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Molly Evans and Rene Cardin, both 19, were arrested shortly after police issued a CCTV appeal about the raid in Kings Heath, Birmingham on 4 June.
They were stopped in a car in the city's Highgate Street and arrested.
The women, and Rene's brother Tyrone Cardin, 21, are charged with four robberies, burglary, assault and theft.
They have been remanded in custody after appearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The are accused of a robbery at Simply Local in Harlech Close, Bartley Green, on 31 May where cash, scratch cards and cigarettes were stolen.
They have also been charged with a burglary in Rebecca Drive, Selly Oak, on June 16, and three robberies the following day involving women waiting at bus stops in Church Road and Hob Moor Road, in Yardley, and Coventry Road in Small Heath.
Rene Cardin, of Cowles Croft; Tyrone Cardin, of William Booth Lane, Ms Evans, of Larch Walk, Yardley, are due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on 19 July. | Two women have been charged with a series of violent robberies, including one in which Post Office staff were threatened with a meat cleaver. | 40369127 |
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But despite offers of "nine-figure" sums of money, Mayweather, who retired after his 49th successive victory last September, is not planning a comeback.
"As of right now, I am out completely," said the 38-year-old multiple world champion.
"If I do get the itch to come back, it really won't be for the money but I have to get paid. That's why the nickname is Floyd 'Money' Mayweather."
American Mayweather won world titles at five weights and retired with an unblemished record.
Currently visiting eight cities in the United Kingdom as part of a speaking tour, he spoke to BBC World Service Sport about his current activities.
Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in the most lucrative fight in history in his penultimate bout last May and has ruled out the possibility of a rematch. That's despite Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's business adviser, claiming contact had been made with Mayweather Promotions about the possibility of another fight.
"Everything that you guys are hearing that Michael Koncz has said and what [promoter] Bob Arum has said is totally false. Totally false. I haven't spoken to Bob Arum, I haven't spoken to Michael Koncz.
"And as far as people keep talking about Mayweather Promotions, I dictate and control what goes on with it. Leonard Ellerbe is the CEO but everything has to go through me and I have to put the green light on any and everything."
Mayweather promotes WBC super-middleweight champion Badou Jack and wants him to have a unification fight with Britain's IBF champion James DeGale.
"James DeGale is a very, very good fighter and he is solid. I like him. A lot of personality. The ultimate goal is for him and Badou to fight in a unification bout. Do I think that can happen? Absolutely.
"He talked to me the other day when I was in Los Angeles at the fights. He said he would like to fight Badou Jack. But everything takes time. Eventually it will happen.
"If he continues to win and Badou continues to win, which I truly believe both will, the ultimate goal is to match those two in a super bout, down the line."
"I really wouldn't want to say the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. You know, I am no longer active. I would like to say the best ever (TBE).
"It's not being cocky or arrogant, it's just the proof is in the pudding. I think I have earned the right to call myself TBE. And I have lived up to the name TBE by going out there, day in, day out, when I was active and winning.
"Have I have ever took a loss before? Yes. In life. You lose a loved one, that's taking a loss. When your children hurt, that's a loss. When you are sick, that's a loss. But I got to where I got to from a lot of hard work, a very strong team, a smart team that stood behind me."
Mayweather beat British world champion Ricky Hatton in a world welterweight title fight in December 2007 and will meet up with the Manchester fighter again in Bolton as part of his tour.
"Ricky Hatton was a legendary fighter, a lot of heart, great guy, great person. But in the sport of boxing, a very competitive sport, the best have to fight the best. When Floyd Mayweather faced Ricky Hatton, he was at the top and I was also at the top. He has a great family. Great mother, great father. He is a good guy. But things happen."
"Life is great. My family has a comfortable life from me going out there and taking chances and taking risks. That was the ultimate goal. My kids will be going to college real soon.
"I am very happy that I was able to be a risk-taker. Roll the dice and take chances. Me being in the 12th grade, leaving school, leaving everything behind, leaving my family behind to go out there and do something that I love to do. It paid off in the long run." | Floyd Mayweather says he has had "crazy numbers" thrown at him to fight again. | 35465176 |
The Northern Ireland Executive's voluntary exit scheme opened in 2015.
The spending watchdog has reported that 4,383 posts were axed in year one, with more than half the redundancies within the Civil Service.
While redundancy payments to staff totalled £171m, the report said they will result in annual savings of £155m.
The average cost of compensation ranged from £16,000 in NI Water to £58,000 in Libraries NI.
Auditor General Kieran Donnelly said the Department of Finance ran the scheme "in a way which was consistent with value for money".
However he added that over time "it will be important to demonstrate" savings have been sustained.
Mr Donnelly also said the scheme should be monitored going forward, so as not to have "a negative impact on staff skills, morale and service delivery".
The Northern Ireland Executive intends borrowing up to £700m over four years to reduce the size and cost of the local public sector.
The Audit Office said it was "a significant achievement" to deliver the cuts so quickly. | Stormont needs to monitor the impact of job cuts on staff morale in the public sector, a report by the NI Audit Office has recommended. | 37607309 |
Mary Boyle went missing on 18 March 1977 while visiting her grandparents near Ballyshannon.
Earlier this week, a crime review team from the Garda (Irish police) said it would scrutinise the case from when she was first reported missing.
The Garda have confirmed that the search has now ended.
Irish broadcaster RTE is reporting that no new evidence was uncovered, however, a Garda spokesman said they could not comment on that. | Police in the Republic of Ireland have carried out a search operation in County Donegal for a six-year-old girl who was last seen almost 40 years ago. | 36806351 |
Unite said 81% of those who took part in the consultative ballot turned down the offer. And 61% of GMB members participating did likewise.
The unions will now consult about the next step to be taken.
The Offshore Contractors Association said it was "extremely disappointed" and the priority was to find ways of avoiding industrial action.
Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell said: "We have repeatedly warned the OCA employers and other offshore employers that we cannot simply have a race to the bottom, with companies competing with each other to suppress the pay and conditions of offshore workers."
GMB National Officer Dave Hulse said: "This result comes as little surprise given the attacks our members have faced on their pay, terms and conditions in recent years. The offer the employers have made is just not up to scratch.
"Our members believe that over recent times they have been treated with contempt - enough is enough."
Paul Atkinson, chief executive of the OCA, said: "We are extremely disappointed that members of the trade unions who took part in the consultative ballot have rejected our pay offer.
"Our priority is to find ways of avoiding industrial action. We will continue to maintain an on-going dialogue with union officials in an attempt to bring this to a resolution."
In December, a previous offer was also rejected. | Union members have voted to reject a new pay offer from the Offshore Contractors Association. | 39327307 |
Tries from Iain Henderson and Garry Ringrose helped the hosts to a 17-0 lead but the Wallabies fought back with three touchdowns to move into the lead.
Keith Earls' score proved decisive but it was the Irish forwards who laid the platform in a breathless encounter.
The result ended Australia's hopes of a Grand Slam over the home nations.
They had defeated Wales, Scotland and France and will face England in the final match of their northern hemisphere tour next week.
Dane Haylett-Petty scored the tourists' first-half try, with Tevita Kuridrani and Sefa Naivalu crossing the line after the interval.
Paddy Jackson kicked two penalties and three conversions for injury-ravaged Ireland, with Bernard Foley contributing 12 points with the boot for Australia.
The battling triumph made it a successful November Series for the Irish, Joe Schmidt's men having already beaten New Zealand in Chicago, seen off Canada in Dublin and then losing a bruising encounter to the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium last week.
Ireland were led out by skipper Rory Best, who joined an elite band of players to win 100 caps, following Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and Paul O'Connell and John Hayes in reaching the significant milestone of a century of appearances in the green shirt.
Australia, who also lost when the nations last met on Irish soil two years ago, made nine changes for the match, bringing back key men like Israel Folau and Michael Hooper, who sat out last weekend's 25-23 win over France.
In the end though, it was Joe Schmidt who came out on top over Michael Cheika in the battle of the former Leinster coaches, both of whom had led the Irish province to European Cup success.
The home side enjoyed sustained periods of pressure in the first half, bossing territory and possession with accurate crisp passing and domination up front and at scrum time, but Australia defended resolutely for the most part, despite infringing repeatedly and conceding a series of penalties.
Jackson's first successful kick was scant reward for his side's early supremacy, but Ireland took advantage of Dean Mumm's 10-minute absence in the 'sin bin' for a tip tackle on Tadhg Furlong.
Henderson crashed over for the opening try after a fine grubber kick by Simon Zebo, which Earls collected smartly, before off-loading to the Ulster second row.
Despite losing Rob Kearney and Andrew Trimble to injuries, the Irish continued to have the upper hand.
Exciting centre Ringrose showed enterprise and invention to increase the lead when he weaved and ducked his way through an admittedly porous-looking Wallabies defence to score beside the uprights.
Haylett-Petty completed an exquisitely executed passing move by touching down under the posts in the final minute of the opening half to reduce his side's arrears to 10 points at the break.
Ireland's growing injury woes - with Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw ruled out during the week and Sean O'Brien just over an hour before kick-off - were exacerbated when Jared Payne, a pre-match fitness doubt, failed to appear for the second half.
The subsequent reshuffling of the Irish backline left Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion to enter the fray on the right wing, another replacement, Leinster fly-half Joey Carbery, having earlier slotted in at full-back as Irish resources were stretched to the limit.
Cheika's resurgent side came out with renewed intensity and Henry Speight had a try disallowed for a forward pass, before Kuridrani dived over in the corner in the 46th minute, with replacement Naivalu repeating the feat 10 minutes later as the visitors nudged ahead for the first time.
Ireland regained the lead when Earls finished clinically for a score in the 66th minute and Joe Schmidt's men showed indomitable spirit to retain their advantage in a fiercely contested finale, repelling all Australian attacks to celebrate a memorable success over another southern hemisphere giant.
Captain Best rounded off his special occasion by leaving the field to a standing ovation in the closing minutes, while Foley's late yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Devin Toner had little impact on the final outcome.
Ireland displayed outstanding character and resilience throughout to end 2016 on a high by winning their 12th Test of the year in heroic fashion, with the odds seemingly stacked against them, last week's defeat by the All Blacks having taken a hefty toll in the treatment room.
The highlights of 2016 were a first away win over South Africa, and a first victory over New Zealand after 111 years of trying.
They continued the form which saw them rise into the top four of the world rankings, a position they will hope to retain by performing well in the Six Nations, as they bid to secure a high seeding for May's draw for the 2019 World Cup.
TEAMS
Ireland: Kearney; Trimble, Payne, Ringrose, Earls; Jackson, Murray; McGrath, Best, Furlong; Henderson, Toner; Stander, O'Brien, Heaslip.
Replacements: Cronin, Healy, Bealham, Dillane, Van der Flier, Marmion, Carbery, Zebo.
Australia: Folau, Haylett-Petty, Kuridrani, Hodge, Speight, Foley, Genia; Sio, Moore (capt), Kepu; Arnold, Simmons; Mumm, Hooper, Pocock.
Replacements: Latu, Slipper, Alaalatoa, Douglas, Timani, Phipps, Cooper, Naivalu. | Ireland won a pulsating Test against Australia to clinch victories over the 'big three' southern hemisphere teams in the same year for the first time. | 38117637 |
The prime minister, who will stand down before the next election, said he wanted to tackle "deep social problems" and boost social mobility.
He also announced "dramatic" planning reforms to increase home ownership.
And he launched a broadside at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, accusing him of having a "Britain-hating ideology".
Mr Cameron said he wanted his time in power to be remembered as a "defining decade for our country.. the turnaround decade... one which people will look back on and say, 'that's the time when the tide turned… when people no longer felt the current going against them, but working with them'."
He also:
In his speech, Mr Cameron appealed to the centre ground of British politics, with a long section on equality, and said the Conservatives would "keep our head as Labour lose theirs".
Britain has the lowest social mobility in the developed world, Mr Cameron said.
"Here, the salary you earn is more linked to what your father got paid than in any other major country," he said.
"I'm sorry, for us Conservatives, the party of aspiration, we cannot accept that."
He got a standing ovation from Conservative members for a strongly-worded attack on Jeremy Corbyn, telling them: "We cannot let that man inflict his security-threatening, terrorist sympathising, Britain-hating ideology on the country we love."
The PM referenced remarks made by Mr Corbyn in 2011 about the death of Osama Bin Laden, when he said it was a "tragedy" the al-Qaeda chief was killed rather than being put on trial.
Mr Corbyn had gone on to describe the attack on the World Trade Centre, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the death of Bin Laden as tragedies, arguing "the solution has got to be law not war".
The PM accused Labour of giving up "any sensible, reasonable, rational arguments on the economy".
"It's not just that their arguments are wrong, it's the self-righteous way they make them," he said, adding: "Labour ideas don't help the poor, they hurt the poor."
Labour responded to the attacks by saying they were "a sure sign" the PM was "rattled" by Labour.
'Project Camborne', for this is the plan of George Osborne as well as David Cameron, is well and truly under way.
Occupy the Labour Party's former ground while it is consumed by its own issues and moving to the left.
David Cameron made promises on equality, poverty, improving the lives of children in care, getting rid of discrimination in all its forms from the platform today. There were profound echoes of his early "compassionate conservatism".
It is impossible to imagine that at a Conservative conference a decade ago the audience would have leapt to its feet to applaud the idea of equality, yet that's what has just happened in Manchester.
It is possible however to imagine a different leader, Tony Blair, giving a very similar speech in that same era.
Read the rest of Laura's blog
Mr Cameron vowed to press ahead with replacing Britain's nuclear weapons - another announcement that went down well with Tory delegates.
And he devoted a significant section of his speech to tackling "discrimination" against gay people and ethnic minorities - pointing out how CVs with white-sounding names got a better response - saying "you cannot have true opportunity without equality".
He vowed to tackle "extremism in all its forms, the violent and the non-violent" and end "segregation," telling madrassas and other faith schools that children should be "having their minds opened, their horizons broadened" rather than being taught "not to mix with people of other religions".
He also addressed criticism of his response to the Syrian refugee crisis, saying: "If we opened the door to every refugee, our country would be overwhelmed."
He hailed justice secretary Michael Gove's plans to reform the prison system to reduce re-offending - and announced a relaxation of planning rules to boost home ownership.
"When a generation of hard-working men and women in their 20s and 30s are waking up each morning in their childhood bedrooms - that should be a wake-up call for us," Mr Cameron told the audience.
Under the plans, builders in England will no longer be forced to offer low-cost rented homes in new developments.
Instead they will be able to offer "starter homes" for first-time buyers under 40 as well, at discounted prices.
The price of the "starter homes" after the discount is applied will be capped at £250,000 and £450,000 in London - and those who buy them will be prevented from selling them for a quick profit under the new policy, which aides say will provide 200,000 new homes by 2020.
Buyers will be prevented from selling them on for up to five years.
Fears the latest extension of the scheme would simply lead to a boom in "buy-to-let" properties were dismissed by Mr Cameron's aides, who said first-time buyers would not be able to get the kind of mortgage needed for property speculation.
But the chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, Campbell Robb, said the announcement meant starter homes costing up to £450,000 would be built "at the expense of the genuinely affordable homes this country desperately needs".
Reacting to Mr Cameron's speech, SNP deputy leader Stewart Hosie said the PM's policies were "hurting the very people he professes to be helping", pointing to government plans to cut tax credits.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Mr Cameron was "a seasoned PR man" whose "11th-hour conversion to social justice will fool no-one", and UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the PM had said "nothing concrete about the EU".
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "concerned" by Mr Cameron's comments on madrassas, asking for evidence to back up the "serious allegations". | David Cameron has vowed to devote much of his time in office to "an all-out assault on poverty", in his speech to the Conservative Party conference. | 34460822 |
Two cars collided just after 22:00 BST on Thursday in London Road, Sittingbourne, Kent.
A male passenger in one the cars died at the scene, police said.
Another person in the car had to be freed by emergency crews using hydraulic equipment.
Ken Police is appealing for witnesses.
Work is ongoing to repair a power cable damaged during the collision. | A man has died in a car crash that saw three other people injured and a vehicle end up in a garden. | 39974777 |
They both face a series of charges including burglary and causing damage to cars and homes.
The fire engine was taken from Larne fire station at 04:00 GMT on Saturday.
It crashed at Glenarm Road in the town, landing in a man's garden and damaging houses and cars along the street. The men are expected to appear in court in Coleraine on Monday. | Two men, aged 66 and 19, have been charged over the theft of a fire engine in County Antrim. | 35739284 |
The council said 1,460 notices had been handed out since waste collection changes started on 27 July.
They included a roll-out of garden waste bins and smaller black refuse bins to boost recycling rates.
The warnings will lead to fines if residents continue to put out the wrong waste.
Most notices - 361 - were handed out in the Riverside area of the city, followed by Adamsdown and Grangetown.
No fines have yet been issued in Butetown, Cathays, Fairwater, Gabalfa, Whitchurch or Tongwynlais.
A Cardiff council spokesman said: "This isn't a heavy-handed approach as an education programme is running alongside the enforcement process and additional officers are actively working with crews advising and offering support to residents.
"But so far this week 593 section 46 notices have been issued to residents who haven't put their waste out in the correct manner.
"In order for us to reach our statutory recycling targets residents must adhere to the new waste collection methods. Those who do not will face a fine."
All councils in Wales must recycle 58% of their waste by March 2016 or face hefty fines. | Almost 1,500 households in Cardiff have been issued with warnings for putting the wrong waste out for collection since new rules came into force. | 33825945 |
Cow muck is scraped off, piped into an anaerobic digester and broken down by bacteria to produce methane gas.
The gas is then used to produce electricity to power his farm and also sold into the National Grid.
David Metcalfe, from Leyburn, North Yorkshire, said: "The milk is losing money, the slurry is making money."
He said his cows each produced about 33 litres of milk a day, or 10,000 litres a year, with current milk prices ranging between 23p and 25p a litre.
The 900 cows also create about 100 tonnes of slurry a day.
That electricity that is produced cuts the farm's power costs by 60%.
Mr Metcalfe said: "We looked at the economics and it looked viable.
"It's given us another angle to our business."
The extra bonus is that the processed slurry is re-used as a fertiliser, halving that bill. | A dairy farmer is making more money using the slurry produced by his cows for energy production than he is by selling their milk. | 36046395 |
The Stoke-on-Trent-based company said it is set to increase production of its handmade pottery by 40% by 2019.
To help reach that target, the firm, which sells the majority of products in the UK, opened a new warehouse in the city on Monday.
Founder Ms Bridgewater said it was "incredibly exciting" to be expanding.
She currently employs about 200 staff since establishing the company in 1985 and the new jobs will be in manufacturing, customer service and distribution, as well as seasonal posts.
The new 38,000 sq ft distribution and customer service centre in Fenton is less than a mile from its Victorian-era factory and visitor centre in Lichfield Street, Hanley.
"It is incredibly exciting to be expanding, creating 70 new local employment opportunities and be a part of rebuilding the community around our factory," Ms Bridgewater said.
Stoke-on-Trent has been known as a ceramics heartland, but has seen more than 20,000 jobs go between 1998 and 2008.
Tom Reynolds, policy manager at the British Ceramic Confederation, said: "This is very positive and welcome news for the pottery industry in North Staffordshire.
"To capture even more growth in the sector, the government needs to secure a comprehensive trade settlement with the EU and a level playing field with global competitors." | Pottery firm Emma Bridgewater is creating 70 new jobs as part of a £1m investment over the next three years. | 37410643 |
Mohammed Khan, 31, Muserat Khan, 36, and Ateek Khan, 28, all of West Bromwich, targeted them in Oswestry.
Mohammed Khan, of Whitehall Road, was jailed for six years, Muserat Khan, of Greets Green Road, was given five years and nine months and Ateek Khan, of Oak Road, five years and six months. All admitted conspiracy to kidnap.
Zahoor Hussain, 39, of Whitehall Road, was acquitted of the same charge.
The case was heard at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Wednesday. | Three men have been jailed for kidnapping a woman and three children. | 37243877 |
Three Thomas Laranjeira penalties put Brive 9-5 up at half-time after Rory Parata's early Connacht try.
A John Muldoon try put Connacht ahead again only for Laranjeira to restore Brive's lead with two more penalties.
Muldoon's 78th-minute try made it 18-18 with Jack Carty missing the conversion before Laranjeira's winning penalty.
Brive's win moves them above Connacht to the top of Pool 1 although a home victory for the Irish province over Russian side Enisei-STM in Galway next weekend could still secure Pat Lam's team a quarter-final spot.
However, Saturday's result - Connacht's fifth straight defeat - was another tough loss, coming on the back on last weekend's last-gasp 21-19 reverse in Wales against Pro12 leaders the Scarlets.
Connacht's hopes of a Challenge Cup quarter-final spot had been boosted earlier in the day by Enisei-STM's shock 21-7 win over Newcastle Falcons but the Irish side were unable to exploit the surprise opportunity to take control of Pool 1.
Parata's first-minute try put Connacht 5-0 up but Laranjeira's impressive kicking put Brive ahead by half-time.
Connacht were back in front in the 53rd minute as an AJ MacGinty penalty was followed by Muldoon's first try after Ultan Dillane's initial charge towards the line.
But Connacht indiscipline allowed Laranjeira to restore Brive's advantage as he landed two more penalties before the hour mark.
Connacht looked to have avoided defeat as Muldoon's 78th-minute try levelled the game with replacement Carty missing the difficult conversion.
But a Connacht knock-on from the restart gifted possession to Brive and a further scrum infringement allowed the composed Laranjeira to kick the winning penalty from the Irish side's 10-metre line.
Brive: R Sola, G Namy, T Laranjeira, C Tuarara-Morrison, B Masilevu, M Ugalde, JB Pejoine, G Shvelidze, T Acquier, K Buys, V Lebas, A Mela, W Whetton, F Sanconnie, S Koyamaibole.
Replacements: N Bezy for Ugalde 73 mins, T Iribaren for Pejoine 56, D Lavergne for Shvelidze 51, G Ribes for Acquier 51, Y Tuncer for Buys 41, W Steenkamp for Mela 70, P Luafutu for Whetton 51.
Not Used: A Mignardi.
Connacht: T O'Hallaran, D Poolman. R Parata, B Aki, M Healy, AJ MacGinty, I Porter, R Loughney, J Harris-Wright, R Ah You, U Dillane, A Muldowney, S O'Brien, J Connolly, J Muldoon.
Replacements: T McCartney for Harris-Wright 28, F Buckley, F Bealham for Ah You 69, G Naoupu for Connolly 69, E Masterson for O'Brien 58, C Blade for Porter 59, J Carty for Aki 54, P Robb for Parata 74. | Connacht suffered another painful defeat as an injury-time penalty saw Top 14 side Brive snatch victory in the European Challenge Cup game in France. | 35325670 |
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that AT&T could announce this weekend a deal to buy Time Warner.
On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the telecoms and entertainment giants had discussed business strategies, including a possible takeover.
With Time Warner worth $73bn (£60bn), it would be the biggest this year.
Time Warner shares closed up almost 8% to a near 15-year high, having gained about 5% on Thursday. AT&T shares lost 3%.
Other media company shares, including Discovery, AMC, Netflix and CBS, rose as investors speculated that a deal could spark a fresh wave of takeovers and mergers among media and technology companies.
AT&T, which has a market value of about $238bn, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5bn.
Time Warner chief executive Jeff Bewkes has, however, resisted selling in the past. The company rejected an $80bn offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc in 2014. Last night, Fox reportedly ruled itself of any plans to renew its interest in Time Warner.
The WSJ said that any deal by AT&T to buy Time Warner was likely to be paid via a mixture of shares and cash.
A deal would give AT&T access to a major producer of content as it seeks to diversify away from its core telecoms business. Rival Verizon is currently in negotiations to buy Yahoo and has already bought AOL, owner of Huffington Post.
Some analysts, however, question whether AT&T needs to mount a complete takeover of Time Warner.
Cowen and Co analyst Doug Creutz said: "What does it get them that they can't get by licensing Time Warner content and at a much cheaper price than buying the whole company?"
