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20 August 2017 Last updated at 13:53 BST
The Salisbury Scouts have travelled to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where they'll be able to witness the amazing event.
Millions of Americans are getting excited about the eclipse, with long queues to buy solar glasses and heavy traffic across states where the eclipse will be visible.
14 states will see a total eclipse, where the Sun is completely blocked by the moon. | A scouting group from the UK has arrived in America to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday and we've been following their adventures. | 40992723 |
The Church of Scotland and the Scottish Humanist Society have told MSPs the title "religious observance" in non-denominational schools is outdated.
They said changing the legal definition to "time for reflection" could ease the concerns of parents who withdraw their children from such events.
They claimed this would give more pupils the chance to explore faiths.
The groups have made their call in a submission to MSPs on Holyrood's petitions committee.
The law requires religious observance, such as assemblies, in schools.
However, since a change in government guidelines in 2005, assemblies should be aimed at children of all faiths and none.
The Church of Scotland and the Scottish Humanist Society argued that this now often means assemblies would be more accurately called a "time for reflection".
Their joint submission to the petitions committee states: "The change to a more equal and inclusive 'time for reflection' would echo the current practice of the Scottish Parliament, and bring legislation into line with modern views.
"It will also remove the current focus on 'religion', with which many non-religious people struggle."
The Free Church of Scotland said the proposal was a "disaster" for both Christians and children.
The Scottish government believes the current legislation and guidance is appropriate. | Calls are being made for a "symbolic change" to the description of religious assemblies in some schools. | 25921394 |
Slash, with whom Weiland performed in rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, wrote on Twitter that it was "a sad day".
"RIP Scott Weiland," said Dave Kushner, another Velvet Revolver member.
Tom Vitorino, Weiland's manager, confirmed the singer's death at the age of 48 on Thursday night, saying he had "passed away in his sleep".
A statement on Instagram said Weiland had died "while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts".
TMZ reported the singer's body was discovered on his tour bus outside a motel, near the venue where the band was due to play.
Actress Juliette Lewis was one of the first to pay tribute to the singer following news of his death: "Sad to hear about Scott Weiland passing. He was a once of a kind epic force onstage. Thoughts are w[ith] his family," she tweeted.
Rock band Wheatus, best known for the hit single Teenage Dirtbag, tweeted: "We opened for @STPBand in 2000. I watched them side stage and Scott Weiland destroyed me, he was the real thing. Seeing him changed me forever."
Grammy organisers the Recording Academy of America hailed Weiland as "a grunge icon" adding his "extraordinary talent and captivating performances will forever live on and inspire legions of rock fans worldwide".
Former Radio 1, now Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe tweeted he was "very sad", adding: "So many moments spent listening to him sing in my headphones."
Aerosmith's Joe Perry also praised Weiland as "such a gifted performer", while Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic said he was "really sorry to hear" the news.
Additional tributes came from Travis Barker of Blink-182, who said it was "very sad news", and Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, who expressed the hope that "it wasn't drugs" that caused his demise.
Stone Temple Pilots had a messy origin - Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo met at a Black Flag concert, and realised they were both dating the same woman.
They put their differences aside to form a band - initially called Mighty Joe Young - and became so close they wrote their debut hit, Plush, while sharing a hot tub.
Powered by Weiland's distinctive lower register snarl, Stone Temple Pilots went on to sell 13.5 million albums in the US - but their stadium-ready anthems became a target for grunge purists, who accused them of being sell-outs.
Success set Weiland on a dangerous path. The musician, who struggled with bipolar disorder, turned to heroin, and addiction made it impossible for the band to continue.
Set adrift, he recorded a well-received solo album, 12 Bar Blues, and joined the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver - later admitting he did it for the money. "I can't call it the music of my soul," he told Spin magazine.
In later years, he rejoined Stone Temple Pilots, and claimed to have kicked his bad habits.
"I haven't had a needle in my arm in thirteen years," he told Blabbermouth earlier this year.
"Overcoming my addiction to heroin was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm damn proud of the fact that the time in my life when drugs were stronger than my commitment to my health is so far behind me, and always will be."
Born in California, Weiland formed the band Stone Temple Pilots with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo in the late 1980s and went on to enjoy early critical and commercial success.
