olympics and I have seen people benefit from it.
"It's hard to get back but I am still young and I have needed this break mentally and physically and have enjoyed it.
"I have learned so much about myself in the year leading up to Rio. This will benefit me in the long term."
Future goals
The Commonwealth Games will be held on the Gold Coast in 2018 while the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo looms.
"Once I start back full-time training, that's where I know where I am at and set my targets and what my long-term goals are," said James.
"It is something for me to sit down and see where I want to get to.
"It is just ticking over at the moment, getting fit on the road and getting strong in the gym before building up the next event." | Double Olympic silver medallist Becky James has backed British Cycling after the organisation was criticised in a leaked draft report. | 39229966 |
Health ministers and officials from 194 countries are due to vote for a new director general of the World Health Organization in Geneva on Tuesday.
The UN agency, founded in 1948, describes itself as the "global guardian of public health", but it lost a great deal of credibility and trust over its handling of the Ebola crisis in 2014.
The new boss could make or break the WHO, which is still trying to prove it is fit for purpose after admitting it was slow to respond to what became the worst Ebola outbreak in history.
However, dealing with epidemics is just part of what WHO does.
Its stated goal is to ensure "the highest attainable level of health for all people".
In practice, that means everything from trying to wipe out deadly diseases for good, to trying to deal with the growing number of obesity and diabetes epidemics, to reducing deaths on the roads and saving the lives of mothers and babies during childbirth.
Heading an organisation responsible for the health of all 7.3 billion people on earth is no small task.
"The word 'health' itself is a burden that it carries," said Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh.
"Improving health worldwide can mean so many things, from mental health to malaria to unintentional injuries… to cancer.
"It's very hard for one agency, with a very limited and very constrained budget - of around $2bn every year - to achieve all those things. "
Prof Sridhar, who has recently written a book looking at WHO funding, said the US's health protection agency, the CDC, has a budget more than three times that of the WHO.
She also said most of it comes from donors who earmark their funding for specific projects.
Only around 20% of the WHO budget comes from compulsory contributions from member states, she said.
Whoever gets the top job will have to be the consummate politician. They will have to get country leaders on board with big - often expensive - global health objectives, while also being above politics and not beholden to the special interests of any particular country.
"There have been two types of leader at the WHO in the past," said Prof David Heymann, a former assistant director at the WHO.
"Some have tried to build consensus between 194 member countries, then try to implement what those countries have said. Others have been leaders who have been out in front with a vision, and tried to pull 194 countries along with that vision."
There are three candidates left in the running for the $241,000-a-year job.
The vote will take place at the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva. Whoever is elected will serve a minimum five-year term.
"I was born into a poor family. When I was seven, I lost my younger brother, probably to measles. I survived by chance, but it could have been me.
"For me, this position is about standing up for the rights of the poor.
"If I became director general, I would be very vocal on the issue of universal healthcare.
"We complain about emergencies or epidemics, worried it may come to our country. But if we ensure universal health coverage, we can resolve all of those issues.
"Inequity is a central challenge. The world has all the resources to save every life, as long as we believe every life is important.
"Those who have, do not care for the have-nots, and unless we confront that reality honestly, I don't think we will make progress."
"I was born and brought up in Peshawar on the Afghan border in Pakistan. I was raised in a progressive family. My father encouraged us to swim in the summer and play golf. I was a local golf champion by the time I was 16.
"When I was 15, my father passed away silently in his sleep - I think that was a turning point in my life.
"I trained as a cardiologist and I became very disillusioned with the disparity of care between the rich and the poor.
"My vision for this role centres on regaining the WHO's primacy, and ensuring that it has the world's trust as its lead health agency.
"Since the Ebola outbreak, the WHO has come under heavy criticism for its inability to... exercise stewardship during health emergencies.
"I want to make the organisation more accountable and transparent.
"I want it to focus on its core roles, rather than doing everything under the sun, in a half-baked way. I would lead the WHO very differently."
"My parents are both doctors, and probably because of their influence, I started working outside the UK.
"It was when I was working in Nepal in 1989, that I found how malnutrition and disease were most likely to come from households that faced particularly difficult circumstances in terms of income, the status of women and their access to sanitation and water.
"It seemed to me blindingly obvious that I had to work on the underlying determinants of health.
"My first priority if I become director general of the WHO, is to focus on universal health coverage - everybody being able to access healthcare when and where they need it.
"My second priority is to make sure people can be defended against outbreaks of disease.
"Thirdly, we are seeing increasing levels of diabetes, heart disease and mental ill-health. These kinds of non-communicable conditions could be prevented by better work across governments and society."
Follow @tulipmazumdar on twitter | There's another big election coming up which will have an impact on hundreds of millions of people all around world - but you probably haven't heard anything about it. | 39973940 |
An aerial was attached to the back of eight turtles by scientists using satellite technology to monitor the species' habits.
The project found one travelled from the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to the coast of Somalia in east Africa.
It is believed to be the furthest green sea turtle migration recorded.
The Swansea scientists, collaborating with colleagues in Australia and the Seychelles, were investigating the effectiveness of marine protected areas which have been set up by governments around the world over the last decade to improve conservation and protect species and biodiversity from damage and disturbance.
Published in the latest issue of Conservation Biology, the research team found
The study focused on the green sea turtles which breed on the Chagos Islands in the Chagos Archipelago which became a protected area in 2010, according to Prof Graeme Hays from the College of Science at Swansea University.
"The message from this research is that networks of small protected areas need to be developed alongside larger ones so species which migrate over long distances can stay in safe zones for as much time as possible," he said.
GREEN SEA TURTLE FACTS
Source: National Geographic
Nicole Esteban, a Swansea University researcher who has worked on the project, said: "Green sea turtles are an iconic species and their welfare tells us a lot about the health of our oceans.
"They forage in seagrass meadows which are being depleted because of pollution and other man-made causes.
"Our study helps determine the location of these important habitats, and also highlights the need to protect seagrass meadows, and make a network of small marine protected areas (MPAs)."
Last year, the Welsh government withdrew plans for 10 marine conservation zones in favour of exploring changes to 125 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that cover 36% of Welsh seas. | A green sea turtle migrated a staggering 3,979 km (2,472 miles) in a year, according to Swansea University researchers. | 28400488 |
Ron Eley said Northamptonshire Police had been too keen to dismiss his daughter Lauren's death as a suicide.
He also criticised officers for handing him a bag full of Miss Eley's blood-stained clothes before he had been told she was dead.
Last week an open verdict was recorded in an inquest into her death.
Police have yet to comment on Mr Eley's criticism, but the force accepted notes taken down after her death, which were destroyed seven years later, could have assisted the hearing.
Coroner Anne Pember said she could not presume her death was accidental.
Miss Eley died at Northampton Hospital on 11 December 2004 after falling from the town's Grosvenor Centre multi-storey car park.
Her father said he felt police had never investigated his daughter's death as a crime.
He said: "I had to look into evidence myself. Some of it was pretty graphic and pretty horrific.
"The police should be accountable for the lack of work that was put into this.
"I want the police to recognise the pain and frustration they have put us through."
Mr Eley said officers had given him and his wife a bag full of his daughter's bloody clothes on the day she died.
He said they did not find out she was dead until they went to the hospital, even though she had died 40 minutes before the officers had called round.
"They gave us a big brown bag and suggested we didn't look into it. Of course, our first reaction was to look in the bag," he said.
"The clothing was dirty. Her tights were ripped and there was blood all over some of the clothes."
Police have yet to comment, but last week said: "An officer's notebook was stored and destroyed after seven years in line with national guidelines.
"It is regrettable that, due to an oversight, a copy of the notes made within that book that relate to this investigation were not retained with the case papers.
"We accept this would have assisted at inquest."
The police spokesman said the force had considered several possible causes of death, including "that of accident, misadventure and the involvement of a third party". | The father of a 17-year-old girl who fell to her death from a multi-storey car park ten years ago has called on police to reopen the investigation. | 30184175 |
In December 2014, self-styled Islamist Man Haron Monis held 18 people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.
Heavily armed police raided the building 17 hours later after Monis shot cafe manager Tori Johnson.
The inquest is investigating the police response to the situation.
Monis was shot dead by police during the raid, while a second hostage, Katrina Dawson, was killed by stray bullet fragments fired by police.
Under cross examination on Tuesday, the forward commander in charge of the siege operation was asked why he did not order the raid earlier, when Monis fired a shot in the direction of six escaping hostages.
The detective chief superintendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it had been "a high stakes game". When challenged on his use of "game" he said it "may not be the right word".
Questions about why police snipers did not attempt to shoot Monis have been heavily discussed during the inquest.
A barrister acting for the Johnson family put it to the police commander that his mission had been to secure the safe release of the hostages rather than the welfare of the gunman.
"I can't ignore Man Monis as an individual, he had the same rights as anyone else," the police officer replied.
The comments prompted Ken Johnson and Rossie Connellan to rise from their seats and leave the court.
Ms Connellan yelled at the officer: "You're an absolute disgrace."
How the Sydney siege unfolded
The commander had previously said the cafe siege had the hallmarks of a domestic incident rather than terrorism, despite the fact that Monis asked to be given a flag of the so-called Islamic State (IS) militant group.
He said he had been advised by a psychiatrist that the siege was "final posturing" by Monis in order to gain some "street cred" before a likely jail sentence.
Monis had been facing dozens of sexual assault charges plus charges of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.
"Our experience internationally is IS does not have sieges, they have active armed offender situations," said the officer.
"They commence with violence, high levels of death, whether by a person-borne bomb or automatic gunfire - they are not siege situations.
The officer said he believed at the time that if negotiators could speak directly with Monis, they could achieve a peaceful end.
On Wednesday, he told the inquest: "Three people lost their lives because of me. I reflect on this every day but I don't know what I could have changed."
The inquest, before Coroner Michael Barnes, is continuing in Sydney. | The parents of a man murdered in the Sydney cafe siege have stormed out of an inquest after a police chief said the gunman had "had the same rights as any other person". | 36842227 |
After serving as interim head coach since September, Hodge will revert to his previous role as attack coach under incoming head coach Richard Cockerill.
Despite a disappointing spell in charge, Hodge believes he can help Cockerill restore Edinburgh's fortunes.
"I'm looking forward to Richard coming in and trying to get the club to where we all want it to be," Hodge said.
Edinburgh take on Glasgow Warriors on Saturday in the second leg of the 1872 Cup, trailing 25-12 from the first leg. They are unable to finish higher than ninth in the Pro12, with victory last time out against Newport Gwent Dragons halting a run of eight successive league defeats.
Hodge concedes the performances on his watch have not been good enough, and admits there are things he would do differently if given the opportunity to lead the team again.
"There are lots of little things [I'd change]," the former Scotland fly-half told BBC Scotland.
"There's always experience and learnings to be had. It was tricky coming in at that point in the season and it's hard to make too many changes in-season.
"There have been some highlights, but there have been too many losses and too many performances that haven't been up to scratch.
"We've lost too many games by narrow margins, so we are where we are and that's frustrating. We're all gutted about that."
Edinburgh confirmed on Thursday that Calum MacRae will move from Scotland Sevens to become the new defence coach under Cockerill, replacing Peter Wilkins who will leave after Saturday's match at Scotstoun.
Matt Cornwell will become head of rugby operations after working with Cockerill as Leicester's team manager. | Duncan Hodge believes he can still be an influential figure in an Edinburgh revival next season. | 39811953 |
Duncan Hodge's side trailed to Tommaso Boni's first-half try, but Chris Dean crossed just before the interval to nudge Edinburgh ahead.
Winger Will Helu touched down to extend the visitors' lead, but Carlo Canna's try clawed Zebre back within a score.
Duncan Weir kicked two late penalties, before Andries van Schalkwyk scored to earn the Italians a losing bonus point.
Edinburgh had suffered a shock defeat to Zebre at Murrayfield in October - Gianluca Guidi's side's first-ever win on Scottish soil.
Weir got Edinburgh off the mark with his first of four penalties, and a haul of 14 points from the tee, but the visitors fell behind on 25 minutes when centre Boni crossed at the corner, Canna converting.
Weir kicked three more points, before centre Dean scooped up a loose ball and outstripped the Zebre cover defence to score, his fly-half adding the extras on the stroke of half-time.
Helu latched onto man-of-the-match Blair Kinghorn's kick through to extend Edinburgh's lead to 11 points, but Canna rounded off a period of Zebre pressure with a try of his own.
The Italian pivot failed to convert, however, and Weir slotted two more penalties to take Hodge's men two scores ahead.
Edinburgh's replacement scrum-half Nathan Fowles was shown a late yellow card as Zebre searched for a losing bonus point, and found it when van Schalkwyk crossed with the final play, Canna converting.
Zebre: Edoardo Padovani, Kurt Baker, Tommaso Boni, Faialaga Afamasaga, Giovanbattista Venditti, Carlo Canna, Marcello Violi; Andries Van Schalkwyk, Johan Meyer, Derick Minnie, George Biagi, Quintin Geldenhuys, Dario Chistolini, Tommaso D'Apice, Andrea Lovotti.
Replacements: Carlo Festuccia, Guillermo Roan, Pietro Ceccarelli, Joshua Furno, Federico Ruzza, Guglielmo Palazzani, Matteo Pratichetti, Mattia Bellini.
Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland, Chris Dean, Junior Rasolea, Will Helu, Duncan Weir, Sean Kennedy, Allan Dell, Ross Ford, Simon Berghan, Fraser McKenzie, Ben Toolis, Magnus Bradbury, Jamie Ritchie, Cornell Du Preez.
Replacements: Stuart McInally, Allan Dell, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Viliame Mata, Sean Kennedy, Jason Tovey, Glenn Bryce. | Edinburgh ended a run of three straight Pro12 defeats with a 24-19 victory over bottom club Zebre in Parma. | 38464225 |
"We have been through four tough years," Mr Rajoy admitted, referring to Spain's long and deep economic crisis. "But we're going in the right direction now, and we'll continue that!" he proclaimed to supporters gathered outside the party headquarters in upmarket Madrid hugging, cheering and waving Spanish and PP flags.
Spain went to the polls for the second time in six months on Sunday in an attempt to end the country's political stalemate. But the re-run brought no immediate relief.
The right-of-centre PP won the vote again, but without a majority, so wrangling over who can form a workable coalition has resumed.
It will not be easy but as the only party that increased its presence in Congress, gaining 14 seats, the PP feels it has a mandate to push harder.
Mr Rajoy's surprise gain on Sunday may well be down to the economy: a vote for continuity over radical change.
The shock decision by Britain to leave the EU had sent Spain's stock market plummeting a few days earlier and the Popular Party presented itself as a safe pair of hands.
It's likely that's also why Sunday's main loser, was Podemos.
The left wing party that emerged from mass anti-austerity protests had proclaimed its aim of leapfrogging over Spain's established Socialist Party, PSOE, to finish second in the polls.
Podemos teamed up with Spain's old communists, Izquierda Unida, in a bid to net up to a million more votes.
The grand plan then, had been to create what Podemos termed a "progressive coalition" with the Socialists.
"Spain needs this coalition," party leader Pablo Iglesias told journalists just after voting in a working-class neighbourhood of Madrid. He urged PSOE to work "shoulder to shoulder" with him, warning that even a couple more months under the Popular Party would be a disaster.
The pony-tailed professor had reason for optimism. His party polled over 20% of the vote last December, provoking a political earthquake in Spain where power had passed between two political mammoths - the Socialists and the PP - for decades.
Podemos voters were angry at a series of corruption scandals and lured by talk of ending austerity and a focus on "social justice."
But it was the Socialist PSOE, not the newcomers, who were confirmed as the key force on the left wing.
One commentator on a morning TV discussion show argued that Podemos had failed to beat the "fear vote". In the end, he argued, Spaniards worried about the implications for the economy and financial markets. Brexit may have increased that concern, he added, suggesting that the current climate was not ripe for radicalism or upheaval.
There is pressure to move on now and finally form a government, especially as Brussels is likely to demand progress on cutting the budget deficit, after going easy on a caretaker government.
"The problem is, Spain's political culture frowns upon coalitions. They think it's a betrayal of the electorate's will," argues journalist Miguel Murado. "No-one here wants to be king-maker, everyone wants to be king," he adds.
The Popular Party leader says he will talk "to everyone" to build a government, starting straight away with PSOE, although a Socialist party spokesman quickly insisted it would not support Mr Rajoy.
For months, PSOE and another potential partner, Ciudadanos (Citizens), have insisted that they cannot work with him, arguing that he is tainted by corruption claims against his party.
But PP supporters are hopeful that can change.
"I think they will go with Rajoy now and that will be good. Better for Spain," one woman holding her baby told me, as she celebrated the party's win.