He said it was unclear what savings could be gained "from stapling distribution and content together. It's been tried. It never works". | Shares in Time Warner, the company behind HBO, CNN and Warner Bros, have raced ahead for a second day on fresh reports of a tie-up with AT&T. | 37733539 |
The Chesterfield striker, 27, was cleared of rape at retrial last month.
Accusers do not normally have to disclose sexual history details to defence barristers, but the Court of Appeal said this case was exceptional.
Home Office minister Baroness Williams said concerns "should be looked at and we intend to deal with it".
In 2012, Mr Evans was found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, the previous year. He served half of a five-year prison term.
That conviction was quashed on appeal in April and he was found not guilty of the same charge at the subsequent retrial after details of the complainant's sexual history were heard in court.
Baroness Williams told peers on Tuesday this was only permitted when "a strict set of criteria are met".
She added: "We are aware of the recent concern about the admissibility of a complainant's sexual history and wider perceptions about the law."
Lady Justice Hallett ruled Mr Evans's was a "rare" case in which it would be appropriate to allow "forensic examination" of the woman's sexual behaviour.
Mr Evans, a former Wales international who was capped 13 times, always denied having sex with the woman while she was too drunk to consent.
He insisted she had agreed to let him "join in" while she was having consensual sex with fellow footballer Clayton McDonald, 27 - who was cleared of rape at the original trial - after a night out in Rhyl.
At Mr Evans's retrial, two other men said the complainant used similar phrases during sex to those the defence said were used when she had sex with Mr Evans and Mr McDonald.
Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 imposes tight restrictions on details of an alleged victims' sexual past being presented in court, other than in exceptional circumstances.
Calls for a report into the operation of the legislation were made during the committee stage of the Policing and Crime Bill in the House of Lords.
Lord Marks, a Liberal Democrat peer and QC, said: "The point here and the point that we seek to have reviewed is whether, as a result of the Ched Evans case, there might be cases where the restrictive nature of Section 41 has or may be watered down and we need to look at how its operating.
"It is very important that rape gets reported and it is very important that the legislation in place is certainly as restrictive as we always thought Section 41 was and as the textbooks say it is.
"And the public concern is that this case seems to have weakened that protection." | The law protecting alleged rape victims from disclosing details of their sex lives will be reviewed in the wake of Wales footballer Ched Evans's case. | 38007467 |
But even a leader used to the rollercoaster of Brazilian politics could hardly have predicted what some analysts are calling "a perfect storm".
Four years ago, when Ms Rousseff attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London, she would have been looking forward to 2016 as a year when she could shine.
Brazil had recently overtaken the UK to become the world's sixth-biggest economy with a growth of 2.7%.
While by 2012 growth was beginning to slow down, the economy was still expanding and Ms Rousseff was probably hoping that the prospect of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics would attract further investment.
Instead, the news in the years since have been dominated by stories about delays in the construction of some facilities and pollution in Rio's famous bay.
Other host countries have of course also suffered from delays and doubts about their ability to pull off the Games, but Brazil and its president have had to face added difficulties.
An economy whose performance had been praised has tanked.
The country is already going through its worst recession in more than two decades and it does not look set to recover anytime soon.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Brazil's economy will have contracted by almost 8% between January 2015 and December 2016.
But it is not just the poor performance of the economy which is giving Ms Rousseff a headache.
In the past months, an outbreak of a virus which was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947 has hit the headlines.
The Zika virus, which in many cases just causes mild flu-like symptoms, has been linked to a growing number of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil.
In February, the World Health Organization declared the cluster of microcephaly in Latin America a global emergency.
These developments come at a time when trust in Brazilian politicians has been eroded by a massive corruption scandal involving top politicians from various parties.
The investigation into the scandal, Operation Car Wash, has already led to the arrest of dozens of politicians, some of them high-ranking members of Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party.
The party treasurer, Joao Vaccari Neto, has been sentenced to 15 years and four months in jail for corruption and money laundering.
Just days ago, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Ms Rousseff's campaign manager, Joao Santana.
And most damagingly for Ms Rousseff, her political mentor and predecessor in office, ex-President Lula, was briefly detained by police for questioning on 4 March by investigators from Operation Car Wash.
While prosecutors said that Ms Rousseff was not under investigation for Operation Car Wash, she is fighting her own battles in Congress, where there are attempts under way to impeach her.
Her political rivals are accusing her of using the country's pension fund to shore up budget gaps, which she denies.
All of the above have caused her approval ratings to plummet.
According to a poll by Datafolha, just 11% of respondents across the country said the president's performance was "good or excellent".
Despite this series of blows against her and her administration, Ms Rousseff seems undeterred.
Following Lula's much-publicised questioning, she said the investigations "must continue so those responsible are punished".
It would seem she wants to ride the storm rather than be drowned in it. | Dilma Rousseff, the first woman to be elected president of Brazil, has had her share of career ups and downs. | 35728133 |
The move brings Islamophobia in line with anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish people, which have been recorded separately for some time.
It comes ahead of the publication of yearly hate crime statistics, which are expected to show further rises.
The Metropolitan Police already records Islamophobic crime.
The government said creating a separate category across the board would "enable police, prosecutors, councils and the communities they serve to have a better understanding of the prevalence of anti-Muslim hate crime and allocate resources accordingly".
"It will provide the first accurate picture of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales," Downing Street said.
At the first meeting of a new community engagement forum later on Tuesday, Mr Cameron will also announce new funding for the security of all faith establishments, including mosques.
The forum, which was announced in July, will discuss the objectives of the government's upcoming counter-extremism strategy, which is due for publication later this month.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Cameron said: "We all have a role to play in confronting extremism. That's why I have invited important Muslim and non-Muslim figures to join the new community engagement forum so I can hear directly about their work in our communities, the challenges they face and so that they can be part of our one nation strategy to defeat it.
"I want to build a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremists and the poison they peddle. I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British.
"And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion."
Home Secretary Theresa May said hate crime had "no place in Britain".
"Working with police to provide a breakdown in religious-based hate crime data will help forces to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account," she added.
Police recorded 44,480 hate crimes in England and Wales during 2013-14. That was up 5% on the previous year across race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender - the five key measures that feature in national figures.
But a further breakdown indicates there was a 45% jump in religiously motivated incidents to 2,273 - which an official report at the time said was partly down to more anti-Muslim incidents following the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby by Islamic extremists in south-east London in May 2013. | Anti-Muslim hate crimes will be recorded as a separate category by all police forces in England and Wales, the prime minister has said. | 34511274 |
It depends where.
In Syria, where Islamic State (IS) captured Palmyra and is said to have murdered large numbers of people in its usual bloodthirsty fashion, it looks as though the regime of Bashar al-Assad is getting into serious trouble. Its army is no longer so effective at fighting his battles.
IS has taken full advantage of the reluctance of Western countries to come to Mr Assad's aid. It has spread, and has successfully wrong-footed the more moderate opposition groups.
In Iraq, though, the picture is different - even if it doesn't at first look like it. The loss of Ramadi revealed a disturbing weakness in the upper ranks of the Iraqi army.
In the days that followed, newspapers in a number of countries ran stories suggesting that IS was threatening to break out from Ramadi and head down the road to Baghdad, only 100km (60 miles) away.
There wasn't the slightest truth in it. For a start, the most humiliating aspect of Ramadi's capture from the Iraqi government's point of view was that it was done by only 150 Islamic State fighters, who put 1,500 soldiers to flight.
Those 150, even though they were soon reinforced by a few hundred other fighters, were in no position to defend Ramadi and attack Baghdad as well.
Furthermore, it soon became clear that Ramadi fell because the judgement and willpower of one man, the brigadier in command of the city, had been weakened by exhaustion, and perhaps fear.
He had stayed at his post in Ramadi for months, under siege from Islamic State, and was eventually tricked into believing that IS was on the point of using immensely destructive explosive devices in the city centre. He ordered his men to get out as fast as they could.
It was clever of IS, and hugely effective; but it was scarcely a major military victory.
Islamic State is extremely good at public relations. It generates admiration and fear with each of the videos it issues - 360 within the last year, just about one a day.
The terror it generates through its gruesome execution videos does a great deal of its work for it. And people around the world believe that it is indeed carrying all before it.
By contrast, the Iraqi government has not been particularly effective at public relations. It has often been slow at telling people of its achievements, and foreign journalists in Baghdad sometimes have problems trying to find out what the forces are doing and how they are succeeding.
The result is that there has been real scepticism internationally about the Iraqi government's claims to be pushing IS back on almost all fronts.
When the Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, told the BBC that his forces would recapture Ramadi within days, there was widespread disbelief; even though Western diplomats in Baghdad have been forecasting very much the same thing.
Perhaps it would have been better if he had been a little more vague; but the effort to recapture Ramadi began very quickly after its fall, and is showing reasonably good results.
When government forces fought their way into the strategically important oil town of Baiji, north of Baghdad, last week, the news got remarkably little attention internationally - even though Baiji is a vitally important staging-post between Ramadi and Islamic State's chief centre in Iraq, Mosul.
None of this is definitive proof that the Iraqi government is indeed winning its war against Islamic State. There could be other Ramadis to come, and perhaps even something as devastating as last year's fall of Mosul.
But it's difficult to believe that. More difficult, indeed, than believing Mr Abadi when he says he will drive IS out of Iraq by the end of this year.
The government knows it can't rely too heavily on the Iraqi army, and it has concentrated instead on building up the volunteer forces which Westerners call militias (a word which has a strongly negative connotation in Arabic, particularly as spoken in Iraq).
The fact that Shia Muslims have volunteered for these militias in far greater numbers than Sunnis has created serious anxieties about a Shia army waging sectarian war against the Sunni inhabitants of cities like Ramadi and Mosul.
The government is doing what it can to reduce the risk, but the anxieties are still there.
Nevertheless, the militias have given the government a weapon which can counter the ferocity of IS. They are pushing forward around Ramadi and Falluja, and (together with the Kurdish Peshmerga) will play a part in the effort to regain Mosul, later this year.
The war is still far from being won, and disasters could very well lie ahead. But the fact remains that, when it comes to fighting IS, Iraq is in a far better position than Syria. | After a week of disturbing headlines, is Islamic State winning? | 32881854 |
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Joshua stopped Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round at Wembley on Saturday.
Hearn said the heavyweight's next fight is "likely to [take place] in Cardiff" if it happens in the United Kingdom.
"If that [place on a Joshua undercard in Cardiff] was offered to me I would bite their hand off," Cordina said.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Sport, Cordina added: "There is nothing better than being on a show in my home town. In the National Stadium it would be amazing and a dream come true."
Cordina beat Russian Sergej Vib on the Joshua v Klitschko bill at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, in only his second professional fight and second fight in seven days.
"You think about all the top British boxers who were probably begging to get on that card," Cordina continued.
"I was one of seven British fighters to be on there and it was an honour to be open the show for Joshua.
"It was an amazing experience and hopefully I can top the bill like that one day."
Get all the latest boxing news sent straight to your device with notifications in the BBC Sport app. Find out more here.
Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide. | Welsh boxer Joe Cordina says it would be a "dream come true" to fight at the Principality Stadium after promoter Eddie Hearn said Anthony Joshua's next fight could be in Cardiff. | 39774446 |
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The Swiss took an early lead as Shaqiri scored with a fine 25-yard strike, before he twice converted Josip Drmic passes to make it 3-0.
Jerry Bengtson had the best chance for Honduras but his shot was cleared off the line by defender Ricardo Rodriguez.
Honduras finished bottom of Group E with three defeats from three matches.
And their 54-year-old coach Luis Fernando Suarez resigned after the defeat by the Swiss, saying change was "necessary for the benefit of the Honduran team".
Shaqiri, who can play on the left wing or through the middle, was the difference between the sides with his first World Cup goals.
The 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool and Manchester United reported to be interested in signing him, and impressed with his clinical finishing.
Switzerland, ranked sixth in the world and the top-seeded team in the group, began the day in third, but needed to win and hope Ecuador failed to beat France.
With the South Americans only managing to draw 0-0 in Rio, that left an opportunity for Ottmar Hitzfeld's team to move into the last 16 for the third time in six tournaments.
After losing 5-2 to France in their last match, Switzerland produced a better performance in Manaus and went ahead with Shaqiri's sixth-minute opener.
Three Honduras defenders backed off as he cut in from the right, allowing him space to curl an effort past Noel Valladares.
The game looked to be over after 30 minutes when poor defending from Honduras allowed Drmic to collect Gokhan Inler's ball from defence and square it for an unmarked Shaqiri, who converted calmly.
From then on, Switzerland's hopes were resting on events at the Maracana, but Ecuador's failure to match their result means the Swiss advance to face Argentina in the second round in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
However, Honduras have now failed to win any of their nine World Cup matches in three separate tournaments.
"I've just seen one of the strangest games. Honduras lost but they had five or six golden chances. I'm not talking about half-chances, these were proper chances. How did they not score?"
The tough-tackling Central American side struggled on a pitch that was cutting up even inside the opening 10 minutes at Arena Amazonia on a night when humidity was measured at 88%.
Wigan's Juan Carlos Garcia dragged a shot wide and Brayan Beckeles also missed when well placed in the Hondurans' only notable efforts of the opening 45 minutes.
But they produced a greater threat after the break and Bengtson was unlucky as he took the ball around goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, only to shoot against Rodriguez.
Suarez's side were then denied a penalty when substitute Jerry Palacios was bundled over by Johan Djourou, and any faint hopes they may have had ended when Shaqiri scored his third in the 71st minute.
He collected another Drmic pass and finished past Valladares to complete his treble and set up a match against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez, who announced he had resigned, said: "I am not satisfied by what we achieved at the World Cup.
"The team will have good results in the future, but someone can replace me. I am sad I didn't manage to fulfil the mission they entrusted me with.
"I'm going to go on with my career. I still have a lot of will to work and do things for soccer. I will be always be connected and listening to news about Honduras and always try to help them."
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said: "Not only did we play a strong team but we played against the weather.
"The players showed the right attitude and will and we surpassed ourselves. Passion comes from suffering and we really suffered.
"Whenever you reach the second round it is a great motivation and we are highly motivated. We are going to write history.
"We do have a chance, even against Argentina. It is going to be a match where we have nothing to lose."
Switzerland striker Xherdan Shaqiri: "I wanted to show we could play soccer and that's what we did. I played very well and I'm happy about that and proud of the team." | A hat-trick from Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri saw Switzerland beat Honduras to set up a tie with Argentina in the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup. | 25285335 |
The movie, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, features a fictional plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un.
A leaked scene from the film showed the leader's head engulfed in a slow-motion fireball.
Hackers, calling themselves the Guardians of Peace, warned of a "bitter fate" for viewers of the "awful" film.
There has been speculation that North Korea is behind the attack, which revealed scripts from upcoming movies as well as stars' salaries and employees' personal emails.
Although North Korea deny involvement, they have said the movie is an "act of terrorism" and promised "merciless" retaliation if it was released.
Most recently they described the hack as a "righteous deed" and said may have been carried out by its "supporters and sympathisers".
However, perhaps North Korea has more to worry about than a movie described by one critic as "muddled muck".
It may want to start by looking at these very real problems its citizens are facing.
WARNING: this article contains details some may find disturbing.
More than a quarter of all North Korean children have had their growth stunted from malnourishment.
Two-thirds of the population, approximately 16 million people, don't know where their next meal is coming from, according to the UN.
This lack of food means than North Korean men are, on average, between 3 - 8cm (1.2 - 3.1in) shorter than men in South Korea.
North Korea has built up its military arsenal and nuclear programme instead of helping feed its people, another United Nations report found.
The situation has been made worse as families' movement is strictly controlled by the state, making it hard for them to source food.
Earlier this year, Michael Kirby, who led a UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korean human rights violations, told BBC World Service that families were being forced to use the ashes of their relatives as fertiliser due to lack of other resources.
Meanwhile large amounts of government money is spent on the Supreme Leader and "the advancement of his personality cult." Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-un's late father, reportedly spent £700,000 a year on Hennessy cognac.
The horrific conditions in North Korean gulags or work camps are beyond what even the most sadistically minded screenwriter could imagine.
Inside these compounds, prisoners are forced to carry out back-breaking labour, tortured if they don't obey the rules, left to die when injured and deliberately starved to death.
Former inmate Jeong Kwang-il, who fled North Korea in 2003, told a UN panel he dropped a third of his body weight in three months at a detention centre.
"Then they hang you so you would not be able to stand or sit," he said.
"If you are hung like that for three days, four days, you urinate, you defecate, you are totally dehydrated… [it] was so painful that I felt it was better to die."
Prisoners are forced to bury the bodies of those who died.
Except in winter they can't because the ground is frozen hard, so they are stored in a warehouse until March.
Jeong Kwang-il wrote in The Guardian: "When we got into the warehouse to remove the corpses, it was really horrible since the bodies were rotten and eaten by rats. We buried corpses as if they were trash. No one knows or remembers who they were."
Parents, grandparents and children are all punished for the "sins" of one relative. Shin Dong-hyuk, 30, is believed to be the first person born in a prison camp who managed to escape.
Shin thinks that he and his family were imprisoned because two of his uncles defected to South Korea during the Korean War. He saw his own mother executed.
Despite multiple reports condemning North Korea for how it treats its citizens, the country brushes these aside as misunderstandings.
Earlier in September North Korea published a 50,000-word report saying its citizens "enjoy genuine human rights" and there had simply been "serious misunderstandings."
On Tuesday North Korea's UN ambassador, Ja Song-nam said that "the so-called 'human rights issue' in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is politically fabricated" and instead asked for the United Nations Security council to look into reports of CIA torture.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Sony's film The Interview has been pulled after hackers threatened a 9/11 style attack on any cinemas which screened the comedy. | 30532822 |
She told the BBC's Newsnight that "if [the Conservatives] can't command a majority, they can't be a government".
Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly said she would work with Labour to "get rid of the Tories" if the SNP had enough MPs.
Conservative leader David Cameron has called that prospect "frightening" and said it would lead to "economic ruin".
While the SNP had only six MPs at Westminster in the last Parliament, recent polls suggest they could win the majority of Scotland's 59 seats.
That could leave the party holding the balance of power if the election resulted in a hung parliament.
On the face of it, the SNP leader is only stating the obvious. She has said before that her party would never work with the Conservatives, but would be willing to work with Labour.
So, if Labour's seats plus the SNP's seats add up to a majority, a deal can be done. But what Nicola Sturgeon's remarks throw up is an issue that could, within a fortnight, prove the biggest of all: Legitimacy.
If the Tories were to win "10, 20, 30, 40 seats" more than Labour, would a Labour and SNP arrangement to form a government be legitimate in the eyes of the electorate?
Some would say the answer to that was no. But, the SNP argues all that matters is what Ms Sturgeon calls the "basic rule of how governments are formed."
Or to borrow a line the Chancellor George Osborne likes to use, the first rule of politics is knowing how to count.
In an interview with Newsnight's Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon repeated her offer to back a minority Labour government on an issue-by-issue basis.
"Even if the Tories are the largest party, if there is an anti-Tory majority, my offer to Labour is to work together to keep the Tories out," Scotland's first minister said.
When pressed on whether that would apply even if Labour had secured "10, 20, 30, 40" fewer seats than Mr Cameron's party, she replied: "Governments in the House of Commons are about who can command a majority.
"If there is an anti-Tory majority, yes... we would work with Labour to stop the Tories getting into Downing Street." | SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said she would prop up a Labour government, even if the Tories finished the election as the largest party by up to 40 seats. | 32442151 |
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Hannah Tyrell's corner try after 62 minutes rewarded the visitors' second-half pressure.
Lindsey Peat drove over from close range just before half-time to put Ireland 7-0 up.
Wales struck back through Shona Powell-Hughes but could not break out of defence in the final quarter.
The teams took part in a minute's applause before the anthems in tribute to Elli Norkett, the 20 year-old Ospreys and Wales winger who died in a car crash two weeks previously.
The first half looked as though it might be scoreless with both teams seeing spells of pressure ended by conceding penalties at crucial times.
But prop Peat eventually broke the deadlock just before the break when Ireland kicked a penalty to the corner, and she drove over from the line-out, with Nora Stapleton converting.
A fine break from Dyddgu Hywel put Wales on the front foot straight after the interval and Peat was yellow-carded after a series of Irish offences.
Wales took advantage of the extra player as Powell-Hughes went over from a scrum five, Robyn Wilkins chipping over the conversion to level after 44 minutes.
It was Wales' turn to lose a prop to the sin-bin as Amy Evans was penalised for a high tackle and Peat came close to grabbing a second try as she was held up on the line.
Captain Paula Fitzpatrick was also over the line twice either side of the hour mark as her team turned the screw, but could not ground the ball.
The visitors' pressure finally paid when wing Tyrell was worked clear on the overlap in the corner after 62 minutes.
It proved to be the final score of the game as Ireland continued to dominate territory, and fly-half Stapleton was named player of the match.
Ireland host England at Donnybrook on Friday 17 March with the Six Nations title at stake, while Wales face France in Brive the following day.
Wales try-scorer Shona Powell-Hughes told BBC Wales Sport: "Playing on your own ground and not coming away with a win is always tough, but the girls dug deep and showed passion all the way through.
"With such a tough week, we performed but it didn't go our way, and we know we would have made Elli (Norkett) proud today.
"It was very emotional, but if her family can get through it, then we can, we're a team and we're one unit, so proud of the girls.
"We've all admitted it wasn't our best performance in Scotland, but we tried to put the wrongs right and I think we've done that today."
Ireland captain Paula Fitzpatrick told BBC Wales Sport: "It was a really close game and the Welsh really put it up to us with a great first half, a huge performance from them and they've really done credit to Elli Norkett.
"We came close with a couple of chances but we really had to grind it out, they had a good defence and we really had to work for it.
"I'm really looking forward to playing England, it should be a big crowd on Paddy's Night and hopefully we can fill Donnybrook, get the crowd behind us and it's going to be a cup final."
Wales: Dyddgu Hywel (Scarlets); Elen Evans (Scarlets), Kerin Lake (Ospreys), Rebecca de Filippo (Newport Gwent Dragons), Adi Taviner (Ospreys); Robyn Wilkins (Ospreys), Keira Bevan (Ospreys); Caryl Thomas (Scarlets), Carys Phillips (capt) (Ospreys), Amy Evans (Ospreys), Rebecca Rowe (Dragons), Mel Clay (Ospreys), Sioned Harries (Scarlets), Rachel Taylor (Scarlets), Shona Powell-Hughes (Ospreys).
Replacements: Lowri Harries (Scarlets), Cerys Hale (Dragons), Gwenllian Pyrs (Scarlets), Siwan Lillicrap (Ospreys), Alisha Butchers (Scarlets), Rhiannon Parker (Cardiff Blues), Elinor Snowsill (Dragons), Gemma Rowland (Dragons).
Ireland: Kim Flood; Hannah Tyrell, Jenny Murphy, Sene Naoupu, Alison Miller; Nora Stapleton, Mary Healy; Lindsay Peat, Leah Lyons, Ailis Egan; Sophie Spence, Marie Louise Reilly; Ciara Griffin, Claire Molloy, Paula Fitzpatrick (capt).
Replacements: Ciara O'Connor, Ilse van Staden, Ruth O'Reilly, Ciara Cooney, Nichola Fryday, Larissa Muldoon, Mairead Coyne.
Referee: Claire Hodnett (RFU).
Assistants: Joy Neville (IRFU), Simon Rees (WRU).
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR). | Ireland stayed on course for a Grand Slam decider against England as they battled to a 12-7 win over Wales at Cardiff Arms Park. | 39207158 |
The government is appealing against a High Court ruling that MPs must get a vote on triggering Article 50.
The Supreme Court confirmed that Wales and Scotland's senior law officers will be allowed to take part in the appeal.
UK PM Theresa May said on Friday that work was "on track" to begin the formal process of Brexit by April 2017.
At a joint press briefing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, following a meeting with EU leaders in Berlin, Mrs May said: "We stand ready to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017 and I want to see this as a smooth process, an orderly process, working towards a solution that's in the interests of both the UK and also in the interests of our European partners."
McCord Brexit case can go to Supreme Court
The judges ruling on Brexit case
She was speaking after the Supreme Court confirmed that Scotland's senior law officer, the Lord Advocate, had been invited to address the court on the relevance of points of Scots law. The Counsel General for Wales will make arguments about the importance of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law.
