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Vinisha Ajanraj, 30, was seriously hurt when she was hit by a car outside the shop on London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, on Monday.
The couple's unborn baby was not harmed, but Mrs Ajanraj may not fully recover from her injuries for a year.
Her husband Thangarasa said it was an "extremely difficult" situation.
The 36-year old, who also has a son, aged two, with his wife, said he can not believe what has happened.
"I can't control my feelings. She's crying. I'm crying. My son can't find out. I can't tell my son about her injuries. It's a very bad time," he said.
"I plan to sell it [the shop]. I have to look after my kids, and my wife, and I can't do everything."
He said the sale of the shop would allow him to look after his wife when she leaves hospital, as well as looking after the new baby and his two-year-old son.
Mrs Ajanraj, who is seven months pregnant with a girl, was working by herself on Monday in The Turnpike shop at about 17:00 BST when three men came inside.
She challenged one man about a bank card but he left the shop, pursued by Mrs Ajanraj, who was then hit by a car.
She is having surgery on a fractured cheekbone at the Royal London Hospital. She also suffered a fractured shoulder.
It is not known how long she will be in hospital.
A 25-year-old man has appeared at Basildon Crown Court accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, fraud, dangerous driving and failing to stop. | A shopkeeper whose pregnant wife was hit by a car while pursuing an alleged fraudster says he plans to sell his business to look after her. | 39455598 |
High jumper Isobel Pooley is not overweight, but stands 1.92m (6ft 3½in), and some people cannot get their heads round that height.
"People swear and say: 'She's huge, have you seen that girl over there?' And I want to turn round and say: 'I'm not deaf,'" she tells BBC Sport.
"It's a part of my daily life. They say: 'How tall are you?' or just make pointless comments that don't go anywhere like 'You're really tall aren't you?' 'Aren't you tall?' 'You're massive'.
"People are just so rude without realising. They assume that it's OK to point it out. It's not kind ever to stop and stare at people, but that's what us tall people have to endure."
The 22-year-old is certainly using her height to her advantage though, setting a British record, qualifying for next month's World Championships, and eyeing a shot at the 2016 Olympics.
She opens up to BBC Sport about the psychology of the high jump, why Serena Williams is a 'goddess in her body' and how sport has helped her overcome prejudice.
There's an old athletics adage that you're not a "proper" high jumper until you soar past your own height.
Pooley went five centimetres clear of that when setting a new GB outdoor record of 1.97m at the British Championships earlier this month, and had the chance to go for a milestone.
"Two metres is the landmark height for a lot of female jumpers. To attempt that at a British Championships in front of a home crowd was absolutely sensational. It was such a monumental experience," she recalls.
"Despite not being successful at the attempt, I was able to at least look up to that bar and square up to it and feel confident in the near future that I am actually going to be able to tackle that height."
Her successful jump of 1.97 matched heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson's indoor mark at Birmingham earlier in the year.
Only three women in the world have gone higher in 2015. It was the latest stage in the progression of Pooley, who set the previous best British mark of 1.96 in Germany last year, passing a 33-year-old record, and was third in a Diamond League event in Doha in May.
"I'm ready and I gave myself a strong and consistent message in the weeks leading up to the British trials that I was going to be able to give that outstanding performance," she said.
"The feeling landing on the bed and knowing I was over the bar was just immense gratification, and feeling that's no less than I deserve because I've worked really hard and the only thing I've changed is I've let myself believe I can jump that high."
"High jump is hugely psychological. The bar is a challenge and it is inevitably going to catch you out in the end - it always ends in a failure," said Pooley.
Despite only being 19 at the time, Pooley nearly reached the qualifying standard for the 2012 London Olympics.
But at 1.90m, just two centimetres short of the standard needed to make a home Games, she froze.
"I got so fixated on the height of the bar, and about achieving selection, I was just incapable of jumping or even attempting that bar to anything near my ability," she added.
"I actually knew how to clear it, I had the answers, but I was so flustered about the concept of this home Games. The temptation when the bar goes higher is to change things, and that inevitably ends in disaster."
Pooley started to fulfil her potential at senior level with a silver medal at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
"There are indicators of potential such as my height, dedication to training, the fact my coach (Fayyaz 'Fuzz' Ahmed) bothers with me at all - his time is like gold dust - and he devotes so many hours to training me shows I must be worth it," she said. "All I want to do is live up to how good I can be and the bar is an irrelevance now."
Pooley went to London as a spectator, cheered on training partner Robbie Grabarz to Olympic bronze, and now regards missing out as a blessing in disguise, having learned to trust her own techniques and believe in herself.
"A lot of the problems us high jumpers encounter are created in our own head as a reaction to the height of the bar. If we don't know the height, it makes it a lot more simple," she said,
"In training, my coach will put the bar up and not tell us how high it is so a lot of the time we are in the dark."
To get her approach right, Pooley has been helped by psychologists, including Julie Crane - also the wife of her coach Ahmed - who herself won high jump silver for Wales at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Crane uses neuro linguistic programming, which examines how your thinking can affect performance.
"She'll pick up on things I have said which have significance that I didn't realise," said Pooley. "So I'll say something like 'I'm going to try to achieve this' and she says 'No, don't try, just achieve it'."
Pooley believes athletes have a kind of inner beauty, harnessed through ability.
"For me it's not about looking thin, it's about jumping high," she said.
"If I reach the point where I'm super light and unhealthy, that's not a positive situation to be in. It's about being the best athlete I can be.
"I enjoyed watching Serena Williams in the tennis, because she is a goddess in her body. She is big compared to your average woman, but nobody would say she is not beautiful.
"Her beauty is practical too, where you are not judging it on what it looks like but what it can do, and I think that's a really healthy principle to take into wider society.
"I hate it when people say: 'How are you ever going to find a boyfriend?' assuming that he has to be taller. Why do we have to think the man has to be the big guy? There are big women and small men."
Pooley is tall even for a high jumper, towering over most opponents, and has learned to love her height. It means she takes fewer strides, for example.
"Luckily I'm confident in my skin now but when you are growing up, especially when you are in your teens, that is an incredibly difficult time for any young person in terms of their own body image and self confidence," she said.
"Sport helps so much because all of a sudden it threw a positive light as it was such a clear advantage to be tall.
"When I was growing up, I would have killed to be 5ft 3in, instead of 6ft 3in, but now I wouldn't give up my height for the world.
"I'm glad life threw me that challenge because it has helped me become a lot more confident in a whole multitude of ways."
Whereas many people are reluctant to comment on weight, race or disability, height seems to be fair game - footballer Peter Crouch endured chants of "freak" earlier in his career.
"Sport is fantastic for flipping those nasty comments on their head," said Pooley.
"A fundamental philosophy of being an athlete is 'control the controllables' and if you can't change something all you can change is your attitude towards it.
"When people say to my mum: 'Oh you're daughter's awfully tall,' she replies: 'Yes, and she's British champion in the high jump.'"
Training features surprisingly little jumping - maybe 10-20 efforts in three sessions a week - alongside co-ordination drills, weights, short sprints and acceleration runs.
"It is a really common misconception that we just jump all the time but that is just not physically possible, our bodies would break down," she said.
Pooley largely trains with men for whom 2m is no big deal, but now has company in Victoria Dronsfield, the Sweden-born high jumper with an English father who has just been accepted as a British athlete.
"She pushes me on a daily and weekly basis. Although the boys push me, it's almost a bit too extreme to try and lift their weights or run as quickly as they do; having a female makes it that more attainable as a goal."
Becoming Britain's first female Olympic high jump medallist might seem a tall order - but don't rule out GB's rising star from reaching new heights.
She has another Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday, but there will be no appearance in the Anniversary Games in London a week later.
"Unfortunately they've chosen not to put a women's high jump in the programme, which is very disappointing but I'm going to do my utmost on the Friday night to come down and watch Robbie [Grabarz]," she said.
After her World Championships debut next month - "Beijing is going to be a hell of a big deal" - attention will switch to next year's Olympics, and then the 2017 Worlds in London.
"It's completely realistic that I can make the Beijing final, and then to be an Olympic finalist at 23 would be an enormous landmark for me," she added.
"It's really easy to get ahead of yourself when you give one good performance but this is going to be a long journey and 2017 is a massive target. Having a home World Champs is an opportunity that many athletes would give their right arm for." | Here's a tall story - an ultra-fit champion British athlete who suffers jibes every day because of her body. | 33501968 |
Well spare a thought for Mpumalanga batter Shania-Lee Swart, who was the only player to score a run as she hit 160 from 86 balls in a 42-run victory over Easterns during Cricket South Africa's Under-19s week in Pretoria on Monday.
Swart's remarkable innings included 18 fours and 12 sixes. Eight of her team-mates came and went for a grand total of no runs as her side racked up 169-8 in 20 overs. (The other nine runs were extras.)
Easterns bowler Tumi Sekukune took an impressive five wickets for 15 runs - but it wasn't enough to overcome 'Team Swart'.
For good measure, Swart then chipped in with 2-21 as Eastern were restricted for 127-6 in reply. | Have you ever played in one those games where you wonder why the rest of your team-mates bothered turning up at all? | 38331083 |
The crash happened on Friday on the A4260 near Banbury, between Adderbury and Deddington.
The man's Ford Fiesta was in a collision with a Scania tipper lorry. Another car was also involved in the crash.
Thames Valley Police said the man was from Banbury and his next of kin had been informed.
The road was closed for several hours while officers investigated. | A 20-year-old man has been killed in a crash with a lorry on a road in Oxfordshire. | 35141045 |
Rowling will work with producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, though she will not write the script herself.
The author said she had "received countless approaches" over the years "about turning Harry Potter into a theatrical production".
"Sonia and Colin's vision was the only one that really made sense to me."
Their "vision", she continued, "had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry's story to the stage".
"After a year in gestation it is exciting to see this project moving on to the next phase."
The play will be staged in the UK and will explore "the previously untold story of Harry's early years as an orphan and outcast", according to its producers.
"Featuring some of our favourite characters from the Harry Potter books, this new work will offer a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard.
"Writers and directors are now being considered, and the project will move into development in 2014."
Rowling's seven Harry Potter best-sellers were adapted into eight blockbuster films starring Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
Earlier this year the author revealed she would be making her screenwriting debut on a new Potter-themed film series for the Warner Bros studio.
Friedman is behind a string of successful West End productions, among them The Book of Mormon, Merrily We Roll Along and the Twelfth Night and Richard III double bill starring Mark Rylance.
Callender, a former president of HBO Films, recently produced Lucky Guy on Broadway starring Tom Hanks and is currently working with the BBC on its adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. | The early years of wizard Harry Potter will be explored in a new stage play, to be co-produced by author JK Rowling, it has been announced. | 25466653 |
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Murray's fiancee, Kim Sears, was caught on camera apparently swearing, prompting comments on social media.
Asked about that incident and the tension in the entire match, Murray said: "In the heat of the moment, you can say stuff that you regret."
There appeared to be heated words from both players during the contest.
Murray put the atmosphere down to the pre-match focus on his former coach, Dani Vallverdu, who is now working with Berdych.
Addressing the media after his 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-3 7-5 win, the Scot, 27, said: "When there's a lot of tension surrounding something, which you created, it's completely normal that the whole first set everyone was tight."
Murray also claimed Berdych found the atmosphere difficult to handle.
"Even Tomas, who very rarely says anything on the court... there was tension there for him as well," said the former Wimbledon champion.
Sears was seen on camera apparently aiming a colourful outburst towards the Czech's team when Murray broke back in a tense first set.
That set was eventually won by Berdych in a tie-break, but Murray fought back superbly to reach his eighth Grand Slam final.
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He will face Serb Novak Djokovic or Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka on Sunday. They meet in the second semi-final on Friday.
The early stages of Murray's semi-final were filled with tension.
Murray was annoyed by Berdych's complaints about the balls, while the Czech appeared to exchange words with the Scot at a changeover.
Berdych insisted there was nothing untoward.
"I said to myself: 'Well done, Tomas'," he explained. "That's it. That's what I said. I think I'm allowed to do that when I win a set."
Murray also received a time violation as he waited for the crowd to quieten at one point in the match.
Spectators took time to settle after seeing a replay on the big screen of Murray's fiancee reacting to the previous point.
"It was only in the first set there was tension, like right at the beginning of the match," added Murray.
"It wasn't like there was loads going on there. Obviously at the end of the set, when he said something, that was really the last thing in the entire match where there was any tension. It was fine after that."
Berdych had reached the last four without dropping a set, beating 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal along the way,.
But the 29-year-old was outplayed by Murray after the first set.
After his win, Murray took the opportunity to back his coach, Amelie Mauresmo, saying: "I'm just very happy for her that I won the match.
"I got asked all the time about my ex-coach working with Tomas and no one was interested in anything I was doing with Amelie or the way I was playing or anything.
"A lot of people were also criticising her at the end of last year, like the way I was playing was her fault, when I'd spent two weeks training with her up to the end of the year, until the training block.
"There was very little time to spend with each other. There's no reason for her to be criticised for anything."
Murray joins the likes of Andre Agassi and his former coach Ivan Lendl as a four-time Australian Open finalist.
The Scot said he was "very proud" of his achievement, given the fact he is playing in an era that also features Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.
"To be in the final four times here, because I'm surrounded by guys like Roger, Novak and Rafa, doesn't look like much, but that doesn't happen that often," he said. "I'm very proud of that." | British number one Andy Murray admitted he and his entourage were pushed to the limit during his Australian Open semi-final win over Tomas Berdych. | 31044999 |
Eleanor de Freitas, 23, of Fulham, was found dead in 2014, only days before she had been due to stand trial accused of perverting the course of justice.
Alexander Economou has been charged with harassing her father, David de Freitas, the CPS said.
Mr Economou is due before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 11 January.
The CPS said he had been charged in relation to sending a letter to Mr de Freitas, emails to his solicitor, uploading recordings and comments to websites including YouTube and setting up a website with the domain name eleanordefreitas.com.
Trainee accountant Ms de Freitas, who had bipolar disorder, made a rape complaint against Mr Economou to the Metropolitan Police in early 2013.
The police said there was insufficient evidence to pursue the case and the man she said had attacked her took out a private prosecution, accusing her of perverting the course of justice.
Ms de Freitas's solicitors asked the CPS to halt the private action but instead the CPS decided to take it over and continue it.
The 23-year-old had said she felt there was "no way out" after the CPS charged her with perverting the course of justice and she was found hanged on 4 April, three days before she had been due to stand trial.
West London coroner Chinyere Inyama recorded that Ms de Freitas had taken her own life and that the impending court case had been "a significant stressor in her life at that time". | The ex-boyfriend of a woman accused of making a false rape claim against him has been charged with harassing her father. | 35055417 |
McNaughton, 33, has agreed a one-year deal following his summer release from Wigan.
A broken leg and a serious hamstring injury have limited the former Scotland international to just 12 appearances over the past two seasons.
King, 22, spent the second half of last term on loan at Rangers.
He scored on his Ibrox debut but did not find the net again in 12 more outings for the Championship winners.
The left-sided player made 20 appearances for Hearts in the first stretch of the campaign, netting twice.
Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson told the club's official website: "I believe this is a great move for Billy and will enable him to kick on and get some regular football under his belt.
"He returned from his loan at Rangers earlier this summer and, having spoken to him, he expressed a desire to get as much game time as possible.
"There is a lot of competition for places here and I feel Billy will stand a better chance of playing regularly by going back out on loan."
McNaughton, capped four times for Scotland, began his career at Aberdeen before moving on to Cardiff in 2006.
His nine-year career at the Bluebirds involved two loan spells at Bolton.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Inverness CT have signed former Aberdeen and Cardiff full-back Kevin McNaughton and taken winger Billy King on a season-long loan from Hearts. | 36777135 |
The runner-up is a similar-looking red, white and blue design.
The final result will be announced on Tuesday after late and overseas votes are counted, and may change as the winning margin is narrow.
A second referendum will be held in March to decide whether to adopt the new flag, or keep the existing one.
New Zealanders were asked to choose which of five designs they preferred.
About 48% of eligible voters took part in the first referendum, which has divided opinion in New Zealand over its cost and timing.
The preliminary winner and runner-up flags were both designed by architect Kyle Lockwood, and feature New Zealand icons the silver fern and the Southern Cross.
The second-runner-up was Red Peak, which was added to the ballot after a social media lobbying campaign.
Voting officially closed at 19:00 local time on Friday (06:00 GMT).
The decision to choose a new flag has been backed by Prime Minister John Key, who has said the current one is too similar to Australia's and that it is time to remove the Union Jack from the flag.
He said the turnout, which was higher than had been expected, showed "people are engaging" with the debate, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Four designs were initially announced in September and Red Peak, was added weeks later.
The entire exercise is expected to cost around NZ$27m (£12m, $18m). | New Zealanders have picked a blue and black design with the silver fern as the preliminary winner in a referendum on a possible new national flag. | 35059898 |
Nicky Adams headed the hosts into an early lead before Sam Hoskins side-footed in a second after the break.
Matt Taylor's header and Ellis Harrison's low effort saw Rovers fight back to earn a point to boost their own hopes of automatic promotion.
But the Cobblers, who faced a petition for administration earlier this season, are guaranteed a top-three spot.
They have lost only once in the league since Kelvin Thomas's takeover of the club in November.
Fifth-placed Plymouth's loss to AFC Wimbledon meant this season will be the end of Northampton's seven-year spell in the fourth tier of English football, following relegation in 2009.
The Cobblers, who only escaped relegation to non-league on the final day of the 2014 season, are now 12 points clear at the top with five games remaining.
Rovers now lie fourth, two points behind third-placed Accrington.
The attendance of 7,579 was the largest ever recorded at Sixfields and Northampton's biggest for a league game since 1987.
Northampton skipper Marc Richards will miss the end of season run-in as he is to undergo an Achilles operation next week. | Northampton Town secured promotion to League One despite being held to a draw by Bristol Rovers at Sixfields. | 35949025 |
Many gay people vote for the party, said the DUP leader.
"This suggestion that every single person who is a homosexual wants to change the definition of marriage is wrong," she said.
"I know plenty of people in that community who don't want to see marriage redefined are quite content to live in partnership."
The first minister has denied letting online abuse harden her opposition to same-sex marriage.
The DUP's support for the traditional definition of marriage was a manifesto commitment, said Mrs Foster, adding that she would continue to use a petition of concern to veto any attempts to change the law on marriage at Stormont.
A petition of concern places the requirement of a cross-community majority on a motion in the assembly.
The first minister told PA on Thursday that she and her colleagues had been subjected to "vicious" online abuse by gay activists, but suggested that far from influencing her this would send her in "the opposite direction".
However, she told BBC News NI it was a complete misrepresentation to say the DUP makes its decisions on the basis of online abuse.
Mrs Foster told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme that if people wanted to have a rational debate about marriage, she would be willing to engage, but "please don't call me all the names of the day on social media".
She said she would not meet LGBT activists who abuse her over the internet.
On the issue of women procuring abortion pills over the internet, the DUP leader said: "The law is what it is and if someone breaks it then due process has to be gone through."
She said it should be a matter for the individual conscience of medical professionals to decide whether they should tell the police about such cases, or maintain patient confidentiality.
The first minister said she had still not received a report from a working group on the issue of terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, even though it is a fortnight since the health and justice ministers confirmed they had been given the document.
Mrs Foster said the working group had been engaged in an "important piece of work on a hugely sensitive issue.
"Therefore we have to give it due consideration," she added.
She did not clarify whether DUP MLAs would be given a free vote on the matter should any change in the law be proposed.
On Brexit, the DUP leader welcomed the rejection of a court challenge by other parties at the Belfast High Court.
Mrs Foster described the case as "a futile attempt to drag the peace process and the Belfast agreement" into the Brexit debate.
The first minister was also scathing about next week's all island civic dialogue on Brexit, which is being convened by the Irish government.
She described it as an "absolute sideshow" which would merely provide an opportunity for political "grandstanding".
After the UK leaves the European Union, Mrs Foster insisted, there could be no question of people having to show passports to travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
The DUP leader said she had told both the prime minister and the Northern Ireland secretary that it was a "red line" that Northern Ireland must be treated in exactly the same way as any other part of the UK when it comes to passports.
She said other issues, such as access to the European Single Market or the Customs Union, would develop during the course of the UK-EU negotiations.
Last weekend the Ulster Unionists invited the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood to their conference as a symbol of the unity of the new Stormont opposition.