"I think they will form a government now," Ignacio agreed, despite seeing no evidence of that over the past six months. "We are very tired," he admitted. "We don't need a third election." | There were whoops as Popular Party (PP) leader Mariano Rajoy emerged on a balcony above, grinning broadly and blowing kisses. | 36644439 |
People in the US voted in their millions to choose who would be the next leader of the country.
The two main candidates for the job were Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
After many months of campaigning by both candidates, the wait was over and it was announced that Donald Trump would become the next president of the US.
This is the end of Newsround's live online coverage of the US election results.
Thank you for your questions and comments throughout the day!
Hillary Clinton has given a speech after the result of the US election, which she lost to rival Donald Trump.
She apologised to her supporters for not winning the election. "This is not the outcome we wanted or worked so hard for," she said.
However, she went on to say how proud and grateful she was for the campaign that she fought.
She told her supporters that they represent "the best of America" and that it had been "one of the greatest honours of [her] life" to represent them.
She said that she had congratulated Donald Trump on his victory, adding: "I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans."
As well as asking you in the UK what you think about the result, Newsround also spoke to children in the US about their feelings.
This is what they had to tell us...
Newsround went to speak to some of you to find out what you would like to say to the next US president Donald Trump.
We want to know why Donald Trump has been elected despite what he has said about Mexican people and the horrible things he has said about women. Even though he has been really horrible to and about women, some women have voted for him. Why?
Ayshah: Different people vote for different reasons.
A lot of people think Donald Trump will be good for the country because he's said he will bring more jobs and keep America safe. He's also not a politician and many Americans want a change.
A lot of people don't like Hillary Clinton because they say she can't be trusted. Everyone makes a personal choice when it comes to voting.
How do the American people feel about the result?
Ayshah: People have different opinions.
Those who voted for Donald Trump will be happy. At the official party for his campaign, people were cheering and waving banners when the results were coming in.
But those who voted for Hillary Clinton will be feeling disappointed today. Some were seen crying at Clinton's party, which was held in New York.
The kids I've spoken to so far in the US have mixed feelings. Some of them were shocked when they woke up to the news that Donald Trump will be their next president. But others have told me they are happy and excited about the choice adults have made.
Do you think Donald Trump will elect Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State?
Ayshah: Donald Trump will start announcing the people that he wants to work with over the next couple of months.
It's more likely he'll choose people who supported him throughout his campaign. It's unlikely that Hillary will be Secretary of State as she stood for the opposite party and was his rival.
President Barack Obama has invited Donald Trump - the 'President-elect', who is the soon-to-be president - to the White House on Thursday to discuss handing over the job.
Obama is also expected to make a speech soon to talk about the results and how the country can come together now the election is over.
A photo taken today shows work has already begun outside the White House to prepare for the inauguration ceremony in January, when Donald Trump will officially start the job as US president.
How did Donald Trump become president?
Ayshah: Our guide shows you the exact process of how you become president if you want to find out more.
Why is Donald Trump building a wall across the Mexican border?
Ayshah: He says he wants to build a wall along the border between Mexico and the US to stop people from going into the US illegally.
He's said it's too easy to cross between the two countries at the moment and the wall will keep American people safe. It's one of the top issues his supporters were worried about.
What is Donald Trump going to do now that he is president?
Ayshah: He will not officially start the job until 20 January next year. So that means he is currently called a President-elect.
However, between now and then, he will start to choose the people who will work closely with him while he is president. We will have to wait and see what he decides to do first once he starts the job.
How long is Donald Trump going to be president for?
Ayshah: Usually a president stays in the job for four years before the US people can elect a new president.
It's rare that an elected president would be in the White House for a shorter time than this, unless something exceptional happened.
After four years, Donald Trump could be re-elected if the American people want him to be. He would then be in charge for a total of eight years, like President Barack Obama has been.
When Newsround visited the US recently, Ayshah met Spencer, who was supporting Donald Trump in the election, which had not happened yet.
Since then, the candidate he was supporting has been elected to become the next president.
We caught up with him this morning to see how he was feeling after the result...
Will Donald Trump actually build a wall?
Ayshah: It's something that he's talked a lot about in his speeches and his slogan "build a wall" has been chanted by his supporters.
For now we'll have to wait and see. He doesn't officially go into the White House to start his job until January, so nothing will happen until then.
How did Hilary feel when she lost?
Ayshah: Well, we haven't heard from Hillary Clinton yet. She's expected to give a speech soon and we'll bring you the latest on Newsround, so check back here.
At the party where Hillary supporters were gathered to hear the result, the head of her campaign John Podesta came on stage to tell her supporters to head home, as she wouldn't be making a speech straight away.
In Donald Trump's speech, he announced that Hillary Clinton rang to congratulate him.
Now that the election is over, many of you may be wondering what will happen next.
While Donald Trump has been elected as the next US president, he won't officially start the job until a ceremony on 20 January 2017 called the inauguration.
The Obamas can live in the White House, the official home of the president, until Donald Trump's inauguration.
On moving day, they will say goodbye to all the staff who work in the White House, and then Trump and his family will move in.
To find out more about what happens next, check out our guide.
Why weren't there other candidates?
Ayshah: There were other candidates for the job, but they didn't get many votes at all, and they were from much smaller parties.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the two who were the most popular.
Every President since 1853 has been from one of the big US political parties - the Democrats or the Republicans. And this time it's the Republicans who've come out on top.
Could Donald Trump ban homework in the UK?
Ayshah: No, he's going to be president of the US, so he will not make rules about how schools in the UK work.
Will he bring the US closer together or will it end up in chaos?
Ayshah: Donald Trump said in his victory speech that he wants to bring the country together.
At his speech in New York he said: "It's time for us to come together as one united people." But there have been concerns that the US is very divided and it's an issue that kids there told me should be dealt with.
Donald Trump has won the election to become the next president of the US.
However, it has not just been a victory for him. People in the US have also been voting for who they would like to represent them in another part of the government called Congress, which also helps to run the country.
After this election, the party which Donald Trump represents - the Republicans - have kept a lot of power in Congress.
This is good news for Donald Trump, as he will be working with lots of members of his own political party to run the US.
But what do the Republicans believe in? How are they likely to want to run the country?
Newsround wants to know what YOU think about Donald Trump taking on one of the biggest jobs in the world.
Do you have any questions about the result, Donald Trump or what happens next?
We'll be putting some of your questions to a BBC reporter in the US later today.
Get them sent in now by clicking here.
Newsround went to the US to find out what children over there thought about the people in line to become the next president of their country.
Some of them were fans of Donald Trump, who is now heading for the White House. Others preferred Hillary Clinton.
See what they had to say below!
In the map of the US below, you can see which states voted for who.
The blue areas supported Hillary Clinton more, while the red areas supported Donald Trump more.
The white areas have not yet had their votes counted, but Donald Trump has already declared his victory.
Find out more about him here.
Donald Trump has declared he has won the US election, in a speech to his supporters at his main election event in New York.
He announced that his rival candidate Hillary Clinton has rung him to congratulate him, even though there are still some votes to be counted.
"I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us on our victory," he said.
"To all Republicans and Democrats and Independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together."
Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence - who is set to become the vice-president - has called it an "historic night".
The head of Hillary Clinton's campaign John Podesta has come on stage at her main election event in New York to tell her supporters they can head home.
Many people who hoped that she would win the election had gathered in the hope of celebrating a successful result for the Democrats.
However, it does not look like this is going to happen.
Mr Podesta also told the crowd that Hillary Clinton will not be saying anything tonight about the results.
Donald Trump's supporters are extremely hopeful that he will be the next US president.
Nothing is official yet, but with only a few more results to go, it is looking like he will be heading into the White House.
Newsround would like to know what you think of the results of this election here.
With Donald Trump currently leading, Hillary Clinton's supporters react to the possibility that their candidate may not become the next president of the US.
Ayshah went to the US to find out why Donald Trump's fans think he's the right man for the job.
These children will no doubt be very happy if he ends up winning the election.
In the run-up to the main day of voting on 8 November, it was not clear whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump was going to win.
As we start our live coverage, with just a few results left to be announced, Donald Trump is ahead and it looks like he is going to win the election. | Catch up below on Newsround's coverage of the US election 2016 results. | 37907169 |
Investors, including sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, are expected to file a complaint in a court in Braunschweig, Germany, on Friday.
They are to claim that VW failed to disclose its use of software defeat devices on diesel cars in a timely way.
VW has faced a flood of legal actions over the scandal.
In September 2015 the US Environmental Protection Agency found that many diesel VW cars had a software "defeat device" that could detect emissions testing and change how the car performed to improve the test results.
The shareholder claims relate to the drop in Volkswagen's share price after the scandal broke.
Between September and October 2015, Volkswagen AG preference shares lost about 45% of their value, and are still about 28% down.
Blackrock, one of the world's largest asset managers, said: "On behalf of their investors, a number of Blackrock-managed collective investment schemes are pursuing, alongside other institutional investors, legal action against Volkswagen AG in connection with Volkswagen's failure to disclose to investors its use of 'defeat devices' that manipulated emission tests.
"In light of the ongoing legal proceedings we cannot comment further on the matter at this point."
Norway's Oil Fund, which is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, the California State Teachers' Retirement System, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, and State Street are part of the action against VW.
The complaint will be filed by law firm Quinn Emanuel.
The case is being funded by Bentham Europe, which is also backing a complaint brought in June by institutional investors.
In May Volkswagen more than doubled its provisions for the diesel emissions scandal to €16.2bn (£12.6bn). In the same month Norway's sovereign wealth fund said it was planning legal action against VW.
In June, VW agreed to pay $10.2bn (£6.9bn) to settle some of its US claims, and in September Australia launched legal action against the car maker. | Asset manager Blackrock and a group of institutional shareholders are to sue car maker Volkswagen for €2bn (£1.7bn) over its emissions scandal. | 37379874 |
It comes after a fake video imitating the BBC's Focus on Africa programme was also distributed on Friday.
Both videos had bogus surveys showing President Uhuru Kenyatta well ahead in polls ahead of August's election.
In fact, recent opinion polls suggest neither he nor rival Raila Odinga have enough support to win outright.
A recent survey suggested that 90% of Kenyans had seen or heard false news in the run-up to the poll.
CNN has taken to Twitter to confirm that the video report is fake, while the BBC has urged people to verify any stories claiming to be from the broadcaster by visiting the BBC website.
The fake CNN report cuts from a CNN Philippines broadcast to a fake video that uses CNN logo. However, the font used in the headlines is visibly different from the one used by the broadcaster.
A Portland/GeoPoll survey found that many Kenyans feel some news items about the elections have been deliberately misleading.
It also found that while traditional media remained the most trusted source of information, large numbers of people got their news from Facebook and WhatsApp.
The presidential election on 8 August will see incumbent President Kenyatta run against seven candidates including his main challenger, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
To win outright, a candidate must get 50% of votes cast plus one vote, as well as at least 25% of votes in half of Kenya's 47 counties. If no-one achieves that, the election will go to a run-off.
Recent polls have provided conflicting data on whether Mr Kenyatta or Mr Odinga is ahead. However, the polls suggested support for both of the candidates is below 50%.
Eight things about the Kenyan elections
Kenya's election: Your questions answered
What Kenya's chaotic primaries tell us about August election
While Kenya's 2013 elections passed relatively peacefully, there was serious post-election violence following the 2007 polls, which left over 1,000 people dead and 600,000 displaced from their homes.
However, experts say they do not expect to see the same level of conflict following August's elections. | A fake news report about Kenya's election that is made to look as if it is from broadcaster CNN has been circulating on social media. | 40762796 |
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The pair, who received a bye in the opening round, reached the last 16 with a 21-15 21-10 defeat of Austrian duo Dominik Stripsits and Roman Zirnwald.
"Once we realise what we needed to do it became quite easy and we dominated," Ellis told BBC Sport.
England's European champion Rajiv Ouseph beat Sameer Verma of India.
But Lauren Smith and Sarah Walker lost in the second round of the women's doubles.
The English pair lost 21-10 21-14 to South Korean fifth seeds Kyung Eun Jung and Seung Chan Shin.
Langridge and Ellis reached the quarter-finals at the last World Championships in 2015 before illness prevented them progressing further.
They know that winning a medal in Glasgow would boost the prospects of UK Sport overturning their decision not to invest in badminton heading towards Tokyo 2020.
"We want to be doing well here and challenging for medals," Langridge told BBC Sport.
"Personally, though, I'm not thinking about UK Sport or any of the external factors as we just need to concentrate on ourselves and hopefully then the success will come later in the week."
Langridge and Ellis' medal bid could yet be helped by a shock on the third day of competition, with top men's doubles seeds Junhui Li and Yuchen Liu losing their opening match.
The Chinese pair lost 19-21 21-18 21-18 to unseeded Polish duo Mohammad Ahsan and Rian Saputro.
Ouseph edged his first-set against Verma 22-20, before a dominant second set (21-9). But the "greatest challenge" of his career awaits in the next round, with the 30-year-old drawn to face two-time Olympic champion and five-time World championship gold medallist Lin Dan of China.
"It doesn't get any bigger," Ouseph told BBC Sport.
"It's very exciting and the pressure is off, but I believe he does have weaknesses in his game now and I can win tomorrow."
Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour, who received a bye in the opening round, opened her campaign with a straightforward 21-16 21-13 defeat of India's Rituparna Das.
She will face 20-year-old rising Chinese star He Bingjiao, who is a two-time world junior champion.
"Today was all about finding my rhythm and I felt good about the way I played," she told BBC Sport.
"It was great to sample the atmosphere tonight as I've lots of great memories from this venue and I'll try to draw on those throughout the week."
Thursday's action will see the return of English Commonwealth champions Chris and Gabby Adcock, who will take on Japan's Kenta Kazuno and Ayane Kurihara for a place in the quarter-finals. | Olympic bronze medallists Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis made a winning start to their World Badminton Championship campaign in Glasgow. | 41028790 |
Bromwich stood down as national captain after it was alleged in court he and Proctor bought the drug following Friday's defeat by Australia.
The World Cup runs from 27 October to 2 December.
"I can't express my disappointment enough in their actions," said New Zealand coach David Kidwell.
"We have values to uphold. They have broken my trust, their team-mates' trust and the trust of the New Zealand public.
"No-one is bigger than the team."
The decision to exclude the pair from the tournament, which will be held in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, was taken after NZRL management and senior players met to discuss possible sanctions.
Melbourne Storm prop Bromwich, 28, has also been suspended for two games by his club and ordered to have counselling and treatment courses.
Proctor, also 28, has stepped down as co-captain of Gold Coast Titans and will appear before a club board this week and will not play until a "final decision" has been reached.
The allegations against the pair emerged in a court case which heard that a local man was captured on CCTV preparing a white powder on his phone.
He then handed it to Bromwich and Proctor, who were said to have rolled up bank notes and taken the substance.
While both players were named in court, neither has been charged with an offence. | Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor will not be selected for the 2017 World Cup, after allegations they took cocaine, say New Zealand Rugby League. | 39841854 |
Reuters report that the 'A' sample of one of his team-mates in the 4x100m, Nesta Carter, was found to contain the banned substance Methylhexanamine.
The news comes after the retesting of 454 samples from the 2008 Games.
Carter, who along with his agent has not replied to requests for comment, will face sanctions if his 'B' sample also tests positive for the substance.
The 30-year-old ran the first leg for Jamaica's 4x100m relay team in Beijing, which also included Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Bolt.
The team took gold in what was then a new world record of 37.10 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan.
Carter was also a member of Jamaica's gold medal-winning relay teams at the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships as well as the 2012 Olympic Games.
He has not run this season, because of a foot injury, but is expected to return to the track ahead of Jamaica's Olympic trials from 30 June to 3 July.
Methylhexanamine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Code prohibited list since 2004, although it was reclassified on the 2011 list as a "specified substance", meaning one that is more susceptible to a "credible, non-doping explanation".
Sold as a nasal decongestant in the United States until 1983, Methylhexanamine has been used more recently as an ingredient in dietary supplements.
The IOC programme of revisiting samples is aimed at using developments in testing techniques to expose traces of drugs that were undetectable in 2008 or 2012.
In previous doping cases where individual members of a medal-winning relay squads have tested positive for a banned substance, the whole team is stripped of their medal.
The United States men's 4x100m team were stripped of their silver medals from the 2012 Olympics after Tyson Gay's doping case. | Jamaica's Usain Bolt could lose one of the three gold medals he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. | 36446717 |
Councils in England and Wales were said to be male dominated, with women and ethnic minorities under-represented.
The Fawcett Society and Local Government Information Unit recommend statutory maternity leave, funding childcare and allowing councillors to attend and vote remotely.
Councils said "faster progress" was needed, without "imposing structures".