The Supreme Court hearing is expected to start on 5 December and last four days, with the decision expected in the new year.
Analysis
Tom Bateman, BBC political correspondent
The government has been clear in its belief that the referendum result gives it the authority to use its executive powers to trigger the EU exit process.
But the Scottish government believes this is unlawful, claiming that invoking Article 50 would involve a "fundamental alteration" in the UK's constitutional arrangements and the rights of Scottish people - who voted to remain in the EU - about which the Hollyrood parliament should be consulted.
It is far from clear how much legal weight these arguments will carry in this complex constitutional case in front of 11 Supreme Court judges.
But the politics are easier to predict: If the government's appeal fails, Parliament is likely to become the next battleground over the timing and - potentially - the terms of Brexit.
It is a fight Downing Street is desperate to avoid - amid the increasingly toxic atmosphere between those tussling for control of Britain's departure from the EU.
A government spokesman said it was "a matter for the Supreme Court which applications to intervene are accepted".
"The UK government's position remains the same, and we will be taking strong legal arguments to court next month," he said.
Scotland's Brexit minister Michael Russell welcomed the decision, but added: "We continue to call on the UK government to drop the appeal and to accept that Parliament has the right to determine the triggering of Article 50.
"We recognise the decision of people in England and Wales to support Brexit, but the views of people in Scotland cannot simply be brushed aside."
The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which describes itself as "fighting for the rights and welfare of some of the most vulnerable and under-represented workers in the UK", has also been given permission to make submissions to the Supreme Court.
The Attorney General for Northern Ireland has made a reference to the court on devolution issues and did not need permission to intervene. Separately another Brexit case brought by victims' campaigner Raymond McCord in Belfast has also been referred to the Supreme Court.
Earlier this month three High Court judges ruled that the prime minister did not have the power to use the royal prerogative to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the two-year process of negotiating Brexit, without the prior authority of Parliament.
Mrs May and her ministers are now asking the Supreme Court to overturn that unanimous decision.
Labour has said it will not attempt to delay or scupper this process if a vote goes ahead.
But Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has said his party will vote against triggering Article 50, unless they are promised a second referendum on the UK's Brexit deal with EU leaders. Some Labour MPs have said they are also willing to oppose it.
Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, believes that the consent of the Scottish Parliament and the UK's other devolved parliaments and assemblies should also be sought before Article 50 is triggered.
Mick Antoniw AM, Counsel General for Wales, said previously: "This case raises issues of profound importance not only in relation to the concept of parliamentary sovereignty, but also in relation to the wider constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom and the legal framework for devolution."
The legal challenge over Brexit was brought by investment fund manager and philanthropist Gina Miller, along with London-based Spanish hairdresser Deir Dos Santos and the People's Challenge group, set up by Grahame Pigney and backed by a crowd-funding campaign.
After Lord Toulson's retirement this summer, the appeal will be heard by all 11 remaining Supreme Court justices, led by their President Lord Neuberger. | The Scottish and Welsh governments are to be allowed to have a say in the Supreme Court battle over how Brexit should be triggered. | 38027230 |
Margaret McLaughlin, who was a front seat passenger in the car, died in hospital from injuries she sustained in the crash which occurred at about 22:30 BST on Monday.
The 69-year-old's husband, who was driving the car, remains in hospital in a stable condition with injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, PSNI Strabane said he was due to appear at Dungannon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
He has also been charged with having no driving licence and using a car without insurance.
The collision happened at the junction between the Urney Road and Great Northern Link - referred to locally as the Strabane bypass.
SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said that Mrs McLaughlin, who was from the Strabane area, "was very well known and loved". | A woman has died following a collision between a car and a lorry in Strabane. | 39701953 |
Repainting girders below the bridge deck will mean lifting the footway clear of the girders and closing it to pedestrians for several months.
Masonry will also be cleaned and re-pointed and repairs carried out to the roof of the Leigh Woods tower.
The bridge will be closed to vehicles and cyclists from 14 to 16 March to allow scaffolding to be erected.
During the bridge closures a diversion route will be signed, using Bridge Valley Road, Brunel Way and A369 Rownham Hill.
Protective sheeting will also be installed to prevent debris and dust contaminating the Avon Gorge below.
Work on the first of the two Clifton towers was completed in 2015. | Restoration work has begun on the second support tower of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. | 35685027 |
Singapore heads the table, followed by Hong Kong, with Ghana at the bottom.
The UK is in 20th place, among higher achieving European countries, with the US in 28th.
The OECD economic think tank says the comparisons - based on test scores in 76 countries - show the link between education and economic growth.
"This is the first time we have a truly global scale of the quality of education," said the OECD's education director, Andreas Schleicher.
"The idea is to give more countries, rich and poor, access to comparing themselves against the world's education leaders, to discover their relative strengths and weaknesses, and to see what the long-term economic gains from improved quality in schooling could be for them," he said.
The top performer, Singapore, had high levels of illiteracy into the 1960s, said Mr Schleicher, showing how much progress could be made.
In the UK, the study shows about one in five youngsters leave school without reaching a basic level of education - and the OECD says that reducing this number and improving skills could add trillions of dollars to the UK economy.
"I think it's partly a mindset, an expectation. There are plenty of examples of schools that have raised the bar dramatically," said education minister Lord Nash.
But a leading UK head teacher, Sir Anthony Seldon, criticised such league tables as "arguably doing more harm than good".
"They are skewing schools and national education systems away from real learning towards repetitive rote learning," said Sir Anthony, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.
The analysis, based on test scores in maths and science, is a much wider global map of education standards than the OECD's Pisa tests, which focus on more affluent industrialised countries.
This latest league table, ranking more than a third of the world's nations, shows how countries such as Iran, South Africa, Peru and Thailand would appear on an international scale.
It shows once again the poor performance of the United States, slipping behind successful European countries and being overtaken by Vietnam. It also highlights the decline of Sweden, with the OECD warning last week that it had serious problems in its education system.
Figures mapped above show estimated growth in GDP over the lifetime of pupils. The figures assume that all pupils are enrolled in schools and that they achieve at least basic skills.
More stories from the BBC's Knowledge economy series looking at education from a global perspective and how to get in touch
The rankings are based on an amalgamation of international assessments, including the OECD's Pisa tests, the TIMSS tests run by US-based academics and TERCE tests in Latin America, putting developed and developing countries on a single scale.
The findings will be formally presented at the World Education Forum in South Korea next week, where the United Nations is to convene a conference on targets for raising global education by 2030.
The top five places are all taken by Asian countries - Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
The five lowest-ranked countries are Oman in 72nd, Morocco, Honduras, South Africa and Ghana in last spot.
"If you go to an Asian classroom you'll find teachers who expect every student to succeed. There's a lot of rigour, a lot of focus and coherence," says Mr Schleicher.
"These countries are also very good at attracting the most talented teachers in the most challenging classrooms, so that every student has access to excellent teachers."
The report, published by the OECD and written by Eric Hanushek from Stanford University and Ludger Woessmann from Munich University, argues that the standard of education is a "powerful predictor of the wealth that countries will produce in the long run".
Take the test: How would your maths skills compare with the world's teenagers?
"Poor education policies and practices leave many countries in what amounts to a permanent state of economic recession," says the report.
Improving education would produce "long-term economic gains that are going to be phenomenal", says Mr Schleicher.
If Ghana, the lowest ranked country, achieved basic skills for all its 15-year-olds, the report says that it would expand its current GDP by 38 times, over the lifetime of today's youngsters.
Only a minority of countries in Africa had sufficient test data to be included in these rankings - and it could be that countries such as Ghana are among the higher achievers in the continent, performing better than the majority for which there are no comparable figures.
The report will provide evidence for next week's World Education Forum of how achieving education targets can deliver economic gains.
The milestone conference, under the auspices of the United Nations, will mark 15 years since the setting of education targets by world leaders.
These millennium targets for education, such as providing all children with a primary education, have not been fully achieved.
But the World Education Forum will set another round of global targets for the next 15 years. | The biggest ever global school rankings have been published, with Asian countries in the top five places and African countries at the bottom. | 32608772 |
He won 50 of the 77 votes cast, to beat out his only rival Ambrose Rachier, the chairman of top Kenyan side Gor Mahia.
Mwendwa is the chairman at a a lower league side, Kariobangi Sharks.
Incumbent Sam Nyamweya withdrew from the elections just before the voting began, three other candidates withdrew in the days before the polls.
"I've made this decision [to withdraw from the elections] out of love for the game, passion and appreciation and that no good leader should be pushed to give up power," Nyamweya explained.
Investigations are still being made into allegations of corruption against Nyamweya, charges he has denied.
He and two other officials are being investigated for "conspiracy to defraud".
Kenya's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions began looking into the case in December following a recommendation from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The case centres on how almost US$170,000, set aside for Kenya's trip to Cape Verde for a 2018 World Cup qualifier in November, was actually used. | Nick Mwendwa has been voted in as the new president of the Football Kenya Federation. | 35540532 |
The Met said in the week prior to the attacks on 13 November there were 24 recorded Islamophobic incidents. Two weeks after there were 76.
Mussurut Zia from the Muslim Women's Network UK said the community was "fearful" but people of other faiths had come forward in "solidarity".
The Met said "regretfully" hate crime increased during "difficult times".
More on this story and other news from London
The force's figures show the annual number of incidents have also increased with the majority of reports relating to harassment.
The 12 months up to October 2014 saw 576 incidents reported which increased by 47.6% to 845 the following year.
Week ending 10 November - 24
Week ending 17 November - 46
Week ending 24 November - 76
Ms Zia said: "We've had people coming forward and telling us about being avoided in the shopping mall, people refusing to sit next to them on the bus.
"Then you've got the physical aspect with coats and scarves being yanked... In terms of fear it's increased since Paris"
She said some in the community were also concerned the air strikes in Syria had "increased the likelihood of them being targeted", but that people of all faiths had been offering "support and solidarity".
"I was getting tired that each time something happened I had to come out and say 'I was not part of that', but now having people of other faiths saying 'we're with you' and it's 'us against them' it's a positive out of something so negative," she said.
The Met said it was providing extra patrols and had more than 900 officers investigating hate crime.
It said a greater willingness to report crimes may account for part of the spike, but it was "acutely aware" Islamophobia remained "under reported" and "no one should suffer in silence".
Saba Zaman, a documentary producer from London, says she has seen an increase in attacks against Muslim women since the terror attacks in Paris.
Three days after the 13 November shootings, a man allegedly spat at her and called her a "dog" as he got off a Tube train.
"I didn't realise until he got up and I saw his spit all over my paper," she said. "I was seething, I found it funny but in such an ironic way. I didn't know how to react to something like that," she said.
A few months before, she reported a more serious incident when a man grabbed her hijab.
"I was so shaken up, I got into work and burst straight into tears," she said. "It was the first time since 7/7 I've felt so unsafe in my own city."
Ms Zaman said she had noticed more people looking at her in the last month and has since become "territorial" towards other Muslim women on public transport. She said she had intervened in another incident where a Muslim woman on the Tube was pushed and insulted for "wearing a ninja outfit".
"If I see another Muslim woman on the Tube, now I get on the same carriage just in case something might happen," she added. | The number of Muslims attacked each week in London has more than tripled since the Paris attacks, figures show. | 34995431 |
NessCon at Eden Court on 8 and 9 July has been organised by three graduates of an events management course at Inverness College UHI.
Darrel-John Paterson, Abbygail Sutherland and Lewis MacKenzie's event will celebrate comics, graphic novels, film, TV shows and gaming.
They have lined up guest appearances and a cosplay costume competition.
The three hope the explosion in the superhero, fantasy and science fiction genres in literature, movies and television will boost interest in NessCon.
Since the last Hi-Ex seven years ago, there has been the release of DC Comics' Suicide Squad, Marvel TV shows such as Jessica Jones and the re-launch of the Star Wars films with 2015's The Force Awakens and last year's Rogue One.
Guest appearances confirmed so far for NessCon include original Power Ranger Jason David Frank and special effects actor Paul Warren.
On Twitter, the NessCon organisers have reached out to Inverness-born actress Karen Gillan in the hope that she can be involved in some way in the festival.
Gillan has appeared in Doctor Who and Disney-Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, its sequel later this year and is expected to appear in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
Mr Paterson said: "We would love to have Karen Gillan involved because she is a home-grown talent, but we absolutely understand that she is very busy."
Inverness' last comic con, Hi-Ex, was held between 2008 and 2010.
The event's guest speakers included Superman comic book artist Frank Quitely and Judge Dredd comic strip artist Mick McMahon and featured fans dressed as zombies and Star Wars stormtroopers.
Mr Paterson said: "I was working at Eden Court in the heyday of Hi-Ex being held there. It was a great event.
"Like Hi-Ex, we want to offer something that people living in the Highlands would have to travel to Glasgow and Edinburgh to see."
As with Hi-Ex, and the comic cons held in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the new Inverness event will feature cosplay - people dressing up in the costumes of their favourite characters in comics, film, TV or video games.
Mr Paterson said: "We are encouraging cosplay and will be holding a parade and also a competition for the best costume." | Inverness is to have its first comic convention since the last staging of the popular Hi-Ex Comic Con in 2010. | 39026618 |
Constantino Banda-Acosta, 38, drove his truck through a stop sign and hit a car carrying a family of three on their way home from a trip to Disneyland.
They said they were one block from home when the collision occurred.
The six-year-old boy suffered brain trauma and is said to be in a serious condition.
The suspect fled but was arrested.
The truck hit the rear passenger door of the car on Saturday night in the San Ysidro district of San Diego, close to the US-Mexico border, said the family.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the suspect had been "repatriated to Mexico at least 15 times since 2002, most recently in January 2017".
"[ICE] has lodged a detainer against Mr Banda seeking to take him into custody if and when he is released by local authorities to pursue additional immigration enforcement action and/or criminal prosecution," a statement quoted by local broadcaster KGTV added.
He was charged with driving under influence, hit-and-run and driving without a licence.
Another man was also arrested in connection with the crash.
The boy is being treated at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.
His father told CBS8 broadcaster of his son: "Right now he's got a lot of swelling.
"He can't open one of his eyes, so he's kind of scared about why he can't see."
More on US immigration debate
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning | A man charged in a drink-driving crash that seriously injured a California boy had been deported to Mexico 15 times in as many years, US officials say. | 39879300 |
While there was Scottish 10,000m gold for Liz Lynch, now Liz McColgan, the Games came at a heavy financial cost due to the boycott by 32 out of the 59 competing nations.
Teams withdrew after being angered by the British government's attitude to apartheid-era South Africa.
One of the nations that pulled out was Bermuda.
As Scotland prepares to host the Games once more, memories of the Edinburgh Games were brought back this week when the Queen's Baton Relay - the main curtain raiser for the Games - passed through the North Atlantic island.
For Bermudian swimmer Victor Ruberry and 100m runner Bill Trott, 1986 was a farce.
It is an episode of their lives which still causes frustration.
Before the Games, Ruberry and Trott were gravely concerned like thousands of others about apartheid in South Africa. They remember discussions on the island about boycotting, but no decision was made and the athletes made their way to Scotland.
They just wanted to compete. However, the Bermuda Olympic Association (BOA) - the governing body of the team - was still considering what to do.
When the athletes arrived in Edinburgh, there were reports of safety concerns for the Bermudians. According to team manager John Morbey, this was one of the reasons given behind the team's eventual withdrawal.
"The night before the opening ceremony, a teammate and I caught a taxi and we went to a disco," recalls Trott, who was looking forward to his first Commonwealth Games having competed in the 1984 Olympics.
"There was no-one supervising us, and that is how safe we felt. As we came back late at night, we bumped into John Morbey and he had just found out that the Bermuda Olympic Association had pulled us out.
"That is when all the drama started. I was deflated."
Trott and Ruberry woke up on 24 July, the day of the opening ceremony, with no idea what was going on.
After a day of discussions, Trott remembers a call was eventually made to Bermuda's leader John Swan while the opening ceremony was taking place on television screens behind them.
Swan offered his support, and Trott and his teammates frantically got dressed into their Panama hats, blue blazers and beige shorts and rushed to Meadowbank Stadium to take part.
Having missed their slot, they marched on just before the host nation and received one of the biggest cheers of the night, with Scottish fans - facing a Commonwealth Games without half the Commonwealth - showing their delight.
Ruberry, meanwhile, missed the ceremony as he prepared to take part in his 100m breaststroke the following day.
He remembers Morbey coming into his room around midnight to confirm he would be swimming in the morning. By the time he had reached the pool, Ruberry knew it was all in vain.
The BOA had finally decided to remove the team from the Games.
Ruberry was disqualified for keeping his head under water at the end of his race.
He said: "Your mental state was not one where you were focused on competition.
"It was an abysmal swim. It was nowhere near what I was prepped to do prior to that. I am not making excuses, I just did not feel ready. At one point we were packing our bags, the next moment we were unpacking our bags."
After the team's withdrawal, Morbey went on television in disgust over the BOA's decision while the athletes hung their bed sheets out the window with 'Bermuda wants to stay, don't penalise our athletes' written on one.
When the Bermudians returned home, Trott remembered an island sympathetic towards the athletes but behind the decision to boycott.
Twenty-eight years later, the athletes still reflect on what the 1986 boycott meant for them.
Trott said: "It was unfortunate that we were put in a situation like that. What I learnt from all of that was politics can play a role in some cases that it shouldn't."
Adventurer Mark Beaumont reports on the Queen's Baton Relay as it makes its way to 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. He makes regular reports online, on radio and on television
BBC Queen's Baton Relay: Glasgow 2014
Follow Mark Beaumont on Twitter
For Ruberry, the Edinburgh Games were the second time his dreams had been shattered by a political boycott after missing out on the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
He gave up swimming, believing the countless hours of training were not worth it when it could all be scuppered by a boycott.
He returned to the pool for the 1988 Olympics, and now works as a swimming coach on the island.
He said: "Any sporting event brings people together. Boycotts serve to divide.
"They are a huge disappointment for the athletes who have been training so hard for something like that, and all of a sudden you take away the goalposts.
"I still to this day don't believe there is a place for boycotts in sport. There is so much more that can be accomplished by the positives - the healthy competition, people coming together.
"If you are going to do something political, then don't use the athletes as pawns." | The 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh are sadly remembered for the wrong reasons. | 27165110 |
Emergency calls for the Highlands and Islands will now be handled by staff based in Dundee.
SFRS said they were working from "hi-spec modular accommodation" near to where a new North Control building is being constructed at MacAlpine Road.
Dundee already handles calls for north east Scotland following the closure of Aberdeen's control room last month.
SFRS said the public would see no difference in how calls were handled.
The fire service said it had "worked closely" with staff at Inverness "to accommodate their needs" throughout the process to close the Highland site and shift call handling to Dundee.
Staff who have decided to take voluntary severance, or early retirement, will continue to work to ensure "the smooth transition of operations for a period afterwards", said SFRS.
Two members of staff from Inverness have decided to take up jobs at the control room in Dundee.
Construction of North Control is expected to be completed in March next year.
The control room closures were approved in 2014. | The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has shut its operations control room in Inverness. | 38207135 |
The Belgian, who was taken off during Saturday's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace with concussion, has ligament damage.
Kompany, 30, has been assessed by Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona, as well as Manchester City's medical staff.
"Dr Cugat confirmed what the doctors here said. He will be four to six weeks out," said Guardiola.
Kompany, who has started two league matches this season, has already had calf, groin and thigh injuries in 2016.
His latest setback is his 35th separate injury since joining City from German club Hamburg in 2008. | Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will be out for the next four to six weeks with a knee injury, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed. | 38108487 |
Kim Dong Chul, 62, made the apparent confession on Friday, apologising for spying and bowing to reporters.
Mr Kim has previously told journalists he is a naturalised US citizen, born in South Korea, and that he was arrested in October for "espionage".
Forced public confessions by foreign prisoners are common in North Korea.
Mr Kim said that he was first approached by South Korean intelligence officers in 2011 to engage in paid espionage, North Korean news agency KCNA said.
He was arrested while receiving a USB stick containing military and nuclear secrets from a source, KCNA said.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Mr Kim said he was first introduced to South Korean spies by US intelligence officers.
"You could say that my anti-North Korean behaviour was also instigated by the United States," he was quoted as saying.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service told AP news agency Mr Kim's case was not related to the organisation, without providing further details.
In January, Mr Kim said in an interview with CNN in the presence of North Korean guards, that he made frequent trips to the North Korean special economic zone of Rason, where he was caught.
He said he had not worked for the US during any of his spying activities and that he used to live in Fairfax, Virginia.
His interview came weeks after North Korea jailed US student Otto Frederick Warmbier for attempting to steal a propaganda sign.
The US has previously accused North Korea of using its citizens as pawns in a diplomatic game. Pyongyang denies the accusations.
Other recent cases include: | A US citizen detained in North Korea says he stole military secrets to aid South Korea, during a press conference organised by Pyongyang. | 35898116 |
The Competition and Markets Authority said a merger of the UK's second and third largest bookmakers may restrict competition on the High Street.
About 350 to 400 shops may have to be sold "for the merger to be conditionally cleared", the CMA said.
The CMA has given until 13 June for responses to its provisional findings.
Ladbrokes operates 2,154 betting shops in Great Britain and 77 in Northern Ireland, while Gala Coral operates about 1,850 betting shops in Great Britain.
The combined group would make it bigger than current market leader William Hill.
Martin Cave, who is chairing the CMA's inquiry, said: "We've provisionally found that the merger between two of the largest bookmakers in the country may be expected to reduce competition and choice for customers in a large number of local areas.
"Although online betting has grown substantially in recent years, the evidence we've seen confirms that a large number of customers still choose to bet in shops - and many would continue to do so after the merger.
"For these customers, competition comes from the choice of shops in their local area and it's they who could lose out from any reduction of competition and choice."
The CMA said it was aiming to publish its final report by the end of July.
Ladbrokes said: "This is a significant step and our focus now will be on agreeing the shop disposals to satisfy the CMA." Ladbrokes shares had jumped 6.5% by the close of trade on Friday.
Gala Coral said it noted that the CMA was "provisionally minded to clear the proposed merger" and that it would continue to work with the regulator on ways to achieve final clearance.
The face of Britain's betting shops has transformed in the last 20 years - from smoky boltholes with horse racing dominating proceedings to shiny multi-screen sport outlets where fixed-odds betting terminals are a big earner.
While critics say the casino-style machines have encouraged problem gamblers, the bookies insist staff are trained to look out for issues.
The bottom line is the rise of the machines has helped keep many of these shops open in a modern-day wagering world where online gambling has mushroomed.
And while some shops look destined to be casualties, this proposed £2.3bn merger shows there is plenty of money still to be made in the British betting industry.
Analysts say the merged company will still have a dominant position even if many shops have to be sold.
"We expect substantial cost saving will be possible because there will be vast areas of overlap and unnecessary duplication of functions across the combined business," said Steve Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Ladbrokes agreed the terms of a £2.3bn all-share merger with Coral in July, and the company's shareholders backed the deal in November.
Gala Coral has been owned by a group of private equity firms, including Apollo Global Management, Cerberus Capital Management, Anchorage Capital Partners and Park Square Capital, since 2010, when it collapsed under £2.5bn of debt.
Under the terms of the deal, those private equity owners will own 48.25% of the new company's shares, with the remainder being held by Ladbrokes shareholders. | Bookmakers Ladbrokes and Gala Coral may have to shed hundreds of stores if their proposed merger is to go ahead, the competition watchdog has said. | 36339782 |
Six Nations organisers had ruled Marler would not be punished for the comment, made during the first half of England's 25-21 win over Wales on 12 March.
But World Rugby, which governs the international game, says the prop's remark "amounts to misconduct and/or a breach" of its code of conduct.
Marler apologised to Lee, who is from the Traveller community, at half-time.
The Harlequins player was reprimanded by England head coach Eddie Jones, but the Welsh Rugby Union was disappointed he was not suspended. | England's Joe Marler will face a World Rugby misconduct hearing on 5 April for calling Wales' Samson Lee "Gypsy boy". | 35913618 |
18 November 2016 Last updated at 17:03 GMT
Events across Europe have marked the 100th anniversary of the final day of the battle, which saw millions of people killed during the 141-day World War One offensive.