But Mrs Foster described this as a "sign of desperation", and said there was absolutely no chance she would be inviting her partner in government, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, to a DUP conference anytime soon. | Gay people are welcome in the membership of the DUP, First Minister Arlene Foster has told BBC News NI. | 37800236 |
Labour peer Lord Brooke said its use was spreading on a "wide scale" in the US despite being banned by some states.
Powdered alcohol, he argued, could be "snorted" or "baked into cakes" or added to confectionery, making it easier for minors to consume it.
Home Office minister Lord Bates said the government was aware of the issue and was considering how to address it.
Lord Brooke was speaking as peers discussed the government's Psychoactive Substances Bill, which will criminalise the production, supply and trade in psychoactive substances and carry a maximum prison sentence of seven years.
Legitimate substances, such as food, alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, caffeine and medical products, would be excluded from the legislation but Lord Brooke said powdered alcohol posed a particular risk and urged ministers to act now.
Although not available in the UK, he warned that "as night follows day" powdered alcohol, which can be mixed with water to make a standard flavoured drink, will eventually come to the UK through the internet.
Leading powdered alcohol brand Palcohol was approved for sale by US regulators earlier this year.
Its manufacturer, US firm Lipsmark, has criticised efforts by certain US states to ban it in advance of it going on the market, arguing that it is "legal, safe and revolutionary" and will reduce carbon emissions by "being so much lighter to ship than liquid alcohol".
It was recently banned in the Australian state of Victoria but the Australian government has rejected calls for a federal-wide ban. | Ministers have been urged to ban imports of powdered alcohol as part of a crackdown on so-called legal highs. | 33335365 |
24 November 2016 Last updated at 01:12 GMT
They spoke to BBC Asian Network on the understanding their real names would not be used, with one recalling how unmarried women were advised to shun her in case pregnancy difficulties were "passed on".
Another called for more understanding about a subject she said was "taboo" in South Asian communities.
The women are from these communities in the West Midlands and an infertility specialist said such attitudes were familiar.
Dr Geetha Venkhat, from Harley Street Fertility Clinic, said: "The blame [for miscarriage] is usually put on [the woman]. Some people believe it's supernatural, maybe it’s a curse, but scientifically none of this makes any sense.
"We have to educate people in our community." | Three women have spoken of the upset caused by those who blame them for their miscarriages. | 38021024 |
"After winning the league, we're desperate to make our name on the European stage and try and get the respect we feel we deserve," he said.
"We've been close in the last few years but not quite got over the line.
"We played in some big games last season, there were some big moments, and that will stand us in good stead."
Looking ahead to Saturday's campaign opener away to Racing 92 in Paris, Horne admitted that January's loss to Bath "still hurts".
Bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, Warriors needed to win at the Recreation Ground but Sean Maitland was stopped inches from the line in the last minute of a 20-15 loss.
Northampton Saints and Pro12 rivals Scarlets make up Pool 3 and Horne is relishing the test.
"This is the crown jewel of club rugby and every team is up for it that little bit more," explained the Scotland international. "The games are quicker, more intense.
"It's a really exciting group, exactly what you want to be involved in.
"It's the best in Europe all going at it, so it will be good fun."
Gregor Townsend's side opened this season with 16-10 home defeat to Scarlets, although the hosts were much weakened by the absence of their World Cup stars.
Horne scored a last-gasp try in a 27-20 win over Northampton in 2013, while a 15-0 lead was spurned in the return game.
Glasgow have never met Racing 92 and have won just three of their last 14 matches against French opponents.
"We probably don't have the same budget as some of the bigger teams like Toulon and co but on our day I think we can match anyone," continued Horne.
"There is no reason for us to fear the more established teams at this level but it's a massive challenge.
"We'll be doing everything we can to make sure we qualify for the last eight. After that, it's knockout rugby and anything can happen." | Glasgow Warriors can use the experience of last season's Pro12 success to make an impact in the European Champions Cup, says centre Peter Horne. | 34807911 |
Former Army private Alfred White, 93, has received the Legion d'Honneur.
He was called up because his date of birth was recorded as 1920 instead of 1922. He is believed to be the last surviving member of his Merseyside-based unit.
Mr White, from Wirral, said the medal was a "nice Christmas present".
Mr White, who is known as Alf, was a driver who helped lay a pipeline during Operation Pluto in 1944 - a vital communications lifeline.
His granddaughter Janey Lumley, from Gloucestershire, said Mr White remained with the Army despite his captain discovering his true age.
She said the error was discovered because his late brother Tommy was registered as being a month older than him rather than two years.
Once it was discovered there was "nothing they could do" so they continued, she said.
Mr White, from Heswall, served in the Birkenhead-based 1st Army Tank Brigade.
He joined the Territorial Army in 1939 aged 16 and first served at Dunkirk and later in north Africa, the Middle East and Germany. He left the Army in 1946.
Mrs Lumley said: "He is an unsung hero. He has never spoken of his time in the war and I felt that he deserved this credit."
She said the honour was "also on behalf of his unit who won't get the award as it is not given posthumously".
Mr White said: "I was thrilled to bits. I have got other medals, but they are campaign medals."
An official ceremony will follow at a later date. | A D-Day veteran, who was called up to serve at the age of 17 due to an administrative error, has been awarded France's highest military honour. | 35141095 |
The Ivorian, 23, was also shown calling team-mate Angel di Maria a "clown" as he answered questions from fans on social media app Periscope.
PSG play Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Aurier later apologised saying: "What I did was really stupid and inexcusable. I really regret what happened."
He told Canal Plus and Bein Sports: "I apologise to the coach and the supporters. I accept all consequences and can only thank Laurent Blanc for all that he has done for me at PSG."
In March 2015, Aurier was banned for three European matches after insulting referee Bjorn Kuipers on Facebook.
Aurier made comments about Kuipers after he sent off PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a Champions League draw against Chelsea. | Paris St-Germain right-back Serge Aurier has been suspended indefinitely after appearing to use homophobic language to insult coach Laurent Blanc. | 35573547 |
The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) has said about 20,000 students in universities and colleges could potentially access the loan.
It will become available next year. Students with lower incomes will still be able to access existing grants.
The DEL minister said grants were often not enough to cover the full cost of tuition and were also means tested.
"In reality, most part-time students are ineligible to receive any support and the vast majority must self-fund their studies," Stephen Farry said.
"Following a public consultation exercise, I am now pleased to announce a new, non-means tested, 'top-up' tuition fee loan for part-time students.
"Students from lower incomes will continue to be able to access the existing grants, but they will also be able to top them up with a loan for their tuition fees should they need to, providing them with the same level of tuition fee support over the lifetime of their course as their full-time counterparts.
"Students ineligible to receive the existing fee grants will also be able to access these new loans.
"This combination of grants and loans for part-time tuition fee support is unique within the UK." | Part-time students in Northern Ireland will be able to get top-up loans to pay for tuition fees under a new scheme. | 35609592 |
Christopher Hodder set up a fake online profile and pretended to be a girl as he tricked his victims into providing intimate images of themselves.
Hodder, 31, from Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, admitted 19 offences at Carlisle Crown Court.
The father of one of his victims said the family's lives had been ruined.
The man said: "This perverted monster should never be allowed to walk the streets again."
The court heard Hodder had been sentenced for a previous grooming crime in 2013. Part of his punishment was not to contact any children aged under 16 via the internet.
But last year police unearthed a catalogue of new offences after learning Hodder had communicated with a teenage boy using social media.
Officers found he had targeted 13 separate young victims including two brothers.
Hodder, of Union Square, admitted five counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, eight attempts to do the same, two breaches of a court order he was given in 2013 and several charges relating to indecent images of children.
Judge Tony Lancaster said Hodder should be subject to an extended three-year licence period.
Judge Lancaster told him: "Your offending was mean, volatile and predatory." | A "perverted monster" who hunted out and sexually groomed 13 boys on Facebook has been jailed for four years. | 39234303 |
Ben Stokes, who helped England seal the one-day international series against South Africa on Saturday, was rested for Monday's game with an injury.
All-rounder Stokes, 25, has returned from his £1.7m stint at Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the life generally," said Strauss.
Stokes has had two sets of scans on his knee over the past week before the Champions Trophy, which starts on Thursday.
England seamer Chris Woakes, who has also returned from playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, sat out two of the three ODIs against South Africa because of tightness in a thigh muscle.
"That is the slight risk you take when you make people available for a chunk of cricket that is outside the international schedule," added Strauss.
"On one hand you weigh up the potential risk and on the other you ask what they can potentially gain from that experience." | Benefits outweigh the risks when England make players available for the Indian Premier League, says director of cricket Andrew Strauss. | 40100380 |
Her annual report, which focuses on women this year, said tackling obesity should be a national priority to avert a "growing health catastrophe".
She said the food industry needed to do more or it should face a sugar tax.
Dame Sally is also calling for better treatment of ovarian cancer and more open discussion on incontinence.
England's top doctor said obesity was so serious it should be a priority for the whole population, but particularly for women because too often it shortened their lives.
In England in 2013, 56.4% of women aged 34-44 and 62% of women aged 45-54 were classified as overweight or obese.
Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Dame Sally warned that if the food industry did not clean up its act then new taxes may be the only option.
She told the BBC: "I think it is inevitable that manufacturing has to reformulate and resize, that supermarkets and others need to stop cheap promotions on unhealthy food and putting unhealthy food at the check-out, and limit advertising dramatically.
"I think we're at a tipping point. If industry won't deliver then we'll have to look at a sugar tax."
Elsewhere in the report, the chief medical officer recommended that:
Dame Sally highlighted the fact that women had to look after their physical and mental health during pregnancy for the sake of their children and grandchildren.
Calculate your BMI (body mass index)
Where are you on the global fat scale?
Five ways to help women lose weight
If a woman is obese during pregnancy, research indicates there is an increased chance of miscarriage and premature birth.
A woman's overall health during pregnancy also has an impact on the health of the child in later life, the report said.
A pregnant woman's health affects the conditions inside the womb which in turn can have life-long consequences for the health of the child including the risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes.
Dame Sally said she wanted to "bust the myth" that women should eat for two when pregnant, adding a healthy diet with fruit and vegetables and avoiding alcohol was important.
Prof Nick Finer, from University College London's Institute of Cardiovascular Science, said obesity was now "the most pressing health issue for the nation".
"Estimates of the economic costs of obesity suggest they will bankrupt the NHS.
"Elevating the problem of obesity to a national risk could help to address the current 'laissez faire' attitude to this huge, angry, growing health catastrophe," he said.
The report makes 17 recommendations across a range of women's health issues.
In her report, Dame Sally highlighted the need for early diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating, which are more common in women than men.
She recommended that everyone with an eating disorder should have access to a new and enhanced form of psychological therapy, called CBT-E, which is specifically designed to treat eating disorders.
This should be available to all age groups across the country, she said.
Lorna Garner, from Beat, the charity that supports people with eating disorders, said the recommendation would have "a dramatic and positive impact on a very large proportion of the individuals diagnosed with eating disorders".
It's a one-to-one psychological therapy which focuses on changing the patient's views on body image and helping them to accept their bodies as they are.
The 'E' stands for enhanced because it is tailored to the individual, with the aim of helping them to learn more productive ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.
Keeping patients engaged in the process and preventing any relapses is a key part of the therapy.
Extensive studies have shown that it works for all eating disorders, with a 66% success rate for people with bulimia and binge-eating disorders.
The therapy lasts from five to nine months and can also be used on children over 14 years old.
Therapists can be trained online to deliver CBT-E, which helps patients to be treated quickly.
The report also called for better treatment for ovarian cancer, which kills more women in England than any other gynaecological cancer.
With survival from the cancer among the lowest among developed nations, Dame Sally recommends longer operating times to increase the likelihood that all the cancer is removed during surgery.
Training in specialised surgical skills to remove gynaecological cancers and an audit of treatments are also highlighted in the report.
There should be more awareness of women's problems "below the waist" and more discussion of taboo topics such as urinary and faecal incontinence and the menopause, the report said.
More than five million women suffer from incontinence in the UK, a condition that can seriously affect the quality of their lives.
Bosses should also make it easier for women to discuss their menopausal symptoms without embarrassment, which could help them reduce their sick leave and improve their wellbeing at work.
Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said women should be placed at the centre of their care throughout their lives.
He said issues such as maternal obesity, poor diet, lack of physical activity, high levels of alcohol consumption, smoking and poor sexual health "must be addressed... to enable all women to make safe and appropriate lifestyle choices". | Obesity is the biggest threat to women's health and the health of future generations, warns England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies. | 35061167 |
Barring a 14-goal swing in the final round of fixtures, Garry Monk's side will now finish outside the top six.
Fans who bought a season ticket for the Championship club before the end of May 2016 will get 25% of their money back.
The club had pledged to give refunds of 50% if they sold 15,000 tickets, but they did not reach that number.
Leeds, who have extended a deadline for supporters to claim their money back, are in the process of sending forms to season ticket holders who qualify for the refund.
The cost to the club, co-owned by Italian businessman Massimo Cellino, is not known, but it is understood that funds have been ring-fenced to pay back the money.
Speaking after Saturday's 3-3 draw with Norwich, which effectively ended their play-off hopes, manager Monk said: "The reality is, the majority of the group were not quite ready for this situation. That's not a criticism. It's just a fact." | Leeds United say they will honour a promise to partially refund fans who bought season tickets for 2016-17 if they miss out on the play-offs. | 39770835 |
Sport Wales' director of elite performance Brian Davies said it may "scare a few athletes", but official advice remains unchanged.
The letter to the World Health Organization recommends postponing or moving the Games from Rio.
It says efforts to eradicate mosquitoes with the virus have failed.
The Zika virus is linked to severe birth defects.
Between February and April, Brazil registered more than 90,000 likely cases of Zika. The number of babies born with Zika-linked defects stood at 4,908 in April.
Mr Davies said the letter was "unfortunate timing" but changed nothing.
"We will take our advice from the key organisations that we work with," he said.
"As long as that advice doesn't change, then our athletes can consider themselves in a safe environment."
He added that Welsh athletes had not come to him with any concerns over the virus.
"They're focussed on trying to be picked in the first place," he said.
"And if they are concerned, they will put faith in the organisations that are designed to take and bring them back from the Games safely." | An open letter which said it is "unethical" for the Olympic Games to go ahead in Brazil in light of the Zika virus has been played down. | 36405527 |
Winner: Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Idris Elba, Luther
Stephen Graham, This is England '90
Ben Whishaw, London Spy
Winner: Suranne Jones, Doctor Foster
Claire Foy, Wolf Hall
Ruth Madeley, Don't Take My Baby
Sheridan Smith, The C-Word
Winner: Tom Courtenay, Unforgotten
Anton Lesser, Wolf Hall
Ian McKellen, The Dresser
Cyril Nri, Cucumber
Winner: Chanel Cresswell, This is England '90
Michelle Gomez, Doctor Who
Lesley Manville, River
Eleanor Worthington-Cox, The Enfield Haunting
Winner: Leigh Francis, Celebrity Juice
Stephen Fry, QI
Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show
Romesh Ranganathan, Asian Provocateur
Winner: Peter Kay, Peter Kay's Car Share
Hugh Bonneville, W1A
Toby Jones, Detectorists
Javone Prince, The Javone Prince Show
Winner: Michaela Coel, Chewing Gum
Sian Gibson, Peter Kay's Car Share
Miranda Hart, Miranda
Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe
Winner: Wolf Hall
Humans
The Last Panthers
No Offence
Winner: Don't Take My Baby
The C-Word
Cyberbully
The Go-Between
Winner: This is England '90
Doctor Foster
The Enfield Haunting
London Spy
Winner: EastEnders
Coronation Street
Emmerdale
Holby City
Winner: Transparent
The Good Wife
Narcos
Spiral
Winner: Strictly Come Dancing
Adele at the BBC
Britain's Got Talent
TFI Friday Anniversary Special
Winner: Have I Got News For You
Charlie Brooker's Election Wipe
QI
Would I Lie to You
Winner: Peter Kay's Car Share
Chewing Gum
Peep Show
People Just Do Nothing
Winner: The Great British Bake Off
Back in Time for Dinner
Kevin McCloud: Escape to the Wild
Travel Man
Winner: Poldark
Doctor Foster
The Great British Bake Off
Humans
Making a Murderer
Peter Kay's Car Share
Winner: Outbreak: The Truth about Ebola
Jihad: A British Story
Children of the Gaza War
Escape from Isis (Dispatches)
Winner: My Son the Jihadi
Bitter Lake
Life After Suicide
Louis Theroux: Transgender Kids
Winner: The Murder Detectives
The Detectives
Great Ormond Street
The Tribe
Winner: First Dates
Gogglebox
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds
Winner: Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
Grayson Perry's Dream House
The Hunt
Rudolf Nureyev: Dance to Freedom
Winner: Channel 4 News: Paris Massacre
BBC News at Six: Paris Attacks Special
ITV News at Ten: Refugee Crisis
Sky News: From Turkey to Greece
Winner: The Ashes (Sky Sports)
The Grand National (Channel 4)
MOTD Live: FA Cup Final (BBC One)
Six Nations: Final Day (BBC One)
Winner: Big Blue Live (BBC One)
The Sound of Music Live! (ITV)
Stargazing Live: Brit in Space, Tim Peake Special (BBC Two)
The Vote (More4) | Here is a full list of winners for the 2016 Bafta TV Awards. | 35924928 |
Cook led Pompey to the League Two title this season and has one year remaining on his contract at Fratton Park.
But it is understood that the 50-year-old, a former Wigan player, is on the Latics' managerial shortlist after their relegation from the Championship.
As yet, there has been no official approach from Wigan to Portsmouth.
Graham Barrow has been interim manager of Wigan since March when Warren Joyce left after four months in charge.
Kirkby-born Cook played for Wigan between 1984 and 1988 before a brief loan spell back at the club in the 2001-02 season.
After moving down a division by leaving Chesterfield to take over at fourth-tier Pompey in May 2015, Cook led the Hampshire side to a sixth-placed finish in his first season, only to be beaten by Plymouth in the play-off semi-finals.
This campaign, Cook's side achieved promotion with three games to spare, before winning the title on a dramatic final day.
Off the field, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner is also in exclusive negotiations over a potential takeover from the Pompey Supporters' Club, who have owned the club for four years. | Portsmouth boss Paul Cook is interested in talking to League One-bound Wigan Athletic about their vacant managerial role, reports BBC Radio Solent. | 39911016 |
It 'resumes' because three of this season's eligible tournaments were actually held in December - South Africa's Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Australian PGA Championship and the UBS Hong Kong Open.
But a five-week break from competition definitely makes this feel like the launch-pad for this year's tour.
Here's a few key things to note about the next few days.
The SA Open will be held at Glendower Golf Club in the municipality of Ekurhuleni, just east of Johannesburg.
It is the second oldest national championship in the world, having started in 1893, and only the Open Championship (1860) has been around for longer.
Home favourite Brandon Stone bagged his maiden European Tour victory at Glendower in 2016.
The 23-year-old, who was born in Rustenburg and lives in Pretoria, clinched it by a two-stroke margin and became the youngest winner of the event since it joined the European Tour in 1997.
Yes. Four of them.
Edinburgh-born Berwickshire man David Drysdale ended 2016 in decent form and finished 79th in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Drysdale, 41, tees off at 05:20 GMT alongside 23-year-old Scottish amateur Craig Ross, who has a spot at Glendower because of a win at the South African Amateur Championship last year.
A top 10 placing in the 2016 Challenge Tour's order of merit means Grantown on Spey's Duncan Stewart, 32, plays this week and he tees off at 06:10 on Thursday.
Clydebank's Scott Henry, who regained his European Tour card at qualifying school in Spain in November, plays in his first tournament since getting married over Christmas. The 29-year-old tees off at 05:30.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Other Scots, like Stephen Gallacher and Marc Warren, wait until next week's Abu Dhabi Championship to start their 2017 campaigns.
Big names?
World number two Rory McIlroy plays at the SA Open for the first time since 2009 to fulfil a promise made to event host Ernie Els, who in turn had supported McIlroy's Irish Open last summer.
Four-time major winner McIlroy starts his first round with defending champion Stone at 05:10. Els begins at 04:50.
Sir Nick Faldo, 59, makes his first appearance at a regular European Tour event since 2014 and gets under way at 09:50.
There's also 2016's Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke teeing off at 05:30.
What's up for grabs?
The prize pot at Glendower equates to almost £900,000, with the winner taking approximately £142,500. | The 2017 European Tour resumes on Thursday with the BMW South African Open. | 38584495 |
The first leg on 30 June against Estonian side Infonet was switched to Tynecastle hours after Monday's draw.
And, the following day, the second leg was moved forward 24 hours, which Hearts say inconvenienced their fans.