The report, which draws on online surveys, feedback from public meetings and interviews with female council leaders, concluded that local government in England and Wales was "stuck in the past".
Among its headline findings are that one in three local councillors are female, women account for just 17% of top council jobs while men outnumber women by six to one in terms of jobs in finance and resources departments.
While women make up 78% of the local authority workforce, they account for just a third of chief executives. Of the 35 county, unitary and metropolitan councils in England that had elections in May, only two of them - Oxfordshire and Durham - elected more than 40% women.
In Wales, female representation was below 20% in Blaenau Gwent, Ceredigion, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wrexham and Anglesey.
The report identifies significant barriers to entry for women, particularly those with young children and caring responsibilities. Of the 353 councils in England, only 4% have any kind of maternity, paternity or parental leave policy in place.
While the report found some councils have informal arrangements for their elected officials, many of whom are unpaid volunteers, it had learnt of "unacceptable" stories of women being told they would lose their cabinet positions if they became pregnant.
"We call on government to introduce a nationwide policy and end this scandal," it said.
Councillors are not paid a formal salary but they are given allowances to compensate them for their time spent on council business, varying from a couple of thousand pounds a year to £20,000 or more.
The report calls for councils in England to offer a year's maternity leave or shared parental leave to councillors, in line with that available to direct employees, with the guarantee that officials would not be discriminated against for not attending a meeting for six months.
Cabinet officers with executive responsibilities, who often manage multi-billion pounds budgets, should retain all their allowances while on leave.
The Fawcett Society said the paucity of women of child-bearing age currently in executive positions meant the cost of the policy would not be huge and even if half of all council leaders were women and took 12 months off, it would cost about £3.8m.
Among the report's other recommendations are:
The report suggests that many councils have working cultures reminiscent of the 1970s where sexual harassment goes "unchallenged and unchecked". Codes of conduct, are needed, to address sexism and discrimination with proper complaints and disciplinary procedures, it says.
Its findings were described as "shocking" by Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, a former leader of Islington Council who co-chaired a year-long investigation into the issue of female participation funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, whose work informed the report.
She said: "The way councils do business is still designed by, and for, men. This needs to change and fast."
The Fawcett Society said at current rates of progress, it would take about 50 years to secure gender equality in county councils while the picture was scarcely better in the combined authorities created since 2011.
"We are going backwards and that is fundamentally unacceptable in the 21st Century," said its chief executive Sam Smethers.
But the Local Government Information Unit said there was good practice in many councils which needed to be adopted more widely.
The Local Government Association, which represents more than 300 councils in England and Wales, said it was supporting a range of initiatives to encourage women and other under-represented groups to become involved in local politics.
LGA vice chair Marianne Overton said the report "rightly identifies that progress must be made at a faster pace".
She added: "Local government must be at the forefront of driving change, but it will be important to get the balance right between changing culture and imposing structures.
"Change will also require all political parties, no matter the colour of their rosette, to fully engage and support a wide range of aspiring councillors." | Sexism and discrimination is widespread in local government and often goes "unchallenged", a new report claims. | 40580158 |
Many of them, such as Llanwddyn in Montgomeryshire and Ynysyfelin, north of Merthyr Tydfil, were far more substantial than Capel Celyn, the hamlet which lies beneath the waters of Llyn Celyn - the Tryweryn reservoir - in Snowdonia.
It was the combination of time and place that made Tryweryn such a symbolic moment in Welsh history, and which sets Capel Celyn apart from all the other lost settlements.
The early 1960s in Wales was a period when a renewed interest in devolution coincided with a sharp decline in the number of Welsh speakers.
As one of the last virtually monoglot Welsh communities, Capel Celyn came to symbolise both the pressure on the language and the apparent powerlessness of Welsh MPs to protect Welsh interests.
Despite near unanimous opposition from Welsh politicians, mass protests and an attempt to bomb the site of the dam, the plans of Liverpool Corporation moved forward relentlessly.
For Plaid Cymru, Tryweryn was to prove transformational - although that was not apparent at the time.
The results of the 1964 general election, held while the controversy was at its height, were disappointing for the party - even in Meirionnydd, where the reservoir is located.
However, the campaign led to an influx of new party members, and the decision to reject the use of civil disobedience tactics during the campaign earned the party credibility and respect in Welsh-speaking communities that had previously viewed Plaid Cymru with suspicion.
Even so, it was Labour which swept the board in rural Wales in the 1966 general election, the first to be held after the completion of the project.
Just a few months later though, Plaid Cymru won their first ever seat in parliament in the Carmarthen by-election.
It was a victory which might never have occurred had Capel Celyn not disappeared beneath the waters of Llyn Celyn. | There are a surprising number of "lost" villages lying under Welsh reservoirs. | 34533405 |
Officers carried out the search in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Thursday.
The force says the BBC broke its own editorial rules. The BBC says "normal journalistic practice" was followed.
Sir Cliff, 73, said the allegation of an historical sex offence against a boy under 16 was "completely false".
BBC cameras and a reporter were outside the gates to Sir Cliff's property when eight police officers arrived.
In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said it was contacted some weeks ago by a BBC reporter "who made it clear he knew of the existence of an investigation."
The statement continued: "It was clear he was in a position to publish it.
"The force was reluctant to co-operate but felt that to do otherwise would risk losing any potential evidence, so in the interests of the investigation it was agreed that the reporter would be notified of the date of the house search in return for delaying publication of any of the facts."
Police later said "a number of people" had "provided information" after the search although it did not say what this related to.
In its statement, South Yorkshire Police added that "contrary to media reports", the decision to involve the BBC "was not taken in order to maximise publicity, it was taken to preserve any potential evidence".
Jonathan Munro, the BBC's head of newsgathering, wrote on Twitter on Friday that South Yorkshire Police had not been the source of the story.
But South Yorkshire Police said it was "disappointing that the BBC was slow to acknowledge that the force was not the source of the leak".
It said a letter of complaint had been sent to the director general of the BBC making it clear that the broadcaster appeared to have contravened its own editorial guidelines.
"South Yorkshire Police would welcome an investigation into the original leak," it added.
A BBC spokesperson said: "A BBC journalist approached South Yorkshire Police with information about the investigation.
"The BBC agreed to follow normal journalistic practice and not to publish a story that might jeopardise a police inquiry."
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has accused the police of having a "collusive relationship" with the BBC.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: "I can see that police might not want to warn somebody about a search because they fear a suspect will destroy the evidence.
"But it was much odder to tip off the BBC that they were carrying out the raid. That seems quite extraordinary."
Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC described the way the police search was conducted as "unacceptable".
Writing in the Independent, he said: "The police had a duty to investigate, seek any corroborating evidence, and then - and only if they had reasonable grounds to suspect him of committing an offence - to give him the opportunity to refute those suspicions before a decision to charge is made.
"But here, police subverted due process by waiting until Richard had left for vacation, and then orchestrating massive publicity for the raid on his house, before making any request for interview and before any question could arise of arresting or charging him."
The BBC understands the allegation against Sir Cliff relates to an alleged assault at an event featuring US preacher Billy Graham at Bramall Lane in Sheffield in 1985.
Sir Cliff responded to the police search in a statement, which said: "For many months I have been aware of allegations against me of historic impropriety which have been circulating online.
"The allegations are completely false. Up until now I have chosen not to dignify the false allegations with a response, as it would just give them more oxygen."
He said he would "co-operate fully" if the police wanted to speak to him. | South Yorkshire Police has complained to the BBC after the broadcaster gained details of a search the force was planning to conduct at pop star Sir Cliff Richard's home. | 28823699 |
Growing up in a Rio favela in the 1970s, Ms Assis started working as a nanny when she was just nine, and later found employment as a washerwoman and cleaning lady.
In a country where 43% of people are of mixed race and 8% are black, Zica - like millions of other Brazilians - has African or "afro" hair.
But as a younger woman, she felt she had to straighten it if she wanted to get work.
"The afro hair was considered sloppy and dirty, so I had to straighten my hair to get a job as a nanny," says Ms Assis, now 54.
"I never got used to it, I wanted my curls and my identity back."
After an unsuccessful search for a haircare professional who could help her keep her curls but make them more manageable, and in the absence of any specific products to buy - Ms Assis decided she would do something about it herself.
So aged 21 she entered a hairdressing school with the aim of understanding her hair structure, and developing a treatment that would give her the curls she had always dreamed of.
"I liked my hair when it was wet, because it became more malleable, and the curls were well defined," says Ms Assis. "That was the result I wanted with my product."
It took her 10 years and many mistakes until she found the perfect formula.
"My brother Rogerio who later became my partner was my guinea pig; I used his hair to test the products," she says. "In one of the attempts he became completely bald. I got some holes in my hair as well."
Ms Assis realized that she had finally succeeded when a neighbour complimented her hair and asked what she was using.
"That was when I knew I had got it right. I always got praised for my smile, my happiness... but never for my hair."
Ms Assis officially launched her haircare product in 1993, calling it Super Relaxante.
But rather than just selling it by the bottle, she decided to open a hair salon called Beleza Natural, where trained staff could apply the treatment for customers.
Today Beleza Natural has 33 salons and 11 kiosks across five Brazilian states with 130,000 customers a month, and Super Relaxante is a well-known brand.
It also sells a number of other haircare products, such as shampoos, conditioners and gels.
To help launch the business Ms Assis brought in three partners; her brother Rogerio, her husband Jair Conde and her friend Leila Velez.
None of them had any previous experience of running a start-up company. Her brother and Ms Velez worked at a branch of fast-food chain McDonald's, while her husband was a taxi driver.
To raise some funds to help the business get off the ground Mr Conde sold his Volkswagen Beetle taxi, the only thing of value that any of them owned.
With money too tight to pay for any advertising, the partners came up with a guerrilla marketing idea. They started to glue homemade posters inside the buses that passed by their neighbourhood.
This attracted the first customers, and then thanks to positive word-of-mouth, it was only a few weeks before a long line of women would start queuing outside the salon every day, up to two hours before it opened.
With staff often having to work until midnight to be able to keep up with the demand, the business had to move to a bigger premises, and in 1995 Beleza Natural opened its second shop.
By 2005 the company had five salons, and in order to maintain quality and speed of service, it put in place an assembly line system inspired by Rogerio Assis's and Leila Velez's time at McDonalds. This sees a Beleza Natural employee being responsible for one specific step of the five-step treatment.
The firm then gained both investment and advise from global entrepreneurship support organisation Endeavor. The help from Endeavor, a not-for-profit social enterprise based in New York, enabled Beleza Natural to greatly increase the speed of its expansion.
Further investment followed in 2013 from the Bermuda-based fund GP Investments. Today Beleza Natural has 4,000 employees, most of whom are young women from the shantytowns.
For 90% of these women it is the first time they have had a formal job. Strikingly, more than two out of every three of its employees was previously a Beleza Natural customer.
Walter Sabino Junior, founder of Hi Partners Capital & Work, a Brazilian investment fund that aims to spot the country's best new start-ups, says that the secret of Ms Assis's success is "passion and market demand".
"She invested with passion in area where no-one looked, and offers a quality service. That is crucial for any business to work."
Although the Brazilian economy is currently struggling, Ms Assis predicts that the business will grow by 13% this year.
She says that a major part of the company's success is that the four founders are all from the same lower income demographic as most of its customers.
"We see ourselves in our clients because we all come from the same reality," she says.
"We belong to a low income class, and we know what they want. We are aware of the problems that our clients face - struggling with their own hair, low self-esteem, and the issues it can cause in personal and professional life."
In 2013 Ms Assis was named by Forbes magazine as one of the 10 most powerful businesswomen in Brazil. After going to college to gain a business degree she now makes time to lecture on entrepreneurship, both in her home country, and abroad. | Zica Assis could never have imagined that her decision to stop straightening her hair would see her move from the poverty of a Rio de Janeiro favela or shantytown, to being the owner of a multi-million dollar business. | 35932532 |
It looked like the Hammers would go into the break without anything to show for their dominance, but in stoppage time they won a spot-kick when Ben Mee brought down Winston Reid.
He is a miracle. What he gives to the team is massive
Up stepped Noble. His initial kick was saved low by Tom Heaton but he kept his composure to tuck in the rebound.
Noble and Pedro Obiang both struck the woodwork with brilliant shots and Burnley's Matt Lowton produced a goal-saving block to deny Aaron Cresswell.
The Clarets improved markedly after the break. Keeper Darren Randolph made a great one-handed save to keep out Scott Arfield's free-kick and Sam Vokes headed over with the goal gaping.
Victory lifted the Hammers four points clear of the relegation zone and up to 15th in the table.
Relive the action from London Stadium
Reaction to Wednesday's other Premier League games
Throw the ball into the box and Andy Carroll will get his head to it.
It is a simple tactic that has worked in the past and will continue to pay dividends for West Ham if they can keep their 6ft 4in bulldozer fit.
The 27-year-old Geordie striker made his first start since August after recovering from a knee injury, and bullied the Clarets defence during the 83 minutes he played.
He only managed one header on target, and should have done better with another after just two minutes. However, his big strength is the ability to pull two defenders away, allowing his team-mates more space.
The Hammers have missed their target man immensely - can they keep him fit for the rest of the season?
Had the Clarets played the first half with the same conviction they showed in the second then there might have been a different outcome.
Manager Sean Dyche's side were a different proposition after the break. Cresswell cleared from the goal-line with Vokes ready to stab in, before the striker inexplicably headed over from six yards with an open goal in front of him.
And 17 minutes before full-time, Randolph pulled off a great save to prevent Arfield's low free-kick from creeping in.
It was an improvement, but again not good enough.
Burnley are five points clear of the relegation zone, but that is now only one point from a possible 20 away from home this season. They need to start picking up on their travels or they will face another scrap for survival.
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West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It was a very important game for us. It was a very long game - the longest game we've been involved in.
"Well done to the players, we showed the character. I think we deserved it. We dominated the first half and we had shots that hit the post. We should have been ahead by more than one goal looking at the quantities of chances."
Bilic on striker Carroll: "It's no secret I'm a big fan of him. I'm not a big fan because he's a cousin or relative. It's what I see on the training pitch. He is a miracle. What he gives to the team is massive."
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Burnley manager Sean Dyche on the penalty: "I'm frustrated we can't get the decision. It's a clear foul on our keeper Tom Heaton [in the build up].
"Every other keeper in the league would have gone down and flailed around on the ground.
"Ours does it the proper way and that used to be applauded. Now we are called naive. But we'll stick to what we believe in."
He added: "The reality of the Premier League is that it's tough. We took the game on in the second half.
"We have to bring the mentality of our home displays to away games. In the first half we didn't take responsibility of a game that could have gone our way. There was a strange feeling here today and we didn't capitalise on that until the second half."
Burnley have another away trip to London - this time at Tottenham on Sunday (16:00 GMT) and West Ham are at home to Hull on Saturday (15:00)
Match ends, West Ham United 1, Burnley 0.
Second Half ends, West Ham United 1, Burnley 0.
Substitution, Burnley. Patrick Bamford replaces Scott Arfield.
Attempt missed. Jeff Hendrick (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Scott Arfield.
Attempt missed. André Ayew (West Ham United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Ashley Fletcher.
Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scott Arfield (Burnley).
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Stephen Ward.
Substitution, West Ham United. Håvard Nordtveit replaces Mark Noble.
Foul by Cheikhou Kouyaté (West Ham United).
Ashley Barnes (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Darren Randolph (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sam Vokes (Burnley).
Foul by Michail Antonio (West Ham United).
Ben Mee (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Burnley. Dean Marney tries a through ball, but Ashley Barnes is caught offside.
Substitution, West Ham United. Ashley Fletcher replaces Andy Carroll.
Attempt missed. Andy Carroll (West Ham United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Matthew Lowton (Burnley).
Offside, Burnley. Tom Heaton tries a through ball, but Ashley Barnes is caught offside.
Michail Antonio (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ashley Barnes (Burnley).
Substitution, Burnley. Ashley Barnes replaces George Boyd.
Pedro Obiang (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dean Marney (Burnley).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) because of an injury.
Jeff Hendrick (Burnley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jeff Hendrick (Burnley).
Attempt saved. Scott Arfield (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Hand ball by Winston Reid (West Ham United).
Foul by Pedro Obiang (West Ham United).
Dean Marney (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, West Ham United. André Ayew replaces Manuel Lanzini.
Foul by Andy Carroll (West Ham United).
Ben Mee (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Winston Reid (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by George Boyd (Burnley). | Mark Noble's first-half strike earned West Ham their first Premier League win in seven games as they beat Burnley at London Stadium. | 38232133 |
Jayson McDonald, aged 37, from Acton, west London, was found hiding under a bed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Paul Monk, 54, from Romford, east London, was later captured at his luxury villa in Alicante, Spain.