In this tribute, former Saints rugby player Lennie Newman visits William West's grave and tells the story of the shoemaker who never made it back home. | Former Northampton Saints rugby player William West, who died days after being hurt on the last day of the Battle of the Somme, has been remembered a century on. | 38024387 |
Ronan Ward was en route to Dublin on Saturday morning when he saw a "distressed" man climbing on to a bridge in Strabane, County Tyrone.
Mr Ward, along with at least two others, managed to talk the man down.
"He was in the process of trying to climb railings. I immediately stopped the bus and ran over," Mr Ward said.
"I was trying to encourage him to come back over the railings, get on the other side and maybe come up and chat to me on the bus.
"I was saying: 'Look, I'm driving to Dublin. Come to Dublin with me'."
"He was quite distressed and I was trying everything to get him to work with me. He was in a very bad state mentally, he told me he was badly depressed.
"The whole thing probably took about 15 or 20 minutes, so when I got back on the bus I was quite shaken, not from the incident but from the adrenaline."
Joseph Carlin was a passenger on board the 07:00 GMT bus service from Derry to Dublin and witnessed the incident.
The 32-year-old musician, from Derry, told BBC News NI that there were between 14-18 passengers on board.
He said that no-one was quite sure what was going on but "no-one was kicking up a fuss".
"I thought there was a problem with the bus, and another bus pulled up in front of ours, so I thought that was for us."
After about 15 minutes, the driver got back on the bus and apologised for "holding everyone back".
"Someone began applauding and the whole bus then joined in," Mr Carlin said.
"I heard the driver say he was still shaking. He was completely taken aback by the whole experience."
Mr Carlin, who was on his way to Tipperary, said he tweeted Translink because he wanted to let the company know the "calibre of staff they have".
"I wanted to make sure he was acknowledged for the amazing thing he did," he said. "It was impulsive, incredible and inspiring".
Mr Ward said he was slightly overwhelmed by the attention he has received.
"It's quite nice to feel appreciated but most of all it's about making people more aware," he said.
"Some person might be driving across the bridge sometime and instead of driving on past, maybe they'll actually stop and try to help somebody out."
A Translink spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Ward went to the assistance of a "vulnerable person" whom he "perceived to be in difficulty".
A spokesman for the Ambulance Service said a call was received from the police about an incident on a bridge in Strabane but they were stood down on the way to the scene. | A Londonderry bus driver who stopped to help save a man's life has said the incident should make people more aware of others in distress. | 38544823 |
Trevor Gibbon, 48, is accused of killing Alison Morrison in December.
The day before he ambushed Ms Morrison, Mr Gibbon had pleaded guilty to harassing her family and was issued with a restraining order, the Old Bailey heard.
He denies murder but the court heard he would admit the killing but say he was suffering a mental abnormality.
Prosecutor Brian O'Neill QC said Mr Gibbon would argue he had an "abnormality of mental functioning" which impaired his ability to form rational judgment and exercise self-control.
The mother-of-one was forced to the ground and stabbed 33 times as she made her way to work on 18 December, the jury was told.
As she lay dying in the street, Ms Morrison told residents trying to help her: "Trevor Gibbon did this to me", the Old Bailey heard.
Mr Gibbon, who was armed with two knives, ran off to his car and was picked up in Lincolnshire the next morning with dried blood on his hands where he told police he was a "coward".
Mr O'Neill told jurors: "That morning Trevor Gibbon was a very angry man.
"He may well have felt that Alison Morrison had gotten the better of him and had won their protracted dispute. He may well have felt the need for revenge as a result."
Mr O'Neill added it was "a planned, premeditated attack on an unarmed defenceless woman by an angry man who was out for revenge.
"This was murder, nothing less."
The dispute started in 2011 when 45-year-old Ms Morrison, her husband and their son moved next door to Mr Gibbon and his partner, Maria Perrett, in Windsor Crescent, Harrow, north-west London.
Mr Gibbon complained about the noise from the boy's skateboard and the Morrisons' attempted to placate him, but nothing seemed to satisfy him, the jury was told.
The prosecution said the Morrisons wanted to live in peace with their neighbours, but Mr Gibbon seemed to take almost every opportunity to escalate things.
Mr O'Neill said: "While the list of individual incidents may sound trivial, their cumulative effect was such that it had a deteriorating effect upon the health and well-being of Mr and Mrs Morrison."
Mr Gibbon and his partner refused attempts by the council and police to resolve the issues and he was issued with a prevention of harassment letter in April 2014 - which he refused to sign, the prosecution said.
The court heard on the day of the attack witnesses heard Ms Morrison scream for help and saw her attacker "slowly" stabbing her with a long-bladed knife.
The case continues. | A woman was stabbed to death by her north London neighbour in a dispute over noise, a court has heard. | 33136024 |
7th and 8th Centuries AD - Arab invasion; Idris founds the first major Muslim dynasty.
10-17th Centuries - Dynasties and religious movements come and go, including the Almoravid movement which at its peak controlled Morocco and parts of present-day Algeria and Spain.
1860 - Dispute over Spain's Ceuta enclave; Spain declares war, wins a further enclave and an enlarged Ceuta in the settlement.
1884 - Spain creates a protectorate in coastal areas of Morocco.
1904 - France and Spain carve out zones of influence.
1906 - Algeciras Conference in Spain; France and Spain get the go-ahead to police Moroccan ports and collect customs fees.
1912 - Morocco becomes a French protectorate under the Treaty of Fez, administered by a French Resident-General. Spain continues to operate its coastal protectorate. The sultan has a largely figurehead role.
1921-6 - Tribal rebellion in Rif mountains is suppressed by French and Spanish troops.
1943 - Istiqlal - Party of Independence - founded to press for independence.
1956 March - End of French protectorate after unrest and strong nationalist sentiment. Spain keeps its two coastal enclaves. Sultan Mohammed becomes king in 1957.
1961 - Death of King Mohammed; King Hassan II comes to power.
1963 - First general elections.
1965 - Social unrest: King Hassan declares a state of emergency and suspends parliament.
1971 - Failed attempt to depose king and establish republic.
1973 - Polisario movement formed, aims to establish an independent state in Spanish Sahara, a territory south of Morocco controlled by Spain. The group has Algerian support.
1975 6 November - The Green March: King Hassan orders 350,000 civilian volunteers to cross into Spanish Sahara.
1975 December - Spain agrees to leave Spanish Sahara, soon to become Western Sahara, and to transfer it to joint Moroccan-Mauritanian control. Algeria objects and threatens military intervention. Moroccan forces enter and occupy the territory.
Western Sahara profile
'Africa's last colony'
1976 - Moroccan and Algerian troops clash in Western Sahara. Algeria announces the formation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) with a government-in-exile. Morocco and Mauritania divide-up Western Sahara.
1976 onwards - Fighting between Moroccan military and Polisario forces; the war is a considerable financial drain on Morocco.
1983 - Summit between King Hassan and Algerian president prompts thaw in relations.
1983 - King cancels planned elections amid political unrest and economic crisis.
1984 - Morocco leaves the Organisation of African Unity in protest at the SADR's admission to the body. Polisario claims to have killed more than 5,000 Moroccan soldiers between 1982-85.
1988 - Resumption of full diplomatic relations with Algeria.
1991 - UN-monitored ceasefire begins in Western Sahara, but the territory's status remains undecided and ceasefire violations are reported. The following decade sees much wrangling over a proposed referendum on the future of the territory but the deadlock is not broken.
1998 - Morocco's first opposition-led government comes to power.
1999 - King Hassan II is succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI.
2001 November - King Mohammed starts a controversial tour of Western Sahara, the first by a Moroccan monarch for a decade.
2002 July - Morocco and Spain agree to US-brokered resolution over the disputed island of Perejil. Spanish troops had taken the normally-uninhabited island after Moroccan soldiers landed on it and set up tents and a flag.
2002 December - Morocco and Spain hold their first talks since their conflict over Perejil. In January 2003 they agree to return ambassadors.
2003 February - Casablanca court jails three Saudi members of al-Qaeda for 10 years after they were accused of plotting to attack US and British warships in the Straits of Gibraltar.
2003 May - More than 40 killed when suicide bombers attack several sites in Casablanca, including a Spanish restaurant and Jewish community centre.
2004 February - Powerful earthquake hits the north; more than 500 people are killed.
2004 July - Free trade agreement with the US comes into effect. It follows Washington's designation of Morocco as a major non-Nato ally.
2005 September-October - Hundreds of African migrants try to storm Morocco's borders with the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. Morocco deports hundreds of the illegal migrants.
2005 December - Truth commission investigating human rights abuses during the rule of King Hassan II says 592 people were killed between 1956-99.
2006 January - Spanish Premier Zapatero visits the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. He's the first Spanish leader in 25 years to make an official visit to the territories.
2007 April - Three suspected suicide bombers blow themselves up in Casablanca, a few weeks after a suicide blast in an internet cafe weeks earlier.
Two suicide bombers blow themselves up outside US diplomatic offices in Casablanca.
Morocco unveils an autonomy blueprint for Western Sahara to the United Nations. Independence movement Polisario rejects the plan and puts forwards its own proposal.
2007 June - Morocco and the Polisario Front hold UN-sponsored talks in New York but fail to come to any agreement.
2007 September - Parliamentary elections. The conservative Istiqlal party, a member of the ruling coalition, wins the most votes.
2007 November - Spanish King Juan Carlos visits Ceuta and Melilla, angering Morocco which demands the return of the enclaves.
2008 April - Spanish police arrest two Moroccans wanted over 2003 Casablanca bombings, plan extradition.
2008 September - Fouad Ali al-Himma, a confidant of King Mohammed, forms an alliance around his new Authenticity and Modernity Party. The party has the potential to dominate parliament.
Court sentences more than 40 people to long prison sentences over Casablanca internet cafe suicide bombing that injured three.
2008 December - Two Moroccan men, Abdelilah Ahriz and Hicham Ahmidan, sentenced to 20 and 10 years in jail respectively in Morocco over Madrid train bombings of 2004.
2009 February - Islamist Saad Housseini given 15-year sentence over 2003 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people. Also wanted in Spain over Madrid bombings.
2009 July - Alleged al-Qaeda leader in Morocco, Belgian-Moroccan Abdelkader Belliraj, imprisoned for life on being found guilty of leading an Islamist militant group and committing six murders in Belgium.
2010 November - Security forces storm a protest camp in disputed territory of Western Sahara, triggering violent demonstrations in regional capital Elayoun.
2011 February - Thousands of people rally in Rabat and other cities calling for political reform and a new constitution curbing the powers of the king.
2011 April - 17 people - mainly foreigners - are killed in a bomb attack on a Marrakech cafe. It is Morocco's deadliest blast in eight years. The Maghreb arm of al-Qaeda denies involvement.
2011 July - King Mohammed scores a landslide victory in a referendum on a reformed constitution he proposed to placate "Arab Spring" protests. Demonstrators continue to call for deeper reforms.
2011 October - Court sentences man to death for bombing of tourist cafe in Marrakech in April.
2011 November - Parliamentary elections won by moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD).
2012 January - New coalition headed by PJD leader Abdelilah Benkirane is installed.
2012 May - Tens of thousands take part in Casablanca trade union rally, the largest since the new government took office in January. Participants accuse Prime Minister Benkirane of failing to deliver on reforms.
King Mohammed VI, right, meets Spain's King Juan Carlos on his state visit to Morocco in July 2013. The trip reflected close ties between Morocco and its biggest trading partner.
2013 January - Government backs changing penal code article that allows rapists of underage girls to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims. Follows suicide of 16-year-old girl forced to marry her rapist.
2013 April - Morocco cancels joint military exercises with the US over Washington's backing for UN monitoring of human rights in Western Sahara. Morocco calls the proposed monitoring an attack on its sovereignty.
2013 October - King appoints new government following a power-sharing deal forged by Prime Minister Abdelila Benkirane months after his governing coalition was hit by the resignation of one of its partners.
2013 September - News site editor Ali Anouzla arrested for publishing a video which was attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and which accused the king of being corrupt and oppressive.
2014 February - Morocco suspends judicial co-operation with France following a diplomatic row over lawsuits in Paris that accuse the kingdom's intelligence chief Abdellatif Hammouchi of complicity in torture.
2014 May - Spain says a thousand migrants tried to enter the Spanish territory of Melilla, in North Africa, from Morocco.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights during a visit urges Morocco to do more to improve its human rights record.
2014 October - Morocco summons the Algerian ambassador after a shooting incident at the border. The borders between Morocco and Algeria have been closed since 1994, and relations have remained tense because of the longstanding dispute over the territory of Western Sahara.
2014 November - Morocco is disqualified from the 2015 African Cup of Nations after refusing to host the tournament over concerns about the spread of ebola.
2015 March - Government says security services dismantle network of militants linked to Islamic State group.
2015 February - Authorities destroy makeshift migrant camps near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, after hundreds storm the border fence trying to reach Europe.
2016 March - Morocco expels more than 80 UN staff in Western Sahara, reacting angrily to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's use of the word "occupation" to describe Rabat's 1975 annexation of the area.
2016 October - Parliamentary elections. King picks Abdelilah Benkirane for a second term as prime minister after his party wins the most seats. | A chronology of key events: | 14123260 |
MSPs were debating the behaviour of undercover police as part of a members' debate at Holyrood.
Phil Gormley, who was sworn in as chief constable of Police Scotland this week, previously headed Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police.
He told BBC Scotland he knew "nothing at all" of the allegations at the time.
Former policeman and now Green Party MSP John Finnie questioned how much supervisory officers including Mr Gormley had known about a notorious undercover unit whose officers slept with female targets, and whether they had been "negligent".
A public probe, the Pitchford Inquiry, has been set up in England and Wales amid concerns undercover officers fathered children while using false identities to infiltrate activist groups.
MSPs were holding a debate calling for the inquiry to be extended north of the border, after allegations that officers also operated in Scotland.
Neil Findlay, who led the debate, said the actions of some officers were "nauseating and utterly corrupt", and an example of a "state machine conspiring with powerful interests against ordinary people".
Mr Finnie said there was a need for undercover officers, but hit out at the "disgusting" actions of some.
He said: "The worrying thing is, that is not a rogue individual - that must have been known by supervisory officers.
"They did one of two things - they either ignored it or were unaware of it. Either way they were negligent.
"And who were they? Indeed do we have one of them in our midst in the form of our new chief constable?
"Certainly having a supervisory responsibility in special branch it's inconceivable that they wouldn't have some knowledge they could share."
In an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Gormley said he knew "nothing at all" about the actions of the undercover officers in the 1980s when he was Commander of Special Operations at the Met Police in 2006.
He said he would be as transparent as possible in respect of the ongoing inquiry and said he would co-operate fully with any questions asked of him by MSPs.
Community safety and legal affairs minister Paul Wheelhouse said he was not aware of evidence that Scottish officers authorised those involved in the inquiry.
He agreed that the Pitchford Inquiry should be extended to include any activity by Met Police units in Scotland, but said the use of undercover officers by the Scottish force was "very different" to that elsewhere. | An MSP has questioned what the chief constable of Police Scotland knew about the actions of undercover police when he worked for the Metropolitan Police. | 35247662 |
Created by Will and Grace writer Gary Janetti and award-winning playwright Mark Ravenhill, it sees the actor knights play a bickering gay couple.
The comedy, set in a cramped flat in London's Covent Garden, also features Rising Damp actress Frances De La Tour.
Some critics panned the show, with the Telegraph giving it a one star review.
The show centres around Freddie, played by the 73-year-old McKellen, and his partner of 50 years Stuart, portrayed by the 74-year-old Jacobi.
What on Earth were they thinking?
The makers of Vicious, ITV's latest stab at a sitcom, have squandered not only the estimable acting talents of Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi and Frances de la Tour, but also the combined screenwriting welly of Olivier Award-winning playwright Mark Ravenhill and Gary Janetti (Will and Grace) on perhaps the least funny new comedy in recent memory.
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More like caricatures of themselves: they're camped up to the max, actual drama queens. And they're Acting with a capital A - thespian jousting. Take that darling, no you take that, ouch, you bitch. Which is rather fabulous.
Something like Frasier meets Will and Grace meets Henry V. Oh, and then Frances de la Tour turns up, as their bessie mate Violet, and joins the fun.
It's just a shame that the vehicle in which they find themselves isn't a better one. It's not just old-fashioned, pre-Office TV comedy (as opposed to post-office comedy, which is something else, possibly), it's also, frankly, a bit lame.
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Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi have a ball as a bitching couple living in a cobwebbed, sepulchral flat, lusting after hunky new neighbour Iwan Rheon, confiding in best friend Frances De La Tour and hamming it up wherever possible.
It's a very traditional studio sitcom setup, made watchable by its stars and enjoyable by a waspish script. Also, in its combination of old age and homosexuality, it could be argued to have broken a little ground.
Not that creators Mark Ravenhill and Gary Janetti much care about that: this show is all about low blows and easy laughs - at which it excels.
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Vicious was a particular letdown.
Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi may well be legendary actors, but it's going to take a lot to convince me that this isn't just a pair of gay refugees from a ÂBenidorm script rewrite theatrically bitching each other off for half an hour.
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Jacobi and McKellen, who are both gay and in long-term relationships themselves, are having huge fun with their characters. Add Frances de la Tour, a sitcom stalwart since Rising Damp in the seventies, and this show is an instant classic.
Even the theme tune was right: Eighties pop duo the Communards, doing their cover of The Jackson 5's Never Can Say Goodbye.
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The first episode, set exclusively in the dark grandeur of the men's flat, was ostensibly a wake for a dead friend. But what the writers were playing, mainly, was punchline pinball.
Set-up, gag, set-up, gag: there's a pow-pow-pow pace here, created by playwright Mark Ravenhill and co-writer Gary Janetti (Will and Grace, Family Guy).
It's not really to my personal taste - I no more like a laughter track on a comedy than I do a scream track on a horror, or a drama with added "quizzical eyebrow" prompts.
But Vicious remembers the "com" of "sitcom" in a way that many others do not (I mean you, The Wright Way). And yes, it's about a gay couple, but it also punches hard on the themes of ageing and insularity.
Read More (subscription service) | Veteran British actors Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi have received mixed reviews for their new ITV sitcom Vicious. | 22350419 |
The country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index finished at 20,522.83 points, 1.1% up on the day.
Data measuring the country's industrial production came in 0.8% higher compared with the previous month.
Shares in games company Nintendo were up by 8.3%, while carmaker Nissan closed 0.3% up, after both companies reported positive results.
Mazda earnings came in lower, but beat expectations. Its shares were more than 4% up at the end of trading.
Meanwhile, electronics giant Sony saw its net profit triple in the April-to-June quarter on strong sales of its PlayStation 4 games and camera sensors.
Chinese shares headed lower after state media reported that banks were looking into their exposure to the stock market.
Reports said the lenders were checking their exposure through wealth management products and loans collateralised with stocks.
The Shanghai Composite closed down 2.2% to 3,705.7, having rallied to close more than 3% higher the day before.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended lower by 0.5% to 24,497.98.
Overnight, the US Federal Reserve indicated it was more positive on the US economy, confirming views it is likely to raise interest rates this year.
The US central bank said it had unanimously agreed to keep rates at close to zero this month, but believed the economy was on a stronger footing.
In Australia, the ASX/200 took the cue from the Fed and the positive close on Wall Street.
The country's benchmark index ended the day 0.8% higher at 5,669.50, with miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton both closing more than 2% up.
In Seoul, the Kospi index closed 0.9% down at 2,019.03 points.
South Korea saw its technology giant Samsung releasing second-quarter results just before the market opened.
Net profit came in 8% lower compared with the same period in the previous year.
Samsung Electronics shares finished 3.8% down on the news. | Japanese shares were up on Thursday, buoyed by strong earnings from the likes of Nintendo and Nissan. | 33713683 |
Legal papers were filed at the High Court in London on Thursday.
They list Sir Cliff as a claimant, and the BBC and chief constable of South Yorkshire Police as defendants.
The star, 75, has always denied the allegations, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in June it was taking no further action against him.
The decision to sue the BBC and South Yorkshire Police comes after Sir Cliff was the subject of a long-running police investigation based on allegations dating between 1958 and 1983 made by four men.
Sir Cliff was named as the subject of the investigation after police officers searching his apartment in 2014 were filmed by the BBC.
The CPS announced it was taking no further action against Sir Cliff on 16 June on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
That decision was reviewed last month following an application by one of his alleged accusers, but concluded the original decision not to proceed was correct.
After that announcement, Sir Cliff told BBC Radio 2 that "a cloud lifted" when he was informed of the news he would not be prosecuted.
The singer has previously spoken publicly about the investigation and the publicity surrounding it.
In a statement released in June he criticised what he called "vile accusations", adding he was "named before I was even interviewed, and for me that was like being hung out like 'live bait'".
A spokesman for the singer said: "We can confirm that Sir Cliff today issued legal proceedings at the High Court against both South Yorkshire Police and the BBC. It would not be appropriate to comment further."
A BBC spokesman said: "While we haven't received any notification of action, we've said previously we are very sorry that Sir Cliff has suffered distress but we have a duty to report on matters of public interest and we stand by our journalism." | Singer Sir Cliff Richard is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police after being investigated over allegations of historical sexual assault. | 37580723 |
Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured in the incident that happened late on Monday night in Manchester, England.
However, the motorway police were still working to clear things up at lunchtime on Tuesday - with cars still getting held up.
But it's not the only time that something bizarre has caused mayhem on the roads...
People in Hampshire, southern England, driving to work got held up earlier this year when they found themselves face-to-face with a daring emu on the road.
It is thought the cheeky bird had escaped from a nearby farm at about 08:30 that morning.
One man ran after the animal and, with the help of another driver, was able to catch it and take it back to where it came from.
One of the most bizarre cases of traffic being held up was when a sheepdog called Don decided to 'drive' a tractor into the middle of a motorway in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
His owner Tom Hamilton - a local farmer - had parked the vehicle and left the dog on the passenger seat, while he went to inspect a lamb.
However, the dog leant on the controls - and the tractor started to pull away!
It rolled down the verge, crashed through a fence and drove on to one of Scotland's busiest motorways - with Don still in it!
Miraculously, no drivers were hurt - and Don was absolutely fine too. Although the window of Tom's tractor was smashed...
Drivers in a city in Russia were left a bit confused when they were stopped by a robot in the middle of the road.
The machine had escaped from a science lab, where - funnily enough - it was learning how to move around independently.
It is thought it got out when someone who works at the lab left a gate open, according to the local Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.
It wandered as far as 50 metres away, before its battery died and it was left standing in the middle of the road.
Some people say that the science lab let it escape deliberately so that people could see their new machine.
Traffic in Shropshire was diverted earlier this year after a road was closed due to a very bizarre spillage.
A lorry caused chaos after spilling an enormous 20 tonnes of spaghetti bolognese all over the country roads!
A spokeswoman for the police said it wasn't clear how the pasta had ended up all over the place, but thankfully no-one was hurt.
According to Highways England, it was "quite a clean-up job"!
When you go for a walk with your family, the last thing you expect to do is cause an enormous traffic jam.
But that's exactly what this family of swans did when they went out for a wander in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
The birds walked out into a very busy road, causing a queue of cars that was five miles long. Drivers were stuck for at least 20 minutes!
Police and the Scottish SPCA were called to the area and the swans were safely taken away.
But it's not the first time that swans have caused chaos on the roads.
Earlier this year, a lone swan decided to take a walk in the centre of Manchester and held everybody up.
Drivers in Dublin, Ireland, were left puzzled when a giant, inflatable minion got in the way of their journey.
The blow-up character had been on display at a nearby fairground, but strong winds had blown it free and it came to rest on the road.
Police arrived and the 12-metre minion was deflated and taken away in a wheelbarrow! | There was chaos on one the UK's main motorways on Tuesday morning after a lorry crashed and spilled cola syrup all over the road! | 37992363 |
PwC had taken responsibility for the "unacceptable" mistake which saw La La Land wrongly announced as the winner instead of Moonlight, the Academy said.
Its president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, wrote in a letter to members that new rules will also mean electronic devices are banned backstage.