But the success of tracks such as Big Empty, Vasoline and Interstate Love Song, which propelled the 1994 album Purple to the top of the US charts, was marred by in-fighting among band members.
The band took a number of breaks, with Weiland eventually leaving and co-forming the supergroup Velvet Revolver - with former Guns N' Roses members Slash (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) - in 2002.
However, the singer's drug addiction issues were becoming increasingly problematic.
In 1995, the singer was convicted of buying crack cocaine and sentenced to probation.
He was jailed in 1999 for violating his probation after being convicted of heroin possession in 1998, and four years later, in 2003, sentenced to three years' probation for drug possession.
In 2008, he was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading no contest to a drink driving charge.
Velvet Revolver frequently had alter its schedules to accommodate Weiland's court appearances and spells in rehab and the band's 2007 release, Libertad, was the last to feature Weiland on vocals.
They parted ways with Weiland the following year, blaming the singer's "erratic behaviour".
He later returned to the reformed Stone Temple Pilots - but in 2013 they, too, ejected him from the band, claiming he had been "misappropriating" their name to further his solo career.
Reports of Weiland's death began to circulate after musician Dave Navarro reportedly tweeted: "Just learned our friend Scott Weiland has died. So gutted, I am thinking of his family tonight." That tweet later appeared to have been removed.
No immediate cause of death was given in the official statement. The statement asked for "the privacy of Scott's family be respected".
Weiland's current band, Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, were scheduled to play at a Medina, Minnesota, concert venue, on Thursday. The event was cancelled. | Tributes have been paid to US singer Scott Weiland, former frontman with Stone Temple Pilots, following his death while on tour in Minnesota. | 35003719 |
The Manchester United striker, 35, has played for eight different clubs in six countries, including spells at AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barca and Paris St-Germain.
The Swede, who was a free signing from PSG this summer, told Inside United that there was room for improvement in his performances on the pitch, but added he and his family were happy in Manchester.
"I heard a lot of things that the city [Manchester] is this, the city is that, the weather is like this and the weather is like that but, so far, everything has been good," said Ibrahimovic.
"The city is the best city so far. I come from Sweden, I don't have big expectations when it comes to outside football.
"I'm pretty simple, I'm a family guy. For example, when I was living in Paris, in four years I didn't go to see the Eiffel Tower once - I wanted them to change the Eiffel for my statue but they didn't do it! Maybe if they do it now, I will go to visit!"
Ibrahimovic scored his 400th club career goal at the weekend in United's 3-1 victory over Premier League strugglers Swansea. His double ended a six-game goalscoring drought.
The former Sweden captain said he and his team, who are sixth in the league, would improve under manager Jose Mourinho.
"I think I could have scored a couple more goals than I have done," added Ibrahimovic.
"I missed pretty good chances which I didn't see myself doing. But it's a different game here. Here, it's different compared to the ones before.
"When you play a game here, there is no team controlling it, it's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. That's the way the game is, you have to get used to it. With my performance, I am happy. I know I can do more and I know the team can do more."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | He has played for clubs in Paris, Milan and Barcelona, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said Manchester is the best city he has lived in during his playing career. | 37909844 |
An early Romane Menager try was followed by two more Caroline Ladagnous touchdowns as the French ran Ireland ragged to lead 21-0 at the interval.
Ireland produced intense second-half pressure but could only manage an injury-time Cliodhna Moloney try.
France will face England in the semi-finals in Belfast on Tuesday with Ireland now battling for fifth spot.
The French went into the game as strong favourites having demolished Japan and Australia in their opening two pool games in contrast to Ireland's narrow wins over the same opposition.
The formbook proved totally accurate as Ireland, semi-finalists three years ago, had no answer to France's ball-in-hand running game.
The somewhat one-dimensional home side's only attacking weapon was totally blunted by France's decision not to contest several mauls.
Ireland produced intense second-half pressure immediately but poor handling and outstanding French defence meant the home side could not register a score until replacement Moloney's late try.
The French won despite the sin-binning of lock Lenaig Corson but the victory may have come at a major cost as influential flanker Menager - arguably the player of the tournament so far - was forced off with an apparent injury early in the second half.