"The club has requested that the Scottish FA make representation to Uefa," the Scottish Premiership club said on their website.
Hearts want the SFA to recommend "that the communication process between participating clubs, their national associations and Uefa be reviewed and improved".
They say that fans "who had moved quickly to book flights and accommodation" had been adversely affected.
"Having been assured that all deliberations of the competitions committee had been concluded, and decisions taken were final, we released this information to our supporters," they said.
"No further communication was received from Uefa to the club prior to them issuing their finalised list of fixtures, which showed that a further change had in fact been made, moving our away leg from Thursday 7 to Wednesday 6.
"This change was made without any reference to either Hearts or, indeed, FC Infonet.
"In this instance, the club can only repeat its apologies for the inconvenience that these events have caused and trust that supporters will recognise that we did everything possible to provide timely and accurate information to our supporters, including sending representatives to Nyon." | Hearts have appealed for clearer communication from Uefa after suffering two Europa League fixture changes. | 36610211 |
Leeds-born Cox said the medals had been taken from her car that was parked outside of her house in Prestwich, Bury.
The 26-year-old took gold in the T37 women's 100m and T35-38 4x100m relay at the 2015 World Championships in Doha.
She tweeted: "I'm just gutted. My first worlds medals for both sports, worth more than any amount of money."
More stories from across Yorkshire
In the plea posted on social media earlier she wrote: "Got home yest 2 find some1 had got into my car n cause I'd been filming just before my worlds medals were in there! Pls help me find them."
She spent the evening in London on Thursday and only discovered their loss when she got home.
Cox, who had a stroke aged 23, and was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, became the first Briton since 1988 to win a medal in two sports at the same Paralympics.
She also took athletics silver in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the 100m, and was picked to be Britain's flagbearer at the Rio closing ceremony. | Double Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox MBE has had two of her IPC Athletics World Championships medals stolen. | 40223477 |
Two police officers tried to rescue the pair after they spotted the blaze in Seacombe at about 20:30 GMT, but the heat and smoke was too intense.
The woman was later rescued from the house in James Street but died later in hospital while a man's body was discovered inside the property.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is investigating the cause of the blaze.
The service's area manager Dave Mottram said: "Police officers made valiant attempts to save the occupiers, forcing entry through the front door, but unfortunately they were unable to do so due to the effects of severe heat and smoke.
"Firefighters were quickly on scene and made entry into the property wearing breathing apparatus, where they found the ground floor was well alight."
He said they tackled the fire and stopped it spreading to neighbouring properties and had put it out by 21:30. | A man and woman, believed to be in their 80s, have died after a fire at a house in Wirral on Friday night. | 34953063 |
Min Bahadur Sherchan, a former British Gurkha soldier, was trying to reclaim the record from Japan's Yuichiro Miura, who climbed Everest aged 80 in 2013.
Mr Miura broke Mr Sherchan's own record set as a 76-year-old in 2008.
It comes a week after Swiss climber Ueli Steck, 40, died as he prepared to climb the mountain.
Mr Sherchan died at base camp on Saturday afternoon, officials at Nepal's tourism office said. Doctors suspect he suffered a heart attack, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
His long rivalry with Mr Miura - a year his junior - included a 2013 attempt to reclaim the record aged 81 that had to be abandoned after late spring weather conditions worsened.
In 2015 he was on his way to base camp for another attempt when a devastating earthquake struck the country, forcing him and many other climbers to abandon their plans.
"I want to climb Everest to set a record so that it will inspire people to dream big," he told German news agency DPA in March. "This will instil a sense of pride among old people like me."
"My climb will demonstrate that age doesn't stop you from realising your goal."
Mr Sherchan began climbing in 1960, when he ascended Mount Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh-highest mountain at 8,167m (26,795 ft), the Telegraph newspaper reported.
However he was already 72 when he thought about climbing Mount Everest. To prepare, he walked 1,200km (745 miles) across Nepal in 2003, DPA said.
He told DPA that his inspirations were famous Nepali Sherpas Tenzing Norgay - who first reached the top of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953 - and Apa Sherpa, who has climbed the mountain the most times.
Mr Sherchan's guide, Shiva Sapkota, told DPA that he had been in good physical health but had not spent time at high altitude since 2015. | An 85-year-old Nepali man who was attempting to become the oldest person to climb Mount Everest has died at base camp, Nepali officials say. | 39829636 |
Colin Pitchfork was given a life sentence in 1988 for the rape and murder of 15-year-old Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
Both victims' families opposed his release.
Barbara Ashworth, Dawn's mother, said "life should mean life".
His case was referred to the Parole Board to review his suitability for release.
A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a three-member panel of the Parole Board has not directed the release of Colin Pitchfork but has recommended to the Ministry of Justice that he is suitable for a move to open conditions.
"It is up to the Ministry of Justice whether or not to accept this recommendation. We are unable to comment further on the details of this case."
Ms Ashworth said she was concerned Pitchfork could harm a member of the public if allowed out of open prison on temporary release.
"It's a process whereby he's released more gradually and gradually into the community again," she told BBC Radio Leicester.
"I would far sooner he was still in prison where I consider he belongs.
"I would go down on bended knees to the secretary of state for justice and just beg them not to let this man out again, because we don't know what he's capable of."
The judge who sentenced Pitchfork described him as "a danger to young women" whose crimes were of a "particularly sadistic kind".
He was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years, but in 2009 the Court of Appeal reduced the minimum term to 28 years to take into account the "exceptional progress" Pitchfork had made in custody.
The court said the former baker had sought to address the reasons for his offending, achieved "a high standard of education, to degree level", never been placed "on report" while in custody and was "trusted to help with the well-being" of fellow inmates.
It added that Pitchfork, who's now 55, had become a specialist in transcribing printed music into Braille, work which was used across the UK and internationally.
Once a life sentence prisoner's minimum term has been served, they are eligible to be considered for release by the Parole Board.
The Parole Board is not legally permitted to consider whether the prisoner has been punished enough, instead it must focus solely on how dangerous the prisoner is.
Rebecca Eastwood, Lynda Mann's sister, started a petition demanding Pitchfork is never released.
It gathered 19,222 supporters and was submitted to the Parole Board before the hearing to consider his case. | A child killer who became the first person in the world to be convicted using DNA evidence has been refused parole - but recommended for transfer to an open prison. | 36168459 |
Owen Scott, 29, of Heather Road, Fawley, Hampshire, appeared before Sheffield magistrates.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court.
Two girls, aged seven and eight, and two boys, nine months and 21 months, were involved in the crash near Thurgoland, Barnsley, on Wednesday.
South Yorkshire Police said the attempted murder charges arose from "injuries sustained by the four children which are not all thought to be consistent with the collision".
All four children remain in hospital in serious conditions, police added. | A man has appeared in court charged with four counts of attempted murder and dangerous driving after children were seriously hurt in a car crash. | 41061952 |
The 26-year-old Gambian only recently returned from a year-long knee injury by playing for Boro's reserves, but is yet to make a first-team comeback.
He joins a Seagulls side who are 16th in the Championship table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
Carayol joined Middlesbrough from Bristol Rovers in 2012 and has scored 12 goals in 54 appearances for Boro.
"Mustapha is an exciting, dynamic player," said Brighton manager Chris Hughton.
"He is quick and direct, and he gives us a different option alongside our other attacking players.
"While he has played for Boro's Under-21s and has recovered from the injury, he is yet to feature in the Championship so it will be a case of reintroducing him to the rigours of first-team football."
Meanwhile Emmanuel Ledesma has returned to Middlesbrough after his loan deal at Brighton expired.
The 26-year-old winger failed to score in four games during his one-month stay at The Amex. | Middlesbrough winger Mustapha Carayol has joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season. | 32073947 |
The DPP attracted record support, wining 21% of the votes - up from 12.3% in 2011.
Meanwhile, Helle Thorning-Schmidt resigned as prime minister and leader of the Social Democrats, paving the way for Liberal leader Lars Lokke Rasmussen to start talks on forming a government.
Despite overtaking Mr Rasmussen's Liberals - until now the biggest opposition party - the eurosceptic DPP may not be part of the new coalition.
Its leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl said the party might be more efficient in opposition.
Mr Dahl, who took the reins of the DPP in 2012, has led the party to increasing popularity amid public concern over the cost of immigration to Denmark's welfare state.
The party has toned down some of its more inflammatory rhetoric on asylum seekers and Islam, and veered to the left on economic issues.
As well as tougher restrictions on asylum seekers, it campaigned in the election for higher pensions for low-income earners and more money for healthcare and the elderly.
Correspondents say the shock result also brings UK PM David Cameron a powerful new ally in his bid for EU renegotiations.
The DPP wants Denmark to leave the Schengen area - boosting border controls is one of its top issues - and to make it harder for EU migrants to claim benefits in other member states.
Formed in 1996, the DPP is a relative newcomer in Danish politics.
In May 2002, the country's Liberal-Conservative government - largely dependent on the DPP's support - introduced what it described as Europe's strictest immigration laws, reducing the grounds for being granted asylum and cutting benefits.
Like many other nationalist parties across Europe, the DPP was Denmark's biggest winner at the European Parliament elections in 2014 - taking nearly 27% of the vote.
The party now sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, alongside Mr Cameron's Conservative Party and the euro-sceptic Alternative for Germany party. | The anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP) has become Denmark's second largest political party after a general election that saw the ruling coalition lose power. | 33199488 |
Paramedics treated about 12,000 people who were so drunk it was noted on Scottish Ambulance Service systems in the six months to the end of September.
The figures were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives under freedom of information laws.
The ambulance service said alcohol had a significant impact on its operations.
It comes after a recent internal Scottish Ambulance Service survey showed alcohol was a factor in more than half of all call-outs ambulance staff dealt with at weekends.
The latest figures showed Scotland's largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, had the highest number of alcohol-related 999 call-outs in the six month period at 3,849. It was followed by NHS Lothian, with 1,935, and NHS Lanarkshire, with 1,470.
Tory health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said the statistics highlighted how "deep-rooted and complex" a problem alcohol is in Scottish society.
He said: "Not only is it harming those who are over-consuming, but it is diverting scarce resources away from those whose need was not so avoidable.
"Of course the Scottish government and NHS can always do more to discourage reckless patterns of drinking and provide more help for paramedics who have to repeatedly go into these challenging situations - often several times each shift.
"But ultimately this is a case of personal responsibility, and that's where the real change has to come from."
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said its teams had to respond to an increase in demand over the festive period, which was largely driven by alcohol.
He added: "They are highly trained professionals who are frustrated by the amount of time they spend looking after patients who are simply intoxicated.
"Our staff should not have to fear for their own safety when responding to patients but alcohol is often a key factor in assaults.
"Assaults or threatening behaviour are reported to the police and support and counselling services are available to staff."
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said a recent four nations report found that Scotland was leading the way in the UK in taking action to tackle alcohol misuse.
She added: "However, the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption puts additional pressure on these services, and this is another reason why everyone should drink responsibly and keep safe." | Ambulances attend more than 60 incidents on average every day where a patient is so drunk that it has to be formally noted by crews. | 35210821 |
Police said they were assisted in the house search by "specialist resources" following reports of a firearm in the Grangepans property.
Officers said 14 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £3,000 were recovered.
The man was arrested for drug offences and a breach of the peace and will appear in court at a later date.
Officers attended the address on 3 March as part of Operation Core, which targets drug-related activity.
Despite initial reports of a firearm, Police Scotland said "there was found to be no risk to the public."
Sgt Craig Heron said: "Thanks to vital information passed to us by the community, we are confident that this recovery has disrupted the chain of supply in the local area.
"This was a highly successful operation that involved a number of officers and I thank local residents for their patience and cooperation.
"Drugs continue to blight our communities and pursuing those who are involved in this harmful trade remains one of our top priorities." | A 33-year-old man has been arrested following the discovery of a cannabis cultivation at a house in Bo'ness. | 35762998 |
They said officers lacked resources in their fight against the city's criminal organisations.
Hundreds gathered along the seafront in Copacabana to demand more support from the authorities and the population.
Ninety-one policemen have been killed in Rio state this year.
That is more than the total of deaths registered in the whole of 2016.
"I am desperate because I know my husband could be the next one," said Rogeria Quaresma at the march in Rio.
"We see families being destroyed every day. And I don't accept becoming the next widow," she told O Globo newspaper.
In the latest incident, Sgt Hudson Araujo was killed at the Vidigal favela in the early hours of Sunday.
The Brazilian government announced last week it would send an extra 1,000 federal agents to support local police.
Violence has been on the rise in Brazil - and particularly in Rio de Janeiro - since the end of the Olympics and Paralympics nearly a year ago.
Brazil is now going through the worst recession in its history.
The finances of many states, including Rio, have collapsed and there's no prospect of a solution for Brazil's serious political crisis.
The families of police officers say their loved ones are paying a heavy price for trying to fight crime without the resources and equipment required.
Police officers have been fighting for changes in the penal code so that the killings of police officers are treated as heinous crimes.
They complain that the hard work of honest policemen is not given the same media coverage as alleged human rights abuses in security operations.
In a report published in February, Amnesty International said it was concerned about the growing number of deaths in police operations in Brazil.
More than 800 people were killed by the police in the state of Rio alone in 2016. | Relatives of policemen caught up in Brazil's soaring levels of violence have protested in Rio de Janeiro hours after the death of an officer during an operation at a nearby shantytown. | 40700670 |
It is the first time a fund has been sanctioned under US foreign bribery laws, the US justice department said.
Its investigation details bribes of tens of millions of dollars paid to Democratic Republic of Congo officials.
It says the bribes secured investments for the fund in diamonds and mining.
Corrupt payment to officials in Libya, Chad, Niger, Guinea and Zimbabwe were also detailed as part of the settlement.
Campaign group Global Witness called the fine "a major step forward" in tackling corporate corruption and called for the individuals behind the deals to be jailed.
New York-based Och-Ziff had more than $39bn in assets under management as of September 2016, making it one of the world's largest hedge funds.
"Gaining the upper hand in a business venture by engaging in corrupt practices is bribery in its purest form," said FBI investigator William Sweeney, quoted in a statement from the US Department of Justice. | Leading US hedge fund Och-Ziff has been ordered to pay $412m (£316m) to settle charges that it paid millions in bribes to top officials across Africa to secure mining and investment rights. | 37524478 |
Severe weather in the north and west of the country also led to landslides, trapping many people in remote towns and villages.
One report said up to 150,000 people had been displaced or had their livelihoods affected.
More torrential rain is expected in the coming days.
Continuous rain since 16 July had destroyed farmland, roads, rail tracks, bridges and houses, another report said.
"As of Thursday, 27 people have died around the country and four are missing in the Mandalay region," the director of the Relief and Resettlement Department at the social welfare ministry told AFP.
The United Nations said the military in Myanmar (also called Burma) was working alongside local aid groups to carry out rescue and relief operations.
A cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal is likely to bring further rain and strong winds, according to the Global New Light Of Myanmar newspaper.
Authorities are urging those who can move freely, to travel to safer areas.
Flights to the city of Sittwe in the western state of Rakhine have been cancelled.
It is home to around 140,000 displaced people, mainly Rohingya Muslims, who live in makeshift camps close to the coast.
"People had to run for their lives. Some people are now sheltering at schools in Thechaung and Bumay villages," one eyewitness said.
On Friday, state newspapers reported that President Thein Sein was urging cabinet ministers to travel to affected areas to supervise flood relief operations. | More than 20 people have died and others are missing after weeks of unrelenting rain caused flash flooding in Myanmar. | 33731650 |
Police are "deeply concerned" by figures that reveal 56 women and girls are thought to have fled to the war-torn country last year.
Esaaf Al-Ahmed arrived in Bradford with her family last year.
She is one of three Syrian mothers speaking about the reality of life in their home country and the terror that made them flee to the UK.
A national survey carried out last year revealed two-thirds of 11 to 25-year-olds were most likely to speak to their mother if they considered travelling to a conflict zone.
Last June, three sisters from Bradford - Khadija, Sugra and Zohra Dawood - disappeared from their homes with their nine children.
Their brother is understood to be fighting with extremists in Syria.
Helen Ball, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said women and girls were "unaware of the dangers they face".
A mother who tried to abduct her two children to live in Syria under the so-called Islamic State was jailed last week for five years and four months.
The 34-year-old woman from Bradford was stopped by the Turkish authorities last October.
She told the court she wanted to live under strict Sharia law.
Mrs Al-Ahmed and her daughters, four-year-old Hala, eight-year-old Rashal and 14-year-old Rasha, were given sanctuary under the government's Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme on medical grounds.
Her husband, Walid, had cancer in the Jordanian refugee camps where the family were living.
Mrs Al-Ahmed said in the "Prevent Tragedies" campaign film that young women "wrongly believe they have a future" in Syria.
She said: "My message to young women is think about yourself, and your future, rather than go to Syria and face arrest, torture, or even death.
"Build your future here where you have freedom and opportunity."
Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams from West Yorkshire Police said the messages by so-called Islamic State were "misleading" and "do not reflect the reality" of living in Syria.
"Children have been taken to dangerous places and are at great risk; vulnerable people have been brainwashed into travelling" she said.
"My message to mothers across the region is to please come forward if you have any concerns."
"We would much rather intervene at an early stage before somebody is criminalised." | A Syrian mother has urged women from the UK not to travel to Syria in a film by counter-terrorism officials. | 35296550 |
The victim, named as George "Geordie" Gilmore, was critically injured on Monday afternoon.
The shooting is being linked to a long-running loyalist feud in the town.
The papers report he posted a message on Facebook shortly before the attack, saying: "The days of the UDA putting people out of Carrick are over."
Inside, the Belfast Telegraph says that rival loyalists crowd came face-to-face after the shooting with tension high in the town.
The Irish News says there was a heavy police presence in Carrickfergus on Monday night amid fears of possible reprisals and that officers wearing tactical gear carried out raids.
The Mirror leads with an attack on a female prison officer at Maghaberry Prison.
It says she was slashed on the face, jaw and neck with a make-shift blade, with a source telling the paper she was attacked shortly after telling a prisoner to tidy his cell.
Monday's gun attack pushes political developments off the front pages and inside the papers.
Neither the Belfast Telegraph nor the News Letter is impressed by events at Stormont on Monday.
"After seven weeks, MLAs back in Assembly chamber... for 45 minutes," reports the News Letter.
The Telegraph says: "MLAs clock in for 45 minutes then promptly head home".
However, The Irish News says the Irish foreign minister hailed the parties' "positive attitude" during talks.
In keeping with his more positive outlook, Charlie Flanagan is pictured at Stormont beneath Monday's clear blue skies.
On a much less positive note, all four papers report that a family support service in Belfast that works with hundreds of vulnerable children and their families has been told it must close on 31 March.
Some 47 members of the Intensive Family Support Service will lose their jobs as its funding is being cut.
Also expressing concern about the political impasse at Stormont is the Equality Commission's Dr Michael Wardlow.
He tells the News Letter: "Any significant delay in restoring devolution means that important outstanding equality matters will be incapable of being progressed."
The Belfast Telegraph features an interview with Belfast grandmother Karen Boucher, who has been told she must wait 95 weeks for an "urgent" hospital appointment.
Ms Boucher, who fears she could have cancer, says no politician would have had to wait so long.
The Irish News says concerns have been raised about bonfire materials being dumped at a site in an Antrim housing estate months before the 11 July loyalist bonfires.
It follows similar concerns being raised about material dumped on the site of the £40m Connswater Community Greenway in east Belfast.
Finally, Strabane has a new claim to fame, says the Belfast Telegraph.
Over the last 12 months, the County Tyrone town's residents have bought more garden gnomes than any other Northern Ireland town, according to supermarket chain Asda.
This very much bucks the trend, as apparently Northern Ireland's gnomes have been going through a tough time recently - their population halving between 2005 and 2015.
It seems for Strabane, gnome is where the heart is. | The News Letter, Irish News and Belfast Telegraph all lead with the gun attack on a man described as a high-profile loyalist in Carrickfergus. | 39264243 |
Danny Wright gave Town an early lead when he superbly controlled James Rowe's cross and volleyed home.
Wright then had a penalty saved by Joel Dixon after Jack Barthram was fouled before James Dayton and Dan Holman had shots cleared off the line by Barrow.
Simon Grand levelled for Barrow from Dan Pilkington's corner before Hall pounced on a loose ball late on.
Cheltenham Town boss Gary Johnson told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Barrow put us under a bit of pressure, they got the ball forward early, had runners and looked quite dangerous. They got the equaliser and we had to make a couple of slight changes.
"But actually Asa Hall, who'd gone to right-back, got the winner for us so that was great and nice to go top of the league.