PwC's Brian Cullinan was caught posting Twitter photos just before the mix-up.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers counts the votes and organises the envelopes being handed out at the ceremony. Mr Cullinan was the accountant who gave the wrong envelope to actor Warren Beatty, resulting in the blunder at last month's ceremony.
Ms Boone Isaacs said: "From the night of the ceremony through today, PwC has taken full responsibility for the mistake.
"After a thorough review, including an extensive presentation of revised protocols and ambitious controls, the board has decided to continue working with PwC."
The firm's US chairman and senior partner Tim Ryan will now take a "greater oversight role" at future ceremonies.
A third person will also become part of PwC's on-site team at the Oscars. This individual will have knowledge of the award winners and will sit in the control room with the show's director throughout the event, she added.
Just before the best picture announcement, Mr Cullinan tweeted a backstage photo of La La Land's best actress winner Emma Stone, minutes before handing presenters Beatty and Faye Dunaway the envelope for best actress in a leading role, rather than best picture.
Ms Boone Isaacs said Mr Cullinan's distraction caused the error.
Mr Cullinan and his fellow PwC accountant Martha Ruiz were told they would never work at the Oscars again. It was the awards' most high-profile error since they began in 1929.
PwC said the accountants made "a series of mistakes" and failed to follow established backstage protocols.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Oscars organisers are to continue using accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) despite the best film mix-up. | 39441595 |
The 22-year-old Nigeria international has yet to play for the Blues since signing in January 2012 and has now been sent on loan for a fourth time.
"The focus right now is to play regularly and establish myself here," Omeruo told BBC Sport.
"I know what to expect joining a team with big ambitions - it means the bar has been raised even higher."
The season-long move to Turkey is a swift return to the Super Lig for centre-back Omeruo after a loan stint at Kasimpasa last term.
He was a regular in the Kasimpasa side, making 26 appearances, but the Turkish club could not take up the option to buy him at the end of his loan spell.
'Desire to prove myself'
And it is unlikely Alanyaspor could make the switch permanent because on Tuesday Omeruo signed a contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him on the club's books until July 2019.
"I don't want to enjoy the tag of being a Chelsea player always going out on loan without regular football," Omeruo added.
"My desire is to prove myself a worthy addition to Alanyaspor, make a significant contribution in all competitions and take it from there.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself but everybody wants to be settled at a place and play regularly - I am no different."
Omeruo joined Chelsea from Belgian side Standard Liege and has since been on loan at ADO Den Haag in Netherlands and at twice at Championship side Middlesbrough.
Despite not making a competitive appearance for Chelsea, Omeruo was called up by Nigeria for the first time in January 2013 and went on to play at that year's Africa Cup of Nations and Confederations Cup and at the 2014 World Cup.
Meanwhile, two Nigerian internationals, Rabiu Ibrahim and Kingsley Madu, have quit Slovakian champions AS Trencin for the Belgium top flight.
Midfielder Ibrahim, who won the Fifa U-17 World Cup with Nigeria in 2007, has signed a three-year deal with KAA Gent.
Left-back Madu, a bronze medallist with the country's U-23 squad at the Rio Olympics, has also signed for Zulte-Waragem on a three-year deal.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Chelsea defender Kenneth Omeruo believes his loan move to Turkey's Alanyaspor is his biggest challenge. | 37224222 |
It is understood one resident was in their living room when the car burst through the garden wall and into the front of the house on Whiterock Road.
A man was arrested but two others fled.
A post on the PSNI west Belfast Facebook page said: "We would also appeal for these suspects to make with contact with us ASAP... you left your mobile phones behind lads!!!"
The family who live in the house "are understandably very shocked," according to SDLP councillor Tim Attwood.
It is understood they have had to be re-homed as a result of the crash.
Mr Attwood visited the family on Wednesday morning and call for those responsible for the incident to face the "full brunt of the law".
"This horrific incident caused significant damage to the front of the home but could have easily caused serious injury," the councillor added.
The police also said residents of Whiterock Road had "narrowly escaped serious injury or perhaps worse" when the vehicle crashed between 22:00 and 23:00 BST on Tuesday.
The car has now been removed from the scene.
Earlier, firefighters and officers from Phoenix Gas were called to the crash site to investigate the smell of gas. A pipe is believed to have been damaged.
Officials from Northern Ireland Electricity are also assessing the scene for damage to their network.
In a statement, Insp Alan Swann said: "A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of a number of driving and drug offences and two other males, one reportedly wearing a hi-vis vest, made off in the direction of Whiterock Grove." | A car has crashed into a family home in west Belfast, causing significant damage to the front of the property. | 40726301 |
Former headmaster John Farrell, 73, from Motherwell, was jailed for five years and Paul Kelly, 64, from Plymouth, for 10 years.
The offences were committed at the former St Ninian's school in Falkland.
Farrell and Kelly had denied all charges.
They were convicted last month after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
As the men were led away, one woman in the court shouted: "May God do to you what you did to others."
The school closed in 1983.
The man who launched a campaign to bring Kelly and Farrell to justice asked not to be named, but said outside the court: "I started it for me, but it turned into a group thing. We have never got closure, but we have got justice.
"Back then nobody would have believe us if we had said what was going on. We were told: 'You are here because you're bad. No one will listen to you. We are men of God and they'll believe us before you."
Minutes earlier Lord Matthews told Farrell and Kelly: "St Ninian's List G school was meant to be, not only an educational establishment, but a haven for children in need of care and protection and a place of guidance for them.
"You were entrusted by the community and the Church with those duties of education, care, protection and guidance.
"You fulfilled these duties as far as a number of children were concerned and you were each acquitted of the vast majority of the charges which you faced.
"Nevertheless the jury found you guilty of a number of gross abuses of the trust placed in you in relation to some of the most vulnerable members of our society, children from difficult backgrounds with no effective voice."
Farrell was found guilty of four charges and Kelly was convicted of seven charges last month.
The jury acquitted Farrell of 18 charges relating to the case, while Kelly was acquitted of 22 charges.
The pair, who were found guilty after a 13-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow, were both placed on the sex offenders register.
The victims were abused between 1979 and 1983, when they were aged between 11 and 15.
Farrell, who was the headmaster, was convicted of physically abusing one boy and sexually abusing three others.
Kelly was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys and sexually and physically abusing a third.
One of the victims was sexually abused by both men on different occasions.
During the trial, the court heard that Kelly's bedroom was described as an "open area" where pupils often spent the night.
Boys said they were told by Kelly they were being abused for their "sexual education".
Three other men linked to St Ninian's - ex-social worker Michael Murphy, 75; Edward Egan, 76; and William Don, 62 - had also faced abuse allegations, but these were thrown out during the trial.
Kenny Donnelly, procurator fiscal for serious sexual offences in the East of Scotland, said: "These men have been convicted of serious sexual offences against vulnerable boys.
"Although these crimes took place decades ago, this case, and others like it, show that justice can be achieved after many years.
"We strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim of any such offences to report this to the police, even after a significant passage of time, and they can be confident that they will be treated with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity by the police and our expert prosecutors."
Ch Insp Nicola Shepherd, of Police Scotland, said: "These sentences reflect the severity of the crimes committed against the young victims, who at the time were in the care of both Farrell and Kelly.
"The abuse took place over a number of years causing untold misery and suffering to the boys and was a complete betrayal of the trust they placed in these men.
"Thanks to the bravery of the victims, a significant case was built against them during this extensive investigation and the evidence and testimony of the victims ultimately led to their conviction.
"I would like to thank all of those who came forward to provide us with information for their courage and strength." | Two former teachers at a school in Fife run by the Christian Brothers order have been jailed for a total of 15 years after being convicted of the physical and sexual abuse of pupils. | 37058102 |
4 February 2016 Last updated at 08:37 GMT
The BBC's David Sillito reports from the Rhubarb Triangle, where you can actually hear it grow... | Wakefield is celebrating the arrival of the first rhubarb crop of the season with a special exhibition at the Hepworth gallery. | 35490898 |
The structure was fixed on to towers by two of the UK's largest cranes and took eight hours to be put in place.
Liverpool, which began work on the stadium expansion last year, said it marked another "incredible chapter".
Work is under way to increase Anfield's capacity from about 45,500 to 59,000. The Main Stand will feature a new third tier, adding 8,300 seats.
The Anfield Road Stand will then be expanded to add a further 4,800 seats.
The £100m work is expected to be completed in time for the 2016-17 season.
Ian Ayre, the club's chief executive, said: "This is an historic milestone in Anfield's history as the stadium transformation continues to take shape.
"This is a redevelopment that gives us a fantastic opportunity to ensure that all the rich history and traditions that make this stadium so special can continue for many years to come."
Source: Liverpool FC | A 650-tonne roof truss has been lifted on to Anfield's Main Stand as part of work to expand Liverpool's home ground. | 33649579 |
Leaders and managers in public life rarely escape criticism when they make unpopular decisions either. "The power has gone to his head" is an oft-heard accusation.
So are leaders losing touch with reality when they act in a power-hungry way?
According to psychologist Guy Claxton, professor of learning sciences at the University of Winchester, their actions could be to do with "a disorder of intelligence".
At a Royal Society of Medicine conference this week, entitled The Intoxication Of Power, Prof Claxton says that human intelligence is made up of four different mental systems working in harmony.
When one of these systems is not used, the decision-making process can become unreliable and potentially dangerous.
Instead of analysing actions, checking through the consequences of those actions and chatting through the decisions made, leaders too often rely on impulsive decision-making - and this is when hubris can set in.
"None of these systems is infallible. You need a jazz quartet of them to achieve full human intelligence," Prof Claxton says.
When it comes to governments and prime ministers, this failure of intelligence creates the need for ways of stopping power getting out of hand like the House of Lords checking the power of the House of Commons.
When individuals are in positions of great power, there are other dangers, he says.
"Politics can become dangerous. Leaders have the power to create wars."
When the rest of the world makes it known that they do not like this type of leadership, they tend to resort to something which Prof Claxton calls 'messianic hubris'.
"They transpose their leadership into a sense of humility, as if they are listening to an inner god or higher power when making decisions."
This is when self-deception and an inflated sense of self-worth sets in.
To combat against this, a sense of humour is a useful tool, Prof Claxton says.
"Traditionally, powerful people had a joker following them around, making jokes and poking fun at them, reminding them that they are just human beings."
This suggests that a reminder of your own fallibility is necessary when you are a leader in any field.
Another danger for powerful people is a potential lack of empathy for others, a subject also discussed at the Royal Society of Medicine conference.
Neuroscience studies have shown that the human brain responds to seeing someone in pain by activating pain in its own nerve endings, in order to mirror their pain.
Further research in this area suggests that if one person does not like another, for whatever reason, then feelings of empathy are less likely.
Dr Jamie Ward, reader in psychology at the University of Sussex, says that power has the same effect.
"You are less likely to imitate a low-status person if you are high status because you are unlikely to recognise or empathise with them. That could mean that the powerful are less empathetic."
The Royal Society of Medicine conference, entitled The Intoxication of Power: From neurosciences to hubris in healthcare and public life, takes place on Tuesday, 9 October 2012. | World leaders are often accused of hubris, of wielding power in arrogant and self-serving ways. | 19842100 |
Martyn Ashton, who was also a British and World Champion mountain bike trials rider, lost the use of his legs in an accident during a live show in 2013.
The 41-year-old from Margam, Neath Port Talbot, hoped to raise money for his ongoing care by selling his bike.
But supporters on Facebook said they would raise the money instead.
Mr Ashton was a well-respected professional stunt cyclist, with his videos Road Bike Party and Road Bike Party 2 gaining more than 28 million views between them on YouTube.
Since the accident at British Moto GP at Silverstone he has been having "incredible" treatment on the NHS, but he said he also wanted to buy additional equipment and adapt his house.
But when he tried to sell his bike on Facebook, he was inundated with offers of help to raise the money.
"The support has been amazing," said Mr Ashton, who lives with his wife and 15-year-old son.
"I think generally people are really nice. They probably don't want to spend thousands of pounds on a bike but want to help with my recovery.
"It's that great human spirit where people want to help.
"But I don't feel right taking people's money and also keeping the bike. So I'm considering what to do next - maybe I could have the appeal and then donate the bike to somebody."
He added that despite his paralysis, he felt lucky.
"I get a lot of positive energy from people on Facebook and this is another moment of that." | A stunt cyclist who was left paralysed in a crash has been urged not to sell his bike to pay for rehabilitation equipment. | 35136151 |
Walsall Council has announced it needs to save £18.9m next year and wants views on three budget options, two of which include raising council tax.
Without the increase it plans to close Walsall Museum and reduce children's services spending by £500,000.
The cuts are part of an overall five-year budget reduction of £100m.
Two years ago the council announced 430 redundancies in a bid to save £23.5m.
Facing further budget reductions for 2014-2015, council leader Mike Bird said: "It is clear there will be less money, fewer people and so we'll be able to do less.
"We expect more job losses but it would be wrong to ask us to speculate on a figure."
The council's overall budget for next year is £620m.
Details of how that could be spent have been released based on no increase in council tax. But the council is also asking residents whether they would pay more tax "to protect more services".
A similar consultation by Dudley Council, which borders Walsall, concluded residents would not accept a large increase in council tax.
In Walsall, three options will be put forward for public opinion:
The third option would trigger a referendum, costing the council around £250,000.
The council's proposed budget with no council tax increase includes plans to close Walsall Museum, estimated to save £70,000.
It would also reduce the children's services budget by £500,000, with a further £450,000 cut possible after a review of youth support and careers information.
A further £480,000 could be saved by re-negotiating a respite care contract and £500,000 could be taken from the residential care budget.
Almost £300,000 could be cut from family support spending and £165,000 could be raised by increasing charges for bereavement services.
Grants to allotment associations could be cut by 50% to save about £20,000.
Councillor Christopher Towe, portfolio holder for finance, said "tough decisions lie ahead" but the council's priorities lie with helping businesses to create jobs, promoting good health, providing safe environments and supporting children.
The proposals will go before a council cabinet meeting on 23 October and residents are urged to comment before a final decision is made in February. | Residents of Walsall are being asked if they would accept a 2% or 4% increase in council tax amid warnings of further job losses. | 24540375 |
Senior officers are encouraging people to go out but to remain vigilant on the first holiday weekend with the national threat level at its highest.
Security is being increased at football cup finals at Wembley and Hampden Park and the Great Manchester Run.
Police are questioning 11 men over the attack in which 22 people died.
Prime Minister Theresa May is chairing an emergency Cobra meeting, having left the G7 in Sicily early.
The latest arrests saw two men, aged 20 and 22, detained after officers carried out a controlled explosion to gain entry to an address in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester in the early hours of Saturday.
It came after searches at a separate property in Cheetham Hill and in the Longsight area of the city.
The UK threat level was raised from "severe" to "critical" following the attack at Manchester Arena on 22 May.
The country's leading counter-terror officer, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, said on Friday that "immense" progress had been made in the investigation into a suspected network linked to suicide bomber Salman Abedi.
He said there were still "important" lines of inquiry to pursue but urged the public to "go out as planned and enjoy yourselves".
Police had reviewed security at more than 1,300 events across the country and people could be "100% confident" they were doing everything possible to protect them, he added.
"Whatever events you are going to - whether you are going shopping or to sporting events or music events, I'd encourage the public to carry on. What they will see is many more police officers - some armed, some unarmed - out there to protect the public," he said.
Among the entertainment, sporting and community events taking place is Radio 1's Big Weekend.
Newsbeat's Steve Holden explained how security had been stepped up at Europe's biggest free ticketed event, where 25,000 people are expected on Saturday, and on Sunday.
There are more police officers, sniffer dogs, and two-stage security in place, with checks at transport hubs as well as "airport-style security" at the venue.
"The advice is not to bring big bags, things like umbrellas and big coats," he said.
"People in Hull are still excited to come - we spoke to lots of people who were gutted they were working this weekend or that they didn't get tickets.
"Saying that, there was a smattering of people who have been put off."
About 1,000 armed police officers have been freed up by a decision to deploy the Army to protect key sites including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.
Policing will also be stepped up at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham and the football play-offs at Wembley on Sunday and Monday.
Met Police Ch Supt Jon Williams said operations will include both high-profile and covert tactics.
"All of this is designed to make the policing approach unpredictable and to make London as hostile an environment as possible to terrorists," he said.
He added: "Anyone coming to the FA Cup Final or the other play-off matches over the weekend will see an increase in police numbers in and around the stadium.
"At Twickenham, rugby fans will see more armed officers on foot around the stadium."
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On Sunday, the Great Manchester Run will go ahead with runners and spectators due to turn out in large numbers as the city recovers from the bombing at the concert by the US singer Ariana Grande.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins has said the additional armed policing support enabled the event to go ahead.
As well as military personnel, Ministry of Defence Police are also being used to support regional forces, with Kent Police confirming that "highly-visible firearms officers are already patrolling key locations".
Meanwhile, enhanced policing and security will also be in place at Saturday's Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Supt Mark Hargreaves said: "There is no specific threat against Scotland, or the Scottish Cup Final; however, people should remain calm but vigilant and report anything suspicious to police."
Eleven men aged between 18 and 44 - including Abedi's brother Ismail - are in custody on suspicion of terror offences, following arrests in Greater Manchester, Warwickshire and Merseyside.
A 44-year-old man was held on Friday evening in the Rusholme area of Manchester, with witnesses reporting seeing armed police surrounding a bus on Oxford Road.
Seven children were among those who died. A total of 66 people remain in hospital, with 23 in critical care.
Prime Minister Theresa May is to hold another meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee later to assess the security situation. | Armed police will guard hundreds of events across the UK this bank holiday weekend following a reassessment of security after the Manchester bombing. | 40068012 |
Campaigners wanting to leave the EU say such a further enlargement could result in a migration "free-for-all" and pose a "serious and direct threat" to UK public services. Is there any truth in this?
Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia all hope to join the European Union.
Turkey first approached the European Economic Community - the predecessor to the EU - about membership almost 30 years ago. But progress has been extremely slow.
In the case of the others - Macedonia (applied in 2004); Montenegro (2008); Serbia (2009); Albania (2009) - their interest is much more recent. Bosnia only submitted its application earlier this year, while Kosovo has yet to do so officially.
Despite the current problems in the EU, membership is still widely coveted. It can bring enormous financial benefits and a fair amount of political prestige, particularly for countries with recent histories of conflict and economic strife.
Getting to sit in the room alongside mature democracies and some of the largest economies in the world, when big decisions are taken, is a huge political prize - proven by the fact that EU membership has nearly doubled in the past 15 years.
It is impossible to say with any certainty, but the process by which a country applies to join the EU - known as accession - takes years. For Croatia, the newest EU member, which joined the club in 2013, it took eight years.
The candidate countries are at different stages and face different obstacles. Detailed negotiations have been taking place with Serbia and Montenegro for several years, while talks with Turkey first began in 2005.
Nothing will happen for at least three years, because European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker imposed a five-year moratorium on enlargement in 2014.
Seasoned EU-watchers say Montenegro and Serbia are, to coin a phrase, at the front of the queue, while there are major hurdles to overcome with Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.
As for Turkey, the challenges it faces in meeting the membership criteria are so big, and it has become such a thorny issue, that its prospects are receding.
In short, yes. Turkey has a customs union with the EU, but its troubled relations with the Republic of Cyprus have always been a unique stumbling block - a situation exacerbated by Cyprus' own admission to the EU in 2004.
Turkey would also be the first country with a majority Muslim population to join the EU, in itself a major development.
Some see a future advantage for Europe if many young Turkish workers fill jobs, as ageing populations cause the labour force to shrink.
But the migrant crisis, caused by the five-year civil war in Syria, has fuelled doubts among those EU politicians who, in principle, have always been in favour of letting Turkey in.
More than two million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey, a country which already had a population of nearly 76 million.
EU leaders are desperate to uphold free movement rules, enshrining the right of any EU national to live and work elsewhere in the union. They are nervous that admitting a country of Turkey's size could make this untenable.
Under a recent agreement with Turkey to curb the migrant influx to Greece, the EU undertook to "re-energise" the stalled accession talks.
But there are major concerns about Turkish human rights violations, including curbs on the media and rule of law - all key issues when judging a country's fitness to join the EU.
At the same time, economic hardship, Islamist terror and the migrant crisis have fuelled a nationalist backlash in much of Europe, often expressed as hostility to Islam.
Leave campaigners have sought to exploit the uncertainty surrounding future enlargement to reinforce one of their key campaign arguments - that EU membership means the UK cannot control who comes into the country.
They are warning that the UK will have to help financially under-write the process of preparing Turkey and other countries for joining the EU.
And they say it would give an extra 88 million people - that's the combined populations of the seven candidate countries - the right to live and work in the UK under current rules, and the British public might not even be consulted.
Prominent Leave figures such as Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith have said future enlargement will put an "unquantifiable strain" on public services that are already under pressure.
As evidence of this, they point to the spike in migration after Poland and nine other countries joined the EU in 2004 - when the option of transitional controls was not taken up - and the fact EU migration is driving the current high levels of net migration above 300,000.
Even politicians in favour of EU membership, such as Home Secretary Theresa May, have signalled that further enlargement needs to be reconsidered for countries with "poor populations and serious problems with organised crime, corruption and sometimes even terrorism".
Successive British government have been, in principle, in support of Turkey joining the EU if it meets the criteria, a position endorsed by David Cameron several times since he became prime minister.
But the mood music has definitely changed in recent months.
Ministers have emphasised that the UK has the right of veto over future prospective members, while insisting the talks with Turkey and other countries are unlikely to be rushed and, as such, the issue will not come to a head for a while.
Last month, George Osborne said a Turkish agreement was "not on the cards any time soon" and insisted the UK would not allow any free movement deal with countries which weren't closely aligned in terms of size and prosperity.
Pro-EU campaigners have also pointed out that if the UK votes to leave, it will have no say over the matter and could still find itself bound by freedom of movement rules like Norway, which is outside the EU but part of the European Economic Area.
Further reading:
The UK's EU vote: All you need to know
Turkey EU membership 'not on the cards'
Cyprus threat to EU-Turkey migrant deal
EU enlargement: The next seven | The question of whether Turkey and six Balkan countries will join the European Union and, if so, what it will mean for the UK has become a live issue in the EU referendum campaign. | 36130465 |
The inquiry identified issues in 1MDB's financing and performance, saying it was "unsatisfactory".
1MDB, which racked up billions of dollars in debt, was set up by PM Najib Razak to promote development.
1MDB has faced repeated allegations of corruption, but has previously denied all wrongdoing.
Mr Najib, who has also been accused of misappropriating funds, has been cleared by Malaysian authorities.
The political scandal has gripped Malaysia, which has seen protests calling for Mr Najib's resignation.
The full background to the 1MDB scandal
Asia Business correspondent Karishma Vaswani: Malaysia PM in the clear?
In a statement, 1MDB's board acknowledged there had been lapses, but that it was strengthening its corporate governance.
It said it had been paying off its debts, which it had to incur because it had insufficient equity to make its investments.
The board members said their offer to resign "has been a difficult decision to take but we believe is the right thing to do, given the circumstances, in order to facilitate any follow-up investigations as recommended" by the parliamentary committee which conducted the inquiry.
The committee recommended that former chief executive officer Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi be investigated.
It concluded that there were certain restrictions and weaknesses in 1MDB's management and board of directors, and that Mr Shahrol must take responsibility for those, according to the Malay Mail online.
Mr Shahrol has yet to comment.
Its report stated that 1MDB's management did not follow the board's instructions and made decisions without board approval, while the board "was not proactive in scrutinising" the management or the fund's cashflow.
It cited at least two examples:
The report also called for the fund's advisory board, which is chaired by Mr Najib, to be removed.
Opposition Member of Parliament Tony Pua, who was on the committee, said the report "confirms gross mismanagement and wanton neglect of all principles of good governance and accountability", and said Mr Najib should be held responsible.
Mr Najib said on his blog that his government will study and act on the report's recommendations. | The entire board of a Malaysian state fund has offered to resign, after a parliamentary inquiry found it failed to carry out its responsibilities. | 35983964 |
Cracks appeared in an egg on the nest on Saturday afternoon and after a couple of hours female osprey LF15 stood up to reveal a tiny chick.