With Brian O'Driscoll among the watching crowd, the match started amid a tremendous atmosphere at the UCD Bowl but France quickly went about spoiling the Irish party.
Intense early French pressure eventually yielded Menager's seventh-minute try as she contorted herself to get the touchdown after Caroline Drouin's run had put the Irish defence on the back foot.
Monserrat Amedee, after her earlier penalty miss, slotted the conversion and things quickly went from bad to worse for the hosts as centre Ladagnous broke through some weak tackling to score in the 13th minute after a scrum infringement had put the Irish under severe pressure.
France's lead was pushed on to 21-0 before the half-hour mark as Ladagnous notched an outstanding team try after Elodie Poublan's sublime offload to winger Chloe Pelle had unhinged the Irish defence.
Ireland responded with an 18-phase period of pressure but to no avail as Eimear Considine knocked on.
The Irish also appeared flummoxed by France's decision not to contest mauls as the visitors comfortably maintained their 21-point lead to the interval.
Corson's sin-binning as Ireland produced intense pressure after the restart seemed to offer the hosts a potential route back into the contest but a spilled ball from scrum-half Nicole Cronin saw the French escape.
With France number eight Safe N'Diaye continuing to excel, including a couple of turnovers, the Irish couldn't breach the opposition line as Ciara Griffin was held up in the 64th minute by more dogged defence.
The Irish remained camped deep in French territory in the closing minutes and their effort was finally rewarded by Moloney's score in the final play.
But the try was scant consolation as France comprehensively avenged their Six Nations defeat by the Irish earlier this year.
Ireland captain Claire Molloy speaking on ITV:
"Credit to France, they ran around us in the first-half and we let them in too easily. We had too much of a mountain to climb and the French defence held strong.
"It's disappointing but we will have to build from that. We are delighted we got the try at the end."
France: Amédée; Pelle, Ladagnous, Poublan, Izar; Drouin, Rivolaen; Deshayes, Mignot (capt), Duval; Forlani, Corson; Ménager, Mayans, N'Diaye.
Replacements: Thomas, Arricastre, Carricaburu, Ferer, Annery, Le Pesq, Neisen, Grassineau.
Ireland: Tyrrell; Considine, Murphy, Naoupu, Miller; Stapleton, Cronin; Peat, Lyons, Egan; Spence, O'Reilly; Griffin, Molloy (capt), Fitzpatrick.
Replacements: Moloney, O'Reilly, O'Connor, Baxter, O'Brien, Muldoon, Fitzhenry, Galvin. | Hosts Ireland's World Cup dreams were ended as three first-half tries set up France's emphatic victory in Dublin. | 40952046 |
UKIP's assembly group leader accused Plaid of not being a real opposition party but "Labour's lapdog".
In the 2016 assembly elections, Labour won 29 seats, Plaid 12, the Conservatives 11, UKIP seven and the Liberal Democrats one.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood dismissed the statement from Mr Hamilton as a "dead cat deflection".
Mr Hamilton called for Plaid to appoint a leader willing to work with UKIP.
The AM for Mid and West Wales said he was responding to suggestions by Plaid's Rhun ap Iorwerth that it would go into coalition with Labour in the future if circumstances allowed.
Mr ap Iorwerth said on Tuesday he would consider standing as Plaid leader, if Leanne Wood were to step down.
Mr Hamilton blasted Mr ap Iorwerth and Ms Wood, saying: "Plaid will never progress under these faint hearts.
"They need a red-blooded leader like Adam Price or Neil McEvoy, both of whom are very effective AMs, hungry to break the cosy Cardiff Bay consensus."
Mr Hamilton added that "as a real nationalist party", UKIP would be "pleased to work with Plaid Cymru to take Wales forward".
He said Mr McEvoy recognised Labour had "failed Wales' working class".
"Real opposition means more than timid tub-thumping," he added.
"Opposition parties should come together to smash the tired and corrupt consensus which has turned Wales into the poorest part of the UK."
In response, Ms Wood tweeted: "Plaid Cymru is the home for all who are fed up with Labour misrule and want change".
She described Mr Hamilton's comments as a "dead cat deflection" from his own party's ongoing leadership issues.