"We don't let in many goals so, if we let in one, we've generally only got to score two to win a game and that's what we did. You have to come here and you have to battle. Our lads did." | Asa Hall's late winner at Barrow sent Cheltenham back to the top of the National League table. | 35433001 |
Fisher joins following his departure from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while Bigirimana makes the switch from Coventry City.
Their arrival coincides with the departure from Fir Park of assistant manager James McFadden.
The 34-year-old's contract has expired and manager Stephen Robinson has decided to change his backroom set-up.
"James and I have worked together over the last few months, but I feel something a bit different will be beneficial to the squad," said Robinson.
"It's a tough call because James is a top lad and he's done so much for the club.
"We both had a good, open and honest chat after the game at Inverness. James is at the start of his coaching pathway, still doing his badges and qualifications, and I have no doubt he will make a very good manager one day. We've left each other on good terms."
McFadden, who scored his 44th goal for the club at Inverness on the final day of the season, said he would "take the summer to weigh everything up".
In terms of the new arrivals, Fisher, 26, scored six goals in the final six games of the 2016-17 season but could not save ICT from relegation.
Burundi international Bigirimana, 23, was on loan at Rangers from Newcastle in 2015 but did not play a match.
Robinson said of Fisher: "He will add a bit of firepower to the side. There's a variation in his goals as well, so we've got ourselves a terrific first signing."
The 6ft 3in target man joined Caley Thistle in January 2016 only to suffer a season-ending injury after three outings as a substitute.
This term he managed a total of eight goals from 25 appearances.
Having played in the lower leagues of Spain, Belgium and Italy, he moved to Scotland from Torquay United.
Speaking to MFC TV, Fisher said: "It's fantastic, I spoke to the gaffer at the end of the season, had a good talk and I'm delighted to get this move over the line.
"It's a big club with a great fan base and good history, and when I spoke to the manager and he told me about his plans for this season I knew I wanted to be a part of it so it was an easy decision."
Bigirimana started his career at Coventry before being bought by Newcastle for a fee of between £500,000 and £1m in 2012. He was loaned back to Coventry before making a permanent switch to the club in the summer of 2016.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Motherwell have signed striker Alex Fisher and midfielder Gael Bigirimana on two-year contracts. | 40132466 |
Police said the man entered the Mamies Day to Day store in McKenzie Street at about 21:40.
He threatened staff with a weapon and demanded money before running off in the direction of Tannahill Road.
Officers said the robber escaped with a "two-figure sum of money". No-one was injured in the incident.
Det Insp Thomas Parker said: "Officers are in the process of reviewing CCTV footage in an effort to gain more information about the suspect and the incident.
"It's imperative we trace the man responsible and I am appealing to anyone who may have been in area of Tannahill Road and McKenzie Street around the time of the incident to get in touch with us - you may think what you saw or noticed is unimportant but please do pass it on to police." | Staff at a shop in Paisley were left badly shaken after they were threatened with a "weapon" during a robbery on Friday evening. | 29770479 |
The sides last met in 2005 when a scoreless draw in Dublin denied the Republic a World Cup play-off spot.
Switzerland, ranked 14th in the world and coached by Vladimir Petkovic, have qualified for the Euro 2016 finals.
Martin O'Neill's team will aim to join them in France when they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in a two-legged play-off next month.
The Republic will play the first leg away on 13 November, with the return tie three days later. | Republic of Ireland will play Switzerland in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium on 25 March next year. | 34618354 |
Experts at Yorkshire Museum said the coin was 1,400 years old and is one of only 19 ever found.
The Anglo-Saxon gold shilling was one of the first coins minted in York and is believed to be worth between £5,000 and £7,000.
It was found at Fulford, near York, by Ian Greig who had only bought a metal detector a week previously.
Mr Greig said he was initially unaware of its importance.
"It was not until a friend of ours, who I had emailed, came back with some pictures of very similar coins that we realised what we had found and its historical significance."
Andy Woods, curator of money and medals at Yorkshire Museum, said the coin, which is smaller than a five pence piece, was a "one-in-a-million" find.
"When Ian first brought it in to me my jaw absolutely hit the floor. It is the first coin ever made in York."
He said: "It was made sometime around 620 to 650 AD and they are incredibly rare. This is only the 19th example of this type of coin ever found."
Mr Woods said the coin had a human figure holding two crosses on one side which might represent Paulinus, the first Bishop of York.
"We cannot say that for certain but it is the right time and the right place."
As the coin was found on its own it is not classed as treasure under the Treasure Act so ownership rests with the finder and the landowner, Fulford Parish Council.
Mr Greig said despite an offer from a private collector he would prefer it to be on public display and is in discussions with Yorkshire Museum about them acquiring the coin. | A rare coin found in York by a man who took up metal detecting a week before has been described as "jaw dropping". | 37118242 |
That was before the brutal significance of the financial crisis of 2008 had really sunk in.
And the growing realisation that long-term monetary stimulus was necessary to heal the scars of a global banking crisis followed by a global economic crisis.
A year ago, there was the whiff of "normalisation". At that stage, with UK growth leading the developed world, most economists believed the next interest rate rise would be up. Mark Carney suggested as much as he guided market expectations.
Now, all eyes are on the Bank for the midday announcement by the Monetary Policy Committee. And, rather than up, most economists now predict the Bank will cut rates.
Economic uncertainty following the referendum result has increased the risk of recession, many economists argue, and the need for yet looser policy, not tighter.
One, Adam Posen of the Peterson Institute of International Economics, based in Washington DC, and a former member of the MPC, said the cut should be straight down to zero, rather than the 0.25% the market expects.
"They don't really have good choices at this point, so I think what they should do is cut rates to 0% in one fell swoop and thereby give shock and awe - [show] that they are prepared to stimulate the economy," he told me.
"I would say this with the caveat, that I'm sure the people in the MPC are very aware of, that doing this through a major pound move does have real risks of inflation rising and the Bank would have to be prepared to reverse this cut in the coming months or year."
Sterling has fallen dramatically in value since 23 June, which reduces the price of exports (usually an economic good), but can also create inflation as imports become more expensive.
Mr Posen said the Bank should be willing to "go negative" on interest rates, despite Mr Carney's expressed reluctance to do so.
Negative interest rates can be bad for the UK's retail banks, as they tend to lower the amount of profit they can make on differential interest rates offered to borrowers and savers.
And if their profits dip, the amount of money they feel able to lend could also contract, which would not be good for the economy.
"It's my belief that the MPC is going to have to essentially 'back off' that opposition to negative rates," Mr Posen said.
"Especially given that other central banks are moving to negative rates."
Fiscal adjustments will also be needed, Mr Posen said, welcoming Theresa May's pledge that the government would no longer seek to eliminate the deficit by 2020.
That statement which opens the door to more borrowing rather than further public sector cuts and tax rises.
However, if the ultimate aim is to produce a budget surplus, as Mrs May suggests it is, then the bill will have to be paid at some point.
"I think - along with the vast amount of economic forecasters - you're going to have a real recession, you're going to go into negative growth of at least -1% over the next four quarters and probably past that to the end of 2017," Mr Posen said.
"Unemployment will rise, I hope by not very much. Both the fiscal deficit and the current account deficit will widen by a couple of percent of GDP.
"On the fiscal side, I'm very glad the new prime minister has made it clear that they're not going to respond to this with austerity - that would be a terrible mistake."
The possibility of recession is supported by other economists, such as Rupert Harrison, George Osborne's chief of staff who now works for the global investment fund, BlackRock.
He told the BBC that the Bank should cut rates by 0.25% to get "ahead of the curve" before any downturn materialises.
Others say that the Bank, and many economists, should stop being so gloomy about Brexit.
Ashoka Moody, professor of international economics at Princeton University in the US, said that Mr Carney "should send a more encouraging message by holding back on monetary stimulus".
"Brexit's shadow is hard to discern amid the broader global decline in output growth and interest rates that began in early 2014," he told Bloomberg.
Any problems Britain may be facing are not unique, Prof Moody argued.
Many do not agree, describing Brexit as a self-imposed economic challenge. | It was initially described as an emergency measure, seven long years ago when UK interest rates were cut to 0.5%, a record low. | 36789806 |
A problem on the line between Luton and Harpenden left lines in both directions in the area blocked, Network Rail said.
The fault has been fixed but the Thameslink service between Brighton and Bedford will be disrupted until at least 13:00 BST.
Services between London St Pancras and Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Sheffield are also affected.
Live updates and other stories from the area
Roger Perkins from Thameslink said that while the problem, which started just before 02:00 BST, has been mended, disruption will continue.
"Network Rail have now got the signalling up and running again and we will soon, we hope, be able to start running our trains again, but they really are very much backed up and completely in the wrong place.
"It's such a busy service it takes a really long time to get everything back and running on the normal timetable so there will be disruption right through the morning."
National Rail has warned passengers services may be cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes.
Tickets are being accepted on Great Northern, South West Trains and Southern services via any reasonable route, buses between Elephant and Castle and Elstree and Borehamwood, and the London Underground by any reasonable route. | Commuters are facing "major disruption" - including cancellations and delays - caused by a signalling fault. | 39972197 |
The capital's schools have been held up as a showcase of rising standards.
But the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education study, using OECD Pisa test results, suggests they are weaker than those in many Asian cities and the rest of the UK.
However, the OECD's education director, Andreas Schleicher, has rejected the findings as "not credible".
Mr Schleicher says the London schools taking the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests were not intended to be representative of the greater London area and such comparisons were invalid.
The Department for Education also cautioned about sample size and that the results were from several years ago.
But academics at the UCL Institute of Education say they have produced a robust sample of 42 schools by combining the results of two year groups taking the tests in London in 2009 and 2012.
The analysis compares these London results, in reading, maths and science, with the performance of 15-year-olds in cities, regions and countries around the world.
It suggests if London entered the Pisa tests as a separate education system, pupils taking maths would be three years behind their counterparts in Shanghai, which has the world's top-ranking results.
And as well as being behind high-flyers in maths such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland and Poland, teenagers in London were below the level of counterparts in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Slovenia and Latvia.
For reading, the analysis put London behind Madrid in Spain, Riga in Latvia and Massachusetts, the highest-achieving state in the United States.
In science tests, London would be above the US state of Florida and Buenos Aires in Argentina, but behind Moscow in Russia and Quebec in Canada.
And in all three subjects, London was far behind the school systems of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The report also suggests London schools were below the UK national average, with girls and disadvantaged and ethnic minority pupils in London performing less well at Pisa tests compared with their GCSE results.
However, these Pisa tests were taken against a backdrop of London schools improving, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says the London schools taking them were, in any case, not a reliable sample for such regional comparisons.
Report author John Jerrim said the study was a "single piece in a much bigger jigsaw" and the success at GCSE in London schools was still a "cause for celebration".
But she added: "The global perspective is what we should focus on.
"We shouldn't just look to London as a benchmark, we should look at the wider world."
Munira Mirza, London's Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture, said it showed there should be no "complacency" in supporting London schools to improve.
"Whilst young Londoners get the best results in the country at GCSE, this research highlights the challenges still faced by London's disadvantaged students in achieving as well as their peers."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "London has been a real success story, particularly in improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, as the report authors acknowledge, and our reformed world-class qualifications are ensuring all pupils have the chance to fulfil their potential.
"This report is based on a small sample of schools, and uses data from 2012 and doesn't take into account the impact of many of our reforms, so should be treated with caution." | London's schools are falling behind many global competitors, according to an analysis of international tests. | 35650496 |
Instead, their banners unveiled this morning claimed that £350m a week of all our money is being channelled to the EU, and if we left, it could be spent on the NHS.
First, the claim itself is not entirely straightforward.
Yes, £350m of UK taxpayers' cash goes to the EU each week.
But much of the money comes back our way and is spent in the UK to support things like agriculture and research.
You can see the BBC Reality Check on the numbers here.
There have also been very serious warnings from unions, the health secretary and some health experts about the impact leaving the EU would have on the NHS.
Senior Leave campaigners acknowledge privately that the situation is a bit more complicated than the slogan on their banners would suggest.
At a campaign event in Manchester tonight, Boris Johnson just about admitted as much to me - although the pro-Leave audience was none too pleased that the question had been put.
But they have a very clear political reason for pushing the NHS, even thought it's not an issue you'd normally associate with the debate about the EU.
Sources in the campaign tell me that the ears of undecided voters prick up suddenly when they start talking about money that could, as they claim, otherwise be spent on the NHS.
The next part of the argument that appeals, they say, is that immigration is putting pressure on the NHS, and of course much of that strain is from EU migrants.
They argue it is the most effective way of getting undecided voters on their side.
And that is the task of the main Vote Leave campaign.
For some in the crowd in Manchester tonight, this referendum has been a very long time coming. Their votes are secure.
They are likely to be champing at the bit to come out and vote.
But those who will make the difference are the swathes of voters who are yet to make their minds up.
Vote Leave believes their arguments about the NHS just might get enough of them on side to get their campaign over the line. | On day one, the official Leave campaign in the EU referendum chose to pick up not the issue of immigration, not the issue of sovereignty, not even the old chestnuts of rules and regulations from Brussels that drive some voters mad. | 36060048 |
The Conservative MP for Tatton said he was "very excited" about becoming the new editor of London's Evening Standard newspaper.
He told his local Tory party he would be using the role to provide "straight facts and informed opinion" through the paper's general election coverage.
MPs have backed Theresa May's call for a snap election on 8 June.
Mr Osborne told the BBC's John Pienaar he would be fighting for the same values he had as chancellor and an MP of 16 years standing.
But as Evening Standard editor he would also "speak for London, speak for my readers and speak for this country and its future".
"Our country has got some big decisions to make now about the kind of Britain we want to be and those values of openness, tolerance and enterprise are ones I hold dear," he said.
Asked if he believed Mrs May understood the concerns of people who voted for Britain to remain in the EU, he said: "We have got to make sure that not just London's voice is heard, but the voice of a Britain that wants to play a big role on the world stage, that celebrates the fact we have a diverse society, that is optimistic about the future, not afraid about the future - those are things I have always believed in."
Earlier, in a letter confirming he would not be seeking re-election, Mr Osborne said: "It's still too early to be writing my memoirs."
At the age of 45, he did not to spend the rest of his life "just being an ex-chancellor", he said. "I want new challenges. I'm very excited about the opportunity to edit the Evening Standard."
He added: "More so than at any time in my life, the public need from the media the straight facts and informed opinion to help them to make the big decisions Britain now faces about the country we want to be.
"That starts with the coverage of this general election."
Following last month's announcement that Mr Osborne would be taking over as editor of the London-based free newspaper from Sarah Sands, questions had been asked about how he would combine that role with being an MP for a northern constituency.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the appointment as a "joke" and called for an immediate by-election in Tatton.
"The appointment makes a mockery of the independence of the media," he said at the time. "It takes multi-tasking to a new level and is an insult to the electors he is supposed to serve."
But Mr Osborne defended himself, adding that he believed having MPs who could draw on outside experiences was good for Parliament as it enabled former ministers, in particular, to "continuing to contribute to the decisions we make".
Mr Osborne, who was chancellor for six years, had ambitions to be a journalist as a young man.
He failed to get a place on The Times' trainee scheme after graduating from Oxford University - at which he edited its Isis magazine - and was briefly a freelance reporter on the Daily Telegraph's diary column.
Since being axed as chancellor by Theresa May when she became PM last July, Mr Osborne has picked up a number of other jobs. | Former chancellor George Osborne says he is quitting the House of Commons "for now". | 39643347 |
6 June 2017 Last updated at 16:37 BST
He's hoping people will support his Meat Paste Party - but what does it actually mean to become an MP?
He has been meeting lots of people to find out more about the job.
Watch the video to see what happened when he met Edwina Currie, who used to be an MP.
Click here to find out more how he got on with his journey into politics. | Hacker has been finding out more about what it takes to become a Member of Parliament (MP). | 40178081 |
He was in charge when the programme dropped an investigation into disgraced TV presenter and DJ Jimmy Savile.
Mr Rippon will help to build a public record of the corporation's television and radio journalism over 80 years.
BBC Online and Future Media's chief operating officer Andy Conroy described the post as an "exciting opportunity".
"It is a significant challenge that requires an experienced leader and editor, and I'm delighted that Peter will be joining us to develop the BBC's Journal of Record," said Mr Conroy.
BBC Online and the BBC News website launched in 1997, leaving a permanent public daily record of the news output.
However, with more than 80 years of journalism, the aim is to make more of the BBC News archive available to the public.
The process has begun in recent years with a permanent collection of Desert Island Discs and the archive collections for channels, such as BBC Four, made available to the public.
The Journal of Record plans to publish a television and radio news bulletin from every day of the BBC's history, in the form of daily news broadcasts and scripts, together with the live coverage of key events.
Mr Rippon, who took the helm of Newsnight in 2008, takes up the new post in London on 25 February.
After the publication of a blog post in October 2012 explaining his editorial decision to drop the Savile investigation was found to have factual errors, Mr Rippon was asked to "step aside" while an inquiry was held.
His deputy Liz Gibbons was acting editor when Newsnight aired a story that led to former senior Conservative politician Lord McAlpine being falsely accused of sex crimes.
She also subsequently stepped aside and was told that she would be moved to another job, although the BBC has not yet confirmed in what capacity.
Former BBC Radio 5 live boss Adrian Van Klaveren was part of a temporary management team that approved the programme and has been moved after a BBC review.
He is now overseeing the corporation's coverage of the 100th anniversary of World War I and Jonathan Wall succeeds him at the helm of 5 live.
The former Director of BBC News responsible for flagship programmes like Today, Newsnight, Question Time and Panorama, Helen Boaden, takes on the role of Director of Radio starting on 15 April. | Peter Rippon, the former editor of Newsnight, has been allocated a new role overseeing the development of the online BBC News archive. | 21530542 |
Her comments come as the SNP's economy spokesman, Stewart Hosie, says it has sent a letter calling for such a probe.
The development comes as the row over Google's tax affairs in the UK and elsewhere intensifies.
Meanwhile, Google has written to the Financial Times defending its £130m deal, saying it complies with the law.
"After a six-year audit we are paying the full amount of tax that HM Revenue and Customs agrees we should pay... Governments make tax law and tax authorities independently enforce the law, and Google complies with the law," Peter Barron, the company's European public affairs chief wrote.
The EU's Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said that, at this stage, she would not be drawn on whether Google's tax settlement with Britain amounted to a so-called sweetheart deal.
But she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If we find that there is something to be concerned about if someone writes to us and says, well, this is maybe not as it should be then we will take a look.
Yesterday, 31 countries signed an international agreement designed to stop multinational companies using complex tax arrangements to avoid paying corporate tax. The agreement, signed at the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, will mean that those countries all share tax information.
Under its terms, multi-national companies will have to tell the country they operate in what they make in that nation and how much tax they pay. Critics say the deal doesn't go far enough, and that such information should be made public, rather than held confidentially by the tax authorities.
The European Commission will later reveal proposals to stop tax avoidance by multi-national companies.
"Hopefully, we will end up in a situation where companies pay taxes in the countries where they also make their profits and these new proposals will take us another step down that road," said Ms Vestager.
In his letter to the FT Mr Barron said this is what Google is doing already. He said in all the coverage of the settlement little has been said about how international tax rules work.
"Corporation tax is paid on profits, not revenue, and is collected where the economic activity that generates those profits takes place.
"As a US company, we pay the bulk of our corporate tax in the US: $3.3bn in the last reported year.
"What should Google pay in the UK? We pay tax based on the value added by the economic activity of our staff here, at the current standard rate: 20%".
David Cameron on Wednesday defended the deal UK authorities struck with Google over tax, saying the Conservatives have done more than any other government.
The PM told the Commons the tax "should have been collected under [the last] Labour government".
Google agreed to pay £130m of tax dating back to 2005 to HMRC, which said it was the "full tax due in law".
European MPs have described it as a "very bad deal", and Labour said it amounted to a 3% tax rate. | The European Competition Commissioner says she is willing to investigate Google's tax arrangements should someone complain about them. | 35426714 |
Hodgson was keen to get the players together at the end of January to go through a tactical debrief of November's 3-1 win over Scotland.
But the Football Association said that no meeting will take place.
The FA said clubs were in favour of the meeting, but due to a busy schedule, no suitable date could be agreed by all parties involved.
It comes just over two weeks after Hodgson had said the meeting had been agreed, with the England boss saying at the time: "We've all agreed we're going to get together. Unfortunately, my time with them won't really begin again until March."
The players had been expected to meet at St George's Park, probably on a Thursday, with Hodgson insistent that players would only be away for a few hours.