It is the earliest recorded hatching at the reserve near Dunkeld since 2005, when the first chick emerged on 12 May.
Staff at the trust expect another two eggs to hatch in the coming days.
Rab Potter, reserves manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust said: "Our team of staff and volunteers has been watching the nest around the clock since the first egg was laid and we're delighted that the first chick has now made an appearance.
"All being well, the next two eggs will hatch over the next few days and we'd encourage people to keep an eye on our live osprey webcam for a chance to see the chicks emerge."
Osprey chicks grow quickly, fuelled by a high protein diet of pike, trout and other fish brought to the nest by their parents.
They are initially covered in down, but start to grow new feathers within days, and are ready to fly after seven to eight weeks.
Once extinct in the UK, there are now around 240 breeding pairs of ospreys thanks to the efforts of nature conservation charities including the Scottish Wildlife Trust. | The first osprey chick of the season has hatched at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve in Perthshire. | 39910430 |
The Glasgow club hope to appoint a successor to Ronny Deila, who stood down after winning a second successive title, before the end of May.
Northern Irishman Rodgers, 43, has been without a club since he was sacked by Liverpool in October 2015.
Scotsman Mackay, 44, had been sacked by Wigan Athletic six months earlier.
Mackay, who recently admitted his interest in the Celtic job, and Rodgers both started their managerial careers with Watford.
Former Celtic and Scotland defender Mackay also had a spell in charge of Cardiff City, while Rodgers was manager with Reading and Swansea City.
Four other former Celtic players - David Moyes, Roy Keane, Paul Lambert and Neil Lennon - and Steve Clarke have also all been strongly linked with Celtic job.
Former Everton and Manchester United boss Moyes, who left Real Sociedad in November, has spoken of his admiration for the Glasgow club but also recently admitted an interest in the vacancy at Aston Villa.
He has also been linked with a return to Goodison Park after Everton parted company with Roberto Martinez.
Former Sunderland and Ipswich Town boss Keane turned down the Celtic job two years ago and is presently preparing for the Euro 2016 finals as assistant to Martin O'Neill with Republic of Ireland.
Clarke, who started his managerial career with West Bromwich Albion and was sacked by Reading in December, and former Celtic boss Lennon, who recently left Bolton Wanderers, have also spoken of their desire to talk to the Scottish champions.
Fellow former Scotland international Lambert, who previously managed Livingston, Wycombe Wanderers, Colchester United, Norwich City and Aston Villa, activated a release clause with Blackburn Rovers last month.
Deila announced he would be leaving Celtic at the end of the season after admitting that his side had failed to make progress this season.
Although they secured a fifth Scottish title in a row, they failed to win the two domestic cup competitions and had disappointing campaigns in the Champions League and Europa League. | Brendan Rodgers and Malky Mackay are among a number of candidates to whom Celtic have spoken about their managerial vacancy. | 36317524 |
Banjong Pongphon was a "key suspect" in the investigation who "wielded great influence" in the area, police said.
The UN refugee agency said on Friday that 25,000 migrants boarded people smugglers' boats from Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2015's first quarter.
This was about double the number who left over the same period in 2014.
Banjong Pongphon is mayor of Padang Besar, a sub-district in southern Songkhla province where 26 bodies were exhumed from mass graves last week.
Smugglers' camps in the forests and plantations surrounding Padang Besar are among the main destinations of the migrants, according to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
It is not yet clear what those exhumed from the graves discovered in Songkhla died from. The UNHCR report said that over half of the migrants interviewed by the UN who had travelled since October last year knew at least one person who had died in the smugglers' camps, mainly as a result of illness, beatings or being shot for trying to escape.
Police chief General Somyot Poompan told a meeting at Thailand's police headquarters in Bangkok on Friday that police will be dealt with severely if they are found to be colluding or ignoring people smuggling.
"If you are still neglecting, or involved with, or supporting or benefiting from human trafficking networks - your heads will roll," he said.
Referring to the transfer on Thursday of dozens of police pending an investigation, Gen Somyot said: "To remove about 50 officers from their posts isn't something I want to do, but it's something I have already warned you about.
"I have warned you but you didn't listen. I have warned but you still did it," he said.
In addition to the 50 officers removed, eight people, including Mayor Banjong, have been arrested.
Those found in the graves are thought to be migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Those from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, are thought to be minority Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in their own country.
The Thai military junta has given local authorities until the end of next week to eradicate camps used by smugglers. | A prominent Thai mayor has been arrested over a human trafficking scandal exposed by the discovery of mass graves in southern Thailand. | 32651410 |
The Reverend Michael Pfleger told mourners it was "a new low for Chicago" and that the city "has to face itself".
Police believe members of a rival gang lured Tyshawn away from a park near his grandmother's home and shot him.
Officers have called the crime "unfathomable" and are offering rewards for anyone with leads on the suspects.
His small red casket arrived at St Sabina's Church on Chicago's South Side, where the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel was among those paying their respects.
Police say Tyshawn's death can be attributed to two gangs fighting and retaliating against one another for months.
The Faith Community of St Sabina has raised at least $54,000 (£35,000) in reward money.
Tyshawn's father Pierre Stokes told ABC7 in Chicago his son's death had nothing to do with gang affiliations and is frustrated the police are focusing on him.
"I don't want to harm nobody, I just want to see justice for my son by seeing the person who did it - whoever did it - locked up. That's all I ever want," he told ABC7. | Funeral services have been held in Chicago for nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee, who police say was executed for his father's gang affiliations. | 34780042 |
The world number three raced through the first set - but had to come from a break down in the second before sealing a 6-0 6-4 victory over a Frenchman.
Britain's Murray, 28, will meet David Goffin, who thrashed Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-0, for a place in the last four.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both won, but Roger Federer was beaten by world number 15 Dominic Thiem.
Murray, the number two seed, has had his path to the final cleared after Stan Wawrinka - the number four seed and in the same half of the draw as the Scot - was beaten in three sets by Juan Monaco.
The victory over the world number 32 Chardy continues Murray's build-up to the French Open, which begins on 22 May, and follows his run to the final in Madrid last week.
Asked about Goffin's one-sided win over Berdych, Murray told BBC Sport: "The scoreline was the big surprise.
"Goffin's a top quality player so it was a match that could go either way, but a very surprising scoreline - you don't see results like that much nowadays, at this top level anyway."
Murray is now guaranteed to return to number two in the rankings next week, following Federer's defeat.
"It's not incredibly important but it's positive," he said. "Being seeded two is a little bit better than being seeded three or four in the major events, it can help the draw a little bit for sure. It's a positive thing."
On court for an hour and 17 minutes, Murray won 87% of points when he landed his first serve and only gave Chardy a sniff when mistakes in the second set followed a virtually error-free first.
But from 3-4 down, three consecutive games, including two breaks, confirmed a passage to the semi-finals.
Federer, who has struggled with a back injury, lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to Austrian Thiem, who moves on to face Kei Nishikori.
The 34-year-old Swiss, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, made 34 unforced errors and said he fears for his chances at Roland Garros.
"I see my chances as not great to have the most unbelievable run," said Federer.
"But if maybe in three, four days I can practise 100% for next week, then I believe that something is possible again."
World number one Djokovic, who will reach $100m (£69m) in career prize money if he defends his title at the Foro Italico, battled past world number 37 Tomaz Belluci in three sets in strange circumstances.
The Serb was 'bagelled' for only the ninth time in his career, winning only eight points in the first set.
He then offered animated celebrations when he scraped a hold of serve in the first game of the second.
From there, though, he moved to a 0-6 6-3 6-2 victory and a quarter-final meeting with Nadal, who defeated Australian Nick Kyrgios in three sets. | Andy Murray defeated Jeremy Chardy to reach the quarter-finals of the Italian Open in Rome. | 36274982 |
Pick, 25, who lost his leg while serving with the Army in Afghanistan in 2010, was second in the SB-LL2 event.
He was beaten by Finn Matti Suur-Hamari, whose time of one minute, 7.82 seconds bettered Pick's 1:08.23.
Moore, whose arm was left paralysed after a motorbike accident, finished third in the SB-UL category.
Both athletes will now be aiming for medals at next year's Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.
"I've been knocking on the door for the last three years behind these guys," said Pick, from Cambridge. "I'm really happy with my first podium at a world championships and only missing out on first place by 0.5secs."
Moore, from Plymouth, won silver and bronze at the last world championships two years ago, and was pleased with his medal after suffering a serious crash in training two weeks ago which put his participation in doubt.
"I am so relieved, happy and excited all at the same time," he said. "I love Canada and this resort in particular, but I even surprised myself with that run and it feels good." | Britain's Owen Pick and Ben Moore both won medals in the banked slalom events at the 2017 Para Snowboard World Championships in Big White, Canada. | 38904099 |
In a tight contest the Irish fighter lost on a split decision after a 39-37, 38-38, 37-39 scoreline.
"It is very disappointing - it's very hard to take but I gave it my best shot," Taylor told RTE.
It is another blow for the Ireland team with Michael Conlan the only boxer still involved in the Games.
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A positive drugs test for middleweight Michael O'Reilly got Ireland's Rio boxing campaign off to a bad start.
London 2012 bronze medallist Paddy Barnes made a shock exit, while there were also defeats for David Oliver Joyce, Joe Ward, Steven Donnelly and Brendan Irvine.
Bantamweight Conlan clinched a place in the quarter-finals with a unanimous win over Armenia's Aram Avagyan on Sunday.
Taylor produced a busy performance against Potkonen but her opponent landed the bigger punches, giving her the edge and a guaranteed medal as a semi-finalist. | Katie Taylor's defence of her Olympic lightweight title ended with a surprise quarter-final defeat by Finland's Mira Potkonen in Rio on Monday. | 37087014 |
Official figures for the first quarter of 2014 showed sanctions on Employment and Support Allowance claimants were some 4.5 times higher than in the same quarter in 2013 - although the 2014 figure still includes those appealing.
Under the sanctions, benefits can be docked temporarily.
Ministers said they were a last resort.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefit.
It is intended for people who are unable to work due to sickness or disability. Claimants undergo tests, called work capability assessments, before learning whether they are eligible for the payment.
Some of those deemed eligible for the payment are given regular interviews to help them find work, depending on their level of disability.
In the first three months of 2014, there were 15,955 sanctions on ESA claimants, compared with 3,574 in the same period last year.
Only ESA claimants in the work-related activity group, where an adviser assists them with training and skills, can be subject to sanctions, which are handed out for failing to attend a mandatory interview or failing to take part in a work-related activity.
There are 552,000 benefit claimants in the ESA work-related activity group and they receive up to £101.15 a week, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
Matt Downie, director of policy and external affairs at Crisis, said: "This is a shocking escalation in the use of sanctions and we are deeply concerned about the impact on people's lives.
"Sanctions are cruel and can leave people utterly destitute - without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work.
"Our own research has shown that many homeless people face unfair and inappropriate sanctions, often handed out due to errors on the part of the job centre or work programme provider.
"We want the government to commit to an urgent, wide-ranging review looking at the appropriateness and effectiveness of sanctions, especially for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness."
Disability charity Scope said the increase "raises serious questions".
Chief executive Richard Hawkes said: "We back the government's commitment to getting more disabled people into work.
"But such a dramatic increase in the use of sanctions raises serious questions.
"Disabled people are being sanctioned for things like missing interviews with advisers. How often do sanctions take into account the reality of disabled people's lives?
"Interviews with advisers can clash with medical appointments and inaccessible transport can make attendance extremely difficult."
He called for more advisers with specialist understanding of disabled people's conditions and added: "We need a system that works for disabled people, that supports them to find a job they want, and that takes seriously the barriers they face."
A Department for Works and Pensions spokeswoman said: "People who are in a job know that if they don't play by the rules or fail to turn up in the morning, there might be consequences, so it's only right that people on benefits should have similar responsibilities. However, sanctions are used as a last resort."
The sanctions are temporary and the vast majority last for a week, said the DWP, with about 99% of recipients not receiving sanctions.
Claimants can apply for hardship payments, which would allow them to receive 60% of their payment for the duration of the sanction. They are also entitled to part of their ESA benefit which is not affected by sanctions, which is £28.75, the spokeswoman added.
The DWP figures also showed that Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) claimants had benefits suspended 920,000 times in the year up to March 2014.
A spokeswoman said that around 6% of all JSA claimants receive a sanction, with the most common reason being the benefit claimant failing to actively look for a job.
The Liberal Democrats have said too many benefits claimants are unfairly punished and called for a "yellow card" system.
This proposal, to be included in their general election manifesto, would see jobseekers who breach the terms of their benefits given a warning for a first offence rather than having payments suspended.
Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Minister Steve Webb said producing a card showing details of the issue would help claimants understand what they had to do to keep receiving payments and seek help from people such as GPs or social workers.
The DWP has agreed a series of reforms to the sanctions system after a Government-commissioned review warned of significant inadequacies in official communications with claimants.
Former civil servant Matthew Oakley said some only discovered their benefits had been stopped when their bank cards were refused at cash machines and recommended that a guide to benefit sanctions must be easily accessible in hard copy and online. | There has been a "shocking" rise in the number of sanctions given to those who receive a key sickness benefit, according to homeless charity Crisis. | 28776102 |
Calan Morrison, 29, raped one woman at houses in Fernhill, Glasgow, and at Galston, East Ayrshire.
He indecently assaulted another victim at houses in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, and Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire. He also abducted two women who were left locked in a flat in Faifley, Clydebank.
Sentence on Morrison was deferred and he was remanded in custody.
Morrison, who has a previous conviction for sex with an underage girl, was also placed on the sex offenders' register.
During his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Morrison accused the women of lying.
One woman told the court how she was raped by Morrison in 2014.
She told the jury: "I said 'no' about 100 times. I don't see how that could be consensual."
Another woman told the court how Morrison had grabbed her hair and forced her to perform a sex act.
One victim also said she was repeatedly locked in a flat by Morrison.
"I could never take the dog out for a walk. The dog used to defecate in the house," she said.
"There was electricity, but there was no heating. It was really cold," she said.
The woman told the court how she managed to get out of the flat in 2005 after sending a text to an acquaintance and the door was eventually broken down.
Another woman told Morrison's trial: "I was constantly locked in the house. He constantly wasn't there. I sat in the flat with no heating and no hot water."
The woman said that during the period in 2004 she was left feeling that her self-esteem had hit "rock bottom". | A convicted sex offender has been found guilty of rape, indecent assault and abduction charges. | 32395026 |
Lawro correctly forecast that France, his pre-tournament pick to win the tournament, would beat Germany in their semi-final, but wrongly thought Wales would beat Portugal and make Sunday's final.
He picked the winner in two of the four quarter-finals, six of the eight last-16 ties and enjoyed a 42% success rate in the group stage, correctly guessing the outcome of 15 of the 36 games.
The only group he failed to get a single result in was Group F, which saw Hungary and Iceland spring a surprise by finishing first and second.
Before the tournament Lawro chose 11 of the 16 teams that went through to the first knockout stage.
Along with more than 375,000 of you, Lawro is taking part in the new BBC Sport Predictor game. He is going head-to-head with pundits, presenters and commentators from across BBC Sport.
He's doing well, but he is only in the running for a podium place - with a maximum of 40 points still to be won, commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball is certain of victory with one game to go.
You can make your own prediction for the final and take on your friends and other fans using the BBC's Euros Predictor.
Portugal have got to the final without playing well in any of their six matches in the tournament so far.
Other than putting a lot of crosses into the area for Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, I am not sure what they offer going forward other than sitting back and waiting and waiting for the the opposition to make a mistake.
Their problem with doing that in this game is that they have not played a team as dangerous as France before. They have got so many players who will hurt Portugal if they give them time and space on the ball.
When you look at how France have got their goals, and who has got them, then they have got a lot of options on the field and on the bench in terms of who can do the damage.
I know it has been said that France are vulnerable at the back but they dealt pretty well with Germany in their semi-final.
Samuel Umtiti has come in and been outstanding in defence and, behind them, they have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Hugo Lloris.
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Euro 2016 has not been a great tournament in terms of brilliant matches, but in terms of a spectacle, I just hope that France score early in the final.
Even if they go behind, I do not think they will be in trouble in the same way Wales were in their semi-final.
France have got more attacking weapons than any other team in the tournament and on top of that they have got momentum and home advantage.
Many of the best players over the past month have been French and in Antoine Griezmann they have the player of the tournament. He is an outstanding number 10 but what I love about him is that he is perfectly happy to track back and work when he is asked to as well.
I am convinced France will win but it is difficult to say whether this will be the start of a period of dominance for Les Bleus. Most of their talented attacking players are young, but it is hard to know how they will shape up as a team by the time the next World Cup comes round in 2018.
Lawro's prediction: 0-3
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan. | BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson is predicting the outcome of every game at the 2016 European Championship. | 36751644 |
The switch in February 2014, which was widely anticipated, will see the show relocate from Los Angeles to New York.
NBC also said Lorne Michaels, the renowned producer of Saturday Night Live, will produce The Tonight Show.
NBC head Steve Burke said the network was making the change while the show was at the peak of its ratings.
"Jimmy Fallon is a unique talent and this is his time," Mr Burke said.
The network used the same strategy when handing the show over to Leno from Johnny Carson, its previous host.
Fallon will reportedly begin on The Tonight Show during NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics, when the network expects to see a spike in its audience.
Correspondents say NBC executives were concerned a rival late-night show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on the ABC network would make gains among the crucial younger audience if Fallon's move did not happen quickly.
This is the second time in recent years NBC has sought to replace Leno, who has hosted the show from Los Angeles since 1992.
In 2009, NBC handed the show over to Conan O'Brien, but the move backfired and the network reinstated Leno.
This time, Leno has congratulated Fallon on the promotion.
"I hope you're as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you're the old guy," Leno said in a statement. "If you need me, I'll be at the garage."
Meanwhile, in a reference to his current show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which begins at 00:30 ET (04:30 GMT), Fallon said: "I'm really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow." | Late-night television show host Jay Leno will be replaced by presenter Jimmy Fallon on NBC's The Tonight Show, the US network has said. | 22020172 |
The 49-year-old man, who has not been identified, is an officer with the Northamptonshire force.
He was arrested shortly after 13:00 GMT at the couple's home in Wootton Hall Park, Northampton, close to the force's headquarters.
The murder investigation team "will not include anyone from Northamptonshire Police", a statement said.
The overall investigation will be led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, headed by Det Supt Kate Meynell and including officers drafted in from across the region.
No details were released about the victim, but a post-mortem examination was due to be carried out in Leicester.
The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission "as a matter of course".
Det Supt Meynell said: "A full and proper investigation is taking place." | A serving police officer has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife. | 32080712 |
Two hundred and seventy jobs are under threat at Tata Steel in Dalzell and Clydebridge.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the focus of the Scottish government remains "very firmly" on securing an alternative operator for the plants.
Tata said 225 jobs would go at Dalzell in Motherwell and 45 posts at the Clydebridge plant in Cambuslang.
Ms Sturgeon said at First Minister's Questions on Thursday that discussions between Tata and the Community union will continue.
She said: "Tata Steel has confirmed that there are currently serious parties potentially interested in the plants. This is encouraging and we continue to do everything we can to assist that process.
"There are no quick fixes here, there are certainly no easy fixes. But together with the workforce, the unions and with others we are working tirelessly, leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to keep these plants open."
Her comments came in response to a question at Holyrood from Motherwell Labour MSP John Pentland, who asked if she agreed that there is the potential to create a centre of excellence for steel making in Scotland.
Mr Pentland also called on the government to provide for the steelworkers in any transitional period towards that hub of expertise.
Ms Sturgeon responded: "If there is any viable option that will secure the future of these plants then the government will explore taking that forward.
"We do right now have serious parties that are expressing potential interest in the plants. I think it is therefore appropriate and therefore right that we concentrate on doing everything we can to see one of those expressions of interest turn into something real and viable, and that at the moment is where the Scottish government will continue to expend our energy."
Business minister Fergus Ewing also said efforts to secure a new operator for the plants will continue.
Mr Ewing stated a "extensive global search" had been carried out to find a new operator.
Friday marks the end of the minimum statutory 45-day consultation period for workers at Tata.
When it the job losses were announced in October, the Scottish government set up a Scottish Steel Task Force, bringing together key representatives across government and the industry to help keep Dalzell and Clydebridge open.
Mr Ewing said: "The Scottish Steel Taskforce remains focused on finding an alternative operator for Dalzell and Clydebridge and keeping jobs where possible. It will meet again next week to review progress.
"In a hugely challenging global steel market, we want to create the best business environment for any new operator taking on the sites.
"The Lanarkshire assessor will take into account the state of the steel industry for the next business rates revaluation in April 2017, while we are open to options for reducing the rates liability complying with state aid rules.
"We now know that energy costs at the sites could be cut significantly, while there is potential for renewable electricity generation and sale of heat from the plants."
Mr Ewing said the Scottish government will continue to put pressure on the UK government to do all it can do, in particular putting pressure in turn on the European Commission.
Bimlendra Jha, the executive chairman of Tata Steel's Longs Steel UK, said the firm will continue to work closely with affected employees and their trade unions.
He said: "That work will, in this case, continue beyond the statutory 45-day minimum consultation period.
"At the same time, Tata Steel is working closely with the Scottish government and is fully engaged in the taskforce process of finding an alternative solution for the Dalzell and Clydebridge mills."
Steve McCool, national officer at steelworkers' union Community, added: "We will continue to talk to Tata Steel, the Scottish government and all interested parties in the interests of securing a future for the Dalzell and Clydebridge plants.
"As we have said all along, all parties need to work together to ensure that the skills are retained and the assets are preserved to ensure that production has the chance to continue."
In October, Tata said both Dalzell and Clydebridge would be mothballed, while a further 900 posts will go at Tata's facility in Scunthorpe.
The firm blamed the cuts on a flood of cheap imports from China, a strong pound and high electricity costs.
Tor Farquhar, human resources director of Tata Europe, told reporters outside the Dalzell plant at the time that it would be "extremely difficult" to find a new buyer.
The decision to close the two Tata plants in Scotland effectively ends production at the country's last two major steelworks.
The Dalzell Steel and Iron Works opened in 1872, and Clydebridge in 1887. | A consultation period for workers at two closure-threatened Lanarkshire steel plants ends on Friday. | 35006435 |
Alex Mutungi Mutuku, 28, is accused of electronic fraud but he denies any wrongdoing.
The prosecution says he is part of an international network stealing money from several state bodies.
The government says there is a ring involving expatriates from the United States and other countries, along with police officers and civil servants.
A thorough background check on state employees is now being conducted, government spokesperson Eric Kiraithe told the BBC.
Other state agencies affected by the alleged hacking include the e-citizen online payment portal where users pay for government services.
Africa Live: More on this and other news updates
Mr Mutuku was arrested after police conducted an operation following a tip-off that institutions were losing money.
A lawyer for Mr Mutuku, Tacey Makori, has asked for him to be released, arguing that police had failed to show enough evidence to warrant an extended detention.
He is being held while anti-cybercrime officers dig deeper into what they believe is an elaborate fraud scheme with international connections.
It allegedly involves hackers with access to high-tech equipment and software which enabled them to steal from corporations, Kenya's Standard newspaper reports.
"It is a case of remote control hacking where the suspects operate smoothly with their machines and the next minute you realise you have no money in your account," state prosecutor Edwin Okello is quoted by the newspaper as saying.
"The information we have is just a tip of the iceberg. The racket is big and involves people outside the country."
The cybercrime unit says Kenya lost $165m (£132m) through hacking in 2016.
Earlier this month, several people including foreign nationals were arrested in Nairobi over their involvement in theft of funds through hacking.
Ten suspects have so far been charged in court. | An IT expert has been charged with hacking into Kenya's Revenue Authority and stealing $39m (£31m). | 39351172 |
Crowds gathered on the banks of the Thames to watch the 120-metre long model go up in flames.
The inferno in 1666 raged for four days, destroying most of the city, which then was largely of wood.
It paved the way for large-scale reconstruction including the building of today's St Paul's Cathedral.
More than 13,000 homes, businesses and structures, including the old St Paul's, were destroyed.
Following the fire, stone started being used in the capital as a building material and an organised fire service and insurance industry were established.