Eleven candidates are contesting UKIP's third leadership contest in a year, with the party's MEP for Wales Nathan Gill among those distancing themselves from anti-Islam candidate Anne Marie Waters. | Plaid Cymru should "come together" with UKIP to "take Wales forward", according to Neil Hamilton. | 40918885 |
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will examine asset managers, and individuals who provide advice.
The inquiry will focus on how investors choose a manager, and whether there is sufficient competition between them.
The level of charges - and how well those charges reflect performance - will also be scrutinised.
Consumer groups have complained that there can be a wide variation in fees, and they are not always transparent.
"Our market study aims to ensure that both retail and institutional investors can get value for money when purchasing these services," said Christopher Woolard, the FCA's director of strategy and competition.
The announcement was welcomed by the investment industry.
"We agree it is essential the whole investment chain functions effectively for its clients," said Guy Sears, interim chief executive of the Investment Association.
"We welcome the FCA's decision, alongside its core focus on investment managers, to also consider the role of distributors and investment consultants."
The FCA will publish its initial findings in the summer of 2016, and a final report early in 2017. | The UK's financial regulator is to investigate whether consumers are getting value for money from companies who invest their savings and pensions. | 34855048 |
His investment in terror imbued the collective Spanish psyche with a determination never again to undergo such civil conflict or to suffer another dictatorship.
That remains the case to this day, exactly 40 years after his death.
However, unlike Hitler's Germany or Mussolini's Italy, where external defeat led to denazification processes, there was no equivalent in Spain - and the shadow of his regime still bedevils politics.
Franco's vengeful triumphalism had been fostered in the military academies, where officer cadets were trained to regard democracy as signifying disorder and regional separatism.
As the dictatorship was rapidly dismantled, some of its senior military defenders did not share the massive political consensus in favour of democratisation and so endeavoured to turn back the clock at several moments in the late 1970s and, most dramatically, in the attempted coup of Colonel Antonio Tejero on 23 February 1981.
After the defeat of the coup in 1981, the attitudes of the armed forces were changed by Spain's entry into Nato in 1982, which shifted their focus outwards from their previous obsession with the internal enemy.
Scarred by the horrors of the civil war and the post-war repression, during the transition to democracy Spaniards rejected both political violence and Franco's idea that, by right of conquest, one half of the country could rule over the other.
However, what was impossible in a democracy was a counter-brainwashing.
Moreover, especially in his later years, Franco did not rule by repression alone: he enjoyed a considerable popular support. There were those who, for reasons of wealth, religious belief or ideological commitment, actively sympathised with his military rebels during the civil war.
Then, from the late 1950s onwards, there was the support of those who were simply grateful for rising living standards.
Although in the many national, regional and municipal elections that have been held in Spain since 1977, openly Francoist parties have never gained more than 2% of the vote, a residual acceptance of the values of the Franco dictatorship can be found in the ruling conservative Popular Party and its electorate.
Accordingly, no government has ever declared the Franco regime to be illegitimate. It was not until 2007 that the Law of Historical Memory made tentative efforts to recognise the sufferings of the victims of Francoism.
Equally slow has been the process of removing the symbols of the dictatorship, the Falangist equivalent of the swastika - its emblem of the yoke and arrows - on church walls, street names commemorating Franco's generals and, above all, the huge basilica and towering cross of the Valley of the Fallen where the dictator is buried.
Call for removal of Franco's remains from Valley of Fallen
UN presses Spain over Franco-era crimes and mass graves
Fate of Franco's Valley of Fallen reopens Spain wounds
Today, along with the still open wounds of the civil war and the repression, two other shadows of the dictatorship hang over Spain - corruption and regional division. The Caudillo's rigid centralism and its brutal application to the Basque Country and Catalonia had left more powerful nationalist movements there than had ever existed before 1936.
The democratic constitution of 1978 enshrined rights of regional autonomy for Catalonia and the Basque Country with which the right has never been comfortable.
Mass pressure in Catalonia for increased autonomy met with an intransigence that has fuelled a campaign for independence.
Drawing on a residual Francoist centralism, the Popular Party has fomented hostility to Catalonia in particular for electoral gain. The consequent divisiveness, at times bordering on mutual hatred, is one of the most damaging legacies of Francoism.