They were arrested as part of Operation Captura, an international drive to catch suspects who have fled the UK.
In March, both men were included on a list of the operation's top ten most wanted suspects.
They are wanted by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of drug offences and are currently in custody awaiting extradition proceedings.
Mr Monk was overseeing workmen laying a marble patio around his Spanish swimming pool when armed police swooped.
An imitation firearm with silencer and 125,000 euros were recovered from the address.
On Wednesday morning, Mr McDonald was apprehended as part of a separate joint investigation with the Dutch National Police.
He is wanted on suspicion of conspiracies to import and supply heroin and cocaine, and is believed to be a member of a Europe-wide organised crime network responsible for the importation of Class A drugs into the UK.
Mr Monk is wanted on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
A total of 68 out of 86 fugitives have now been caught under Operation Captura.
The operation was launched in 2006 and involves officers from the National Crime Agency, Crimestoppers and Spanish authorities.
In March, its most wanted list also included ex-soldier Shane Walford who was jailed in 2010 for the manslaughter of an off-duty fireman while on leave from the army.
Mohammed Jahangir Alam, 32, who was sentenced to 14 years in his absence in March 2010 for rape and sexual assault, was also featured. | Two suspected drug traffickers, who featured on the UK's most wanted list of fugitives, have been captured within 24 hours of each other. | 32357753 |
Excavation work needs to be carried out to repair the pipe which has leaked thousands of litres of kerosene into a river near Nantycaws.
Rural Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths visited the site of the spill on Saturday.
In a letter to assembly members, she confirmed the scale of the spill was bigger than previously thought.
"It is estimated that around 140,000 litres of kerosene were spilled," she said, adding that "at this stage around two thirds of the spilt material has been recovered from the surface water."
Ms Griffiths also refuted a claim by Plaid Cymru AM Adam Price that the Welsh Government's response to the incident had been "sluggish"
Part of the eastbound carriageway is currently shut with the road due to close in both directions from 14-17 October.
Investigation work is currently underway to determine the cause and scale of the fracture.
Ms Griffiths told AMs: "In order to fix the fractured pipeline the road will need to be excavated across both carriageways."
This, she said, will require the "full closure of the A48 in both directions over the course of a weekend."
Jonathan Edwards, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP, said the closure would have "significant ramifications for the west Wales economy" and place a "huge burden" on residents along the diversion route. | Disruption is expected on the A48 in Carmarthenshire when the road is closed to fix a fractured pipeline. | 37596801 |
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The 26-year-old Scot has slipped from a career-high ranking of 186th last year to 333rd this year and lost in Wimbledon qualifying last week.
Baker's career has been dogged by injury and illness, including contracting an auto-immune disease in 2008 that left him in intensive care.
"I have been strict with myself that I want to stop when I have a decision to make rather than tail away," he said.
"I have never found it hard to get up in the mornings and put in an honest day's training but over the last six to 12 months I have found that a struggle."
Baker's decision comes a day after fellow British Davis Cup player Josh Goodall said he is considering retirement aged 27.
In an interview with BBC Scotland's Sport Nation programme, Baker added: "I would not change any of it. The education and the journey that this tennis life has given me has been incredible.
"One of the reasons I've come to this decision is that I feel that I have acquired so many different skills and assets to myself as a character that I can use in other areas now."
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Baker revealed earlier this year he battled with depression after suffering a life-threatening blood disorder that saw him spend three days in intensive care.
He told Sport Nation: "I was told at one point for about a 24-hour period literally not to hold my breath for too long, let alone move because if a bleed started in my head, there's nothing they could do.
"From that setback I actually came back about four years later and reached my highest ranking again.
"It's hard to measure how much that process took out of me. It was incredible what I went through and the hardest time was actually afterwards and you just never know what sort of a toll that takes." | British number seven Jamie Baker has announced his retirement from tennis. | 23111034 |
Hinting at the racy undercurrent of Welsh seaside towns in the 1920s, the designs feature Barry, Machynlleth, Porthcawl and Aberystwyth.
"It seems that, once on holiday, the British were keen to show their sense of humour as well as a rather risqué side," said auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones.
The auction takes place on Friday.
Depicting courting couples, flirtatious females and lecherous gentlemen, the postcards were sent in the early 1900s and are surprisingly saucy, considering the social mores of the times.
'Twos company, Three's fun at Barry,' says one card - showing a woman with a fashionable bob, escorted by two smartly-dressed young gentleman - sent from the popular south Wales resort with a George V stamp.
With a postmark of 7 August 1922, another postcard shows a couple canoodling under a large red umbrella with the words 'I've clicked at Aberystwyth'.
Early postcards tended to be images of famous landmarks, but by the 1930s, cartoon-style postcards became widespread and at the height of their popularity, the sale of saucy postcards reached 16 million a year.
Mr Rogers Jones said the album was a "fascinating insight into the liberal mood of holidaymakers at some of Wales' most traditional seaside destinations".
"'Postcards were a cheap and fast means of maintaining contact with relatives in the days before telephones were widely used," he added. | A quirky collection of early 20th century postcards is to go under the hammer in Cardiff on Friday. | 36389742 |
Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani's powerful Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is seeking an extension of its leader's tenure against the will of four other major political parties.
These four parties are now pushing to settle the matter in parliament amid warnings that a lack of consensus might spark political unrest.
The Kurdistan Region is known for its political stability and has attracted dozens of international oil companies keen on tapping energy potential. More recently its vital contribution to the fight against the Islamic State (IS) has been grabbing international headlines.
The region shares a 1,000km (620 mile)-long frontier with IS-held territory, stretching from the Iranian border in central Iraq all the way to the Syrian border.
Iraqi Kurdish forces known as the Peshmerga - supported by US-led coalition air power - have been hailed for recent advances against the IS on several fronts in northern Iraq. They even helped fellow Kurds in Syria defend the besieged town of Kobane.
Domestic turmoil over the presidency will inevitably affect the Peshmerga as they are heavily divided along partisan lines.
Just last week the region's capital, Irbil, saw the president's party flex its military muscle in a rare display of might. Troops affiliated with the KDP drove through its streets in a long convoy, fuelling tensions.
Though Mr Barzani later banned such displays, the message was clear. The incident is one of many reasons why the issue of the presidency is seen as more divisive than any other issue in the region since the civil war that tore it apart in the 1990s.
Mr Barzani has served his two terms, the maximum currently allowed. His last term expired in 2013, when it was extended by two years. But the KDP, which currently leads a coalition government that includes the other four parties, is firm on Mr Barzani staying in office.
However, existing laws provide neither a clear mechanism for electing a new president nor a legal route to keep the current one in place.
The KDP says that given the Kurdistan Region's conflict against IS, if no agreement is reached Mr Barzani should stay in power as a caretaker president until the next election in 2017.
However, existing laws stipulate that the speaker of parliament should take over the president's powers in the event of a presidential vacuum.
So an extension for Mr Barzani at this point would be divisive at best and possibly illegal in the eyes of many.
The four other major parties disagree with the KDP and have suggested amending current laws to make the system of governance in the Kurdistan Region a fully-fledged parliamentary system.
The changes would mean the president is elected by MPs rather than a popular vote. This will also automatically make the president accountable to parliament.
The president's powers would also be significantly reduced - this would mirror the political system of the federal Iraqi government, where the presidency is a largely ceremonial position.
The KDP strongly rejects the amendments and is engaged in a last-ditch attempt to frustrate the parliamentary efforts.
Mr Barzani himself has stayed quiet for months but recently likened the attempt to amend the law to a coup and called for parties to reach a "consensus". His party has refused to budge on its demand for the extension of his term with full powers.
His critics say the post has been tailored to Mr Barzani and that, for as long as possible, he will not hand it over.
In fact, his presidential office is based at the resort town of Sari Rash, overlooking Irbil, which is also his personal residence and the headquarters of his party.
These are uncertain times for the Kurdistan Region: its fragile economy is heavily dependent on oil sales and payments from Baghdad.
The global decline in oil prices and tense relations with the cash-strapped federal government have prevented the Kurdish economy from prospering.
The presidency countdown has proved to be truly democratic in spirit with parties clashing and showing great determination. But additional political turmoil over the matter looks likely to continue.
Many will be hope no harm is done to the reputation and reality of the region as a politically stable oil boomtown as that turmoil passes.
Roman Zagros & Kareem Abdulrahman are senior editors at Insight, an Iraq-focused political analysis service, follow @inKurdistan | Iraqi Kurdish parties are locked in a bitter stalemate over the fate of the presidency of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, which expired on Wednesday. | 34008846 |
Portishead's haunting cover of Abba's SOS was shown on video screens before music began on the Pyramid Stage.
The video closed with Cox's quote: "We have more in common than that which divides us."
Blur's Damon Albarn then took to the stage with members of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and began with a reference to the EU referendum, saying he had "a very heavy heart".
"To my mind, democracy has failed us," he said. "Democracy has failed us because it was ill-informed. I just want all of you to know that when you leave here we can change that decision. It is possible."
His comments were met with a resounding round of applause.
He then introduced his ensemble, which comprises members of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music (SNOAM) who were dispersed by the country's brutal civil war.
Their Arabic-flavoured music highlighted the truly global nature of the festival, which will see sets from Korean funk band Sultans of Disco, Australian psych-rock group Tame Impala and even Basil Brush.
Speaking after his performance, Albarn told the BBC he was "really sad" about the referendum.
"I rang my daughter this morning and said: 'I am really sorry this has happened', because the consequences of it are more for her generation than anyone.
"There are seeds being sown today that are really dangerous, and that's what I'm so upset about. We don't want Europe returning to the 1930s.
Manchester band James, who were supposed to be the first act performing on Friday, had their set delayed as woodchip was laid in front of the mud-strewn Other Stage.
Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis appeared to apologise for the wait, telling fans: "Thank you for loving this festival as much as we do. You're the best audience in the world."
As the heavens opened, he then cut a ceremonial red ribbon stretching the length of the stage, allowing James to finally begin 50 minutes late.
They dedicated the song Sometimes to the 80-year-old festival organiser, saying: "When you look into his eyes you understand the heart and soul of Glastonbury."
Perhaps inadvertently, the song also contains the lyrics "endless rain" and "come on thunder, come on thunder!".
James also referenced the Leave vote during their set, and later told the BBC they were "pretty upset" by the result.
"As a band, we're pretty European in nature," said frontman Tim Booth.
"There's something important about humanity accepting other tribes and other cultures. It started with the end of slavery, then women's votes, then gay marriage - [occasions] where we didn't see other people as the enemy. I feel sad that Britain has gone back to being an island, in a metaphorical way."
Pop band Bastille also referenced the results in a live session for BBC Radio 1, changing the lyrics to their hit single Pompeii to: "And the pound came tumbling down."
Singer Dan Smith said he feared the vote could have implications for British musicians touring Europe.
"We're lucky enough as a touring band to be playing two or three festivals in different European countries every week and it's so easy. We can get on a ferry and go there, and it's something we've always taken for granted.
"But now I imagine there'll be loads and loads of red tape. Getting visas for every country."
The mood lifted as the day went on, with the sun coming out to greet pop star Jess Glynne's ebullient set on the Pyramid Stage.
"Two years ago, if someone told me I'd be on this stage, singing to this many people, I'd have been like, 'shut up'," said the star.
As well as her own hits, Rather Be, My Love and Hold My Hand, she played a cover of Prince's I Feel 4 U in tribute to the US musician, who died in April.
The Sonic Stage saw a grime-only line-up, resulting in the bizarre site of crowds chanting "South East London, South East London", in the middle of a farm in rural Somerset.
French pop act Christine and the Queens gave an energetic, choreographed performance on The Other Stage; while Norwegian newcomer Aurora drew an appreciative crowd to the John Peel tent.
The rest of the day will see performances from Foals, Disclosure and rock legends ZZ Top, who told the BBC they had been "in the queue to get up and perform" at Glastonbury "for going on five years".
Frontman Billy Gibbons, who was wearing ZZ Top-branded wellington boots, said he wasn't put off by the conditions underfoot.
"I think there'd be some disappointment if you weren't stomping through mud up to your ankles," he said.
"But I've been looking across the landscape. As far as you can see there's a sea of humanity ready to rock."
After ZZ Top, Muse will headline the first night of the festival. Adele and Coldplay top the bill over the rest of the weekend. | The Glastonbury Festival has opened with a sombre tribute to MP Jo Cox. | 36619539 |
The note was found in Preston, Lancashire, where a crackdown on antisocial begging has been launched.
Beginning with "Sorry", the note was left outside Scotts designer clothes store and signed by a man named Chris.
Handwritten on a ripped piece of cardboard, he says he had been "moved on from everywhere" else he had slept.
"Thank you for not throwing my things away," he said. "Most people would. I've moved the rubbish.
"Thank you so much. I'm actually homeless. From Chris."
Chris, who did not want to give his full name, told the BBC he left the note because he wanted to return at some stage.
He said he was grateful the shop did not dispose of his possessions after they closed the shutters on Wednesday night.
"I left a note for them saying sorry, and nice one for not throwing my stuff away.
"Someone robbed all my stuff yesterday, I don't know why. That's why I put the note there because they usually would just throw it away.
"They're nice. That's a good thing. A lot of stuff of mine has gone missing and I've lost my sleeping bags, I've lost blankets, I've lost all sorts of stuff."
"I need my blankets. Even on that hot day, during the heatwave, it was freezing at night."
Earlier this month a campaign was launched which aims to reduce "professional" begging in the city.
Backed by organisations including Preston City Council and Lancashire Police, it focuses on beggars who are persistent and in some cases not in genuine need.
But there are concerns that genuinely homeless people are not always finding the support they need.
Gary Welsh, of the Lancaster and District Homeless Action Service charity, said: "The authorities should know who is genuinely homeless. But on the flipside, there are lots of services for homeless people to access. It's just sad that we are in beginning of the 21st Century and we still have Victorian problems."
A spokesman for Preston City Council said the campaign was not designed to target rough sleepers.
"The Off The Streets Preston initiative is not in any way targeting people like Chris, who is a genuine rough sleeper," he said.
"We are continuing to offer support for rough sleepers and vulnerable people, and working with them to help them address their needs." | A homeless man has left a note on the shutters of a shop apologising and thanking staff for allowing him to sleep there. | 37132188 |
Kantar Worldpanel said that the value of sales fell by 0.2% for the 12 weeks to 9 November compared with the same period last year.
That was the first decline since the market research company began tracking the industry in 1994.
Price competition has pushed down grocery prices by 0.4%.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said the fight to attract customers had sparked a price war that meant the average basket of staple goods now cost less than it did last November.
The fall in grocery inflation was another record low since Kantar began tracking prices in October 2006.
"This is bad news for retailers, but good news for shoppers with price deflation forecast to continue well into 2015," Mr McKevitt said.
The fall reflected the impact of discounters Aldi and Lidl, as well as lower prices of staples such as vegetables, milk and bread.
In a separate report, investment bank Goldman Sachs said that Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tesco were "totally addicted to space".
If they want to return to profitable growth they need to cut their selling space by 20%, which could involve closing some stores altogether, according to Goldman.
It says that Tesco, with the largest amount of store space and the biggest stores, would benefit the most from cutting back.
The Kantar report showed that for the 12 weeks to 9 November, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons continued to suffer from falling sales.
Kantar said that Asda's sales were down 0.2% from a year earlier, while its market share remained steady at 17.2%.
Sales at Sainsbury's were down by 2.5%, with a market share 0.4 percentage points lower at 16.4%. Morrisons' sales fell 3.3% compared with the same period last year, and its market share was 11.1%, down from 11.5%.
Tesco recorded the worst sales slide, down 3.7%, with a 1.1 percentage point fall in market share to 28.7%.
In contrast, Aldi sales have jumped by more than 25% from a year earlier - slightly less stellar than the 32% growth recorded in the 12 weeks to 20 July. It now has a record market share of 4.9%.
Lidl also did well, with its market share hitting 3.5% following a 16.8% rise in sales - also slightly lower growth than the previous three months.
Waitrose had another good result, with a 5.6% rise in sales and a 5.1% market share, up from 4.8% in the same period last year. | UK grocery sales have fallen for the first time in two decades, a survey suggests, underlining the challenge faced by supermarkets. | 30090251 |
The work by think tank dpart found lowering the voting age could increase youngster's engagement with politics.
It also found schools had more influence than parents in giving confidence in understanding politics.
Those aged 16 and 17 were able to vote in the referendum on 18 September, the first UK ballot to include them.
Researchers at dpart gathered evidence from two surveys of under 18s - one conducted in April and May 2013, and then a second conducted one year later.
More than 1,000 young people responded to each survey.
They found under 18s were at least as interested in politics as adults.
Only 7% had never talked about the referendum with anyone.