Despite that fact, Chelsea were set to prevent Gary Cahill from attending the meeting because of a packed upcoming schedule for the Blues.
Chelsea have five games in the final fortnight in January, including Premier League games against Swansea and leaders Manchester City.
They also have a two-legged League Cup semi-final against Liverpool and an FA Cup tie against Millwall or Bradford.
The possibility of two meetings, one for players based in the north and another for those in the south, was considered - but Hodgson felt that would not work.
The FA said all squad members will be sent videos and information on their performances against Scotland, as has been the case with previous debriefs.
England have a 100% record in the six games they have played since the World Cup, with friendly wins over Norway and Scotland book-ending four Euro 2016 qualifying victories.
They are six points clear at the top after four games in Euro 2016 qualification group E. | England manager Roy Hodgson has been forced to cancel a dinner meeting with his players because they are too busy. | 30806696 |
The school beat off competition from 26 other Northern Ireland finalists to win the prize.
Over 550 science projects from schools across the island of Ireland were entered for the awards, held at the RDS in Dublin.
It was the 52nd year in which the awards and exhibition have been held.
St Patrick's principal Pat McGuckian said she was delighted with the performance of the school's pupils.
"We have always been proud of our science department who teach all abilities together and achieve outstanding GCSE and A Level results," she said.
"As well as supporting those who face barriers, we want to stretch and challenge those who show flair in a particular discipline.
"I am thrilled for our year 10 and year eight entrants and deeply grateful to their teachers."
The winners were also congratulated by Education minister John O'Dowd.
Three students from St Catherine's College in Armagh won the award for best project in Irish.
Brid Hughes, Sarah Hanratty and Timera McGuigan were given the award for their entry in the Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Science category.
Meanwhile, two students from Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan, County Dublin, were named overall BT Young Scientists 2016.
Maria Louise Fufezan and Diana Bura won for their work on the damage done to soil fertility by animal feeds.
They received a trophy and a cheque for 5,000 euros.
The BT young scientist and technology awards are the most prestigious for schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. | St Patrick's High School in Keady has been named best Northern Ireland school at the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition. | 35271657 |
Texas firm Feyonce Inc sells clothing, and other items such as mugs with the label, on its website.
The pop star claims the label is too near to her own trademarked name and confuses customers and fans and damages her reputation.
The singer also claims in court papers filed in Manhattan that the company has ignored her requests to stop.
Beyonce's complaint accuses the San Antonio company, and three individuals, of "brazenly" selling the Feyonce-labelled merchandise.
Legal papers accuse the firm of "trademark infringement, unfair competition, trademark dilution, among a score of other statutory and common law violations".
"Defendants have wilfully traded upon the goodwill and notoriety of Beyonce, arguably one of the most famous musical artists and entrepreneurs in the world," say the papers.
The singer says the firm's activities will cause "irreparable harm" to her business reputation and the goodwill associated with her brand because she has no control over the products being sold.
The legal papers highlight one particular mug with the writing: "Feyonce: He put a ring on it."
The singer says the wording is designed to remind the public of her hit song Single Ladies.
One defendant, Andre Maurice, is said to have registered two trademarks under the Feyonce name, one with and one without an accented "e".
As well as wanting to put a stop to the company's activities the singer is seeking unspecified damages, which include all profits the company has made from the using the label.
Beyonce owns the copyrights to her songs and her likeness and sells a range of products, including clothing, perfume and mugs.
She previously threatened the craft marketplace website Etsy with legal action for featuring coffee mugs also marked Feyonce.
And along with other music stars, including Pharrell Williams and Kanye West, she also sued the company Eleven for trademark infringement for using their pictures on their clothing.
The defendants in the Feyonce case have declined to comment. | Singer Beyonce is suing a US company to stop it from selling merchandise branded "Feyonce". | 35976878 |
Engineering student Robert Quinn received 46 items worth £3,600 because of a mistake by Amazon and was allowed to keep them.
He was sent a selection of gadgets, including a 3D TV worth £889, tablets, a games console and even a heater.
The goods were 'returns' meant for an Amazon depot, but were instead wrongly dispatched to his home address in Bromley.
"I told them I have a moral issue if people sending this stuff back end up losing out. But Amazon assured me that would not happen," the Liverpool University student told The Sun.
The 22-year-old said he would give some of the items to charity and sell off others to raise money to invest in a small business he's setting up.
He also received a baby buggy, a leaf blower, a single bed, a chest of drawers, a Sony PSP console, a Waterman pen, computer gear, a £170 electric wine cooler, CDs, DVDs and books.
The answer is yes and no, according to Citizens Advice.
Items that firms send to you, but you didn't actually order are called "unsolicited goods". You're well within your rights to keep them.
You have no obligation to send them back to the company or to pay for them. If a company demands payment, that's a criminal offence.
But this doesn't apply to items sent to you by mistake (as happened to Robert); if the order was sent to you twice; or if there's extra stuff on top of what you ordered.
If a firm has left goods with you that weren't unsolicited goods, they still belong to the trader and you should try to give them back.
Firms can take you to court to recover their goods.
That happened last Christmas when online retailer Zavvi sent customers games consoles worth £170, instead of games that cost £20.
If items are sent to you by mistake, you will need to contact whoever sent them and ask them to collect the goods.
That shouldn't cost you anything or inconvenience you in any way. You should also give the company a reasonable deadline to collect the items.
Yes, but it's quite a process.
You must try to contact the company twice in writing, following a set procedure.
Even after you've sold the items, it'll be at least six years before you can spend the dosh. During that time the original owner can still claim the money back from you.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Christmas has come early for one man from south London. | 30294748 |
The car crashed into the barriers close to Junction 15 Townhead, partially blocking the motorway and the slip ramp.
Police Scotland said the accident happened shortly after 10:00 and that no-one had been hurt.
Traffic was able to pass the scene of the crash but there were tailbacks while the vehicle was being removed. | Drivers on the M8 in Glasgow have faced delays after a car mounted a central barrier and became lodged on the top. | 30783519 |
The escape was discovered when prison officers found two mannequins in the prisoners' beds on Monday.
One of those who escaped is serving a "very long sentence", the BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said.
It is understood the inmates, aged 28 and 31, used diamond-tipped cutting equipment to break through cell bars before they scaled the perimeter wall.
The police were called at 11:44 GMT.
A prison spokesperson said: "Public protection is our top priority and we take escapes from custody extremely seriously.
"We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating the matter."
Inmates removed after HMP Bedford riot
The escaped prisoners were on G wing, the same wing where 21-year-old prisoner Jamal Mahmoud was fatally stabbed last month.
Basana Kimbembi, 34, has been charged with his murder.
Following the attack, about half of the 200 prison officers passed a vote of no confidence in Pentonville governor Kevin Reilly.
The officers claim they cannot stop drugs and weapons being thrown over prison walls.
The last prisoner to escape from Pentonville was convicted murderer John Massey in 2012.
He sneaked onto a roof after a gym session and then climbed the prison's 25ft (8m) outer perimeter wall using a rope made from netting.
He was found two days later.
Pentonville Prison | Two prisoners have escaped from Pentonville prison, the Ministry of Justice has said. | 37899401 |
The Edinburgh-based company said it had launched a consultation process with staff as part of a major restructuring.
BBC Scotland understands Aquamarine's workforce could be cut from more than 50 to less than 20.
Last month, Edinburgh-based wave power firm Pelamis went into administration.
Aquamarine Power chief executive John Malcolm said the decision to downsize the firm came after a strategic review.
He said: "This will involve retaining a core operational and management team to run the business and continue maintaining our Oyster 800 wave machine at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.
"We have entered into a consultation process with all of our employees on how we will take forward the restructuring and redundancy programme.
"This is obviously taking place at a difficult time of year and we will be working very closely with every employee to achieve the best outcome for all."
He added: "None of this is a reflection on the extraordinary dedication and hard work of every single member of the Aquamarine Power team; rather it is a consequence of the considerable financial, regulatory and technical challenges faced by the ocean energy sector as a whole.
"In a relatively short number of years our business has significantly advanced the goal of generating electricity from waves and this has relied wholly upon the bright ideas, innovation and talent of the people who work here.
"We remain confident that Oyster technology offers the best route to a commercial near shore wave energy machine."
The Scottish government recently announced it would set up a new technology development body to encourage innovation in the wave energy industry.
It added that Wave Energy Scotland would bring the best engineering and academic minds together to work on furthering wave technology. | Scotland's renewables industry has been dealt a fresh blow with the news that wave energy firm Aquamarine Power is to "significantly downsize" its business. | 30313111 |
The 22-year-old ex-Derby County trainee has also previously had a spell at Shrewsbury Town.
Meanwhile, the Robins have recalled striker Jermaine Hylton early from his loan spell at non-league Guiseley.
Both players could feature in Swindon's EFL Trophy second-round match at home to Luton Town on Tuesday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One club Swindon Town have signed unattached former Notts County defender Rhys Sharpe on a short-term contract. | 38229118 |
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said it was seeking views on revising the Volcker Rule, which stops banks trading with their own money.
The Trump administration has called for "significant changes" to the rule, which they say hampers banks' growth.
But critics say diluting it would make the financial system less safe.
The acting Comptroller of the Currency, Keith Noreika, said voices from across the political spectrum had called for the law to be made clearer.
"A bipartisan consensus has emerged that the Volcker Rule needs clarification and recalibration to eliminate burden on banks that do not engage in covered activities and do not present systemic risks," he said.
Since its introduction, big banks have criticised the Volcker Rule, arguing that it is impossible for regulators to work out what type of trading should be barred.
And in June, the US Treasury recommended changes to the current rule, including exempting banks with less than $10bn in assets and easing compliance requirements.
Supporters say that curbing risky trading by banks is critical to preventing a rerun of the financial crisis.
But some, such as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, have said they are open to improving the legislation.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has not been joined by the other four US regulators charged with writing and enforcing the Volcker Rule.
Any changes would need to be approved by all five under current law. | US regulators have taken a first step towards overhauling a key piece of regulation brought in to protect the economy after the financial crisis. | 40800002 |
Pre-tax profits, before exceptional items, fell by 13.2% to £146.4m in the year to 31 March.
Overall sales held steady at just under £575m, but output fell by eight million standard bottles to below 100 million.
Edrington said it had been hit by "fiercely competitive" markets in Asia and in blended Scotch across Europe.
Profits after tax, but before exceptional items, were down by £7m to £72.7m.
The Glasgow-based distiller's Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark blends suffered double-digit declines in sales, but there was growth for Edrington's single malts, The Macallan and Highland Park.
Analysis by Douglas Fraser, Scotland business/economy editor
Edrington is a rare beast in the Scotch whisky industry - it is big and Scottish-based, and it hands profit to worthy causes through its main shareholder, the Robertson Trust.
But it's not unusual in the problems it has been facing, as the rapid growth in Scotch exports has hit turbulent trade winds in more recent years.
Its blends, led by Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark, remain market leaders but have seen a significant fall-off in demand, while its single malts - led by The Macallan and Highland Park - are growing.
Across the industry, the overall volume of whisky exports fell by 2.4% during 2015, to £3.9bn. The previous year, it fell 7%.
But while blends declined (the industry slower, it seems, than Edrington's fall) the value of single malts has now hit 25% of the export total.
It is clear from Edrington's strategy that it sees the prospects for further growth are from more differentiated and premium bottlings of single malt, with the five-year strategy set out last year focused heavily on the few brands and on innovative marketing.
It has identified cities as the key to the high end whisky drinker, and sees the younger millennial demographic as a target for imaginative social media marketing and sales.
Growth in the Americas remains its best prospect, while Asia is going to be of increasing importance though growth will be slow, while its European markets remain flat.
The distiller said The Macallan achieved growth in both volume and value, despite "a setback in Taiwan, where intense competitive activity dented volume and market share".
However the brand performed "particularly strongly" in China, Russia and the USA.
Edrington also reported that Highland Park continued to show "good momentum" across its major markets in Europe, the USA and Canada.
There was a marginal decline in the sales of Brugal rum, but Edrington said there were signs that the brand had "arrested the significant decline of prior years".
Last year the company announced a £239m writedown for the brand after facing "tough economic and competitive conditions" in the key markets of Spain and The Dominican Republic.
A year ago, Edrington set out its 2020 strategy which included plans to develop super premium brands, "perfect The Macallan" and "accelerate Highland Park".
Chief executive Ian Curle said: "A year on from the launch of Edrington's new strategy, we see evidence that we have put the right strategy into effect, and that it is delivering results.
"During this year of transition we have faced challenging economic and trading conditions with strong performances in key markets and shortfalls in others.
"In combination with the influence of currency, this has adversely affected our results." | Spirits group Edrington has reported a fall in profits as sales faltered for two of its best-known brands - The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. | 36884691 |
In the capital, Bogota, families of victims were given white flowers by well-wishers to symbolise peace.
The agreement, reached after years of negotiation, was rejected by a slim majority in a national referendum earlier this month.
Campaigners for the "No" vote have demanded a series of changes.
Farc leader Timoleon Rodriguez, better known as Timochenko, said on Wednesday he was confident the deal could be revived although he said he would be reluctant to re-negotiate some elements of the accord.
In a show of support for the agreement, thousands of students, farmers and indigenous leaders congregated in front of congress in Bogota.
"All Colombians must work on building peace," said Carmenza Pinto, 64, who was displaced by the war.
"We must strive for a better future and forgiveness is the best example we can give."
Speaking earlier, Timochenko said he had held several meetings with government negotiators in the Cuban capital, Havana, to try to find a way around the impasse.
He said he was confident the deal could be resuscitated.
"This is a conflict that has gone on for many years and opened deep wounds," he told Caracol Radio.
"We must join forces and together apply healing balm to the wounds. We will have good news soon."
However, he said he would be reluctant to re-negotiate one of the most contentious clauses which includes a provision for reduced jail terms for rebels who confess to human rights abuses.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for reaching the peace agreement.
He has said he will donate the prize money to help the victims of the conflict.
1964: Set up as armed wing of Communist Party
2002: At its height, it had an army of 20,000 fighters controlling up to a third of the country. Senator Ingrid Betancourt was kidnapped and held for six years along with 14 other hostages
2008: The Farc suffers a series of defeats in its worst year
2012: Start of peace talks in Havana
2016: Bilateral ceasefire | Thousands of Colombians have taken part in marches to demand that a peace deal signed by the government and Farc rebels be upheld. | 37640082 |
They include Nuon Chea, also known as Brother Number Two. He was the right-hand man of the Maoist regime's supreme leader Pol Pot, who died in 1998.
The former leaders, now all in their eighties, face charges including genocide and crimes against humanity.
The Khmer Rouge regime fell in 1979, and the process of trying its senior figures has taken many years.
Cambodia originally asked the United Nations and the international community to help set up a tribunal into the genocide in the mid-1990s.
A joint tribunal was finally established in 2006 following long drawn-out negotiations between the Phnom Penh government and the UN - but to date only one person has been convicted.
The tribunal began hearing four days of opening statements on Monday. Court spokesman Lars Olsen described the day as a "major milestone", saying: ""Many people never thought it would happen."
By Fergal KeaneBBC News, Phnom Penh
Arriving at court this morning were the frail and the elderly - survivors of the Khmer Rouge, as well as former guards and regime officials.
Some have come to give evidence. Others to simply observe the last chapter of the nightmare which claimed the lives of nearly two million people.
The UN's British chief prosecutor, Andrew Cayley, said the proceedings would send a strong message around the world: "If you lead a country into this kind of disaster the past will catch up with you."
But the trial - a joint enterprise between the UN and Cambodia - has been heavily criticised. Theary Seng, whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge, said putting three people on trial for the deaths of 1.7 million simply wasn't enough.
Hell on Earth, documented in court
As well as Nuon Chea, the regime's former head-of-state Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, who was foreign minister and the international face of the organisation, are also on trial.
All three deny the charges they face.
Ieng Thirith, the former social affairs minister, had been set to go on trial with them but has been declared unfit due to health issues.
Prosecutors told the tribunal that the Cambodian people were in a "pitiful state" and their suffering "was absolute" during the regime's rule.
The Khmer Rouge "turned Cambodia into a massive slave camp, reducing an entire nation into prisoners living under a system of brutality that defies belief to the present day", said co-prosecutor Chea Leang.
The regime attempted to create an ideal communist society by forcing city residents to work as peasants in the countryside, and by purging intellectuals, middle class people and any supposed enemies of the state.
About 1.7 million people - about one-third of the population - are believed to have been murdered, or died of over-work, starvation or torture from 1975 to 1979.
Hundreds of people - including monks, students, regime survivors and former cadres - packed the court's public gallery for the first of four days of opening statements in the landmark case.
"I feel very happy. I came here because I want to know the story and how it could have happened," 75-year-old farmer Sao Kuon, who lost 11 relatives under the Khmer Rouge, told the AFP news agency.
The process has been broken up into several mini-trials, with the first hearing set to judge on the offence of enforced removal of people from the cities.
The BBC's Guy De Launey in Phnom Penh says the defendants are old and frail, and concern that they might die has forced the tribunal to split the cases in the hope of gaining at least one conviction.
But it is unclear how much the court will hear from the three accused.
Ieng Sary has already said he does not intend to testify, and Nuon Chea walked out of an earlier hearing.
Pol Pot died in 1998 before facing a full trial for his crimes.
The only senior Khmer Rouge figure to be convicted so far is Kaing Guek Eav - better known as Comrade Duch.
He was head of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison - a torture facility located in a school building - where he presided over the torture and murder of thousands of people. | The three most senior surviving leaders of Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge regime have gone on trial. | 15814519 |
Following heavy pressure, Messi curled Barcelona into the lead from the edge of the penalty area before the break.
Former Liverpool striker Suarez doubled the lead as he rifled the ball into the top corner from 18 yards.
The win was sealed by Marc Bartra's close-range header before Suarez slotted in a close-range second.
Luis Enrique's men have won 20 out of their last 21 matches in all competitions and remain four points ahead of second-placed Real - who beat Rayo Vallecano 2-0 later in the evening.
Barcelona, who face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final and play Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final, are chasing a treble.
But they will have to be more clinical than they were against relegation-threatened Almeria, with a host of chances spurned during a dominant first half.
Messi's brilliant curler from the right, his 33rd goal of the season, was all they had to show for a half in which they had 68% of possession.
Former Barcelona defender Sergi, who made more than 250 appearances for the Catalans, was taking charge of Almeria for the first time and their hopes of a shock result were effectively ended by Suarez.
The Uruguayan, who had been guilty of poor finishing in the opening half, cut inside on his left foot before drilling the ball into the top corner for Barcelona's second.
By the time Bartra headed home the third from Xavi's corner and Suarez converted Pedro's pass, Almeria already knew the game was lost. | Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were on target as La Liga leaders Barcelona won their ninth match in a row to stay in control of the title race. | 32176257 |
Fifty firefighters were called to the blaze in Commercial Street, Pontypool, at about 01:15 BST on Friday.
The rescued man was treated for the effects of smoke and a search confirmed that no-one else was trapped.
The fire gutted the ground floor St David's Foundation charity shop. The main road through the town centre remained closed on Friday morning as the blaze was investigated.
South Wales Fire officers said the blaze had severely damaged half of the three-storey building.
Bus services have been disrupted by the road closure and Torfaen council said the civic centre car park was not currently accessible.
Investigations about the cause of the fire have got under way although it is believed to have started in a kitchen within the building.
Gwent Police said it was called about the charity shop fire at 01:17 BST.
It said: "No-one was injured although one man was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation. Substantial damage was caused to the building.
"Hanbury Road, from the town bridge roundabout to Tesco roundabout, is currently closed whilst emergency services are present."
Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David's Hospice Care, said she was "devastated and very concerned by this very distressing fire".
"We will work closely with investigators to discover the cause of the fire and hope to have the shop back up and running as soon as possible," she said.
She also said her thoughts were with the injured man and she wished him a speedy recovery. | A man has been rescued from a fire at a town centre flat in Torfaen. | 28799956 |
Darren Martyn, of Cloonbeggin, Claregalway, County Galway, received a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
He was 19-years-old when he hacked into the website six years ago.
Martyn pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage to data that was the property of News International.
The court heard he was now a security researcher for a UK consultancy firm and a lecturer.
The story claimed Mr Murdoch had taken his own life by ingesting a large quantity of palladium, a rare earth mineral, before "stumbling into his famous topiary garden late last night".
The court heard that as a result of the hacking, the websites of The Sun and its sister news sites, The Times and The Sunday Times were shut down for a few hours.