The burning of the replica of London took place during a festival held to commemorate the Great Fire.
London's Burning, which was held from 30 August to 4 September, featured a series of art installations, performances, talks and tours and was organised by the company Artichoke.
Helen Marriage, director of Artichoke, said: "I feel so relieved that it actually went off, because obviously when you do a live event you never know."
Tim Marlow, the artistic director of the Royal Academy of Arts, said it was a unique event.
He said: "I've seen a shed blown up in the name of art, I've seen fireworks, I've seen artists bury themselves, I've seen the trace of an artist shooting himself in the hand or nailing himself to a car, but actually I've never seen anyone collaborate with so many people in such an extraordinary and exciting way, to make a commemorative replica of a skyline 350 years ago and then set fire to it.
"I mean this is spectacle and then some." | A giant wooden replica of 17th century London has been set ablaze on the River Thames in a retelling of the Great Fire of London 350 years ago. | 37272667 |
The claims of an organised covert attempt to impose a hardline Muslim ethos on a group of state schools emerged in a letter describing a so-called Operation Trojan Horse.
There have been investigations by the Department for Education, Ofsted and the local authority - and disputes about the plausibility of the letter. But there has never been any consensus about what really happened.
You can talk to people close to events who will say the entire story was an overblown hoax, unsubstantiated claims built up by a climate of fear about Islamic extremism. They say it's been more Salem than Birmingham, with high-achieving schools being unfairly condemned.
Or you can talk to others privately who will say that this was only the tip of the iceberg. They say teachers have been bullied and schools have been manipulated by closed groups, operating to their own religious and cultural agenda. They also suggest that this isn't only a problem for Birmingham.
Nothing so far has brought these deeply-held and contradictory views any closer.
The claims and counter-claims are now being heard in a series of misconduct hearings for 11 teachers, held under the auspices of the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).
One of these cases has already been withdrawn. A teacher at Park View, facing claims along with others of acting in a way that could undermine "respect for the faith and belief of others", has been told he has no case to answer.
There have so far been no decisions in the remaining 10 cases, some of which will continue until mid-December.
These professional conduct panels, acting on behalf of the secretary of state, can issue "prohibition orders" banning people from teaching.
They can impose indefinite bans, or else there can be a prohibition with a time limit, so that after a specified number of years the banned person could seek permission to return to teaching.
In 2014-15 these panels heard 150 misconduct cases, with 108 leading to prohibition orders.
So what is the case being brought against these former staff?
Opening the misconduct case, Andrew Colman said this was "not about an evil plot to indoctrinate young children in extremist ideology or anything like it".
"We say the education of children in a number of schools in Birmingham was led at the instigation of a group of like-minded individuals who shared deeply held religious beliefs, sincerely held.
"We don't suggest they were malicious or ill-willed but it looked as though they believed the best way to educate the children of their community was to make them mirror their own image of what a good Muslim was."
But what is suggested is that "improper pressure" was put upon "unsympathetic" staff that they wanted to remove, that there was segregation of boys and girls, an over-emphasis on religion and a lack of tolerance towards other beliefs.
A former assistant head gave evidence that she had been isolated and excluded by the changing culture of a school. And it was claimed that jobs were being "passed around" between friends.
Exchanges on WhatsApp are claimed as revealing evidence of private prejudices. A former head of department has claimed that the use of derogatory language was not adequately challenged, including anti-semitism.
Another accusation was that pupils were told that wives had to obey husbands.
Representatives of the teachers have said the claims against them are over-simplified and lacking in context or in one case "frankly bonkers".
Some of the evidence has been given anonymously and again there has been a gulf in interpretation.
There were accusations of "excessive disciplinary punishments", including "stress positions" and pupils being left to stand in the rain.
And one of these alleged punishments was "being made to stare at bushes".
A representative of one of the teachers said "some pupils were placed in detention" and that meant "they have to look out towards bushes".
The misconduct panel has still to reach any decisions - that will emerge in the weeks and months ahead.
But even though the names of some of the schools have changed, and the control of the schools has been put into new hands, and there have been multiple inquiries, don't expect any agreement on the outcome. | More than 18 months after the Trojan Horse allegations first made the headlines, the arguments over claims of a take-over of Birmingham schools are being fought out in a series of disciplinary hearings. | 34606169 |
Scientists have just discovered that reindeer could actually be helping to protect the North Pole from climate change.
They can do this by eating plants in the Arctic, according to a science publication called Environmental Research Letters.
Munching on shrubs like this allows the surface of the Earth to be more reflective, bouncing more of the sun's radiation back out into space.
This means that, when the reindeer eat the plants, this could potentially cool the temperature in the Arctic during the summer.
Dr Mariska te Beest, the lead researcher from Umea University in Sweden, said that it might even be possible to manage other animals in a similar way to help climate change even more.
However, more research needs to be done as the scientists believe you need a lot of animals for it to make a real difference. | Reindeer are even more amazing than we thought. | 38402944 |
George B left on its first passenger trip from Llanuwchllyn station on the Bala Lake Railway in Gwynedd at 11:00 BST on Saturday.
It was built in 1898 and, originally named Wellington, was used for work at the Dinorwic Quarry.
It was privately purchased in 1965 before being withdrawn from service four years later for restoration.
Owner Alan White sought to restore George B, but due to his circumstances the work was not finished.
In 2003, Bala Lake Railway agreed to transfer George B to Llanwchllyn, where it was worked on with help from Mr White, his brother and a friend. | A steam train has completed its first journey in 50 years after being restored to full working order. | 39656220 |
James Greenwood, Green Party candidate, said he was "fed up with the constant sell-off threat" to the woodland.
Conservative's Mark Harper and Liberal Democrat's Chris Coleman agreed the forest should remain publicly-owned.
Labour's Steve Parry-Hearn wanted legal protection while UKIP's Steve Stanbury said it was a "precious resource".
The five parliamentary candidates had been asked about the leasing of forest land when they took part in a BBC Gloucestershire radio debate on Wednesday.
Mr Greenwood referred to a holiday company which he said had been given a 125-year lease for a piece of land.
He said: "We have to see a moratorium on land being disposed in the forest and stop these long leases."
He claimed a lease could be traded and said it was "effectively a sell-off".
Mr Harper said: "It's very important to develop tourism - getting more people to come to the Forest of Dean and spending money and developing local jobs is a very good thing and should be encouraged."
He said the forest should be kept in "public ownership".
Mr Parry-Hearn said he was against long leases adding: "We could find ourselves in a position where there is privatisation because that lease could then be sold on."
Lib Dem Chris Coleman said: "When you're talking about a 125-year lease, that is longer than any of us in this room can imagine - that is a sell-off."
He said he was "wholeheartedly against privatisation".
UKIP's Steve Stanbury said the management of the forest should be "done in a balanced way".
He said: "We need to make sure the business community, on which so many livelihoods depend, is actually engaged and that the forest works for everybody."
The candidates for the constituency are:
Christopher Coleman - Liberal Democrat
James Greenwood - Green
Mark Harper - Conservative
Steve Parry-Hearn - Labour
Steve Stanbury - UKIP | The Forest of Dean needs to be protected for future generations, according to the constituency's election candidates. | 32530291 |
The footage begins just after 18:36 local time on Monday 17 August. All timings have been adjusted by Thai police to account for discrepancies in the clocks of individual cameras, so the timestamp on the image may differ from the time given by police.
Thai police say this image shows the tuk-tuk (largely obscured) doing a U-turn and pulling up outside the hotel, near the shrine.
18.37.12: Tuk-tuk parks and suspect gets out
18.37.35: Suspect gets backpack out of tuk-tuk
Twelve minutes follow in which the suspect is not caught on CCTV.
The young man is wearing a yellow T-shirt and glasses, and carrying a backpack.
Several cameras track his journey after he leaves the shrine, retracing his steps along the front of the Hyatt Hotel before travelling on the back of a motorcycle.
This is 30 seconds' walk from the previous CCTV image showing him at the Hyatt, but more than a minute later, suggesting he paused around the time the bomb went off.
Police believe he picked up the bike at Soi Mahatlek Luang 1.
Timecode adjustment may be wrong for this image.
After this image police lose track of the suspect. | Thai police investigating the bomb at a shrine in Bangkok on Monday, which killed 20 people, have released a series of CCTV images showing the movements of their main suspect before and after the bomb detonated. | 34002904 |
Resuming on 275-8, Derbyshire lost Luke Fletcher to the fifth ball of the morning to Azharullah (4-95),
Shiv Thakor (83 not out) Andy Carter (17) then put on 48 for the 10th wicket to take the visitors to 324 all out.
Duckett and on-loan Notts opener Jake Libby (28 not out) saw the home side to 66-0 at close, 258 behind. | Ben Duckett's unbeaten 36 helped give Northants a solid start to their reply against Derbyshire before rain curtailed day two at Wantage Road. | 36184221 |
Now, the five-year civil war that rages in Syria has left much of it destroyed and divided roughly in two, with President Bashar al-Assad's forces controlling the west and the rebels the east.
A month ago, government forces re-imposed a siege on the east, and launched an all-out assault to take full control of the city, accompanied by an intense and sustained aerial bombardment.
Activists say the offensive has left hundreds of civilians dead, but the government and its ally Russia have denied targeting them and blamed rebel fighters for operating in residential areas.
But what about the 275,000 people who are trapped there? Where are they getting their food from? Do they have enough water and medicine?
There is no single group in charge in eastern Aleppo - it is divided between mainstream rebels backed by the US and its allies; the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front; and Kurdish forces, who say they support neither the government or the opposition.
In the Kurdish-controlled district of Sheikh Maqsoud, markets are well stocked and prices are stable, according to the Reach Initiative, which is in touch with people on the ground to gather regular humanitarian reports.
One road out of Sheikh Maqsoud has opened up in the daytime, allowing people to get out and goods to get in. But the district is surrounded by checkpoints, meaning people from the other areas under siege cannot get in and out easily.
In other parts of eastern Aleppo, the situation is more urgent. Generators are running out of fuel, meaning electric power is sporadic, and some air raid shelters - where residents may spend hours or wait overnight for bombing to stop - are not wired with electric light at all.
Humanitarian aid agencies have been unable to get into eastern Aleppo since the siege resumed on 4 September.
Both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been calling for humanitarian corridors to be opened up since then, but so far those calls have been ignored.
That said, charities are still in contact with people who live there.
Reach says some markets are still up and running in parts of Aleppo under siege, but for key foodstuffs like eggs, flour, vegetables, fruit, chicken and cooking oil, whether you will get them or not is touch-and-go.
In three districts - Qadi Askar, Masakin Hanano and Tariq al-Bab - markets have run out of flour completely. Reach says some people are rationing their last pieces of dried bread and tubes of tomato paste, while others are bartering what is left in their cupboards.
For food that you can get, the price is hugely inflated.
Before the conflict, seven pieces of flatbread cost 15 Syrian pounds. Now, it comes in packets of six pieces, costing 451 Syrian pounds on average (£1.66, $2.12) - expensive in a city under siege, where many ways of earning money have disappeared.
Water, too, has become a weapon in the war as government forces attempt to make the rebels and civilians in eastern Aleppo surrender.
Pumping stations have been damaged in the bombing and most of the city - including parts of the government-held west where some 1.2 million people live - has no running water coming out of the taps.
People are buying water from wells and privately-owned water tankers, and carrying it home in buckets. Many have reported that it tastes bad, and there is no guarantee that it is free of disease.
It is hard to say whether anyone has died of hunger in the siege because with aid agencies unable to get inside, they cannot accurately diagnose the level of malnutrition.
But Pablo Marco from the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said: "The siege is pushing people towards starvation."
Many doctors have fled the city as refugees or been killed in the fighting, and there are just 30 doctors remaining in eastern Aleppo.
Using the UN's estimate for the number of people trapped there - 275,000 - that means there is roughly one doctor for every 9,100 people.
This in a place that is being bombed every day - at least 376 people were killed and 1,266 wounded in the first two weeks of the latest government's assault, according to the UN.
The places where doctors work have been repeatedly targeted by government and Russian air strikes, activists and charities say. The UN says six hospitals are still operating, although they are only partially functional.
Two hospitals have been almost totally destroyed in the past two weeks, and three doctors and two nurses killed.
Mr Marco from MSF painted a troubling picture of the state of healthcare in the area.
He said: "The few remaining hospitals are collapsing under a flow of hundreds of wounded lying in agony on the floors of wards and corridors.
"Doctors are performing brain and abdominal surgeries to the victims of bombing on the floors of the emergency rooms, for lack of available operating theatres."
But some creative innovation helps save lives. Some doctors are using Skype to get help carrying out operations that they personally have never done before.
Other medical facts of life in besieged Aleppo:
And it is not just in the aftermath of air strikes that people's health and lives are at risk. Medications for heart disease, diabetes and other long-term conditions are running short too.
Zulfiye Kazim of Reach Initiative said long-term medical supplies are frequently reported as being the most urgent. She said: "They're not something that can be left out in favour of conflict-related medications. They are actually prioritised."
Women's hygiene products like sanitary pads are not easily available in besieged Aleppo, except in the Kurdish-controlled area. Women and girls who are on their periods are forced to use old rags instead of disposable sanitary pads.
As water is not guaranteed to be clean, doing so means they could get infections.
In August, the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) estimated that 35,000 people were internally displaced inside eastern Aleppo, some of whom were in official shelters run in abandoned buildings, others staying with family or friends, and still others sleeping outdoors in parks and streets.
Not many will have been able to leave since then - and it is likely that the number of people not sleeping in their own homes has gone up. And even those who are still at home know they are not safe.
Ms Kazim told the BBC: "People are saying there is no safe place to go. There may be many who are staying in places that they don't consider to be adequate but they're staying anyway."
Nearly half the people who live in besieged Aleppo are under the age of 18. Many of their schools have closed or moved. Some of the buildings have been bombed, while others are being used as shelters for displaced people, or fighters in the conflict are using them for military purposes.
It might be difficult to imagine any child going back to school when bombs are falling.
But if not at school, the children who are in Aleppo are still at risk: playing in the street, at home or even swimming in bomb craters. And when schools re-opened last week, some children were there.
One girl, Judy, walks through rubble to get to class. She told Unicef: "I go to school every day except for the times when I hear the planes."
Teacher Wissam Zarqa works at a school in a besieged area. He told the BBC that the number of students was "less than usual" but said parents did not always take the first week of term seriously, and that numbers might pick up as pupils learned where the school's new building was.
A supporter of the rebels, Mr Zarqa said: "After all these crimes we will feel ashamed if we just run away. The next generation should have a better country to live in."
Why are Aleppo's children so badly affected?
Reporting by Nalina Eggert | Aleppo was once a place of culture and commerce, with a jewel of an old city that was on Unesco's list of world heritage sites. | 37561618 |
The 33-year-old midfielder is out of contract this summer and has been offered a new contract by the Baggies, who are ninth in the Premier League.
"It's always one side wants to have a little bit of this and the other," said Pulis.
"I'm sure they'll come together. I'm convinced."
Pulis added: "I'm not involved in those discussions thankfully, that's for the club, Darren and his people. He's been here two and a half years now and has been fantastic as a captain, a person and everything else.
"If he decides he wants to go and the club can't do it, then we can't. We move on. We're all hoping that's not the case."
Fletcher has made 96 appearances for West Brom since joining from Manchester United in February 2015, scoring six goals, and is in line to face Swansea in Sunday's league finale. | West Brom boss Tony Pulis is confident that captain Darren Fletcher will sign a new deal to stay at The Hawthorns beyond this season. | 39983827 |
The vote - which is non-binding - followed news that the chief executive's pay last year rose 20% despite the firm making a record loss.
John Fallon made £1.5m in 2016, including a £343,000 bonus.
Pearson, whose share price has tumbled since last summer, said it was disappointed at the outcome of the vote.
"We acknowledge our shareholders' feedback and will continue to engage with them to ensure our approach to remuneration reflects the best long term interests of the company," it said in a statement
Ahead of the vote at Friday's annual general meeting, Pearson announced that Mr Fallon had invested his full, post-tax bonus back into Pearson shares.
In addition, chief financial officer Coram Williams had bought 5,000 shares and chairmen Sidney Taurel 20,000 shares through Pearson's secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange, the company said.
Pearson said the move was a sign that the directors were "fully aligned with the long term growth prospects" of the group.
Mr Fallon received his bonus because Pearson met its operating profit target of £630m, although it made a £2.6bn pre-tax loss after writing down its US assets.
Pearson, the former owner of the Financial Times, said Mr Fallon's basic salary was frozen and would remain so in 2017.
News of the pay award had drawn criticism from the Institute of Directors and a high pay campaign group.
Long-suffering investors have seen Pearson's share price sink amid profit warnings about the health of its operation in the US.
However, the shares bounced 12.4% on Friday after Pearson announced plans to cut costs by £300m a year by the end of 2019.
The company also launched a "strategic review" of its troubled US school publishing business.
Pearson has already announced that it is in discussions with its joint venture partner Bertelsmann to sell its 47% stake in book publisher Penguin Random House.
Meanwhile, 27% of investors in Man Group, the world's biggest listed hedge fund, rejected its 2016 remuneration report.
However, Man said it had been talking to its biggest shareholders and had made "material changes to the implementation of its remuneration policy" and that it was clear a number of its shareholders acknowledged the "positive steps taken to address previous concerns".
As a result, it added, fewer investors had rejected the latest remuneration report. | Two-thirds of shareholders in education publisher Pearson have rejected the company's remuneration report. | 39820637 |
The 32-year-old former Linfield player, who made one appearance for Northern Ireland, joined Portadown in May 2014.
"When you're alerted about the availability of a player of his stature and ability, you have to move quickly," said Crues boss Stephen Baxter.
"We want the best players, not just for now but also the future."
He added: "The top 10% of players are hard to get and we want them at our club."
Gault, who has penned a two-year deal, is expected to play against Crusaders on Saturday alongside new Ports signing Philip Lowry.
Ballymena striker David Cushley will also be a summer arrival at Seaview after signing a pre-contract with the league leaders last month. | Portadown midfielder Michael Gault will join Crusaders this summer after signing a pre-contract with the Irish Premiership champions. | 35365618 |
4 October 2016 Last updated at 17:34 BST
A new survey has showed that many young girls in the UK don't feel happy with the way they look.
The Girls' Attitudes Survey 2016 carried out by Girlguiding found that more than one in six girls aged between seven and 10 years old quite often feel embarrassed or ashamed about how they look.
Newsround asked a group of girls what advice they would give to a friend who was feeling down about the way they looked. | How we feel about our bodies and the way we look is an important issue for many kids in the UK. | 37551171 |
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The African country, one of the major forces in world athletics, was judged to be non-compliant and placed at risk of missing this summer's Rio Games.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has written to Kenya, outlining what it must do to meet the anti-doping code.
"No ban was mentioned in the body of the letter," Wario said.
"Wada has attached the areas of the act which they want to be rewritten or rectified for us to regain full compliance as soon as possible.
"Meaning that as soon as parliament reviews those highlighted bits of the legislation we are fully compliant."
Kenya has already missed two Wada deadlines to show it is tackling cheating in sport.
After a series of drugs and corruption scandals, Kenya had been warned to comply with Wada's rules or face sanctions.
Last month, it finally passed legislation that created a new national anti-doping agency, with President Uhuru Kenyatta personally driving the new law through.
It was widely assumed the measure would satisfy Wada.
But Thursday's ruling means the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide whether to ban Kenyan athletes from the Olympics or any other competitions.
David Were, chair of the Kenya parliament sports and welfare committee which developed the anti-doping bill, said Kenya will appeal the decision.
Kenya is dominant at distance running, winning 11 medals at London 2012 and topping the table at the World Championships in Beijing last year with seven golds.
But the country has become mired in doping and bribery allegations, with more than 40 of its athletes failing drugs tests since 2011.
In November, former Wada president Dick Pound said it was "pretty clear that there are a lot of performance-enhancing drugs being used" in Kenya. | Kenyan sports minister Hassan Wario is confident the nation will not be banned from this year's Olympic Games despite breaching global anti-doping rules. | 36287484 |
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More often than not, the answer given would be India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 200 in 2010. Since then, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle have all posted a double ton.
However, not many are aware that the first player to hit a double century in one-day cricket is actually a female player. Former Australia batter Belinda Clarke scored 229 not out in a World Cup match in India, way back in 1997.
This shows the lack of awareness about the women's game even in a cricket crazy country like India.
India's women cricketers have had their share of struggles ever since females started playing cricket at a professional level in the 1970s.
A cursory look at India's current women's team reveals how most of them come from humble backgrounds and have faced social pressures, but have made it big in the national team.
India captain Mithali Raj, a veteran of 164 one-day matches, brings a certain calmness and confidence to her team.
Mithali is only the second batter to score 5,000 runs in women's one-day internationals after England's Charlotte Edwards.
She told BBC Hindi: "When we travel with big sports kits, most people ask us if we are hockey players. They still can't fathom that we might be cricket players.
"My grandparents had huge issues with me playing cricket. It is a rough game where you slog it out in the sun. They used to wonder who will marry me if I get tanned. My aunts were also a problem.
"But my parents were very supportive. They absorbed all negativity so that I could concentrate on cricket."
The younger players coming from small villages and towns have similar stories of will triumphing over lack of facilities and discrimination.
"Initially I used to play cricket in the local mohallas or streets," said bowler Ekta Bisht, who belongs to a sleepy hilly town of Almora. "I also started playing in the boys team for my university.
"When I used to get a wicket, the rest of the boys would tease him that a girl got you. Sometimes, boys used to pass comments, but my coach always told me to ignore them."
With a sheepish smile and a glint of pride in her eyes, she added: "He used to say that one day when you join the Indian team, they will automatically shut up."
Things were even worse in earlier decades.
Diana Edulji, a former India captain and one of the poster girls of Indian cricket in the 1970s and 80s, said: "When we played, men often used to pass snide remarks that we are more suited for the kitchen rather than being on the ground. Often we used to play without a match fee.
"Once we had to travel to New Zealand for the World Cup and the women players were asked to pay £100, which was a huge amount in those days.
"Thankfully, the chief minister of my state came to our rescue and paid for us. Many times we used to travel unreserved in trains and sleep on the floor in dormitories.
"While men's cricket underwent huge changes in the 80s and 90s, we were just languishing."
In 2005, the International Cricket Council passed a directive to all its members to merge with their women's cricket boards. After much reluctance, the Board of Control for Cricket in India finally took over women's cricket in India.
Since then, women's cricket has seen a couple of changes, with players getting central contracts and better facilities.
But pundits say that a lot remains to be done.
"If you compare the match fees, women get paid a pittance as compared to men in India," said cricket journalist Sunandan Lele.
"Women's cricket needs promotion at the school level. Women players come from small towns and villages just like India men's captain MS Dhoni. There is a lot of raw talent."
India's women reached the World Cup semi-final in 2009 and the last-four stage at the 2010 World T20 and are hopeful of replicating that on home soil this time around.
The women's final will be played on the magical venue of Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on the same day as men's final.
If Mithali lifts the trophy on 3 April, many believe it could be a tipping point for women's cricket in India, just as the unlikely 1983 World Cup triumph was a catalyst for the men's game.
"I may sound over-optimistic but I think the next 10 years belong to the Indian women cricket team," said India coach Sunita Sharma.
She has one complaint. though.
"Why can't these youngsters get off their mobile phones and social media and have some fun together after practice?" | Who is the first player to score a double hundred in a one-day international? | 35863284 |
A parade through the streets of Manchester will be held on 17 October, and there will be another event in London the following day.
Wiggins' representatives said his absence was not unusual as he has not attended such an event since 2004.
The 36-year-old has also pulled out of a race in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Tour expressed their "surprise and disappointment" that the 2012 Tour de France winner would not be competing in the four-day race, which starts on 20 October.
Wiggins, Britain's most decorated Olympian, is at the centre of controversy surrounding the use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs).
The issue of TUEs, which allow athletes to use banned substances if they have genuine medical need, has been in the news since a number of Olympic athletes had their private data stolen from a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) database by a group of hackers calling themselves The Fancy Bears.
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Wiggins has denied any wrongdoing, insisting he was not trying to gain an "unfair advantage" from being allowed to used a banned steroid before major races.