Young people were less likely than adults to align themselves with political parties, but the proportion who said they did not feel an affinity to one dropped in the year before the vote, from 57% to 51%.
Parents had a strong influence in encouraging young people to vote, but had less impact on how they voted, researchers found.
Over 40% of under 18s said they intended to vote differently than their parents.
Schools played a more significant role than parents in enhancing young people's political understanding, but only when pupils actively discussed the referendum in class, researchers found.
The study said: "Lowering the voting age to 16 in combination with a detailed rethinking of the role schools play in political education may therefore be a positive development worth exploring beyond this referendum.
"Crucially, we need to be confident to make the classroom a place where politics can be discussed, rather than assuming that young people will be inappropriately ideologised in an easy way."
Dr Jan Eichhorn, from Edinburgh University's school of social and political science and the author of the study, said: "Fears of under 18s being inappropriately ideologised stem from an underestimation of young people's capabilities.
"We found these fears to be unfounded. Their engagement with politics is complex and they appreciate school as a space to do this.
"To have a lasting, positive impact, we need to trust schools and teachers to discuss politics actively in the classroom.
"There are positive effects on young people's political understanding and confidence that parental influence cannot achieve but school can." | Voting in all elections should be extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds, following the independence referendum, a study has suggested. | 29589993 |
The grave, in County Durham, was the final resting place of Levi George Price, 16, who died in 2001 and Gareth Price, also 16, who died in 2005.
Officers were called to the cemetery on Bridge Street in Metal Bridge near Ferryhill at 11:45 GMT on Saturday.
Police described the thefts as "sickening".
They added the crime "could be linked" to two recent incidents in Darlington in which vehicles appeared to have been deliberately driven into houses.
A stolen lorry was reversed into the bay window of a semi-detached property last week - days after a stolen horsebox smashed into a home on the outskirts of the town.
Police have previously said the two incidents with the vehicles could have been linked to an earlier petrol bomb attack.
Det Supt Adrian Green said: "This has taken things too far. It is depraved and goes against the religious and cultural beliefs of decent people.
"What I'd like to say to the community is this feud has to stop and we need anyone with information about this incident or the wider feud to contact us.
"The incidents to date have been targeted and do not involve the wider community directly."
It is believed the damage took place overnight on Friday.
Gareth Price was found hanging at Lancaster Farms Young Offenders' Institution in January 2005, the day before he was to be sentenced for rape.
He was taken to hospital but died the next day. His death was partly due to failures by agencies, an inquest jury said.
He had pleaded guilty to attacking a girl in the Formby area of Liverpool.
Levi Price also hanged himself, in the garden of the family home in Ferryhill, in 2001. | The skulls of two teenage brothers have been taken from a grave as part of a feud between travelling families, police say. | 34903727 |
How wrong he was.
Now after a tumultuous seven days in which he has also been publicly admonished for his Nutella addiction and forced to build a chicken coop in dungarees, the 28-year-old has been dropped from the Germany squad for the friendly against England in Berlin on Saturday.
The sanction imposed by his Bundesliga club was 25,000 euros (£20,000), meaning Kruse's misdemeanours have left him almost £80,000 poorer - not to mention the considerable dents to his pride and blood sugar levels.
As if all that was not enough, he was photographed at a night club at the weekend where he grabbed a woman's mobile phone and tried to delete the pictures, according to German newspaper Bild.
Germany manager Joachim Low was not sympathetic, saying: "We need players who are focused on football and also understand their role as role models.
"I talked with Max about what I expect from players on and off the pitch. His actions in the last weeks were unprofessional."
According to Bild, the trouble began in October, after Kruse enjoyed a successful evening at the World Series Poker tournament in Berlin.
Sadly, his joy was short-lived, as the cash suffered a fate familiar to countless Bundesliga defenders: left trailing in Kruse's wake.
The striker contacted the police but the money has never been recovered, and to add to insult to injury, he was reprimanded by Wolfsburg last week after the incident was made public.
To make matters worse, Kruse could not even seek solace in his favourite comfort food.
Wolfsburg director Klaus Allofs confronted him at the club's winter training camp and told him to kick the chocolate hazelnut spread into touch, Bild reported.
"The aim is to support our players to deliver optimum performance," Allofs said. "Max needs to correct a few things."
Deprived of his sugary fix, there remained one final indignity for Kruse.
As part of Wolfsburg's community programme, he was sent to help out at a youth group - where he was snapped in a fetching pair of green dungarees, taking part in the construction of a chicken coop.
So far, it has not been a month to remember for Wolfsburg's strikers: last week Nicklas Bendtner was fined 2,250 euros (£1,750) after sleeping through his alarm clock and missing training. | When Wolfsburg striker Max Kruse was fined for leaving 75,000 euros (£59,000) of poker winnings in the back of a taxi, he probably thought his week could not get any worse. | 35864765 |
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) has accused four Barclays traders of manipulating power prices in the US from 2006-2008.
Barclays denies the charges.
In a filing on Friday, the bank said Ferc's allegations were "based on an economically irrational theory".
The Office of Enforcement (OE), a branch of Ferc, allege the team of four traders exchanged messages explaining how they would use certain trades in one market to profit in another.
The traders are alleged to have manipulated power prices to make money with their financial swap positions, causing losses for rival power traders of $139m and winning the bank $34.9m.
But Barclays said: "The underlying allegations are inconsistent with the facts and incorrectly rely on erroneous inferences drawn from mere fragments of documents.
"The investigative record, when read carefully and objectively, is plainly insufficient to establish each element of a violation of the Anti-Manipulation Rule by a preponderance of the evidence - the evidentiary standard the Commission will be required to meet in federal district court."
The bank went on: "OE's claims ring even more hollow because they are not accompanied by any explanation as to how OE arrived at its overstated and unjustified claims of disgorgement and civil penalties for Barclays.
"For these reasons, the Commission should terminate this proceeding without any further action."
Barclays' reputation has been hit by a series of scandals in recent months.
In June, it was fined £290m by UK and US regulators for attempting to manipulate Libor, an interbank lending rate which affects mortgages and loans.
In August, the Serious Fraud Office started an investigation into payments between Barclays' bank and Qatar Holding in 2008 when the bank was raising money in the Middle East during the banking crisis.
In the UK Barclays has also been part of the industry wide mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) to individuals and the mis-selling of specialist insurance - called interest rate swaps - to small businesses. | Barclays has said US regulators' proposed fines of $470m (£291m) for the bank's alleged manipulation of energy markets are "unjustified" and the allegations will not stand up in court. | 20746820 |
Neil Urwin who suffers from obstructive sleep apnoea, "should not have been on the road" when he struck Andy Charlton in Northumberland on 9 August 2014.
The experienced cyclist, 43, from North Shields, suffered "catastrophic brain injuries" and died in hospital.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Mr Urwin's condition was interrupting his sleep.
The 56-year-old fork lift truck driver, from East Acres, Barrasford, sought advice from his GP months before the collision due to his night-time breathing from his sleep apnoea waking him up.
A specialist at the sleep clinic at Hexham General Hospital on 8 August, the day before the crash, told him he should not drive, the court heard.
The jury heard Mr Urwin was driving his Ford Fiesta on a straight section of the A6079 near Chollerford at 50-55mph when he hit the back of Mr Charlton's bike, sending him onto the bonnet, hitting the windscreen and over the back of the car.
Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said: "He should not have been on the road at all... the defendant was dangerously close for no good reason."
The section of the road gave the driver a 327m unrestricted view before the point of impact, and there were no skid marks on the road or signs of emergency braking before the crash, the court heard.
Mr Urwin told police he saw Mr Charlton two to three car lengths ahead of him. He could not explain why he had not spotted him before that moment, the court heard.
Mr Urwin has admitted causing death by careless driving but denies a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
The trial continues. | A man with a sleep disorder who knocked over a cyclist causing him fatal injuries, was warned by a medic the day before not to drive, a court has heard. | 34575948 |
Ronnie Pickering was filmed asking the rider "do you know who I am?" and challenging him to a "bare-knuckle fight" after being overtaken in Hull.
His expletive-laden rant has been seen more than a million times on YouTube.
Humberside Police said it would "not be taking the matter further" because no complaints had been made.
In the footage, Mr Pickering asks the motorcyclist: "Do you know who I am? You soon will do."
The motorcyclist replies: "Do I care? Who are you then?"
"Ronnie Pickering", responds Mr Pickering.
The pair's exchange captured the imagination of social media users, prompting dozens of parodies and tweets.
Former BBC Two Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne tweeted: "Who is Ronnie Pickering?"
And, referring to the "supermoon" seen around the world earlier this week, Comedian Jack Whitehall tweeted: "Ronnie Pickering was so angry last night he turned the moon red."
In a statement, Humberside Police said it had looked at the footage and had spoken to Mr Pickering about his driving.
Insp Philip Hinch said: "Having reviewed the footage of the incident, a man has now been spoken to about his actions and manner of his driving and the matter is now closed.
"To date we have not received a complaint about this incident and unless one is forthcoming we will not be taking the matter further.
"I would like to take this opportunity to remind all drivers to drive in a courteous and considerate manner at all times."
The BBC approached Mr Pickering for a comment.
According to reports, the 54-year-old grandfather has since apologised.
Mr Pickering told the Hull Daily Mail, the rider was "baiting me so I thought I would give him a few of my thoughts". | A driver who sparked a huge social media reaction when his road rage outburst was caught on a motorcyclist's helmet will not face police action. | 34417052 |
CCTV footage shows a woman being grabbed and dragged across a hotel corridor, in full view of bystanders.
Although the incident is still being investigated, it has prompted millions of posts on social media, which have been viewed over two billion times.
China has seen several incidents in recent years where bystanders have refused to help those in need.
Beijing police say they are investigating the incident, and the hotel's parent company has apologised.
The video was uploaded on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, earlier this week, by a woman identified by her online username, "Wanwan".
"Wanwan" said the man had approached her in the hotel corridor of Yitel Hotel and asked her which room she was in.
"I said 'What do you want? I don't know you' and then he started to drag me away. He clutched my neck and face so I couldn't breathe.
"When I tried to run downstairs, he grabbed me by the hair and dragged me towards the stairway."
A staff member had seen them but assumed it was a couple's quarrel and did not intervene, she said.
In the footage, the staff member and other hotel guests can be seen watching the scuffle, but most did not get involved.
Eventually, a bystander appears to help her leave the scene.
Homeinns, the parent company of Yitel Hotel, has issued an apology to "Wanwan" and the public.
The incident showed "insufficient security management and customer service", Homeinns said in a statement.
The video has become one of the most-discussed topics on Chinese social media, and prompted debate over why many are reluctant to help strangers.
The hashtag "Girl attacked at Yitei" hotel was used more than two million times, and viewed by two billion users.
Some circulated a video campaign called "#WhoWillYouHelp", produced by the Ontario government last year to combat sexual harassment.
Others expressed their anger at the hotel, or shared tips on self-defence for women.
Weibo user Winston urged people to stop turning a blind eye.
"If people stop being indifferent and calling it as a 'domestic incident' when husbands/boyfriends beat, drag or abuse their wives/girlfriends in public, wouldn't there be fewer of these dangerous situations?"
There have been several high-profile cases in recent years where bystanders have refused to help people in need.
In one case in 2011, a two-year-old girl was knocked over in a hit-and-run accident - and 18 people passed the seriously-injured girl before someone came to her rescue. She later died from her injuries.
And in 2015, a 57-year-old-man staggered and collapsed at the corner of a road. Four cars and 23 people passed by, but no one helped him, and he later died in hospital.
Many are reluctant to intervene because there have been several incidents where injured people have subsequently blamed those who came to their aid for causing the injuries - and sued them.
Reporting by Helier Cheung | Footage that appears to show a woman being assaulted in a Beijing hotel has sparked a massive debate in China. | 35984855 |
Michael Smith, 46, had denied the offences alleged to have taken place at the Benvenuto Takeaway and Prego Takeaways between 2010 and 2014.
A jury found him not guilty of pressing himself against three women and making sexual comments.
Two charges of sending sexual communication and exposing himself were found not proven.
He was also found not guilty on the direction of Sheriff Scott Pattison during the trial of charges of indecent practices involving a girl under 16. | A Dumfries takeaway boss has been cleared of charges of sexual assault and indecent behaviour towards staff. | 37683277 |
The women, aged 30 and 50, said they were starved and sexually abused by him and other Saudi nationals.
Saudi Arabia denies all the charges and refused to revoke diplomatic immunity for the official, making it impossible for him to be tried in India.
Analysts say his departure resolves a diplomatic dilemma for India.
Nepal and India have close diplomatic relations, but India is also eager to avoid tensions with oil-rich Saudi Arabia where millions of Indians live and work.
On Wednesday night, foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup issued a statement saying the diplomat "who is allegedly accused of abusing two Nepali maids has left India". He added that the official was protected under the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations.
Police in India had earlier registered a case of rape, sodomy and illegal confinement against the official, without naming him - although the foreign ministry did name him once he had left the country.
The women were rescued from an apartment in the Gurgaon suburb of Delhi last week after a tip-off from an NGO. They are alleged to have been abused over a period of several months.
"We thought we would die there," one of the women told the AFP news agency.
"The apartment was on the 10th floor, there was no way we could run. We were abused every day."
The two women returned to Nepal last week.
Thousands of men and women from Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, travel to India and other Asian and Arab states every year to seek work as domestic helpers and labourers. | A Saudi diplomat accused of raping two Nepali women hired to work as domestic help has left India under diplomatic immunity, the foreign ministry says. | 34276049 |
Finance secretary Derek Mackay has been told to re-think his navigation before he can land the legislation safely.
Or to be more accurate, he's been told by MSPs - most prominent among them the SNP convener of the finance committee, Bruce Crawford - that he needs to offer some evidence, economic and environmental, of what such a cut might do.
One of the reasons that there is disquiet is that ministers want MSPs to pass a law on the principles of how a change in APD could be delivered but without setting out the extent of the cut.
Nor is there a worked-out plan for any change in the banding structure (standard and non-standard class bands, and either below or above 2,000 miles) or of the exemptions. These are to follow with subsequent legislation.
And these are difficult political calculations because of the precarious nature of a minority government.
The budget deal done with Green MSPs for 2017-18 would be a lot more difficult in 2018-19 if Derek Mackay wants to start cutting Air Passenger Duty (APD). That is the first point at which he can do so.
Greens, as a general rule, don't much like measures that encourage carbon-emitting aviation. So it looks more likely that Tories would be Mr Mackay's source of votes, or abstentions, to get the next budget passed.
So what about that evidence? Others have tried to model Air Passenger Duty. And it's complicated.
Put simply, we don't know.
It depends on the modelling. A consultants' report for Edinburgh Airport produced a benefit of 3,800 jobs in Scotland, and £200m added value to the economy each year by 2020.
Others suggest the benefit would accrue to the airlines and airports, which would pocket it in higher profits and only pay a small share in corporation tax.
2. If APD is cut, what effects would it have on travelling?
Would it bring in more inbound visitors, spending their money on Scottish tourist attractions and doing business deals?
Or would it boost outbound tourism, substituting staycations with holiday-makers taking their spending power abroad?
Put simply, again, we don't know.
One aero-sceptical report into this, by the Common Weal think tank, suggests inbound tourism is by higher-end visitors whose plans are not primarily shaped by price, so the cut wouldn't boost their numbers that much.
Meanwhile, it suggests outbound tourism is more strongly linked to price, so the cut would have the more dynamic upward effect on Scots flying elsewhere?
And it argues that about £50m of APD is paid for business tickets. These are journeys that will still be made with or without the tax, so cutting it brings no benefit and a big cut in revenue.
That is to ignore the impact on company finances of lower business travel expenses. That means money freed up for other expenses, more business travel, a higher wage bill, investment or more in shareholder dividend.
3. If APD is cut in Scotland, what might it do to take aviation business from the rest of the UK?
Newcastle Airport thinks it would have a horrible impact.
A UK government study agrees but it suggests that would only be the initial response, also taking business from Manchester, and putting up passenger numbers in Glasgow and Edinburgh by 5% to 10%.
Phase two would be a rise in Scots using their cheapened flights to connect to longer-haul flights out of London airports.
And phase three is when the benefit that results from those London airports getting more UK business.
That would make them more competitive, the story goes, and draw passengers out of other English airports.
Using this model, the initial boom for Glasgow (twice that of Edinburgh) would fall back, and Birmingham would be the biggest loser.
The UK government has consulted on what it could do to mitigate the impact of a Scottish APD cut.
A differentiated tax to encourage a shift of air travel from the big London hubs to regional airports, for instance.
It has concluded that it's not going to do anything for now - not while its mind is focused on Brexit.
4. If APD is cut, what impact could it have on the environment?
The aviation industry says the increased passenger numbers would, over time, be offset by improvements in airliner fuel efficiency.