Martyn, described in court as "highly intelligent", told gardaà (Irish police) he took part in the hacking in retaliation for the UK media company's involvement in the phone hacking scandal.
The judge said Martyn now appeared to be in a different place professionally, and in terms of maturity, than he was at the time of the offence.
She imposed a nine-month suspended sentence.
In March, his co-accused, Donncha O'Cearbhaill, 24, also received a nine-month suspended sentence for his part in the hacking. | An Irish teen hacked the Sun newspaper website redirecting readers to a fake story reporting media mogul Rupert Murdoch had died, a court has heard. | 40029530 |
Several vehicles are thought to have struck Nichola Tyson as she attempted to cross the A590 at Levens, near Kendal on 2 March.
The 35-year-old was described by her family as "a vibrant, caring person" who was full of life and who would be sadly missed.
Cumbria Police have appealed for witnesses to the incident. | A woman who was killed as she tried to cross a major road in Cumbria has been named by police. | 35746032 |
The disaster has been compared in scope to Super Storm Sandy, which hit the New York area in 2012.
But critics say the floods near Baton Rouge, which have killed at least 13, have received far less attention.
Mr Trump called out President Barack Obama for not visiting the state.
Responding to critics who said Mr Obama should also tour the region, the White House announced on Friday that the president would visit the Baton Rouge area on Tuesday.
While visiting the hard-hit area of East Baton Rouge Parish, Mr Trump said he was "just here to help".
A woman told the New York businessman she was happy he was not somewhere playing golf, to which Mr Trump responded, "Somebody is, somebody that shouldn't be," referring to Mr Obama.
Mr Obama, who is on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, has received regular updates on the devastating flooding, according to the White House.
The visit, which included Vice-Presidential nominee Mike Pence, was a departure for Mr Trump, who has favoured large rallies over one-on-one campaigning with voters.
Mr Trump's new campaign chief Kellyanne Conway told ABC News that Mr Trump and Mr Pence were "going to help people on the ground who are in need".
The state's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, cautioned Mr Trump that visit should not just be a "photo-op". Governor Edwards urged Mr Trump to volunteer his time or contribute money to the relief effort.
The region's main newspaper, The Advocate of Baton Rouge, wrote an editorial this week urging President Obama to cut short his holiday to visit the area, which was also affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"We've seen this story before in Louisiana, and we don't deserve a sequel. In 2005, a fly-over by a vacationing President George W. Bush became a symbol of official neglect for the victims of Hurricane Katrina," the newspaper wrote.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who toured the area on Thursday, said the federal government is playing an active role in relief efforts.
Governor Edwards also said the security precautions needed for a presidential visit could complicate the recovery operation. He said the state would welcome a visit by Mr Obama in a week or so. | Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has toured flood-ravaged areas of the US state of Louisiana, days after heavy rains forced thousands to flee their homes. | 37135832 |
Thompson led from day one of the seven-day regatta and won by by 12 points from Jean-Baptiste Bernaz of France.
He is Britain's third world champion this year in the 10 Olympic classes as Rio 2016 approaches in August.
"It was a pretty tricky event. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little bit of extra pressure on me," said Thompson on defending his title.
"It's pleasing to have done this because it shows we're moving in the right direction and the things I've been needing to work on have been covered.
"Rio's a very tricky venue and is different to what we've had here so I think there's still some work to do, but pretty much I just need to maintain the hard work we've done already and I think we should be in a good place."
Giles Scott in Finn and Alison Young in Laser Radial are the other British world champions in 2016. | Britain's Nick Thompson has claimed a second successive Laser world title with victory in Mexico. | 36328810 |
That means about one in eight - 13% - of residents were born outside the UK.
The most common birthplaces outside the UK for residents are India, Poland and Pakistan. The number of ethnic white British people is down to 80%.
London has become the first region where white British people have become a minority.
Some 45% (3.7 million) of people in the capital described themselves as white British, down from 58% (4.3 million) in 2001.
The Office for National Statistics said the findings showed a "diverse" and "changing" picture.
More than half the rise in the population of England and Wales was due to migration.
Alp Mehmet, from Migration Watch, said the figures showed "how absolutely essential it is that we bring immigration under control".
He told BBC Radio 4's World at One that society must consider "the housing that's going to be needed, the schools that are going to be needed, the roads".
If people wanted "new arrivals" to be integrated, "then for goodness sake we can't have them arriving at this sort of scale", he added.
But Sunder Katwala, director of British Future - an independent think tank on migration - said people had "an absolute moral responsibility to make our society work as a shared society".
"The question of do you want this to happen or don't you want this to happen implies that you've got a choice and you could say 'let's not have any diversity'," he told the BBC News website.
"This is who we are - it's inevitable."
Guy Goodwin, from the Office of National Statistics, told BBC News: "It's a really changing picture so the 2011 census population will go down as a diverse population compared with 2001."
In other findings:
The census also shows that, while fewer people own their own home, more people own it outright.
Just under 15 million households owned their own home in 2011, either with a mortgage or loan, or outright - down 4%.
By Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent
The 2011 census shows beyond any doubt that the UK is now in the midst of an astonishing era of demographic change due to globalisation.
Parts of the country are witnessing such rapid flows and movements of people that they are becoming super-diverse - home to many different people from many different backgrounds.
If you want just a snapshot of that rapid change - look at Boston in Lincolnshire.
In 2001, it was home to fewer than 1,500 people born abroad - and because of a statistical quirk many of those are thought to have been people born to parents once stationed with the British Army in Germany.
Today, almost 10,000 people born abroad call Boston home - and it has more Polish residents than any other local authority outside of the South East. The 2011 census confirms what people see around them.
However, those who owned their home outright increased two percentage points from 29% (6.4 million) to 31% (7.2 million).
The group that rented from a private landlord or letting agency increased by six percentage points from 9% (1.9 million) in 2001 to 15% (3.6 million) in 2011.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said the figures "confirm that home ownership is slipping further and further out of reach, no matter how hard people work or save".
Last year there was an average of 12 cars for every 10 households - up on 11 cars per 10 households in 2001. London was the only region where the number of vehicles was lower than the number of households.
The 2011 Census results for Scotland are drawn up separately by the Scottish government and are being released on Monday.
This year's questionnaire was sent to about 26 million households in England and Wales on 27 March last year and was compulsory to fill in.
The only voluntary question in the census related to religion and allowed people to declare themselves to be Christian (all denominations), Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, of no religion or to list themselves as belonging to any other faith.
The census - which is used to plan public services - is carried out every 10 years, during which the public are asked questions about their jobs, health, education and ethnic background
Last year was the first time people could fill in the form online. | The number of foreign-born residents in England and Wales has risen by nearly three million since 2001 to 7.5 million people, the 2011 census shows. | 20677515 |
In the rest of the UK, train fares will go up by an average of 2.3%.
Regulated ScotRail fares are currently capped at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI). Off-peak regulated fares are capped at 1% below RPI.
Scottish Labour has called for ScotRail fares to be frozen, an idea First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said could be considered.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "No final decision has been taken on next year's fares in Scotland and we are looking at options before the end of the year.
"We want to see a vibrant, growing industry with more seats and services than ever before and that is why we have taken action to help keep fares down."
She added: "In terms of calls for a fares freeze, as the First Minister stated in Parliament recently, we will consider any fully-costed options that might enable us to reduce costs to passengers while still delivering our ambitious infrastructure programme.
"Scotland's railways are offering an ever-more attractive travel option and, through our £5bn package of rail investment, we want to see a continued shift from road to rail."
Much of the Scottish government is on holiday for St Andrew's Day.
Transport minister Humza Yousaf has tweeted: "To confirm, as FM previously said - we are continuing to consider fare rates in Scotland and no final decision has been taken for next year."
Scottish Labour Transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: "This news makes it even more important that SNP ministers back Labour's plan for a fare freeze in 2017.
"After months of disruption on the rail network, passengers in Scotland deserve a break. People are fed up with overcrowded, delayed and expensive trains and it would be insulting to ask passengers to pay more for the service they are currently receiving." | The Scottish government has promised a decision on rail fares before the end of the year. | 38183352 |
The UK company has been in talks with Reynolds for months about buying the 57.8% stake it does not already own.
The merger would bring together some of the tobacco industry's best-known brands, including Lucky Strike, Rothmans, Dunhill and Camel cigarettes.
A merger "creates a stronger, truly global tobacco" business, BAT said.
BAT, a shareholder in Reynolds since 2004, said last year that the merger was "the logical progression in our relationship".
However, the UK company's initial approaches were rebuffed by Reynolds, and a $47bn offer was rejected last November.
BAT estimates that it can make $400m worth of cost-savings through the merger.
Reynolds has been operating since 1875 and is the second largest tobacco company in the US after Altria, which owns Philip Morris USA.
Last year, Reynolds completed its $25bn takeover of US rival Lorillard. The combined company was forced to sell off a number of brands, including Kool, Salem and Winston, to satisfy regulators. They were eventually bought by Britain's Imperial Tobacco for $7.1bn.
BAT products include Rothmans, Kool and Kent, while Reynolds' brands include Newport, Camel, Pall Mall, Doral, Misty and Capri.
The UK company has more than 200 brands, and is a big player in the market for e-cigarettes. The takeover will give it a further foothold in the US, and give the combined business a significant presence in high-growth markets including South America, the Middle East and Africa.
The offer comprises $25bn worth of BAT shares and $24.4bn in cash, valuing the whole Reynolds business at more than $85bn. The sweetened deal represents a 26% premium against the closing price of Reynolds' shares on 20 October, when news of BAT's interest in taking full control of Reynolds emerged.
Nicandro Durante, BAT's chief executive, said: "We have been shareholders in Reynolds since 2004 and we have benefited from the success of the present management team's strategy, including its acquisition of Lorillard, which we supported with our own investment in 2015.
"Our combination with Reynolds will benefit from utilising the best talent from both organisations. It will create a stronger, global tobacco and NGP [new-generation products] business with direct access for our products across the most attractive markets in the world."
Steve Clayton, fund manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the takeover was a "big move" for BAT, but made "a lot of sense".
However, he added: "We can't ignore the debts that BAT are taking on to fund the deal, and in the short term, the stock has become a bit more risky as a result. But tobacco is a very cash generative business and we expect the enlarged group to be able to pay the debts down quite quickly.
"The sheer scale of the enlarged BAT raises the pressure on the remaining players to bulk up too, and attention is likely to turn to Imperial Brands, who look more and more like a minnow swimming in a tank of big, hungry fish." | British American Tobacco has agreed a $49.4bn (£40bn) deal to take control of US rival Reynolds, creating the world's largest listed tobacco firm. | 38647864 |
President Francois Hollande says France is "at war" with so-called Islamic State (IS).
Here we look at the international impact of the attacks and the lessons the authorities are trying to draw from it.
Are the attacks over?
It is too early to say. But there was a breakthrough on Thursday - it was confirmed that the suspected ringleader, IS militant Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police raid in Saint-Denis, northern Paris.
His fingerprints were formally identified from remains found in a Saint-Denis apartment, where a group of militants fiercely resisted anti-terror police early on Wednesday.
France is urgently hunting another leading suspect - Salah Abdeslam, who hired one of the cars used in the attacks. Salah's brother Brahim blew himself up in Boulevard Voltaire during Friday's attacks.
French media have reported that nine militants carried out the attacks, and we know that seven died on Friday night. So it is possible that another attacker - as well as Salah Abdeslam - is still at large.
There has also been speculation that the militants killed and detained in Saint-Denis with Abdelhamid Abaaoud were planning to attack La Defense - an upmarket Paris business district - and Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, though no evidence has been provided.
Two men were arrested in the apartment in Saint-Denis and six other people nearby, so police may get some key information from them.
Profile: Abdelhamid Abaaoud
Who was Hasna Aitboulahcen?
Paris attacks: Who were the victims?
How was the plot hatched?
French authorities believe that IS in Syria decided to launch the attacks, and that the operation was planned in Belgium, probably in Molenbeek, a Brussels district known for high unemployment, social problems and a mixed immigrant population.
IS said its militants had attacked Paris in order to punish "crusader" France for its air strikes against "Muslims in the lands of the Caliphate" - their language for Iraq and Syria.
The attack "targeted the capital of prostitution and obscenity, the carrier of the banner of the Cross in Europe: Paris," IS said.
Many Molenbeek residents are Arabs, and jihadists have long been linked to the area.
On Thursday, Belgian police arrested nine suspects near Brussels, including seven said to have known Bilal Hadfi, one of the suicide bombers.
At least three cars hired in Belgium were used in the attacks: a black Seat, a black VW Polo and a VW Golf.
Investigators suspect the gunmen used safe houses in Saint-Denis, Bobigny and Alfortville in the Paris region.
But it is not clear when the group met up to launch the attacks. Other elements of the plot also remain unclear.
Investigators will be studying phone records and assessing the weapons seized for further clues.
Paris attacks and police raids
Investigators believe there were three well-organised, tightly co-ordinated groups of militants involved in the 13 November attack. They used Kalashnikov assault rifles and explosive belts.
The militants - four of them French citizens - struck at three main locations: outside the Stade de France and, in central Paris, crowded bars and restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall.
Three detonated their suicide belts near the stadium, during a high profile France v Germany football match. They may have planned to get inside the stadium but been frustrated.
Bataclan was the bloodiest scene - 89 people died there.
The attacks probably required months of training, said Pieter Van Ostaeyen, a Belgian expert on Islamist extremists.
The plan was evidently designed to kill many people randomly - they targeted crowded places, where young people were having fun.
Paris attacks: What happened on the night
Why weren't the attackers stopped?
France's security services and its European partners will be scrutinised as to whether they should have picked up intelligence about the attacks, and stopped them.
For example, two Belgian IS fighters had warned in a video in February that they would attack France, Mr Van Ostaeyen told the BBC.
And security was stepped up in France after the January Islamist attacks in Paris on Charlie Hebdo magazine staff, a policewoman and a Jewish supermarket. Three gunmen killed 17 people before being shot dead by police.
But security experts say it is very difficult to prevent attacks like the latest Paris one, involving groups of suicidal gunmen with bombs hitting soft targets indiscriminately and simultaneously.
There is surveillance of known jihadists' communications - whether via mobile phone or the internet - but increasingly widely available strong encryption makes that more difficult.
There is intense pressure in France and Belgium now to tighten monitoring of suspected jihadists, because some of the attackers had spent time in Syria with IS jihadists.
Among the proposals are: jail or house arrest for jihadists who return from Syria; stripping violent jihadists of their citizenship; putting electronic tags on suspects.
Some critics also say it is far too easy for jihadists to cross borders in the EU's passport-free Schengen zone. Only now are vehicles being routinely checked at the Belgium-France border.
More intelligence-sharing between French and Belgian anti-terrorist police might have alerted them to the imminent threat to Paris.
Schengen: EU free movement deal explained
How significant is the Belgian connection?
Very - Molenbeek was apparently the operational nerve centre, but there were some other Belgian connections.
Abaaoud boasted of having helped set up an IS cell in Verviers, eastern Belgium. Police raided a safe house there in January, killing two jihadists, but he got away.
Belgian ministers admit that more should have been done to tackle Islamist extremism in Molenbeek.
Mehdi Nemmouche, a Franco-Algerian jihadist accused of murdering four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May 2014, had also spent time in Molenbeek.
More jihadists have gone from Belgium to join IS in Syria and Iraq than from any other EU country, per capita.
Belgium - highly federalised - has various police forces, so sometimes co-ordination is a problem.
Sometimes key intelligence is not passed on - not only inside Belgium but also to EU partners such as France, says Dutch expert Liesbeth van der Heide, of Leiden University's Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism.
The EU does not have a central database for specific intelligence on jihadists - but there are calls for that now.
Paris attacks: The Belgian connection
Belgium: Europe's favourite gun shop?
Has Europe lost control of its borders?
The Paris bloodshed has fuelled concerns about Schengen and the EU's external borders.
Freedom of movement is a cherished core value of the EU - but it means that violent jihadists and other criminals can also cross borders easily, after entering the EU.
Schengen exists in a Europe where national authorities still jealously guard intelligence that affects their country's security.
As for the EU's external borders, the influx of migrants - many of them Syrian refugees - has put them under severe pressure this year.
Greece and Italy, with long sea borders to patrol, are getting help from the EU to screen arriving migrants. But it is not enough.
More than 650,000 migrants have reached Europe's shores this year. There are fears that some jihadists have slipped through in the crowds.
One of the Paris suicide bombers had a fake Syrian passport in the name of "Ahmad al-Mohammed". Greek officials said someone with that passport had been registered last month on the island of Leros.
Europe on high security alert
Will there be a repeat of the Paris attacks in France or elsewhere?
Security is now extremely tight across France. Under the existing state of emergency, French police have greater powers to search premises and detain suspects.
But France's interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has warned that EU nations need to tighten checks at external borders.
"It is urgent that Europe gets its acts together, organises itself, defends itself against the terrorist threat," he said.
France has also hit back, bombing IS militants in Syria and Iraq. The US and its allies, as well as Russia, are also attacking IS to varying degrees.
So the risk of IS trying to carry out more attacks, inside Europe or elsewhere, remains real.
France has warned that IS might use a chemical or biological weapon in a future attack. French emergency teams are to be supplied with atropine sulfate, an antidote to nerve gas. | France and neighbouring countries are on high alert after the Paris attacks, which killed 129 people and wounded hundreds more. | 34866144 |
Pretswell, 27, shot a second-round 67 to move seven under par as she bids for a first European Tour title.
Spain's Nuria Iturrios carded 65 for a narrow overnight advantage ahead of Pretswell and France's Karine Icher.
Overnight leader Anna Nordqvist is a shot further back, while English trio Holly Clyburn, Florentyna Parker and Melissa Reid are five under. | Scotland's Pamela Pretswell moved one shot off the lead at the halfway stage of the Mediterranean Ladies Open. | 39674893 |
After comfortably winning the first set against the French qualifier, Murray made some unforced errors in the second before breaking early in the third.
The British number one faces Frenchman Benoit Paire or Portugal's Joao Sousa next as he begins his claycourt campaign before May's French Open.
British number two Aljaz Bedene plays Rafael Nadal in his second-round match.
Murray, 28, is also competing in the men's doubles, where he and partner Dom Inglot progressed to the second round by beating Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4 on Monday.
The Scot and Englishman Inglot next play Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic. | Andy Murray reached the Monte Carlo Masters third round with a 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert. | 36026262 |
Between 2011 and 2014, the five health trusts settled a total of 570 cases.
In many cases, the total amount paid to lawyers and other experts such as architects and accountants dwarfed the settlements to patients.
The total pay-out amounts to about £109m.
About a third of that was paid by the largest trust, Belfast.
In Wales, which has over one million more people than Northern Ireland, £184m was paid out in medical negligence claims over the same three-year period.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has defended the figure.
Alphy Maginness, from the department's directorate of legal services, told the BBC that a cap system is in place to ensure barristers employed by them cannot charge excessive fees.
The initiative began six years ago, when the legal department within the Business Service Organisation appointed their own barristers who would work for them under agreed terms and conditions.
The Business Services Organisation provides a broad range of support functions and specialist professional services to the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland.
"Part of the terms and conditions we agreed with the appointed barristers is that there would be a cap on fees and the cap relates not only to medical negligence actions but to other cases as well - primarily high value cases," Mr Maginness said.
"So if they are worth several million, for example, the cap kicks in where they earn a certain amount."
The largest number of medical negligence cases were taken against the Belfast Trust, which also carries out some of the most complex procedures.
However, in the three years up until December last year, the Belfast Trust did not have to pay any damages in almost 400 cases taken against it.
In the most recent and significant case, the trust paid out in what was described in court as a "landmark" £8m compensation settlement to a severely disabled teenager after his family sued it for medical negligence.
The Belfast Health Trust initially contested the case but after several years it admitted liability.
The settlement is believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland.
Mr Maginness defended the length of time this and other cases can last.
"That only happens rarely," he said.
"There can be very complex issues involved, particularly with these medical negligence actions - liability is often not clear cut.
"There may be many arguments in response to liability. You have to understand that it is not just about lawyers. In these cases we require the contributions of medical experts, forensic accountants, engineers, physiotherapists - often they are not straightforward."
Action against Medical Accidents, the patient safety charity, said the growing scale of pay-outs was of concern.
However, it said the National Health Service should give higher priority to avoiding the lapses in patient safety in the first place, and avoiding legal costs as much as possible by admitting liability earlier.
"The human cost of clinical negligence far outweighs the financial cost, but millions could be saved if there were more honesty and earlier admissions of liability" Peter Walsh, the charity's chief executive, said.