The other is the corruption that permeates all levels of Spanish politics. Needless to say, there was corruption before Franco and corruption is not confined to Spain. Nevertheless, it is true that the Caudillo used corruption both to reward and control his collaborators.
Recent research has uncovered proof of how he used his power to enrich himself and his family. In general, the idea that public service exists for private benefit is one of the principal legacies of his regime.
It will thus be many years before Spain is free of Franco's legacy.
Paul Preston is Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies at the London School of Economics and leading writer on Franco. Among his books are Franco: A Biography and The Spanish Holocaust | Spain's Gen Francisco Franco fought a brutal war against democracy with the aid of Hitler and Mussolini and thereafter presided over a regime of state terror and national brainwashing through the controlled media and the state education system. | 34844939 |
Blatter, 79, who is serving a 90-day suspension from football, spent six days in hospital earlier this month with a stress-related illness.
"I was between the angels who were singing and the devil who was lighting the fire, but it was the angels who sang," said Blatter.
"I was close to dying. At some stage the body says 'no, enough is enough'."
Blatter, who has been in charge of football's world governing body for nearly 18 years, was provisionally suspended after being accused of signing a contract "unfavourable" to Fifa and making a "disloyal payment" to Uefa president Michel Platini.
Fifa's ethics committee is investigating after Platini received a £1.35m payment, which was made nine years after the 60-year-old carried out consultation work for Blatter.
Both Blatter and Platini have denied any wrongdoing and in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS, which will be broadcast on Wednesday, Blatter called Platini "an honest man".
"There is an agreement, even in the Fifa regulations that a contract can be made either in writing or orally. It is an oral contract, a contract of work," added the Swiss.
Despite also serving a 90-day Fifa suspension, Platini is still in the running to succeed Blatter as Fifa president when the election is held in February.
On the question of whether or not the Uefa president would make a good Fifa president, Blatter said: "Yes. If he comes back, he will be elected." | Suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said he feared he was dying during a recent health scare. | 34898229 |
The rapist, who cannot be named as he was a minor at the time of the crime, was sentenced to a maximum three years in a reform facility in August 2013.
He was released from detention recently and is currently housed with a charity because of fears over his safety.
Under the current law, his detention cannot be extended, the court said.
Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, died after being brutally raped by six men on a moving bus in 2012, causing global outrage.
Four adult convicts in the case are appealing against death sentences. A fifth died in prison.
The release of the youngest convict has been opposed by many people, including the parents of Ms Singh.
In a last-ditch attempt to prevent his release, the Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal filed a petition in the Supreme Court late on Saturday night.
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On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, saying it "shared" the concern of most citizens but its hands were "tied" by the law.
"We share your concern but our hands are tied by the existing law. There has to be clear legislative sanction to extend the detention period beyond three years. Under the present law, detention cannot be extended beyond three years," the top court said.
The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi says the Supreme Court order was a foregone conclusion - the convict had already served the maximum three year sentence under India's current laws dealing with juvenile crime and he cannot be kept in detention any longer.
Last week, a legal challenge by politician Subramanian Swamy to stop the release had also failed.
The Delhi high court ruled on the case on Friday, saying: "We agree it is a serious issue. But after 20 December, the juvenile cannot be kept at a special home per law."
Although the convict is now an adult, he has been handed over to a charity, where he will remain for at least two years.
16 December 2012: A 23-year-old physiotherapy student is gang-raped by six men on a bus in Delhi, her male friend is beaten up and the pair are thrown out after the brutal assault
17 December: Key accused Ram Singh, the bus driver, is arrested. Over the next few days, his brother Mukesh Singh, gym instructor Vinay Sharma, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, a helper on the bus Akshay Thakur, and the 17-year-old juvenile, who cannot be named, are arrested.
29 December: The victim dies in hospital in Singapore from injuries sustained during the assault; body flown back to Delhi
30 December: Victim is cremated in Delhi under tight police security
11 March 2013: Ram Singh dies in Tihar jail; police say he hanged himself, but defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered
31 August: The juvenile is found guilty and sentenced to three years in a reform facility
13 September: The four adult defendants are convicted and given the death penalty by the trial court
March - June: The convicts' appeal in the Supreme Court and the death sentences are put on hold
December 2015: Youngest convict released from correctional centre after serving maximum sentence allowed | India's Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the release of the youngest convict in the notorious 2012 Delhi gang rape case. | 35149409 |
Media playback is unsupported on your device
8 December 2014 Last updated at 22:33 GMT
The Commons Environmental Audit Committee is calling for drastic measures to be introduced to reduce the harmful effects in a new report.