It cites the recent improvement in the efficiency of Europe's airlines, as they have taken delivery of new planes with more efficient engines.
That gain may not be sustained. Airlines can't keep on ordering brand new planes. And advances in fuel efficiency, while impressive, are unpredictably bumpy.
Either way, it's not clear that APD has succeeded in its initial purpose, back in 1994, of being an environmental tax.
Academic analysis has found that, even at one of the highest tax levels in the world, it is too low to dissuade many people from travelling.
5. Would a cut in APD be of disproportionate benefit to the well-off?
This is an argument Scottish Labour is using against the plan.
The opposition party goes on to argue that, with tight finances, this should not be a priority for tax cutting, as it would mean a cut in revenue for public services.
It cites evidence that most flights are made by people in higher-earning households.
As with much of this, the evidence is a bit sketchy. It suggests that the share of total household income spent on air travel is quite similar across the earnings spectrum.
The last time the Civil Aviation Authority surveyed Scottish airport passengers on this subject, which was in 2013, it found Glasgow and Edinburgh had a slightly stronger bias towards the AB and C1 social classes as a share of total passenger numbers than other UK airports.
Some 30% of their passengers were from social classes C2, D and E - those typically with lower income.
The London airports had a lower proportion, while East Midlands, Birmingham and Manchester were higher.
Aberdeen Airport was an outlier on both business and leisure travel, shaped by its internationally mobile energy workforce.
The industry claims its evidence is compelling that the tax revenue cut from lower APD would be offset by higher tax revenue from other taxes, resulting from faster growth.
If true, it would mean that people who never fly could have better public services because people who do fly are saving money on APD and spending that money elsewhere. That's arguable.
But hang on: aren't Scotland's airports telling us that they've never had it so good?
Well, yes they are. Record growth for Edinburgh and Glasgow. Growth is particularly strong in international travel. Not so much for Aberdeen, which is suffering from the oil and gas downturn. And Prestwick is a special loss-making case.
With household spending tight, this is a sign that low fares are drawing in more passengers, and the weak pound seems to be attracting more foreign visitors.
It's also a credit to the competition authority which insisted that Edinburgh and Glasgow should be forced to split their ownership, and to compete.
They are doing well by going out to win more business, with new routes. And such is the congestion at Heathrow, it is easier to attract long-haul routes into North America, the Persian Gulf and, they hope eventually, linking with Asia.
So clearly, the case for a tax cut is not to provide support for an industry in difficulties. It argues - as you'll probably have guessed already - that while business is growing healthily, it could grow lots more with lower tax and therefore lower ticket prices.
Those aero-sceptics suggest that whatever impact there might be from cutting ticket prices, any tax change is being overwhelmed by the impact of Brexit and the lower exchange value of the pound.
There are tight constraints, due to international treaty obligations going back decades, which ban tax on fuel for international flights.
One plan is for the plane to be taxed, rather than the passenger. This would be an incentive to ensure planes are fully laden.
You could further adjust it to penalise the least fuel-efficient aircraft with higher taxes. That's when it gets more complicated. APD has the attraction of being simple to collect.
To tackle the question of social injustice, the New Economics Foundation has suggested a quota system.
Everyone could be entitled to one outbound flight every year without tax.
But frequent flyers - the higher earners, that is - would have a rising level of APD the more times they take off. | Scottish government plans to cut Air Passenger Duty have hit mid-flight turbulence. | 39153041 |
Raphael Rossi-Branco, Jermaine Hylton and Jon Obika have also been offered contracts by the Wiltshire outfit.
But midfielder Anton Rodgers is to leave the managerless side when his contract expires this summer.
Swindon previously let a further four players go and then parted company with head coach Luke Williams on 5 May.
They will spend next season in League Two after finishing 22nd in the third tier. | Relegated Swindon Town have offered five players new deals ahead of the 2017-18 season, including captain Nathan Thompson and Iraq's Yaser Kasim. | 39970797 |
Gwilliam was captain of Wales when they won Five Nations Championship Grand Slams in 1950 and 1952.
He was also in the team that beat the All Blacks 13-8 in Cardiff in 1953.
Away from rugby, he served as a tank commander during the Second World War and was headmaster of the independent Birkenhead School from 1963 to 1988.
Born in Pontypridd, number eight Gwilliam played 23 times for Wales between 1947 and 1954, and captained the team in 11 of those games.
When he led Wales in the 21-0 win over France in Cardiff in 1950, it ended a 39-year wait for a Grand Slam after the first "Golden Era" had yielded three in four seasons between 1908 and 1911.
They did not have long to wait for the next, with Gwilliam captaining the team to a clean sweep in 1952, with France beaten 9-6 at St Helen's in Swansea in the final game.
By 19 December 1953, Gwilliam had relinquished the captaincy to Bleddyn Williams, but was a still a key player as Wales beat the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park.
Wales have failed to beat New Zealand since.
Gwilliam was educated at Monmouth School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
He played for the Light Blues and went on to appear for Newport, Llanelli, London Welsh, Wasps, Edinburgh Wanderers and Gloucester.
He was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Tank Regiment in 1942 and saw action in Europe during the Second World War before returning to university to complete his studies.
Gwilliam was described as a physically imposing, religious and austere, and he is remembered at Birkenhead School as a strict disciplinarian.
He was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and was a distant relative of ex-Wales football international midfielder Jack Collison. | Former Wales Grand Slam-winning captain John Gwilliam - who was part of the last Welsh team to beat New Zealand - has died at the age of 93. | 25758156 |
Last week a young boy in Perth attended a school event with his skin painted black in tribute to his idol, Australian Rules player Nic Naitanui.
The incident sparked furious discussion on social media.
Bec Bee, who is of Aboriginal descent, said there were "double standards" inflaming racial debates in Australia.
"I didn't see blackface," she told the BBC. "I saw a young fella who was proud to emulate his idol. There was no intent of racism."
The mother-of-two from Far North Queensland shared a photo on Facebook showing her daughter dressed as a Dr Seuss character in a red wig and white face paint for a similar school event three years ago.
"Not once did anyone say anything when I painted my black daughter white 3 years ago. We need to stop the double standards, a hero is a hero!" Ms Bee wrote.
She suggested the boy would likely be scarred by the controversy surrounding his innocent admiration for a sports star.
Ms Bee said: "I showed my daughter the article about the young boy… She said 'I'm proud that he wants to be the same colour as me'."
She said she did not believe the Western Australian mother at the centre of the debate had any intention of offending people.
"If this little boy and his mum had been mocking Indigenous culture then I can totally see how this is offensive," she said.
But some on social media disagreed with Ms Bee, saying the two photos were not comparable due to the historical usage of blackface to mock people of colour.
"Just because it doesn't offend you, doesn't mean it's not offensive," said Facebook user Aliera French.
The mother of the child who dressed in blackface last week said her son regarded Mr Naitanui as his idol and he wanted to dress up as him for Book Week.
Mr Naitanui, who is of Fijian heritage, said on Twitter that he did not believe there was any intentional offence but said the mother should "reflect and choose an alternate method next time". | An Indigenous Australian mother has posted photos of her daughter dressed in "whiteface" in response to a debate over "blackface". | 37211350 |
The Ibrox club have brought in Arsenal's Jon Toral and Bournemouth's Emerson Hyndman on loan until the end of the season.
"January is notoriously difficult," Warburton explained.
"January can end up becoming very expensive if you overspend on players and don't get the value you have to see."
The Rangers boss hinted he would be willing to make further loan signings before the transfer window closes in 12 days' time.
"Right now it makes sense for us," he said.
"If you are the buyer, you end up paying inflated fees because the sellers don't want to lose their best players at this time of year.
"If we can bring in anybody else, we will do - but it depends if the right player becomes available at the right price for the club.
"It has to be somebody adding something we don't currently possess."
Rangers, who host Motherwell in Saturday's Scottish Cup fourth-round tie, trail Premiership leaders Celtic by 19 points.
"Of course we plan for the summer and we'll see what becomes available," said Warburton.
"But we can't compare ourselves [with Celtic] at the moment in terms of finance.
"We're not going to spend recklessly. What we have to do is move at a pace which is right for Rangers.
"We have to move as shrewdly and as astutely as we can and when the club can gain success and the income improves, we can move forward from there."
Winger Michael O'Halloran, who joined Rangers last January, has been linked with a move away from Ibrox after struggling to hold a first-team place.
"I've read some bizarre stories that Michael is off to Hearts," added Warburton.
"I'm sure [Hearts head coach] Ian Cathro would have called me. He, I'm sure, knew nothing about it and neither do I.
"From our point of view, Michael is one of our players and will be involved on Saturday. Michael is one of many players who wants to play; he needs games. It's the life of a manager that players will be banging on the door if they don't get enough pitch time.
"I can understand their frustration. My job is to be honest with them, to keep communicating with them and work with them every day on the training pitch." | Manager Mark Warburton says loan deals "make sense" for Rangers as they seek to avoid paying "inflated fees". | 38682407 |
The bird, which has a 1.9m (6ft 5in) wing span, flew over the border from an Israeli game reserve and was caught by Lebanese villagers on Tuesday.
They became suspicious as the griffon vulture had a tracking device attached to its tail.
It is part of a conservation project to reintroduce raptors to the Middle East.
Wildlife officials say the vulture was brought from Spain last year and set free about a month ago in the Gamla Nature Reserve in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Tel Aviv University is involved in tracking the bird, and as well as a GPS transmitter, it had tags on its wings and an engraved metal ring on its leg saying: "Tel Aviv Univ Israel".
Wildlife officials in Israel were alerted to its capture when photos of the tied-up bird appeared on social media.
"In a discreet operation with the Lebanese and with the great help of UN forces and the UN liaison unit, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was able to return the vulture that was caught a few days ago by villagers of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon," an Israeli statement released on Friday said.
The Lebanese media says the villagers freed the vulture after it became clear it was not on a spying mission.
After its ordeal the bird was weak and was being treated for minor injuries, officials said.
It is not the first time a griffon vulture has been taken to be an agent of the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
Saudi Arabia captured one, also with a Tel Aviv University tracker, in the desert city of Hyaal in 2011, sparking rumours of a "Zionist plot" that were dismissed by Israeli officials. | A huge vulture detained in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel has been returned home after UN peacekeepers intervened, Israeli officials said. | 35446528 |
"I have learned a lot in the past two weeks," he told a meeting of police officers in Washington DC on Wednesday.
"Terrorism is a far greater threat than the people of our country understand. I'm going to take care of it."
His comments came as the legal battle continued over his travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority nations. Not putting the ban in place would mean the US "can never have the security and safety to which we are entitled", he said on Twitter.
On Wednesday, he also lamented inner-city violence, as well as the killing of police officers.
It is a vision of an America full of danger, with multiple threats on many fronts, encapsulated by the new president's inaugural address referencing "American carnage". But is it correct?
"The number of officers shot and killed in the line of duty last year increased by 56% from the year before," President Trump said on Wednesday. And the statistic is accurate, unlike some others he has quoted in the past.
The number of officers shot and killed in the line of duty did indeed jump 56%, from 41 in 2015 to 64 last year - that's according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
It is a stark statistic. More stark still is the fact that 21 of those officers were killed in ambush-style shootings, a 163% increase on the previous year.
However, it would be incorrect to read from this that a wave of police shootings has swept the country. Eight of those killings were in two assaults in 10 days in July 2016, in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and occurred in the context of protests against police killings of African-Americans.
"Last year in Dallas, police officers were targeted for execution - think of this, whoever heard of this?" President Trump told the meeting of police officers.
But the targeting of police officers is not in itself a new phenomenon - it is only that 2016 had higher numbers than before. And statistics show that officers are still more likely to be shot dead responding to a domestic disturbance than any other incident.
In fact, if you look at the bigger picture, police deaths on duty have been dropping for some time.
The worst year for police deaths was 1930, when 307 died. More recently, there was a peak of 241 in 2001, largely due to the 11 September attacks.
But between 2011 and 2013, there was an almost 40% drop in police fatalities - from 177 to 109. The numbers have crept up again in the years since - up 10% in 2016 to 135 - but there is an overall pattern of decline, with the numbers now down to the levels of the 1950s.
Having said that, the likelihood of a police officer being shot dead is far higher than that of a member of the public being killed by the police.
64
police officers shot dead
963
people shot dead by police
0.007% of police officers shot dead
0.00003% of general population shot dead by police
0.0005% of black population shot dead by police
Read more: How many police die every year?
"Right now, many communities in America are facing a public safety crisis," President Trump told police in Washington on Wednesday. "Murders in 2015 experienced their largest single-year increase in nearly half a century.
His statement is factually correct (though he has often, wrongly, said that the murder rate was the highest it has been in nearly half a century, and even attacked the press on Tuesday for not reporting this falsehood.)
There was a 10.8% jump in nationwide murder rates from 2014 to 2015, and that represents the biggest year-to-year increase since 1970-71, according to the fact-checking website Politifact.
But it is again important to look at the longer-term trend.
The number of reported murders and rapes across the country did indeed increase from 2014 to 2015, as did robberies.
But all are still below the levels they were at 10 years ago - and are respectively 13%, 6% and 34% lower than 20 years ago (even though the population of the US has increased by 55 million in that time).
The picture is more mixed in large cities, however.
Last month, The Economist magazine, having obtained an early look at the 2016 FBI data for violence in 50 US cities, showed that there were four broad trends in play.
Murder rates are stable in 13 of the 50 cities, including Los Angeles and New York, which saw 11 days without a murder in 2015.
In 15 other cities, including Houston and Las Vegas, murder rates are low but increasing. In another nine, including Philadelphia and Detroit, they are high but stable. And in 13, including Indianapolis and Chicago, they are high and rising. (You can read The Economist's analysis here).
In Chicago, murders rose sharply last year, with more than 760 last year compared with 473 the year before. Up to then, there had been a steady fall in the number of murders since a peak of the early 70s.
Mr Trump has repeatedly used the city as an example. "In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone and the rate so far this year has been even higher. What is going on in Chicago?" he said on Wednesday.
Last month, he even threatened to send federal agents into the city if the violence did not subside.
But again, worrying though recent increases in violence in some cities may be, it is critical to look at how those increases fit in to a longer-term trend.
Ames Grawert, of the Brennan Center for Justice, co-authored a report into crime rates in US cities, and spoke to the BBC's More or Less programme. "If you look at crime rates in American cities in the past 30 years, even with the recent uptick in murders in some cities, we are very far below where we used to be with murder rates in big cities like New York and Los Angeles."
Read more (from 2015): Why have cities' murder rates increased?
President Trump, when he announced the travel restrictions last month, said it was to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US". The restrictions, now in legal limbo, affected citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen - the measures also blocked Syrian refugees from arriving in the US.
So how big a problem is terrorism in the US? First of all, Mr Trump, like other presidents before him, measures the danger of terrorism to the US according to what could happen, rather than what has happened. His comment "I have learned a lot in the past two weeks" indicated he had specific information on the threat to the US.
And secondly, it all depends on what your definition of what terrorism is (more on that later on).
Read more: Trump says terror attacks 'under-reported': Is that true?
One study, by the libertarian Cato Institute, details 3,432 murders committed on US soil between 1975 and late 2015 that it says can be classified as terrorist attacks. Of those, 88% were committed by foreign-born terrorists who entered the country (the 2,977 deaths in the 11 September attacks make up a large chunk of these fatalities).
But does this mean Americans should be worried about being caught up in a terror attack caused by a foreign-born national? Take a look at the numbers the Cato Institute came up with to provide context:
1 in 3.6m
chance of an American dying in a terror attack on US soil committed by a foreigner
1 in 3.64bn chance of American dying in terror attack caused by refugee
1 in 10.9bn chance of American dying in terror attack caused by illegal immigrant
The report's author, Alex Nowrasteh, concluded the number of Americans killed in a terror attack by someone from one of the seven countries on Mr Trump's list, between 1975 and 2015, was zero.
(He does point out that six Iranians, six Sudanese, two Somalis, two Iraqis, and one Yemeni were convicted of attempting or carrying out terrorist attacks on US soil in that time).
Only three deaths were attributed to refugees in the 40 years spanned by the report - and those were caused by three Cuban terrorists in the 1970s.
For some perspective, here are some other causes of death in the US in 2015 alone:
979
people killed by "accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed"
57 by bees, hornets or wasps
21 by glass
22 by contact with hot water from a tap
Far more dangerous than terrorism to Americans are painkillers.
The leading cause of accidental death in the United States is now overdoses from painkillers - opioid medicines kill 60 people a day, or 22,000 a year, according to the National Safety Council.
But it is impossible to discuss the threat from terrorism without looking at how the US defines terrorism itself - and therein lies the problem. Even the FBI says there is "no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism". The State Department defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents".