"It is when there are denials and delays that costs escalate. The absence of legal aid and necessity of no-win, no-fee litigation also increases costs."
According to the figures obtained by the BBC, there were 12 settlements exceeding £1m across the five health trusts - eight of which were paid out by the Belfast Trust.
In addition, the Department of Health paid almost £3m to lawyers to defend medical negligence cases on behalf of the trusts.
In one instance, a settlement in the Belfast Trust, the claimant was awarded over £6,000, while legal costs amounted to almost £72,000.
But in 19 cases, lawyers were paid more than £100,000, with one pay-out to legal teams close to £680,000.
In more than a third of cases, the amount of money paid to lawyers exceeded the amount paid to patients.
Rory McShane, of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the regulatory body for solicitors, said the complexity of many cases was the reason behind some of the legal fees figures.
"It is not the lawyers who are getting these monies and we should stop portraying it as such," he said.
"There are a number of participants in bringing a successful case on behalf of a victim of a medical accident.
"We are talking about a team of experts which can include lawyers, architects, accountants, care consultants, who may be required depending on the circumstances of the individual case."
Mr Maginness said his office has gone to great lengths to protect the public purse and that other costs made up the total amount paid out.
He said there had been considerable savings in the last five years. | Almost £110m has been paid out on medical negligence cases and legal fees in Northern Ireland over a three-year period, figures obtained by the BBC have revealed. | 34534455 |
The charity said 201 of the 873 counselling sessions it arranged were connected to cyber bullying.
Children as young as seven told Childline counsellors they were being tormented by malicious and hurtful messages.
Across the UK, the charity counselled 4,541 children about online bullying.
That 2015/2016 figure represented an 88% increase from 2,410 in 2011/12.
The findings, released at the start of Anti-Bullying Week, showed that in a quarter of counselling sessions children and young people across the UK were also counselled for a mental health and wellbeing issue, including low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression.
The comments posted on their social media profiles, blogs and online pictures ranged from bullying and abusive words about how a young person looked to death threats and, in the most extreme cases, directly telling them to go and kill themselves.
Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: "Online bullying is one of the biggest child protection challenges of this generation.
"It is a problem intensified by the ever-increasing presence of the internet.
"Years ago a child could escape their bullies when they left the playground and get some respite in the safety of their home. Now the 24/7 nature of the internet means that a child can be targeted around the clock.
"Bullying, regardless of whether it occurs online or in person, can have a devastating impact on a young person, affecting their self-worth, leave them feeling isolated and potentially being a trigger for depression.
"In the worst-case scenarios, bullying has driven children and young people to self-harm and even suicide."
In nearly a third (31%) of counselling sessions for online bullying, children and young people talked about a gaming or social networking site as the platform for their abuse and humiliation.
The NSPCC, which is currently working with the Royal Foundation Cyber-bullying Taskforce to develop new tools for children and young people, has also created a dedicated area about online bullying for the Childline website.
On the site, young people can share their experiences and offer support to their peers through message boards.
Last year there were more than 11,000 posts about online bullying.
Childline president Dame Esther Rantzen said: "Bullying can wreck young people's lives, especially now that the bullies don't stop at the school gates.
"It is imperative that adults, parents and teachers intervene to protect them, because we have learned over the years from Childline callers that bullying does not stop on its own, left alone it gets worse." | Almost a quarter of Scottish children who contacted Childline about bullying in the past year were concerned with online abuse, new figures show. | 37973889 |
Graham Dwyer, 42, from Foxrock in south Dublin, had denied the murder of Elaine O'Hara but was convicted by unanimous verdict at the Central Criminal Court.
The remains of the 36-year-old childcare worker were found in the Dublin mountains in September 2013.
Her family said they were "relieved that justice has been served".
They were forced to endure weeks of disturbing evidence about the lifestyle of her killer, who had been filmed stabbing sexual partners.
During the trial, the married father admitted having an affair with his vulnerable victim, who he met through a website.
Ms O'Hara's family said: "We hope that this case will highlight the need for people to be careful when communicating using the internet and social media."
She was last seen on 22 August 2012, the day of her murder and had been missing for more than a year before her remains were discovered.
The O'Hara family said they had been through a "difficult and traumatic two-and-a-half years" since her disappearance and "still suffer her loss and miss her greatly".
The judge had said 40 days of evidence, stretching back over five years, boiled down to what happened in the three hours after Ms O'Hara vanished.
He told the seven men and five women on the jury they could take as long or as short a time as they needed to reach "a conscientious and properly considered verdict".
Sentencing and victim impact statements in the trial will be dealt with on 20 April. Dwyer has been remanded in custody.
The jury found that he stabbed Ms O'Hara to death on Kilakee Mountain in Rathfarnham on 22 August, 2012, the day she left a psychiatric hospital.
He sent her a series of texts in the days leading up to the killing.
Dwyer told her she would be punished for trying to kill herself without him.
He said she had a "big punishment" coming up, getting stabbed, and he told her to leave her iPhone at home, park her car at Shanganagh Park, make her way across the railway bridge, and head to the shore and wait.
Ms O'Hara was last seen there on 22 August 2012, making her way across the bridge.
Her skeletal remains were found on Kilakee Mountain in Rathfarnham on 13 September 2013, the day of Dwyer's birthday.
Three days after that, her keys and other items were found in Vartry Reservoir in Roundwood, which had dried up due to a heatwave.
Dwyer was arrested on 17 October 2013 and has been in custody ever since.
Ms O'Hara first came into contact with Dwyer in 2007 through a website.
The defence case was that documents found on a hard drive at Dwyer's home describing the rape and killing of women in explicit and horrific detail, was all fantasy.
However, the prosecution said this was a man who had the "most extraordinary and disgusting fantasies and who went about making them real".
The court heard Dwyer sent more than 800 text messages to Ms O'Hara between January 2008 and December 2009.
The relationship appeared to end in 2009, but on 25 March, 2011 Dwyer initiated contact again.
He bought a pay as you go mobile phone and started texting Ms O'Hara.
Text messages from an 083 phone and an 086 phone were central to the prosecution case.
More than 2,500 texts exchanged over 18 months, were read to the jury over two and half days.
Mr Dwyer denied the phones were his.
However, the jury heard the person using them bore an "astonishing similarity" to aspects of his life.
The texts repeated the same themes again and again.
Mr Dwyer wanted Elaine O'Hara to find someone for him to stab. He wanted her to let him stab her. | A sadomasochistic killer who filmed his victim faces a life sentence after being found guilty of her murder in the Republic of Ireland. | 32085958 |
The main pipeline was damaged when a bridge was hit, according to IS and anti-IS activists.
Citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently confirmed, on Friday, that IS has mended the pipe.
Syrian rebels backed by the US-led coalition are trying to capture Raqqa.
Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said the strikes had targeted local infrastructure.
The US is working with the Kurdish-led rebel group Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to try to defeat IS.
In November, the coalition said it had begun an operation to capture Raqqa, which has been held by the jihadist group since January 2014.
The US announced, in December, that it was sending 200 more military personnel for the operation.
A Kurdish official told Reuters news agency this week that the aim of the campaign was to seal off all roads to the city, including links with Deir al-Zour province, another IS stronghold. | The water supply to the Syrian city of Raqqa, a stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) group, has been reconnected after US airstrikes caused a temporary cut. | 38852216 |
The 31-year-old moves to the Latics after making six appearances at the U's so far this season.
Ibehre began his career at Leyton Orient and has had spells at Walsall, MK Dons, Southend and Stockport.
Meanwhile, striker Conor Wilkinson will return to Bolton after the League One game against Walsall on Saturday, when his one-month loan spell ends. | Oldham Athletic have signed Colchester United striker Jabo Ibehre on a three-month loan deal. | 29551839 |
The 19-year-old has made 13 league appearances for Phil Parkinson's side so far, scoring once.
He briefly went back to the Premier League club for treatment on a knee problem, but now returns to Yorkshire.
"We are very pleased Reece is remaining with us. We are going to need everyone over this busy Christmas period," City boss Parkinson told the club website. | League One Bradford City have extended defender Reece Burke's youth loan deal from West Ham United until 2 January. | 34925525 |
The 33-year-old defender, who is playing for English non-league side Thamesmead, says his decision relates to his indefinite international ban.
He was suspended by the Sierra Leone Football Association over allegations of match-fixing over a year ago.
"The feeling and emotion are longer there, so I'm moving on with my life," Kargbo told BBC Sport.
Kargbo was banned alongside Ibrahim Koroma, Samuel Barlay and Christian Caulker - all four accused of attempting to fix a 2010 World Cup qualifier against South Africa in Pretoria in June 2008.
The quartet have protested their innocence and Kargbo is angry that he has not been cleared by an investigation.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I'm quitting because of the suspension," Kargbo told BBC Sport. "I'm no longer going to play for Sierra Leone. It's not going to happen any more.
"It's not fair because it's now 15 months since the SLFA suspended us and they have not yet started investigations.
"Fifa didn't ban us from playing club football but I have lost contracts in England, China and Finland because of the match-fixing allegation. It has affected me greatly as it has stained stain my career.
"I'm leaving with a bitter heart and the feeling in me for my country's national team is bitter because I have been treated unfairly. No one is standing for us to fight for justice."
"I have worked for Sierra Leone, I have helped my people, so I don't deserve this. It's hard because this is not the way I wanted my career with the national team to end."
The SLFA secretary general Christopher Kamara says the matter is no longer within the governing body's control.
"I don't have anything to say on this issue because we have set up an independent investigation committee headed by Rtd Major Paolo Conteh to investigate the match-fixing allegations," Kamara told BBC Sport.
"The matter is in the hands of Conteh who had visited the Fifa headquarters on the issue. I can't make any statement."
The ban was imposed by both the SLFA and the Sierra Leone Sports ministry but the latter lifted the suspension.
Kargbo is also being investigated by Dutch football authorities for allegedly fixing matches when he was playing for Williem II. He has denied the allegations.
He made his senior international debut for Sierra Leone against Ghana in 2000 in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in Accra and took over the Leone Stars captaincy 10 years later after former Inter Milan and Monaco striker Mohamed Kallon relinquished the position.
His last appearance for Sierra Leone came against Equatorial Guinea in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Freetown. | Former Sierra Leone captain Ibrahim Kargbo has retired from international football with immediate effect. | 34456644 |
The London Assembly's inquiry singled out suburban routes south of the River Thames as a priority for devolution.
It claims Transport for London (TfL) and the mayor could commission services more efficiently.
But the Rail Delivery Group said the current system produces some of "the best passenger satisfaction levels".
The report found: "Passengers' experience of the rail network in London is often poor, and appears to be getting worse."
It cited Department for Transport figures for 2014 showing 40% of morning peak services arrived in London over-capacity, and 16% of London and South East rail services arrived at least five minutes late.
The key recommendation was that TfL should replace the Department for Transport as the commissioning authority for suburban rail routes in London, saying it has "demonstrated its ability to carry out this role already with the London Overground network".
Valerie Shawcross, Labour chair of the Assembly's Transport Committee, said: "There is a growing consensus that rail devolution to London is a good idea, including among passengers both inside and outside of London."
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operating companies and network rail, said: "Some of the best rail passenger satisfaction levels in London and the South East are being achieved on services commissioned by both Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
"Private train companies already work effectively with TfL, whether by operating London Overground or ensuring that passengers can use their tickets to travel across both TfL and national rail."
The RDG added the decision as to which body commissions train services in the capital was one for the government.
The Assembly report acknowledged "significant challenges" in persuading the government of the case for reform. | "Poor" train services in London should be moved from central to local government control, a report by City Hall has claimed. | 34541576 |
Even a visitor who detests shopping can admire the building's quirkiness, a semi-arch that seems almost to fall on to the pavement, embodying the modernist curves which define architecture in Brazil's capital.
This is a city that was constructed virtually from scratch in the 1950s and which is supposed to proclaim the new, progressive side of the country.
Yet the man I had come to meet at the mall had a story as old as his country's creation: "When you bid for a government contract in Brazil, they usually say 'what can you do for us? What can you do to make this contract a win-win for all of us?' They want a percentage of the contract…which means bribes."
His company designed software, successfully by all accounts. Yet the compromises required to win that all-important government business had driven him to despair and he eventually quit the industry altogether.
"I didn't want to play the game, but I knew the game would always be there."
Corruption has been in Brazil for a long time. Some historians trace it back to dodgy dealing during the slave trade, a business often conducted illicitly as well as immorally.
There is even a phrase in the local Portuguese dialect "Jeitinho Brasileiro" which loosely translates as "the Brazilian way of doing things".
This can be said admiringly to suggest an ability to solve problems creatively.
Underlying the phrase, however, is a sense that if a problem does have to be solved, it is OK to cut corners and perhaps break the law just to get things done.
And there have been an awful lot of corruption laws broken in Brazil, it seems.
Congress recently voted to proceed with impeachment of the President, Dilma Rousseff, following allegations that members of her ruling Workers' Party had siphoned cash from the state oil company, Petrobas.
However, many of those accusing the president are themselves being investigated for embezzlement, money laundering or other financial skulduggery.
In the midst of such rampant collective larceny, it might seem odd to find optimism among anti-corruption campaigners.
Yet Fabiano Angelico from Transparency International, an independent anti-corruption organisation, says that the sheer number of politicians facing investigation is a sign that the system is finally working.
"We have built strong institutions," he says. "The federal police, the federal prosecutors, they share information with other countries."
What also might sound surprising is that Congress itself is funding some ground-breaking anti-corruption initiatives - turkeys not only voting for Christmas, you might say, but paying for the festive meal as well.
In a collection of rooms directly under the parliamentary debating chamber, a project called "Hackers Lab" is developing new computer programmes and apps to detect corrupt behaviour.
It makes use of all the published data about politicians and their spending, and then cross-references this with other information, like who owns the companies which the government uses - from major contractors right down to the taxi companies which ferry them around.
"The Brazilian government is actually very transparent," says Cristiano Ferri, Hackers Lab's founder and director.
"All the information about how they spend their money is available online."
The problem, Ferri believes, is not one of deeds being hidden. Rather, he says, it is a matter of impunity.
"Everyone in Brazil knows how things are, but we don't have enough punishment."
The recent scandals have led to a few high-profile business figures receiving long prison sentences.
Politicians, however, are harder to prosecute, as membership of Congress confers immunity from normal legal process.
Indeed, cynics have suggested that more than a few have sought political office precisely in order to acquire such protection.
Members of Congress can be charged by Brazil's Supreme Court, though this is seen as a highly-politicised institution.
Many remain unconvinced that a prosecution would be successful, however strong the evidence of malfeasance.
If criminal cases against politicians do go ahead, no-one will be happier perhaps than Luma Poletti, a writer for the website "Congress in Focus".
They were digging up evidence of congressional mischief long before the current run of scandals, proving back in 2009 that members used public funds to buy airline tickets for their families, yet those they exposed held on to power.
"They stay in the Congress for decades - it's frustrating," Luma says, standing outside the Congress building.
She is another who sees signs of progress, the recent scandals, she believes, may prove a catalyst for more investigation and more prosecution.
Yet she fears the Jeitinho Brasileiro attitude is deep-rooted, and will not change any time soon.
"Corruption has been in our society for so many years, people have just gotten used to it."
And with that she walks back into Congress, to carry on digging.
@BBCPaulMoss | You could easily grow fond of the retail mall in central Brasilia. | 36132314 |
The governing body's chief executive Blane Dodds says a new finance and support package for Scotland's promising young golfers will help to establish them on the European Tour.
"It's an initiative for helping the best talent we've got," said Dodds.
"It's taking away a lot of the management, logistics and hassles of life on tour."
Ewen Ferguson and Grant Forrest are the first players to benefit from the initiative, which will guarantee them eight Challenge Tour starts this season as they look to qualify for the European Tour.
They will receive funding for two years, as well as coaching and management support from the scheme, which is a partnership between Scottish Golf, Aberdeen Asset Management, SSE Hydro and Bounce Sports Management.
With only one Scot - Russell Knox - in the world's top 30, Scottish Golf wants to try to enable more players to reach the top of the game.
"We've watched Ewen and Grant coming through the ranks over the last few years and clearly we want success at the highest level of the game as an objective," Dodds said.
"There is cash involved, but it's more rounded than that. We've been helping to prepare them from a golfing perspective, there's coaching and technical and lifestyle and strength and conditioning [advice].
"The other element is when that talent is showing promise and ability to perform at a higher level, it's ensuring all the other ancillary support is there so that they can perform when they are on the course.
"It's a stepping stone. If you look over the last few years, the young, talented golfers from Scotland haven't fulfilled their potential. It's about trying to help that process. "
Ferguson, who played his third Challenge Tour event at the Turkey Airlines Challenge last week, was Scottish Golf's amateur of the year in 2015 and, along with Forrest, was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland team that won the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham.
The duo were identified as having the potential to reach the highest level of the game by the Scottish Golf performance committee, and the governing body plans to open the initiative to other players next season.
"The ultimate goal is to be out there playing stress free, without having to worry about the financial side of things and hopefully bring the best out of ourselves on the golf course," said Ferguson.
"[It's] having the financial backing and support team around you to be able to make the stress less and play with more freedom.
"It's being able to fund my first couple of years of getting out there and trying to find my feet, that's the problem it will solve. It can be very expensive, food, hotels, taxis, caddies - that's what will be taken care of."
Forrest tied for fifth in Turkey, having only turned professional last year. His aim for this season is to finish in the Challenge Tour's top 15 and qualify for the European Tour.
"It's an expensive sport to play for a living, so not having to worry about that when you're teeing up every round is so valuable," Forrest explained. "It's the peace of mind to go out and perform my best.
"If you have a bad week and miss a cut and you want to change your flight it costs more, so it's things like that, to make your life easier and try to help to deal with all the hardships that come with life on tour." | Scottish Golf has developed a programme to ease young golfers' transition from amateur to professional status. | 39724579 |
Garner, 28, moved to Deepdale in 2013 from Watford and helped the club to promotion from League One.
Following Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Fulham, manager Grayson confirmed that Rangers had made a bid for Garner, who has two years left on his contract.
"We've not accepted or declined the offer from Rangers," Grayson said.
Talking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Grayson continued: "We've told them where we are with the situation and we're speaking to the players, but it all boils down to what Joe Garner wants to do.
"We want to keep him and we don't have to sell him, but we're being fair to the player when something comes up.
"I would like to have it snipped in the bud by the end of Monday as I have a game Tuesday night and I need to know if it will include Joe Garner in the squad." | Striker Joe Garner is free to leave Preston to join Scottish Premiership side Rangers if he wishes, says Lilywhites boss Simon Grayson. | 37087382 |
Mark Roberts was dismissed after a whistleblower claimed he re-used syringe cartridges and root canal surgery files.
He had worked at Splott Road Dental Surgery from 1989 to February 2015.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said 450 out of 3,000 patients have been in touch following an appeal and 252 are to have blood tests.
The health board said the tests are for those deemed to be at a higher risk of infection or to give peace of mind to those who are worried.
However, patients have been assured there is a very low risk of the transfer of infections like hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
The dentist said he deeply regretted "lapses" at his practice, as health bosses contacted all former patients.
The General Dental Council confirmed Mr Roberts was suspended for 18 months in April, and this has been "continued" until October 2016 due to "concerns about his cross-infection controls".
Splott Road Dental Surgery is now under new ownership.
The claims of poor infection control include: | Hundreds of patients will be tested after a Cardiff dentist re-used equipment that should have been binned. | 34640618 |
"We will likely not have any additional customs posts," said Niall Cody.
Reports of evidence given to the committee by a colleague had created the impression such posts would return, he told parliament's Finance Committee.
Revenue Commissioners were engaged in contingency planning, he said.
But having considered the matter, Mr Cody said he was "practically 100% certain" there would be no new customs facilities along the 320-mile (500-km) border.
"We are not planning customs posts," he said.
The border separating Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic will become an EU-UK frontier after Britain pulls out of the EU.
There have been warnings that a hardening of the border, which has become virtually invisible as a result of the Northern Ireland peace process, could threaten the current stability and prosperity on the island.
The UK and Irish governments have both said they do not want a return to customs posts on the border after the UK leaves the EU.
Earlier this month, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the Irish border issue would be one of his three priorities and that he would work to avoid a hard border.
But, while on a two-day visit to Ireland, he emphasised that there would have to be some form of customs controls as a result of Brexit.
Mr Cody rejected reports that his organisation was actively looking for locations to establish new checkpoints.
He said the speculation, which he blamed on an earlier contingency paper from a "medium-ranking" official, had led to landowners along the border directly offering him sites for sale.