The Briton was granted a TUE to take anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 Tour de France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
UK Anti-Doping officials have visited British Cycling headquarters as part of an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport.
Wiggins plans to race next on the track, in the London Six Day, between 25 and 30 October, and the Ghent Six Day later next month.
Britain exceeded their Olympic medal target in Rio, finishing second in the medal table with 67 medals, including 27 golds.
In the Paralympics, Britain also finished second in the medal table with 147 medals, 64 of them gold. | Five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins will not attend next week's Olympic and Paralympic celebrations of Britain's success at Rio 2016. | 37652895 |
Defeated presidential candidate Jean Ping has complained of fraud, pointing out that in one province incumbent Ali Bongo won 95% of the vote.
Former African Union chair Mr Ping lost the election by less than 6,000 votes.
The European Union has said there were "clear anomalies" in last month's poll - charges denied by Mr Bongo, who in turn accused Mr Ping of fraud.
The lawsuit was filed on the final day allowed for legal challenges to the 27 August election.
The official election result, announced on 31 August, gave Mr Bongo a second seven-year term with 49.8% of the vote to Mr Ping's 48.2%.
Mr Ping criticised results in Mr Bongo's home province of Haut-Ogooue, where turnout was 99.93% and 95% of votes were for the president.
Turnout in the other provinces was between 45% and 71%, according to Gabon's interior ministry.
A court has never overturned a presidential election result in Africa, according to Robert Gerenge, head of special programmes at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.
In the past year, losing candidates in Uganda and Zambia have failed in their legal efforts, although that it is not to say all elections are rigged.
In Zambia, a technicality stopped Hakainde Hichilema's attempt to get last month's presidential election result changed. He ran out of time to present his case.
Uganda's supreme court in March dismissed Amama Mbabazi's challenge saying that while there were issues, they did not affect the final result.
This ruling had a precedent across the continent.
Following Nigeria's 2007 election, the legal process took 20 months before the courts had a final answer.
The supreme court said despite irregularities, there was no proof that they altered the outcome.
In Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai initially went to court in 2013 to challenge the re-election of President Robert Mugabe. But he dropped the case, saying that the president had stopped him from getting a fair hearing.
In general there are three types of situations, Mr Gerenge says:
On Monday Gabonese Justice Minister Seraphim Moundounga resigned in protest.
The EU has also questioned the legitimacy of the election results.
But Mr Bongo retaliated, telling France's RTL radio "some of the EU observers overstepped their mission".
When the election results were announced people took to the street in protest.
The Gabonese authorities say three people have died and 105 have been injured following violent clashes and more than 800 arrests.
Mr Ping puts the death toll higher - saying dozens of his supporters have been killed and that a presidential guard helicopter bombed his headquarters. | Gabon's opposition leader has lodged a challenge to the presidential election result at the constitutional court. | 37316746 |
Writing in the programme for 1992's Diamonds and Pearls tour, he explained: "There are no accidents. Music is made out of necessity. It's a fact of life. Just like breathing."
His recorded output extends to nearly 1,000 songs. Many more are thought to be stashed in a vault at Paisley Park.
It is impossible to boil that productivity down to a list of 50 or 100 songs, never mind 16 - but here's a broad (and personal) portrait of his hits, mixed with a few fan favourites.
Prince's first single sets the tone for what follows - staccato funk with a racy lyric co-written by Chris Moon, the producer who discovered the musician in Minneapolis.
But flimsy production and a conventional arrangement show a writer who is only just beginning to learn his studio craft.
The title track of Prince's third album was where he really hit his stride. Recorded in his home studio, the music is pared back to its bare essentials - the raw, gritty sound finally a match for his lyrical thrust.
Reviewing the record, rock critic Robert Christgau declared: "Mick Jagger should fold up his penis and go home."
Intrigued, Jagger invited Prince to support the Rolling Stones on tour. But the musician and his band, subjected to a torrent of racial and homophobic abuse, were booed off stage.
Prince's first bona-fide classic came to him while he slept in the back of a car - not a Corvette, but a bright pink Ford Edsel owned by his bandmate Lisa Coleman.
A perfect fusion of soul and rock, it builds slowly from those mournful opening lines ("I guess I should've known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn't last") to a climactic guitar solo, and Prince's trademark squeal "Ah-oh-wa".
By hiding his cruder thoughts behind a car/sex/horse-racing metaphor, the song achieved airplay ubiquity and gave Prince his first top 10 hit in the US.
Purple Rain, the film, was as much about Prince's phenomenal live band, The Revolution, as it was about him. For a long time, the soundtrack was the closest he came to releasing a live album.
Several of the songs, including the timeless title track, were captured in concert at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on 3 August 1983 (notably, it was guitarist Wendy Melvoin's first gig with the band.)
When Doves Cry was the exception. Prince recorded it alone at home. Perhaps the story, loosely based on his parents' failed marriage, was too personal to share. Or maybe it just came to him too quickly to call the band together.
But when he played it back, The Revolution scoffed. Prince had erased the bass from the track, heightening its sense of alienation. "How are you going to have a hit record without a bass?" they teased.
According to his engineer, Prince replied: "Nobody else would have the balls to do this. You just wait - they'll be freaking."
During his purple period, Prince's b-sides were the equal of his hits; and Erotic City is one of his lesser-known classics.
A duet with drummer Sheila E, it's an extended club track based around an infuriatingly catchy bass line that showcases a more playful side to Prince's self-serious public persona. It also features the first instance of Prince speeding up his voice and toying with androgyny.
Amazingly, Kiss was originally given away to another Minnesotan band, Mazarati, after Prince floundered over the arrangement. Bootlegs circulated amongst fans suggest it started life as a (beautiful) acoustic blues number, but Prince just couldn't make the song work.
"I had that song for a long time," he said. "Changed it around a lot. Happens all the time."
Once he heard Mazarati's dizzying electro-funk arrangement, though, he demanded the song back - even retaining their backing vocals. It was one of the smartest decisions he ever made.
A desolate ballad about the death of a loved friend, Sometimes It Snows In April is simply one of Prince's most beloved and devastating songs.
By 1986, Prince was working on a dizzying number of potential projects - among them a solo record under the pseudonym Camille and a triple album called Crystal Ball.
Both were abandoned and the best tracks compressed into his masterpiece, 1987's Sign o' the Times.
But that meant the loss of Crystal Ball's title track, a 10-minute pop-funk number about making love during the apocalypse (probably). It features several musical movements, a bass solo and an orchestral overture by Grammy-winning composer Clare Fischer.
If you want an unfiltered example of Prince's musical agility and compositional prowess, this is the one.
Prince was told he couldn't write the ultimate pop song. He came up with this - a duet/stand-off with Sheena Easton. "Boy meets girl in the world series of love." Not a bad effort.
An odd, yet tender, ode to intimacy - in which Prince imagines what it would be like to be his lover's female best friend. "Would you run to me if somebody hurt you, even if that somebody was me," he wonders aloud.
According to engineer Susan Rogers, it was written for his girlfriend Susanna Melvoin - twin sister of Wendy, his guitarist in The Revolution.
"It was a way of asking, 'Why can't I have the closeness you have with your sister? Why can't we be friends too?"
Simple, carefree, joyous. Prince climbs aboard his "daddy's Thunderbird" and proclaims "life is too good to waste".
Curious fans should track down a bootleg of Prince rehearsing the song for 1988's Lovesexy tour. It illustrates how the star drilled his band to perfection, cueing in different musical elements - "Just the horns and drums!", "Timbale solo!" on a whim.
Every so often Prince chants "v, w, x, y, z," and the song comes to a juddering halt - before Prince cues the musicians back in with the simple utterance: "Good God!"
It's mesmerising.
Prince's "sequel" to Purple Rain, 1990's Graffiti Bridge, was diabolical - but the soundtrack hides a few gems, including this bluesy ballad, which features one of his most romantic lyrics: "Holding someone is truly believing there's joy in repetition."
Prince never really worked out how to meet the challenge of hip-hop ("the only good rapper is one that's dead on it," he sang in 1987) - but this was his best attempt.
Recounting an eventful evening out ("23 positions in a one-night stand") Prince is at his lascivious best over this drawling, drooling funk groove.
The full length, 10-minute version is also worth seeking out purely for Eric Leeds' flute solo in the coda.
An acoustic song with a mystical Eastern flavour, 7 foreshadowed Prince's decision to "kill" his public persona and adopt a new name - with the video showing the star being assassinated seven times.
A big hit in the US, Prince continued to play it live - often combining it with a cover of The Beatles' Come Together.
After a "lost decade" in which Prince battled with his record company and tragically lost a newborn son to clover leaf syndrome, his sound began to resurface via the recordings of R&B super-producers Pharrell Williams and Timbaland.
Reinvigorated, he returned to the studio and beat them at their own game on this tough, nasty groove that made effective use of sonic negative space.
"You'll be screamin' like a white lady," he informed his lover, the charmer.
The saddest aspect of Prince's untimely death is that he had recently rediscovered his muse, playing incessantly - first with his new, all-female band 3rdEyeGirl, then on an intimate "piano and a microphone" tour.
That coincided with a slew of new material, of which Breakdown was a highlight.
Apparently an autobiographical account of his former excesses - "I used to throw the party every New Year's Eve/First one intoxicated, last one to leave" - it is also a love letter to the person (or higher power?) who set him free.
The vocal performance - literally the sound of a man breaking down - is astonishing. It's a shame more people didn't hear it. | For Prince, song writing was a compulsion, an unstoppable force, and a joy. | 36107950 |
Toure, 33, was left out of the 25-man list for the group stage but has since become a first-team regular again, and replaces the injured Ilkay Gundogan.
New arrival Gabriel Jesus, who scored in the 4-0 win at West Ham on Wednesday, comes in for Kelechi Iheanacho, who remains eligible.
City face Monaco in the last 16, with the first leg on 21 February.
Toure's omission for the group stage was criticised by his agent Dimitri Seluk, and City manager Pep Guardiola said he would not pick the midfielder until he received an apology.
In November, the four-time African Footballer of the Year apologised to the club for "misunderstandings from the past" and has since returned to the first team. | Midfielder Yaya Toure has been recalled to Manchester City's Champions League squad. | 38842526 |
Lettings agent network Your Move said average rents north of the border were 2.2% higher last month than a year ago.
Its Buy-to-Let Index found rents in England and Wales rose by just 1.5% over the same period.
The average monthly rent in Scotland now stands at £537, back in line with a survey record set in August this year.
Rents climbed by a moderate 0.3% in the month to October, recovering from a dip during September.
Average rents in Edinburgh and the Lothians set a new peak of £615, following monthly growth of 0.6%.
The only area to experience a price fall on a monthly basis was Glasgow and Clyde, where rent dropped by 0.7%, to £565.
Christine Campbell, regional managing director of Your Move, said: "Average rents in Scotland have bounced back to peak level in October, and annually the pace of rent growth is exceeding that experienced across England and Wales.
"Snags in supply and concerns over potential rent caps are setting the stride in Scotland, but in the longer term, the march of private sector rents is easing back on an annual basis.
"After years of consistency and incremental adjustments, rent rises quickened rapidly after the changes to lettings legislation made tenancy fees illegal.
"Instead of facing a one-off payment, tenants saw their monthly rents rise at a much accelerated pace.
"This market is only just starting to self-correct and steady." | Property rents have risen faster in Scotland than in England and Wales over the past year, according to a new report. | 30197294 |
The girl is one of six alleged victims of nine men accused of grooming and exploiting children in Oxford.
She described being taken to parks and flats where she was given drugs and alcohol and had sex with men.
The men, from Oxford and Berkshire, deny 51 counts relating to girls aged between 11 and 15 from 2004 to 2012.
The alleged victim told jurors at the Old Bailey she was living in a children's home when she was 14.
She said she would run away with a friend to meet a group of Asian men in Oxford that she knew as K-Dog, Jammy, Khan and Acter.
The jury heard the men were nice to the girl at first but later became "demanding" and "threatening".
When asked why she did it the girl said: "I felt I didn't have a choice".
On one occasion the jury heard she had been drinking in a field with one of the men.
She told the court: "He started pulling his zip down on his trousers.
"He said that if I didn't do as I was told he knew someone that would shoot me."
The court heard she would be taken to places where other men would have sex with her.
Jurors were told that in August 2006 she went to a flat with a friend. The friend left and 11 men arrived.
The alleged victim said she went to the bedroom and had sex with a man who is not before the court.
She told jurors the man said he was going to "bring another man in", adding: "They told me if they ask, to say I was 16."
The court heard the girl thought she was going to have to have sex with all 11 men so she tried to jump out of the window, but it was too small.
Instead she called police, but the next day withdrew her statement.
She told the jury: "I was scared and I didn't want any trouble."
The trial is expected to last until April. The defendants are all in custody.
The defendants are: | A 14-year-old girl was told she would be shot if she did not obey a man she then had sex with in a park, a court has heard. | 21125565 |
Officers said "interference with signs" increased delays on roads around Weymouth on Sunday.
Drivers reported taking three hours to make a four-mile journey between Weymouth and Dorchester.
Organisers said despite advance warning, people had not fully understood the impact of the event.
Motorist Caroline Cooper, who said she arrived two hours late for a christening, wrote on social media: "It was a complete shambles. No diversion signs, no warning signs and nobody knew how to get anywhere."
Tim Brown said: "At no point prior was there any notice saying the road would be closed on Sunday."
Dorset Police said it would discuss feedback with the organisers to avoid issues during future events.
Insp Pete Browning said: "Unfortunately, there have been a number of incidents of interference with road signs. This irresponsible behaviour has exacerbated some of the traffic problems."
Peter Finney, Dorset County Council's Cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and highways, said a meeting would be held to discuss "all the positive and negative aspects of the event".
"We are aware of a number of issues with the traffic management for the event, including signage and marshalling. We will make sure lessons are learned and the necessary improvements are made to for any future events to keep inconvenience to a minimum," he added
Weymouth Ironman director Alan Rose said diversion signs on the perimeter of the event had been taken away or moved.
He added that more than 70,000 letters had been sent to warn people who lived on the 56-mile course.
But he said some drivers had not understood the likely impact of "biggest Ironman event the UK has ever hosted", involving 2,200 competitors.
Ironman, which takes place simultaneously at sites around the world, was previously held in Sherborne between 2003 and 2008. | Police have condemned vandals who removed road signs and helped to cause traffic disruption at the UK's "biggest-ever" Ironman event. | 37336385 |
Sam Dallow, from Birmingham, believed he was contacting a 14-year-old girl.
Instead, Dallow was messaging self-styled paedophile hunter Shane Brannigan, who reported the 25-year-old to the police.
Dallow was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court and told he would serve half his two year sentence in custody.
Dallow, of 6th Battalion The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, based at Tidworth, Wiltshire admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming at his plea hearing in May.
It followed a sting carried out at Andover train station on 11 April where the soldier was greeted by Mr Brannigan and a colleague who filmed their exchange.
Sentencing Dallow, the judge said although he had only been communicating with a "persona", his conduct had been persistent and demonstrated a "reckless, predatory behaviour towards children".
Dallow was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.
An NSPCC spokesperson, said social media platforms could "do more" to protect children by providing "safer accounts".
"Although the target of his disgusting advances was fictitious, Dallow's grooming behaviour is a stark reminder of the risks children and young people face online," they said.
"Parents and carers have a key role to play and must talk to their children about online safety." | A soldier who admitted grooming a child after sending explicit messages over the internet from his Army barracks, has been jailed. | 40204352 |
Not only does O'Brien's extensive social media presence regularly feature the nation's teatime favourite, but the other day in the winners' room at Warwick I witnessed his eyes positively out on stalks at the prospect of a large Victoria sponge laid out on the bar.
It turns out cake is part of a strategy to make certain that the owners of the growing numbers of horses in the trainer's Cotswold string remain happy, even when things aren't going well.
He said: "Someone asked me what I wanted to achieve, and I said to have winners and be fashionable, of course, but when an owner doesn't have a winner, they should still have a good time, and part of that is to get them back to the yard maybe for cake.
"The horses are not going to win every day - we have a good strike-rate at the moment of one winner in five, but that's also four losers in five.
"Actually, it all started with someone asking to visit the yard, and we said 'yes - if you bring a cake', and it all took off from there.
"The cakes keep arriving, homemade, in all shapes and sizes, and between the lads and the owners they all get eaten, there's no waste. I do love a Victoria sponge myself."
And Team O'Brien, headed by the 44-year-old from the rich racing pastures of County Tipperary, Ireland, has been enjoying plenty of generous slices of action during this National Hunt campaign.
That strike-rate is part of what's set to be by far the 60-horse stable's best season, during which the eye has been drawn in particular to unbeaten Colin's Sister and Poetic Rhythm, who recently finished third in the Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Meanwhile, stable veteran and old favourite Alvarado, twice fourth in the Grand National, travels to Scotland looking to bounce back in Britain's newest version of the feature, the 18th in all, the £40,000 Edinburgh National at Musselburgh.
The race - note that it's just a 'National', with no 'Grand' prefix, because officials believe there should be only one of them - is a sliver over four miles long, and puts the onus on the jockeys not to miscount as it's three circuits of the small, flat track.
Despite having successfully completed the Aintree course twice, Alvarado got no further than the second fence when taking part in the Becher Chase over the famous fences in December, sustaining a head injury in the process.
"I thought that this would be a great year for him after he ran a blinder at Cheltenham first time out [when sixth]," said O'Brien, "but he got a kick in the head at Aintree and he had a haematoma on the top of his neck, so we've given him a bit of time.
"He's the boss, a real character - we always say Alvarado trains Alvarado - but he seems in very good form, and goes well after a break so it'll be good to have a go at a good pot."
Though the horse may struggle to make the cut for a return to the Grand National in April - only the top 40 in the weights get the chance to line-up - the 12-year-old is among the 110 entries.
There must be something in the Cotswold air because O'Brien's base is just across a muddy lane from another in-form trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies.
Twiston-Davies is racking up all kinds of potential stars for jump racing's showpiece Festival at nearby Cheltenham in March, a list headed by Gold Cup hope Bristol De Mai and leading hurdler The New One.
O'Brien was assistant there for 18 years, having arrived when the trainer's jockey son Sam - now 24 and one of jump racing's go-to riders - was just 10 months old.
Their parting, as O'Brien went off to set up a training operation of his own, was not necessarily the most amicable of processes, but relations, especially now they're neighbours, are more cordial these days.
"Having been down the road at Cilldara Stud, we moved back to Nigel's top yard in July 2015 and since our first runner from here won, we've never looked back really.
"The confidence is going, we're rolling along with nice new horses and owners, and the whole place is buzzing.
"There are two gallops - whichever one Nigel is on, we're on the other, and I don't ever seem to get in his way, and anyway our 'work' mornings are different.
"I do think that a feel-good factor is infectious, and it does rub off on each other, so we're both rocking away."
The Bet365 Edinburgh National is on Saturday, 4 February at 14:05 GMT | It could almost be jump racing's version of 'The Great British Bake-Off'; celebrations for trainer Fergal O'Brien often revolve around cake. | 38842278 |
PC Claire Stretton, who has been sacked, was family liaison officer to Charles Foulkes and his wife after their son was murdered in 2001.
Solicitor Nick Turner said their three daughters reached an out-of-court settlement with West Mercia Police.
Ms Stretton was claimed to have manipulated Mr Foulkes for £100,000.
Mr Foulkes' daughters took legal action against the force after their father died aged 93 in 2011. Mr Turner said the settlement was reached in the summer.
Papers lodged at the High Court last year said the officer, identified as "PC X", met Mr Foulkes and his terminally ill wife Dorothy, of Church Stretton, Shropshire, after the death of their 49-year-old son Colin.
Colin Foulkes was killed by John Latus who beheaded him with an axe.
Charles Foulkes was the sole beneficiary of his son's estate of about £180,000, according to the papers.
"Such was the inappropriate manner in which PC X interacted [with Mr Foulkes], his wife referred to PC X with great distress as his 'bit of fluff'," according to the documents.
The family said Ms Stretton took advantage of "his vulnerabilities" and "abused her position of trust" following the death of his son and later wife.
The officer allegedly sent Mr Foulkes texts saying she loved him and that he was "special". The daughters said their father gave the officer "substantial sums of money and presents" over a 10-year period.
Ms Stretton, who worked for the force in Telford for 26 years, was dismissed last week for gross misconduct.
Det Supt Gary Watson, head of professional standards said: "The misconduct hearing found that the behaviour of the officer fell below the standards we expect from our officers and staff and amounted to a breach of the standards of professional behaviour, namely discreditable conduct and a breach of honesty and integrity."
Mr Turner, of Russell and Co Solicitors of Malvern, Herefordshire, said the family were "relieved that some semblance of justice has been achieved".
"What should have been a situation whereby the family liaison officer appointed by the police brought support, strength and counselling to the family - instead of that their misery was compounded by the totally inappropriate actions of PC Stretton." | A police force paid an undisclosed sum to a grieving family over an officer's "inappropriate relationship" with their elderly father, their solicitor said. | 34645671 |
Kangana Ranaut recently said that filmmaker Karan Johar was fit to play the character of a "stereotypical Bollywood biggie" in her biopic.
She described the character as being "very snooty", and a "flag bearer of nepotism and the movie mafia".
Johar responded on Monday, saying that if she was so terrorised by the industry, she should "leave it".
In an interview with the NDTV news channel, Johar added that he was "done with Kangana playing the woman and victim card".
Ranaut, who came to Bollywood from a small town in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, has often said that some filmmakers were unwelcoming towards "outsiders" like her.
"In my biopic, if ever it's made, you'll play that stereotypical Bollywood biggie, who is like you know...very snooty and completely intolerant towards outsiders," she told Johar on his talk show last month.
The director on Monday said Ranaut's assessment was wrong.
"You [Ranaut] cannot be this victim at every given point of time who has a sad story to tell about how you've been terrorised by the bad film industry. Leave it," he told NDTV.
Bolllywood is one of the biggest movie industries in the world, but critics say that getting a break into films is extremely difficult. | Two top Bollywood stars have sparred over claims of "nepotism" in the industry. | 39189505 |
It was also the warmest since records began in 1910, with temperatures around 7.9C (46F), making it feel more like a day in April or May.
Overall, 2015 was the sixth wettest year, data showed.
Record amounts of rain fell in storm-hit Scotland, Wales and the north west of England.
The UK mean temperature for the year of 9.2C (49F) was warm but not exceptional, said the Met Office, and not quite hot enough to beat the 2014 record of 9.9C (50F).
Usually, December temperatures hover around 4C (39F).
By Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst
The Met Office says there is a direct link between the warmth and the record rains that brought widespread floods across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Storms propelled by the jet stream were mainly to blame, it says, with contributions from the El Nino weather phenomenon and man-made climate change.
December was something of a freak month, it acknowledges. Climate change has raised UK temperatures by around 1C (1.8F) so far, so it will be many decades before this level of extreme weather becomes the new winter norm, it says.
Other scientists say that with climate change, there will be no "normal" weather.
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England saw virtually no frost and, in the UK overall, there were fewer than three days of frost - normally, December would see about 11 frosty days.
The Met Office has said storms Desmond, Eva and Frank were behind the record rainfall, while a humid south-westerly airflow kept it warm.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England bore the brunt of the storms, as central and southern England escaped the worst of it.
December's warm weather had a considerable knock-on effect, with retailer Next blaming it for a "disappointing" trading performance in the run-up to Christmas. | A stormy and warm December was the wettest month for the UK in more than a century, provisional Met Office figures show. | 35230696 |
Logan Shaulis, 19, parked diagonally across a Pennsylvania road, set up road flares, and began stopping cars and asking for drivers' paperwork.
When the real police arrived he tried to hand off a pellet gun to a driver, saying "I can't get caught with this" according to media reports.
He faces a long list of criminal charges including drink driving.
Other charges include impersonating an officer, unlawful detention, harassment, and reckless endangerment.
Police say he was found on Saturday slurring his speech and had bloodshot eyes.
He also had a pair of handcuffs and a portable police scanner with him.
Mr Shaulis is currently being held in jail awaiting trial. | Police say that a man arrested for setting up a drink-driving roadblock was himself drunk. | 33001132 |
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