In that case, there is an argument that shootings should be defined as terrorism: those such as the racially-motivated killing of nine black worshippers in South Carolina by a self-avowed white supremacist, the murder of 26 people including children in Newtown, Connecticut, and the murder of 12 people in a Colorado cinema.
If the number of people killed in shootings in the US were considered terrorism - at least 15,055 people were shot dead last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive - then the likelihood of an American being killed in an act of terrorism would increase substantially. | During his presidential campaign, and since taking office, Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of the dangers facing the United States. | 38911708 |
Anthony Long faced trial last year, a decade after he shot suspected armed robber Azelle Rodney.
He expressed his concerns about the Independent Police Complaints Commission in a Radio Times interview.
An IPCC spokesman said it was "right that when there is a fatality there is an independent investigation".
Mr Long said scrutiny was expected, but said "the problem is the interpretation of the rules and the way in which officers were treated".
He added: "Today, the Independent Police Complaints Commission seems to be treating police officers as criminals.
"My former colleagues are saying 'we will stand by for a Paris-type attack, but when you want us to go out and do an intelligence-led operation against criminals you might need to satisfy us that the intelligence is perfect, or we're not going out'.
"I think we're quite close to that situation."
The IPCC referred the Azelle Rodney case to the Crown Prosecution Service after a public inquiry in 2013 found there was "no lawful justification" for the shooting.
Mr Long, who will be featured on Secrets of a Police Marksman on Channel 4 on 18 August, said he was "absolutely confident" his actions in shooting Mr Rodney were correct.
The IPCC said: "Our independent scrutiny should not cause any officer to be concerned about taking on a firearms role."
The number of authorised police firearms officers (AFOs) has fallen for four years in a row, figures released last month revealed.
There were 5,639 AFOs across England and Wales as of 31 March - down by eight compared with the previous year.
It means the number has dwindled by more than 1,000 in the past five years.
At the time the figures were published, the government said they did not include an "uplift" in armed policing capability to be delivered over the next two years.
A drive to boost the police service's firearms capacity was launched in the wake of last November's Paris attacks, but rank-and-file leaders have questioned where the additional personnel will be drawn from. | An ex-Met firearms officer cleared of murder has said the police watchdog "seems to be treating officers as criminals". | 37015033 |
The League Two strugglers were looking comfortable until striker Jason Cummings finished off Lewis Stevenson's 26th-minute defence-splitting pass.
Left-back Stevenson slotted in the second moments later.
Berwick battled bravely to stay in touch until Sam Stanton's 66th-minute finish. Liam Fontaine added a fourth.
The two sides had gone into the game with contrasting ambitions - Hibs of lifting the Scottish Cup for the first time in 113 years and Berwick simply of reaching their first ever semi-final.
Odds were stacked heavily in favour of the side sitting second in the Scottish Championship and unbeaten in 12 games emerging with their dream intact as they sought their fifth straight victory.
In contrast, Berwick had suffered three straight defeats since beating Lowland League outfit Spartans, lie second bottom of League Two and had never scored against Hibs in seven previous meetings.
Yet Colin Cameron's side started confidently and squandered the best of the early chances, with former Hibs midfielder David Gold heading nervously wide when found at the back post by a Paul Willis cross.
Thoughts started to turn to the last Scottish Cup meeting between the sides, 35 years ago to the day, when Berwick held the Edinburgh side to a 0-0 draw before losing by a single goal in the replay at Easter Road.
However, within two minutes, it was a repeat of the 5-0 thumping Berwick suffered in their last meeting, in the League Cup in August 2011, that seemed more likely.
Stevenson played a delightful ball down the left wing to find Cummings racing behind a static defence and the striker's half-hit side-foot slipped under advancing goalkeeper Billy Bald.
Almost straight from the re-start, Stevenson turned from provider to scorer as he charged to the edge of the Berwick penalty area and played a neat one-two with Dominique Malonga before steering the ball into the far corner.
A Fraser Fyvie shot flashed over the Berwick crossbar, but Berwick stemmed the tide flowing towards their own goal and former Hibs midfielder Lee Currie delivered a warning to Hibs with a shot across goalkeeper Mark Oxley.
The Wee Rangers were still in the game until a Malonga shot blocked by Bald fell for substitute Stanton to slot home with the midfielder's first touch of the game after 66 minutes.
Defender Fontaine rose to put the gloss on Hibs' display with a powerful header eight minutes from time. | Two goals in two minutes sent Hibernian on their way to a comfortable Scottish Cup victory over Berwick Rangers and a place in the semi-final draw. | 31680307 |
The derelict malt kiln building in Newbridge Hill, Louth, could be pulled down and replaced with the discount shop if permission is granted.
Keep Louth Special said it was not against the plans as it would not affect the town's independent shops.
It said it was more concerned for the future of the nearby cattle market.
Aldi held an exhibition on Tuesday outlining its plans and said if the store was granted planning permission it could generate about 40 jobs.
But more concern has been focussed on another location in the town.
East Lindsey District Council's planning committee granted outline approval for a new cattle market at the Fairfield Industrial Estate, in Louth, in July 2012.
Keep Louth Special said they feared this could make way for one of the major supermarkets to buy the existing site.
Alan Mumby, chair of the group, said: "Aldi coming in is not bad news. It will get rid of the eyesore [malt kiln] and won't put a dent on Louth's independent shops.
"The cattle market site is our big one and we'd fight to the death [over it]. We don't want our high street to die." | A group that campaigns against supermarkets being built in a Lincolnshire town believes a new Aldi store is "not bad news". | 23245424 |
In 2015, after you've paid for your Mocha Frappuccino on your mobile, Starbucks will experiment with bringing it straight to you.
Own a Volvo? Since February, Volvo On Call pilot Roam has let couriers leave parcels and groceries in the boot of your car.
And in parts of the US, crowdsourced couriers, location data and top secret algorithms seem to be taking the place of dispatchers with two-way radios.
We have seen the future, and it is wearing a GPS device.
Same-day delivery firms Urbanfetch, which halted operations in 2000, and Webvan and Kozmo.com - both ceasing trading in 2001 - were prominent names in the dotcom bubble which burst in 2001.
Kozmo was particularly memorable for not charging delivery fees, although its overheads included large warehouses full of inventory.
What is different today?
For one, purchasing on mobile devices is growing by 50% annually, compared with the rest of the e-commerce sector at 10%.
It is transforming the way we shop. And mobiles can increasingly be used in delivery as well as purchase.
For four years, Jaron Waldman headed Apple's Geo team, leading projects on location services, local search, user positioning, and geo-coding.
He left to co-found his own start-up, Curbside.
"In a sense, we felt those same-day delivery services are fighting the last war a little bit, trying to get the goods to your house, where what's important is instant," says Mr Waldman.
When customers purchase a product and come to collect it, Curbside uses their background location to alert store staff they are on their way.
"As you come up, they greet you by name, put it in your backseat, 15 seconds, a really delightful experience," he says.
There were two problems he had to solve.
One was getting to the point Curbside could reliably notify shops that someone was nearby to pick up an order, without draining the customer's battery.
The second was accurately representing inventory. Store inventory systems are not always perfect, and a shopper might have items in a trolley, while the database believes it is on the shelf.
Mr Waldman says he is walking in the footsteps of earlier attempts such as Milo, acquired by eBay in December 2010 for $75m (£48m; €61m).
Since then, retailers have put more inventory records online, customers have moved towards mobile purchasing, and mobile devices now need less battery to share a shopper's location.
The company plans to experiment in different test markets in San Francisco, which with its proximity to Silicon Valley, has an unusual concentration of early adopters and marketplace noise, says Mr Waldman.
Bastian Lehmann moved to Silicon Valley from London to begin Postmates, a GPS delivery service he describes as an "anti-Amazon system".
"Amazon comes along and builds a warehouse outside a city," he says.
"We like to say the city's our warehouse. We try to understand the inventory available, hacking the city, and having a fleet of delivery people that distribute these inventories."
The company's delivery people operate on bicycles, motorcycles, and in cars, and its fleet has become the largest on-demand delivery service in the US. Postmates does more than 25,000 deliveries a week, covering 17 cities.
It costs from $5 to $12 (£3.18-£7.64, €4.06-€9.75) depending on the distance, with additional charges during peak times.
Mr Lehmann had the idea for Postmates in 2005, but, like Mr Waldman, says boom in smartphones "made all of this possible".
Postmates is now principally constrained by its number of couriers, rather than customers, says Mr Lehmann.
"Getting my laundry done was quite easy in Latin America, but in America I had trouble," quips Jordan Metzner, founder and chief executive of Washio.
He had spent five years building a chain of burrito restaurants in Latin America.
Spurred by his own need for clean clothes, and intrigued by the success of Uber, Mr Metzner began developing an on-demand service for laundry and dry cleaning. It went live in March 2013 and now operates in six US cities.
Users select 30-minute slots for their clothes to be picked up and returned, and there is a one-day turnaround.
Like the other entrepreneurs, Mr Metzner says that without smartphones his company would not be possible.
"We've built our own algorithm, allowing drivers - we call them ninjas - to be routed and re-routed," he says.
"If one was to be delayed or not be able to find parking, his future orders would then be re-routed to other drivers, and orders would be re-fed back to him as soon as he was back on track."
Mr Metzner says the company's trade has grown by a factor of eleven in the year leading up to October.
In general, he believes, on-demand commerce represents "a massive opportunity and a market that has never been available till now".
Much of the innovation has taken place in Silicon Valley.
But in the UK, the Samwer brothers' firm Rocket Internet - specialising in cloning successful US models for other markets - launched the EatFirst food delivery app for the City of London in August, followed in November by a laundry app for central London, ZipJet.
"Most people consider it an honour when they rip off your business," says Washio's Jordan Metzner.
GPS-driven courier delivery service Shutl has operated in the UK since 2010, and was bought by eBay last year.
Its first employee, Guy Westlake, recently left to launch a network of home-based delivery launderers, called Lavanda, currently operating in Islington.
Fifteen years after Kozmo, smartphones have made all the difference.
Rare outside Japan before the 2004-6 spread of the Blackberry and the 2007 launch of the iPhone, 58% of US adults now own one, and the number is higher in Britain, at 72%.
Fifteen years ago, in the dot-com boom, instant-courier services promised much. But now, with smartphones increasingly in every pocket, it seems GPS delivers. | It is the world after taxi app Uber made your smartphone broadcasting your location seem normal. | 30442712 |
Brigadier John Donnelly said there must be a cultural shift, but change would take "a few years".
The inquest in Woking into the death of a teenage recruit at Deepcut barracks in Surrey has heard she was the subject of unwanted sexual conduct.
Pte Cheryl James was found dead with a bullet wound to the head in 1995.
The 18-year-old from Llangollen, Denbighshire, was one of four recruits to die at the base in seven years.
The inquest heard a survey two years ago of 24,000 service men and women found the majority of respondents thought the Army had an overly sexualised culture.
Brig Donnelly, head of Army Personal Services, said the results had been a "wake-up call".
The survey also suggested serving soldiers did not have faith in their own complaints system.
Questioned by Alison Foster QC, representing the family, Brig Donnelly admitted this "troubled" him.
He said a number of changes had been made throughout the Army as a result of the death of Pte James and three other recruits who died between 1995 and 2002.
They included a confidential support line, a female-focused officer attached to each unit to provide advice, and better awareness of how to make complaints.
"We recognise that a number of changes have taken place since 1995," he said.
"We got some things wrong and we took too long to recognise that and I have apologised to Mr James [Pte James's father]."
Who were the Deepcut four? Background to the deaths and timeline of events.
In a wider context, he spoke of other changes including a policy at Deepcut where no trainees were expected to undertake guard duty, as Pte James had been doing at the time of her death.
"We recognise that trainees in large part were not ready to take on guard duty," he said.
Supervising ratios are also now "vastly different" to those when Pte James was there, he said.
The inquest heard that in 1995 there was often just one corporal in charge of 200 trainees - but one warrant officer second-class who was at Deepcut between 1995 and 1998 had seen one non-commissioned officer in charge of 300 to 400 recruits.
Pte James's boyfriend, Simeon Carr-Minns, told the inquest how she had claimed she had been assaulted by a fellow soldier, known as soldier B.
He said soldier B had propositioned Pte James while she was on restriction of privileges at Leconfield army barracks but she "fobbed him off".
Mr Carr-Minns gave a statement about it to Surrey Police when they investigated Pte James's death in 2002 and 2003.
He told officers a soldier had come on to her "sort of groping maybe or a bit of innuendo".
He also said Pte James felt soldier B was picking on her and she said she found him "creepy".
Mr Carr-Minns said he complained on his girlfriend's behalf to a sergeant the day after she told him.
An initial inquest into Pte James's death in 1995 recorded an open verdict, but that was overturned by the High Court which ordered the new hearing.
The inquest was adjourned until Monday. | An Army culture that has problems with sexualised behaviour and harassment may take years to change, a senior military witness has told an inquest. | 36038208 |
A spokesman for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films said Matheson died on Sunday in Los Angeles, but no other details were provided.
In a career spanning some 60 years, many of the author's works were adapted for both the big and small screens.
I Am Legend was his most successful, inspiring four film adaptations - most recently in 2007 starring Will Smith.
The novel was considered a landmark work in the genre, ushering in apocalyptic themes to post-WWII America.
Vincent Price starred in the first adaptation in 1964, titled as The Last Man on Earth.
Charlton Heston later starred in the 1971 adaptation, Omega Man.
The 2007 version saw Smith star as Robert Neville - the seemingly last human on Earth - trying to find a cure for a genetically-engineered virus that has turned the population into mutant vampiric creatures.
A low-budget adaptation I Am Omega was released the same year.
Born in Allendale, New Jersey, in 1926 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Matheson first began publishing science-fiction and horror stories in the 1950s.
His earlier works adapted into films included 1953 novel Hell House, 1956's The Shrinking Man and 1958's A Stir of Echoes.
The 1978 novel What Dreams May Come was also adapted into a big screen version in 1998 starring Robin Williams, which won an Oscar for best visual effects.
Steven Spielberg's first feature-length film, Duel, was also based on Matheson's short story of the same name.
"Richard Matheson's ironic and iconic imagination created seminal science-fiction stories and gave me my first break when he wrote the short story and screenplay for Duel," Spielberg said in a statement.
"His Twilight Zones were among my favourites, and he recently worked with us on Real Steel. For me, he is in the same category as [Ray] Bradbury and [Isaac] Asimov."
Matheson also worked as a writer for numerous TV shows including The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Martian Chronicles and Amazing Stories.
He penned the teleplay Nightmare at 20,000 Feet in 1963 for The Twilight Zone, which starred William Shatner and featured the famous shot of a gremlin peering into the window of an aeroplane from its wing.
He was also responsible for writing The Twilight Zone episode Steel, which inspired the 2011 Hugh Jackman film, Reel Steel.
Matheson is credited with influencing several generations of storytellers including Stephen King, who dedicated his 2006 novel, Cell, to him.
Matheson had been due to receive the visionary award at the Academy of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Films' Saturn Awards on Wednesday.
The organisation said the award would be presented posthumously and ceremony would be dedicated to the author. | US sci-fi and fantasy writer Richard Matheson, who wrote the 1954 vampire novel I Am Legend, has died aged 87. | 23043116 |
An image of Mike and Julie Bennet during their last moments together was released by their children last month.
The family's tragic story prompted a flood of donations to an appeal for the three siblings, Luke, 21, Hannah, 18, and 13-year-old Oliver.
Luke told This Morning he had now been granted joint guardianship of Oliver.
The student explained to the ITV1 show that he and his sister had not really considered the financial issues at first as they were primarily concerned about keeping their family together.
He said: "Obviously, it become kind of complicated... making sure we would be able to keep him (Oliver). Whether he would have go into care with someone else or whether we could all stay together.
"In terms of financial and practical stuff it didn't really occur to us that much until all the charity stuff kicked off."
Luke has now been granted guardianship of Oliver along with a long-time family friend called Suzie.
The student paid tribute to the friends and well-wishers who had donated money he said would provide the family with financial security - more than £275,000 has been raised so far.
"Thank you to everyone who has given in any way possible.... just thank you so much," he said.
The Bennets, from Irby in Wirral, plan to give some of the money to charity.
Family friend Heather Heaton Gallagher previously said the siblings were being supported by aunts and uncles and the money would be used to help them through college and university.
Mr Bennet died on 6 February in Arrowe Park Hospital.
Mrs Bennet, a primary school teacher at Sommerville School, was then moved to St John's Hospice where she died five days later.
She was diagnosed in May last year with cancer which began in the liver and kidneys and then spread to other organs.