While businesses must assume there would "some form of customs" post-Brexit, he said the Revenue was engaged in upgrading its IT infrastructure to allow people to make declarations online.
Mr Cody said ongoing analysis of cross-border trade increasingly shows that most goods transported between the jurisdictions will not need to be physically checked.
Much of it is agri-food and construction related, and can be documented online.
There are also existing Revenue offices in border counties where traders can carry out their necessary paperwork.
"I'm practically 100% certain we will not be providing new trade facilitation bays in whatever parts of Donegal, Monaghan or Cavan," he said.
Mr Cody also told the parliamentary committee that Revenue was not negotiating with HM Revenue and Customs on post-Brexit arrangements.
It was, though, assessing all the implications and options, while upgrading its IT systems and recruiting more staff, as it prepared for the outcome of the political negotiations, he said.
Earlier, the committee heard that cross-border trade could cost businesses around €400m (£346m) in compliance costs after Brexit.
That figure is separate to customs tariffs.
Carol Lynch, a partner with the accountancy firm BDO Ireland, told the committee that a charge of €100 per movement would likely apply.
She said there was likely to be a requirement to lodge customs declarations on all imports and exports in and out the UK once the UK leaves the customs union.
"There is a necessary cost for this, either in the payment of a clearance agent or the recruitment of staff in addition to logistics-related costs," she added.
This would be an administrative cost to be paid by the businesses, to an agent, in order to complete an import declaration.
Michael McGrath, the finance spokesman of the main opposition party, Fianna Fail, said this would place a significant annual cost on businesses.
He estimated that when applied to all cross-border movements, it would amount to around €400m each year.
There is much uncertainty surrounding Brexit and what it will mean for the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The fog of that confusion will only lift once the UK general election is over and the two sides in the forthcoming negotiations can get down to real business. | The head of the Irish tax authorities is "practically 100% certain" there will be no new customs posts along the 320-mile land border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland post-Brexit. | 40042000 |
Given that the next morning Her Majesty would be heading to parliament to read out the government's "to do list", I imagined I would just be filing something on that for the Today programme, Breakfast television, Radio 2 and 5 live.
But it didn't turn out quite like that.
It started when the front page of The Times popped into my inbox.
Two members of the cabinet, Michael Gove and Theresa May, were "at war" with each other, it claimed.
It was known at Westminster they had their differences.
But I'll be honest - I thought the headline was a bit of an exaggeration and the quotes were all off the record.
At gone 11pm, I didn't expect those around the home secretary and education secretary to return my calls.
Not least because, whilst I seem to spend more time speaking to special advisers than I do to my own family, Fiona Cunningham - Mrs May's special adviser - had never returned my calls in more than two years.
But, this time, she did. Not only did she talk to me, but what she said astonished me.
She was clearly furious. Furious at the front page of the Times. Furious with Mr Gove.
In a coalition government, special advisers on one side of the coalition gently pointing out their differences with those on the other is routine and to be expected.
But firstly, Ms Cunningham was talking about a fellow Conservative. And, more to the point, she was really putting the boot in.
It had now gone midnight. Most of the UK was asleep.
But not me, and not Team Gove either.
They were working out what on earth to say and, whilst working it out, had discovered that a letter from Mrs May they'd received some hours earlier had found its way online, onto the government's website.
It was none too complimentary about Mr Gove.
Fast forward another hour or so and Team Gove rang me back.
Believe me, when special advisers call you at 1.30am you know you've got a story on your hands.
They tried to play down any suggestion of a falling out with the home secretary. But it was a bit late for that.
And Downing Street was clearly livid.
Following the Queen's speech, the prime minister was out of the country for a few days at the G7 summit in Brussels and then the D-Day commemorations in France.
But he instructed the government's most senior civil servant to look into what had happened and less than 24 hours after arriving back in the country, the news about what Mr Cameron was doing to deal with it broke.
The prime minister will hope his swift response draws a line under this damaging outbreak of indiscipline at the top of the government.
It is an outbreak provoked by a genuine policy disagreement about extremism - and about the future outlook, and leadership, of the Conservative Party when Mr Cameron is no longer in charge. | The night before the Queen's Speech I was on a late shift at Westminster. | 27752530 |
The Brazil forward, 26, scored once in just two appearances after joining the Premier League club in January.
Pato's parent club Corinthians said they sold their stake in the former AC Milan player to enable the move.
The Brazilian outfit added that the two clubs have decided not to release "economic figures involved in the deal". | Spanish side Villarreal have signed former Chelsea loanee Alexandre Pato from Corinthians. | 36905971 |
Ms Rudd will argue that the UK faces an "electric shock" outside the EU, pointing to research suggesting energy costs could increase by £500m a year.
The UK, she will claim, is more at risk of Russian "hijacking" outside the EU.
Leave campaigners said the UK did not depend on the EU or Russia for supplies and EU membership pushed costs up.
EU vote: all you need to know
With three months to go until the referendum on the UK's EU membership on 23 June, both sides are focusing on the question of what leaving the EU would mean for employment, growth, domestic security and national sovereignty.
The government, which is backing EU membership, has been accused by its opponents of scaring people about the risks of EU exit.
In a speech in Kent, Ms Rudd will claim that EU membership has kept household energy bills down, providing access to cheap electricity from the continent and facilitating billions of pounds of investment in the UK's energy network and supply chain.
"Does anybody really think all of that investment would continue if we left the EU and with no extra costs," she will say.
She will highlight research commissioned by the National Grid which suggests that, although uncertain, the impact of leaving the EU on the UK's energy capability is "very likely to be negative".
The report, written by consultants Vivid Economics, warns that if the UK was to be excluded from the EU's Internal Energy Market after voting to leave, it could force up energy costs by up to £500m by the 2020s.
This, Ms Rudd will argue, is "the equivalent of British bills going up by around £1.5m and each and every day".
She will also portray life outside the EU as a direct threat to the UK's energy security, arguing that as the UK becomes more dependant on gas imports, the more EU membership is needed to minimise the risk of threats to supplies from other sources, particularly Russia, Europe's largest gas exporter.
"We have seen how countries such as Putin's Russia use their gas supplies as a tool of foreign policy, threatening to cut off supplies or drastically increase prices," she will say.
"We can't let our energy be hijacked as a political pawn to bring Europe to its knees...As a bloc of 500 million people, we have the power to force Putin's hand."
The research makes clear the UK would be able to mitigate most of these risks if it remained a member of the Internal Energy Market. Countries outside the EU, such as Norway, are members.
It also argues the short-term risk to gas supplies are minimal since the UK has a diversified source of supply, obtaining much of its gas from Norway, and is one of the largest producers of liquefied natural gas in Western Europe.
While in the event of leaving the EU, the UK would be free to strike bilateral deals with major energy suppliers, it says there could be an impact in terms of higher financing costs and access to interconnectors.
Vote Leave said there was no evidence that the single market in energy would reduce prices, citing research suggesting EU energy regulation cost the UK between £86.6bn and £93.2bn
"Amber Rudd's absurd claims simply aren't backed up by her own research," said its chief executive Matthew Elliott.
"If we want cheaper bills, less commission interference and the ability to spend our money on our priorities, then the safe option is to Vote Leave."
And Grassroots Out said the UK would have £14bn to spend as it wished if it left the EU and major inward investments would still go ahead. "This is the Government's Project Fear taken to a whole new level," said director Alex Deane.
"The UK has one of the highest carbon resources in Europe. Putin does not have the power to switch off the lights in Britain, as the energy secretary implies. In any case, we can't decide our nation's future based on whether we think Putin will smile or frown."
The EU has sought to liberalise energy markets in the past 20 years to boost cross-border trade, increase competition and reduce wholesale prices but critics argue it is being held back by gaps in infrastructure and inconsistencies in market rules.
National Grid said it was not expressing an opinion one way or another about the UK's future in the EU but wanted to inform the debate by providing evidence about different scenarios. | Supporters of leaving the EU have said claims by Energy Secretary Amber Rudd that total household bills could rise by as much as £1.5m a day are "absurd". | 35887477 |
The crises seem to be never-ending and there is growing popular discontent.
But how does the situation look in a historical context and what are the implications for the EU's future?
The difficulty lies not so much in the scale of any one of the current crises, but in the fact they have arrived on EU leaders' plates simultaneously.
Taken individually, the issues of possible Greek exit from the eurozone (Grexit), conflict with Russia in Ukraine, and uncontrolled migration from Africa and the Middle East would be formidable but manageable.
The EU dealt with the first Greek crisis in 2012, at a time when the country's economic collapse could have destabilised the whole eurozone, unlike today.
Nicolas Sarkozy and other EU leaders managed to negotiate a ceasefire after the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008.
Today, leaders are having to deal with the EU's crises all at the same time, while being aware that none of these issues is likely to be resolved any time soon.
Debate within the EU over how to manage the Greek crisis reflects a deeper trend.
Following the stresses of the financial and sovereign debt crises, eurozone monetary union is now evolving into political union.
While the former could disguise fundamental differences in national political approach, the latter cannot.
The French perspective is that eurozone countries should come together into a politically driven economic and monetary union that would be guided by the principle of solidarity, with the richer helping the poorer and final decisions taken by political consensus.
The German vision is a political, economic and monetary union based upon the principle of shared responsibility, with all countries legally bound to avoid budget deficits.
If they do run excessive deficits, then they would be obliged to undertake structural reforms and spending cuts in order to receive central financial support, as in the Greek case.
Overall, a majority of eurozone governments, from Slovakia and Finland to Spain and Portugal, appears to side with Germany.
Many have absorbed painful reforms and put euros into financial support packages that their voters expect to see returned.
But Italy is habitually sceptical of German economic leadership and is bolstering French President Francois Hollande's stance.
German leaders do not want a rupture with France.
Voters are not uniformly disenchanted with their leaders, but it is a growing trend.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble are very popular in Germany, as are, to a lesser extent, Matteo Renzi in Italy and Enda Kenny in Ireland.
These are leaders in both the euro creditor and debtor camps.
In contrast, Mr Hollande and Mariano Rajoy's Partido Popular in Spain, for example, have seen severe falls in support and the rise of credible populist competitors - the National Front and Podemos, respectively.
There is no clear pattern here from an economic perspective. Instead, it appears that the quality of individual political leadership offers a critical premium when the public is increasingly mobilised as well as sceptical of their leaders in light of the economic stresses brought about by the financial crisis.
This provides a mixed picture for Mr Cameron in his pre-referendum negotiations.
He and Chancellor George Osborne need strong EU counterparts who will be willing to face down attempts by domestic political rivals to paint any concessions to the UK as worsening their own country's interests.
While he appears to have such partners in Mrs Merkel and Mr Renzi, he may not in Mr Hollande or Mr Rajoy.
There will be further integration within the eurozone, but the EU is unlikely to coalesce into a hard core of countries at its centre and non-eurozone countries on the margins.
Differences among eurozone members (big and small, creditor and debtor, competitive globally and domestically insecure) will mean that political fissures will persist.
Mr Cameron's fear is that the eurozone begins to act as a united bloc against the UK but this is unlikely to materialise in any systematic way.
There will be space for a more flexible EU, where alliances can be built around particular issues, such as energy, trade or the single market.
This will be to the UK's benefit if the British people decide to remain within the EU.
Making progress on big policy issues is always difficult in an EU of 28 states with their own interests and concerns.
The loss of intra-EU trust caused by the euro crisis and the amount of leaders' time it continues to absorb will make common positions on these issues all the more difficult.
A recent Chatham House report argued that Europe must think much more strategically about Russia, maintain its deterrence and expand its efforts to support Ukraine.
But a divided Europe gives succour to Russia's leadership, which believes it can wait for European unity over sanctions to crack and its desire to support Ukraine financially to wane.
Europe's divisions are also frustrating for the US, which hopes for continued unity in confronting Russia and a swift resolution to the Greek saga avoiding Grexit, which could destabilise the Balkans.
The euro crisis has also highlighted differences between the economic approach of Germany based on fiscal contraction and structural reform, and the Keynesian policies of the Obama administration.
The Chinese, for their part, are as happy to work with a divided EU as with a more unified one.
They are focusing on the huge potential opportunities of their "One Belt One Road" vision, which will connect the Eurasian landmass via major new transport infrastructure - to the exclusion of the US.
They can also benefit from intra-European competition, as seen in the UK's rush to be the first EU member to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Germany's undercutting of the European Commission's efforts in 2013 to combat Chinese subsidies for its solar panel industry.
Robin Niblett is the director of the independent think tank Chatham House. | The EU is experiencing perhaps its most fraught period since being created in 1957. | 33731028 |
The driver applied the emergency brakes when the train hit 106mph (170km/h) on a 50mph track, said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
But his efforts had only brought the speed down to 102mph when the deadly crash happened.
The speed was recorded in the so-called black box recovered from the wreckage.
Robert Sumwalt of the NTSB told reporters a speed control system in place along parts of that route along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor was not yet in place on that section.
"We feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred," he said.
Amtrak Train 188 was going from Washington to New York when it derailed on Tuesday night, leaving more 200 people injured.
The death toll rose from six to seven on Wednesday, as another body was found by the search and rescue team.
Only three victims have been publicly identified so far:
One of the busiest stretches of passenger rail in the country, between Philadelphia and New York, is closed as officials continue to try to establish exactly what happened.
President Obama said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the derailment".
As emergency crews continued to dig through the wreckage, lawmakers in Washington debated the future of Amtrak's budget, with one spending committee voting to slash their funding by almost a fifth.
"We are divesting from America," accused one member of Congress.
"Don't use this tragedy in that way," another Congressman responded angrily.
Congress has only 18 more days before federal funding for transportation infrastructure expires, but the funding is likely to be temporarily extended.
Amtrak is a national publicly funded rail service, serving tens of millions of people every year. | A commuter train that derailed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people, was travelling at twice the speed limit, say safety experts. | 32730783 |
The 21-year-old played 41 times in all competitions for the French club last season, scoring 10 goals.
Nkoudou, a France Under-21 international, joined Marseille from fellow French top-flight side Nantes in June 2015 for £1.28m.
Spurs have also signed Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez, 21, on a season-long loan deal.
Meanwhile, winger Clinton Njie, 23, has gone to Marseille on loan until the end of the season.
Nkoudou told Spurs TV: "I can't wait to get to know the Premier League and the English game.
"It suits my playing style, it's explosive. Everyone knows I'm fast, I like to dribble around players so the English league is best for me."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Tottenham Hotspur have signed Marseille winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou for £9m on a five-year deal. | 36845447 |
The Bath number eight is ruled out for four to six weeks with a knee ligament injury suffered on Christmas Eve.
Wales face Italy in Rome on Sunday, 5 February and defending champions England at home six days later.
"It's a worry, it's a big concern. In my opinion he's Wales' best player," Williams told BBC Wales.
"He's been Wales' best player for the last four or five years so it's a big, big loss if he does not come through in time for that first game against Italy.
The 26-year-old missed two months at the start of the season with the same injury after joining Bath from Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer of 2015.
Faletau missed three of the 2016 autumn internationals before making a big impact off the bench in the 27-13 win over South Africa on 26 November.
Gloucester forward Ross Moriarty stepped into the number eight role for much of the autumn series, and Williams expects the Wales management team to do the same thing if Faletau misses the Italy match.
"Taulupe is such a cog in that machine. You saw when he came on, only for the second-half against South Africa, the difference he makes," added Williams, who made 100 appearances for Wales.
"The timing of his passes, his footwork, his ball carrying ability, everything, the full package.
"He is a miss, but there is a lot of class there who can cover him and hopefully it will be for one game at the most too.
"The back row against Argentina where it was Moriarty at eight, Sam Warburton at six and Justin Tipuric at seven worked really, really well,"
"I suppose that is one silver lining. As long as those three get to the Six Nations fit there's a combination that has been tried before." | Taulupe Faletau would be a "big loss" if he misses the start of the 2017 Six Nations championship, says ex-Wales flanker Martyn Williams. | 38501363 |
Football success in Euro 2016 sees manager Chris Coleman receive an OBE, and former FAW president Trefor Lloyd Hughes handed an MBE.
Gold-winning Olympians and Paralympians have been honoured for their exploits in Rio.
Cyclists Owain Doull and Elinor Barker and sailor Hannah Mills have been given MBEs.
Wales' Paralympians have been recognised too with javelin-thrower Hollie Arnold, swimmer Aaron Moores and table-tennis player Rob Davies awarded MBEs after winning gold in Rio in the summer, along with Swansea-based boccia player David Smith.
Smith, from Hampshire, has two Olympic golds in boccia, a sport similar to bowls.
Another long-serving administrator to be appointed MBE is Bill Owen, who served as chairman and president of Welsh Cycling for more than 20 years.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns offered his congratulations to Coleman, who led Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
"A well-deserved OBE to Chris Coleman" he said.
"The achievement of the Welsh football team in the Euros 2016 was huge for Welsh football and the nation. Chris led by example and proved we were 'Together Stronger'. Congratulations."
Cardiff-born Hannah Mills, who took a sailing gold in the Rio Olympics in the summer, took to twitter to express her delight.
She said: "MBE!! Quite simply, FAB. Thanks everyone for the support this year. Let's see what 2017 can deliver. It's got a lot to do to keep up with 2016."
Paralympic javelin-thrower Hollie Arnold also took to social media too, tweeting: "What a way to end an incredible 2016!! I'm very honoured to become an MBE for services to Field Athletics!"
Table-tennis player Rob Davies, who also struck Paralympic gold in the summer, said he was delighted with his MBE.
"I feel absolutely ecstatic that I've been named in this year's honours list to receive an MBE," said the 32 year old from Brecon.
"My face just lit up when I read the letter, I was just so overwhelmed and happy.
I just couldn't believe it! I feel so privileged and proud and would just like to thank everybody who's been part of this amazing journey I've been on. I can't wait to make 2017 special!" | An outstanding year of Welsh sporting achievement has been marked in the New Year's Honours list. | 38477878 |
It comes in the wake of Burnley midfielder Joey Barton's ban from football for 18 months after admitting a betting charge.
The Scottish Football Supporters Association says the sport may need to "adjust its moral compass".
The Scottish football leagues, Scottish Cup and League Cup and some clubs are all sponsored by gambling companies.
Former Manchester City, Rangers and QPR midfielder Barton was fined £30,000 and warned about his future conduct after being charged with breaking English FA rules for placing bets on matches between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016.
He admitted placing "over 15,000 bets across a whole range of sports" - of which 1,260 were on football - staking an average of £150 per bet.
Between 2004 and 2011, Barton said he placed several bets on his own team to lose but added he was not involved in the match-day squad in any of those instances.
Paul Goodwin, co-founder of the SFSA, has urged greater checks and balances regarding Scottish football's relationship with gambling.
"There's nothing wrong with a flutter and lots of football fans obviously do," he told BBC Radio Scotland. "But I think, somewhere in between, there needs some kind of checks and balances and controls.
"We don't want Scottish football sleep-walking into another controversial area.
"So we need to know what kind of rules and regulations are there and what sort of help and support are there for players.
"There are lots of players who are ignoring the rules, but I think it's only one part of this bigger argument.
"If you really tried hard with all the various betting companies that support Scottish football, you could have £200 worth of free bets.
"That's a fairly big encouragement for people who maybe don't bet or don't have accounts to open up accounts - potentially, it's a slippery slope.
"It's a dangerous precedent that we have is that we're loaded with these sponsorships and we need to have a platform in place that allows Scottish football to move forward and to make sure that all the difficulty that comes with those relationships are in balance."
The SPFL and Scottish FA have yet to comment. | Scottish football's relationship with the gambling industry should be reviewed, according to a fans' group. | 39731220 |
The Irish bantamweight revealed the move on Monday night, the news coming on the same day that Paddy Barnes said he would be turning pro with MGM.
Top Rank is run by US promoter Bob Arum and has world champion Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas on its books.
Conlan is a world amateur champion and won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics.
He made clear his intention to leave the amateur ranks after suffering a controversial defeat by Russian Vladimir Nikitin in the Olympic quarter-finals in Rio last month.
Conlan looked to have won the bout but lost out on a unanimous points decision.
"This is the best deal I could ever have asked for. It's massive and I'm very proud to be handed the biggest contract ever for an Irish boxer turning professional," Conlan told BBC Radio Ulster.
"It's very likely that my professional debut will be at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick's Day next year and that would be a dream come true.
"I'm giving myself three years maximum to be a world champion but my promoters have the best matchmakers in the business and I will let them run the show." | Belfast boxer Michael Conlan has entered the professional ranks after announcing that he has joined American based promoter Top Rank Boxing. | 37414273 |
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