Her husband, a self-employed cabinet maker, had been fighting a brain tumour since 2013 and had been nursed at home by Mrs Bennet and his children until his wife became too ill to care for him. | The son of a couple who died of cancer within days of each other has told of how he feared his 13-year-old brother would be taken into care. | 39255408 |
The City regulator is warning people aged over 55 to be cautious over unsolicited callers putting on pressure to sign up to a "special deal".
Scammers often praised victims for being "knowledgeable investors", the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.
A survey suggested a lack of confidence in spotting scams among this age group.
If someone invests their cash with an unauthorised firm, they will have no protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) which protects them if something goes wrong with a regulated firm.
The FCA said that new pension rules, which allow those aged 55 and over to cash in their pension pot, could be seen as an extra opportunity by fraudsters to target people in that age bracket.
Mark Steward, director of enforcement at the FCA, said: "Be alert to the warning signs like being contacted out of the blue, promises of low risk and/or guaranteed above market returns, special deals just for you, time pressure and, very often, flattery." | Con-artists are using flattery to encourage older people to part with an average of £32,000 for unauthorised and fraudulent investments. | 39113723 |
Cooke hit 94 runs off just 54 balls as Glamorgan passed their target of 318 with two balls to spare on Tuesday.
It was the county's highest run-chase to win a limited overs game in Cardiff.
"Chris Cooke was amazing, he's done it for us so many times over the last two years so all the accolades should go his way," Rudolph told BBC Wales Sport.
Cooke's innings came at the end of a run-filled day as Kent's Darren Stevens scored 110 off only 64 balls to help set Glamorgan a daunting 50-over target.
Colin Ingram's first Glamorgan century kept the home side in the match in reply, but they still needed 103 off the last eight overs.
A heavy shower then made life more difficult for the Kent bowlers, while Cooke also survived being caught off what subsequently proved to be a no-ball following a review.
"Personally it's a great feeling to contribute to a win like that for Glamorgan, chasing over 300 is a great team effort and we all played our part," Cooke told BBC Wales Sport.
"It was a hell of an effort from Colin Ingram up top to lay the platform for the big sloggers to come in at the end.
"The rain break actually helped us. David Lloyd came in and played a brilliant cameo and that got the ball moving, after that I thought it was on."
Glamorgan, whose first game in Group B was a washout against Nottinghamshire, now have one point after overcoming their two-point deduction for a poor pitch last season.
Over the next six days, they have two more games in Cardiff against Essex on Friday before hosting Hampshire on Sunday, travelling to Birmingham on Monday and then a home game against Sussex on Wednesday.
"For this first week we want to give it our best shot and see where we are on Sunday, but I think that sort of win will give us quite a lot of momentum on Friday," said Rudolph.
Cooke added: "The schedule's a bit crazy but it has been for the last couple of seasons and it's the same for everyone so we just need to get on with it."
Glamorgan hope to have Graham Wagg available for the Essex match after the all-rounder missed the first two games due to concussion. | Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph says batsman Chris Cooke deserves "all the accolades" after a record-breaking win over Kent in the One-Day Cup. | 33699859 |
Alan Peters, 78, of Ambleside Valley Drive, Gravesend, Kent, denies causing the deaths of the three men by dangerous driving on the M1 in Bedfordshire.
He was driving a bus which crashed into the Audi car on 14 February last year.
Mr Peters told Luton Crown Court of his "deep regret".
He has previously pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of causing three deaths by careless driving.
The Audi driver Allan Evans, 59, from Islington in London, died in the crash alongside back seat passengers Nathan Reeves, 23, and Tom Aldridge, 20, both from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
Their friend Jake Dorling, who was in the front passenger seat, suffered a fractured skull, fractured hips, four fractured ribs and a punctured lung, the court heard.
Mr Peters also denies causing serious injury to Mr Dorling.
The three younger men were returning home from a birthday party in London.
Mr Peters told the families of the victims: "I deeply the regret the incident took place and I would do anything to rewrite history."
Prosecutor Peter Shaw earlier told the jury that Mr Evans had stopped the Audi when an oil light came on.
He said on the day of the crash, motorway signs indicated the hard shoulder should be used for emergency use only.
But in the witness box Mr Peters said: "My belief is that from junction 10 onwards the overhead gantry signs were displaying 'congestion - use hard shoulder' and 60mph signs. That is why I was on the hard shoulder."
Mr Shaw said Mr Peters had pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of causing three deaths by careless driving.
The case continues. | A coach driver who killed three men and injured a fourth as he ploughed into a stationary car told a court he wished he could rewrite history. | 37979045 |
The court ruled that the present system of choosing judges by a collegium - essentially a group of five senior judges - would continue.
The new law wanted a panel of six - including Supreme Court judges and politicians - to make the appointments.
Correspondents say Friday's verdict sets up a potential confrontation between the judiciary and politicians.
In its ruling, the five-judge constitution bench, headed by Justice JS Khehar, said the law passed in April was "unconstitutional".
The law would have replaced the decades-old collegium system with a National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
It specified that the six-member NJAC would include the chief justice of India, two senior-most Supreme Court judges, the law minister and two "eminent persons" to be nominated by the chief justice, the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.
Those challenging the law had argued that it undermined the independence of the judiciary by giving the government a major role in the selection of judges.
The authorities on the other hand, had argued that there were defects in the collegium system, adding that the new law was aimed at ensuring that only meritorious people were selected as judges to the higher courts. | India's Supreme Court has struck down a new law that gave the government more say in appointing judges. | 34547160 |
South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius returns to the dock in Pretoria on Tuesday, but it will be a brief affair - perhaps just a few minutes - as the prosecution asks the magistrate for more time to complete its investigations.
And it won't be the last postponement granted in a murder case that is unlikely to come to a full trial until early next year.
But the world has barely glimpsed in person Mr Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on 14 February, since his bail hearing, and so, inevitably, his fleeting appearance in court this week will offer us all a chance to scrutinise the man himself, and to analyse the state of this slow-moving legal drama.
"Mentally, he's still battling," Mr Pistorius's coach, Ampie Louw, told me.
"Physically, he's in good shape. Mentally he's up and down. This is going to be a long road."
Mr Pistorius has largely stayed out of sight at his uncle's house on the edge of the capital, Pretoria, making only a handful of confirmed excursions.
"It's not good for him to just do nothing. We've got him in a routine of home training," said Mr Louw.
"We've equipped a gym in the house to keep him occupied and busy. We can't lose nine years [of training]. We have to try to maintain things.
"The last two months, he has picked up slowly, but now he's looking fine.
"We will leave it to Oscar to guide us as to when he will be mentally ready to go to a [running] track."
• Had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months, having been born without a fibula in either leg
• His parents were advised that having the amputation done before he had learned to walk would be less traumatic
• By the age of two, had his first pair of prosthetic legs
• In June 2003, he shattered his knee playing rugby and on the advice of doctors took up track running to aid his rehabilitation
• Made history in London 2012 by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics after winning long legal battle
• Has won six Paralympic gold medals, including three at the Beijing Games
As for the murder case itself, for now the ball remains firmly in the prosecution's court as they continue to prepare their docket, with forensic evidence likely to play a central role.
You may have seen these photos purportedly of the crime scene that were presumably leaked by someone in the police. Various people have tried to suggest that the position of the bullet holes in the door helps one side or other's case. My sense is that they mean nothing on their own.
Once the prosecution have concluded, they will reveal their evidence to the defence team, which will then almost certainly request more time for its experts to examine and challenge the prosecution's conclusions.
At the centre of the forensic investigation is a door, and attached to it are two fundamental questions.
Firstly, how close was Mr Pistorius to the toilet door when he shot through it, killing his girlfriend Ms Steenkamp?
The prosecution have already suggested - based on a preliminary analysis of the scene - that he was just 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) away, which would support their claim of premeditated murder, since at that distance the athlete would have ventured well into the bathroom and, one might conclude, could have known who was behind the door.
The defence maintains he was further back, cowering nervously at the entrance to the room, convinced a burglar (or burglars) was in his house.
Secondly, what was the vertical angle of the shot?
From this, the court will learn whether Mr Pistorius was on the stumps of his amputated legs, as he maintains, or wearing his "blades" as the prosecution has argued.
This is crucial. If it is proved that Mr Pistorius was lying in his opening statement, he will be in serious trouble - and the fact that he had time to put on his artificial legs will strongly support the notion of premeditated murder.
But if the forensics back Mr Pistorius up, then they will reinforce his story of a vulnerable man, unable to move quickly on his stumps, and anxious to protect himself and his girlfriend from suspected intruders.
Beyond those concrete questions, we start moving towards more circumstantial evidence - phone records which might, or might not, help to indicate an argument between the couple; the recollections of witnesses at the estate, who have reported hearing shouting; and character witnesses who may be brought in to try to prove that Mr Pistorius was a reckless, aggressive character, prone to sudden bursts of anger.
At this stage, it is still too early to do more than speculate about any of this.
But the question that niggles me right now is this: What evidence does the prosecution have which pushed them towards the charge of pre-meditated murder?
Was it simply a tactic - to compel the defence to reveal their case in order to keep Mr Pistorius out on bail? Do the prosecution have an ace up their sleeve? Or were other factors at play?
You could argue that the state already had a confession, a victim and a killer.
There is no doubt that Mr Pistorius made - at the very least - a horrific, violently rash error of judgement.
The lesser charge of culpable homicide could still put Mr Pistorius away for a decade in jail.
So what did the prosecution find in those first few hours and days that made them confident enough to pursue a premeditated murder charge?
Nothing remotely conclusive emerged at the bail hearing - a fact that the hapless, and now fired, investigating detective, Hilton Botha, reluctantly conceded under cross-examination.
All these questions will no doubt surface during the trial.
Mr Pistorius himself is certain to take the stand. His performance, the forensic evidence, and the evidence of those first at the scene will be crucial; the character witnesses less so. | Don't expect another tearful, edge-of-seat, courtroom drama just yet. | 22721322 |
Brumm, Maja and Brumma had been kept out of view to allow them to acclimatise since arriving from Kolmården Zoo in Sweden in November.
The 22-month-old siblings join Star, the centre's resident female bear.
Keeper Phil McCarlie-Davis said: "They don't seem fazed by the amount of people who are standing looking at them.
"Two of them seem quite happy to rumble about and play away and then we've got one who's fascinated with the people that are standing looking at her."
Mr McCarlie-Davis said Star's companion died last year, leading to the addition of the new trio.
He said: "In August of last year, we lost Comet our adult male, so that left Star on her own.
"We gave her a little while just to see how she would adjust, but it was felt that she could do with new companions.
"At the moment we have it set up in the den area so that they can see each other without actually getting to each other."
The four bears' interactions will be monitored, with the hope they can all eventually live together.
The keeper said: "At the moment, the young bears are very respectful of Star.
"Star is really keen to get to know them, so we're positive it's going in the right direction." | Three new European brown bears have been revealed to the public at Dundee's Camperdown Wildlife Centre. | 38506318 |
A fall of 0.5% in the first three months of the year takes the UK economy's ability to create wealth back below the level of 2007.
If an economy cannot create wealth efficiently, then the debates about government spending, public sector pay and austerity become all the harder.
If an economy cannot create wealth, then tax receipts - the mainstay of government income - weaken.
There is plenty of data which suggest that the government's inability to "balance the books" is not because targets to reduce spending have been missed.
Rather, it is down to disappointing tax income because economic growth is weak.
Poor business performance and falling real incomes appear to be leading to a stagnating economy.
How motivating is work when at the end of the year you are earning, given the impact of higher inflation, less than you were at the beginning of the year?
Demotivated workforces tend not to work more efficiently.
And if productivity is falling and labour costs are rising, as they are, then that leads to a profits squeeze.
And means that the prospect of pay rises recedes - creating something of a vicious circle and going someway to explaining why wage growth is falling.
This is Philip Hammond's headache.
I interviewed Lord Adair Turner, the former head of the Low Pay Commission, yesterday and he made a rather startling - but correct - admission.
"The UK over the last 10 years has created a lot of jobs, but today real wages are below where they were in 2007," he said.
"That is not the capitalist system delivering its promise that over a decade or so it will raise all boats, and it is a very fundamental issue.
"There is something about the economy which - left to itself - will proliferate very, very low paid jobs."
Until that is solved, our productivity problem, our wealth problem, will continue. | Today's productivity figures are bad to the point of shocking. | 40506570 |
It is putting £99m into the Harwell science campus near Oxford to extend its satellite test facilities.
A further £4m is going to Wescott in Buckinghamshire where rocket motors are built and tested.
"It's a fast growing sector - 8-10% per year; and it's clearly important that the UK maintains a strong position," said science minister Jo Johnson.
"It's government's role to create the environment in which we can stay at the cutting edge of developments. All the market analysis suggests there are going to be many thousands of satellites launched into space between now and 2025, and we've got a good prospect here in the UK of being right at the very heart of it all."
Harwell, which has become a major hub for space activity, has long built and tested the instruments that go on satellites.
The campus has recently upgraded its offering in what it currently calls its R100 building, but the new money from government will see this complex broadly double its footprint.
The finished structure, due to open in 2020, will also take on the name of the National Satellite Testing Facility (NSTF).
"This is going to help particularly those companies just coming into the space business," said Dr Tim Bestwick from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, which co-ordinates the Harwell hub. "These new companies will be able to use this shared national infrastructure; they know they don't have to build it themselves."
R100 services are already in strong demand, even though some have yet to be fully installed. Two 5m-by-6m thermal-vacuum chambers are going in that have been booked for use several years ahead.
"You put something in these chambers to test for quality: you heat it, you cool it and you put it in a vacuum - just to make sure it all works," explained Dr Chris Mutlow, the director of RAL Space, who operate the current R100 space test facility and will manage and run the new NSTF. "But then we do the extra step of radiometric testing where you put a calibrated source in front of an instrument to be sure it gets the right answers.
"That's very important, for example, for the inter-comparison of sensors used in climate monitoring where you need very long records."
Some of these sensors will fly years apart, but the calibration ensures their data are fully comparable.
Another chamber is coming that will be 8m tall. It will have the volume to be able to hold the very biggest telecommunications satellites for testing. These spacecraft can be over six tonnes in weight.
To date, it has been common for many British satellite companies to send some of their equipment abroad, to continental Europe, for final testing. That is partly to do with access to the right expertise but it can sometimes simply be a matter of no available facility in the UK at the right time.
Dr Graham Turnock, the UK Space Agency's CEO, hopes the NSTF will see much more work retained on home soil. "It's soup to nuts, isn't it? You should be able to set up and run a space business in the UK and be able to go from conception to launch. And if we can offer that, it's going to make the UK a tremendously attractive place to do space."
The additional £4m investment is going into a National Space Propulsion Facility at Wescott Venture Park. Wescott is famous for being the home to rocket development in the post-war era.
Reaction Engines, a company based very close to Harwell, recently announced it would build a test-stand at Wescott. Reaction Engines has a very promising design for an air-breathing rocket system that could power a spaceplane or a rapid intercontinental airliner.
Any discussion of the space sector these days quickly turns to Brexit.
The UK is heavily involved in pan-European projects, some of which are funded through the European Union. These include the Galileo satellite-navigation system and the Copernicus-Sentinel constellation of Earth observation satellites. Future Sentinel instrumentation is already scheduled to come to Harwell for testing.
The government has stated in its Brexit White Paper that it would like to continue to collaborate on such programmes.
"UK companies have made a massive contribution; they are successful programmes," said Mr Johnson. "We want UK companies to continue to participate in these programmes but obviously this is going to form part of the broader discussion around the terms of our exit from the European Union," he told BBC News.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | The UK government formally announced a more-than-£100m investment in the space sector on Tuesday. | 40573519 |
Kent FA head Paul Dolan highlighted 130 incidents of abuse this season.
Referees in the county were the victims of physical and verbal abuse on 19 and 111 occasions respectively.
Speaking about elite players not being punished for swearing at officials, Mr Dolan said there was a "need to educate people that this isn't acceptable".
"You regularly watch the professional game and you see players routinely swearing and it doesn't get dealt with," he told the BBC. "Unfortunately that has filtered down into the grassroots game.
"Your wouldn't go into a local restaurant and just start swearing at people, so why is it acceptable to go on to a football pitch at the weekend and do it?
"The professional game needs to take a lead in this."
One referee, Holly Warmington, said she quit in July because of the problem.
She said: "On one occasion I had physical abuse, where a parent came on the pitch and poked me in the chest, telling me all the ways I was a rubbish referee and shouldn't continue.
"That put a bit of a fear in me and I don't think you should carry on something if you're scared to do it.
"On that occasion of physical abuse it was 12-year-olds I was refereeing." | Premier League stars should set a far better example to grassroots players when it comes to respecting referees, a Football Association (FA) boss said. | 35131488 |
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