BBC London's Tom Edwards spoke to Debbie Bourne of St Paul's Primary School, chairman of Environmental Audit Committee, Joan Walley MP, Simon Birkett of Clean Air for London and Matthew Pencharz, the Mayor of London's environment adviser. | A group of MPs has described air pollution as "a public health crisis" - 62 years after London was struck by the great smog. | 30386281 |
A report found South Yorkshire Police changed witness statements after the Hillsborough stadium tragedy in 1989.
Michael Mansfield QC said "similar misdemeanours" occurred in 1984 after police and miners clashed at Orgreave.
Current Chief Constable David Crompton admitted there was "far less scrutiny" in the 1980s.
But he added his force today was "not corrupt".
The independent report on Hillsborough revealed evidence had been changed by South Yorkshire Police and that "strenuous attempts" had been made to deflect blame on to Liverpool fans.
Mr Mansfield, who represented many miners caught up in the 1984-5 strike, said the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy echoed that of Orgreave.
All 90 miners arrested following the Orgreave clashes were later acquitted amid doubts over South Yorkshire Police's evidence against them.
"It's the old familiar story. People in Yorkshire will remember what happened to the miners five years before at Orgreave," he said.
"I was involved in that case and there were similar misdemeanours going on in that case."
Mr Mansfield said South Yorkshire Police exhibited "a pattern of events which should not be countenanced".
Present day South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton, a junior police officer in another force at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy, said there were "far fewer checks and balances and far less scrutiny of what the police were doing" in the 1980s.
At that time there was "a whiff of [TV police series] Life on Mars" about the police and "people felt it was something they could get away with", said Mr Crompton.
Michael Mansfield's remarks follow comments by ex-Home Secretary Jack Straw who said Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s created a "culture of impunity" in the police which led to the Hillsborough cover-up.
"They really were immune from outside influences and they thought they could rule the roost and that is what we absolutely saw in South Yorkshire," said Mr Straw.
But Lord Tebbit, one of Baroness Thatcher's closest political allies, said Mr Straw's remarks were "just very, very silly". | Police cover-ups in South Yorkshire went at least as far back as the 1984-5 miners' strike, the lawyer advising the Hillsborough families has said. | 19587118 |
Shoppers called Hertfordshire Police at 12:40 GMT on Monday, after spotting the children, aged seven, three and one, in the car at a retail park in Watford.
Temperatures in the town reached 30C (86F) on Monday.
Officers were called to Waterfields Retail Park where they found and spoke to the mother.
A spokesman for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said: "When left alone in a vehicle, young children can very quickly start to get anxious and distressed.
"There are clear added dangers when temperatures are extremely hot, as has been the case this week."
He added the charity advised parents and carers to never leave babies or very young children alone, whether in a vehicle or at home. | "Strong words of advice" were given to a mother who left her three children in a car on one of the hottest days of the year, police have said. | 36850660 |
Bogus ads for shoes briefly appeared among the selection of banners displayed on DailyMail.com.
Instead of online shops, the advertisements linked to malware that can expose computers to "ransomware".
Ransomware encrypts files on a victim's computer and asks for a payment to decrypt them again.
The practice is known as "malvertising".
Security company Malwarebytes made the discovery last week and published a report about its findings online.
The report says Malwarebytes contacted the Daily Mail and relevant advertising networks about the issue on Friday.
By Monday morning, the security company was informed that the fake ads had been removed.
The banners, purporting to be for an online shoe retailer, were published via a bogus ad server.
From there, they were distributed via an advertising network that presents ads to readers on the Daily Mail's website.
If a user clicked on one of the ads, they would be redirected to a well known piece of malware called the Angler Exploit Kit, which attacks vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and Flash.
There are various ways to protect yourself from ransomware, according to Tony Berning, senior manager at software company Opswat.
"To protect against ransomware, users must back up their data regularly," he said.
"In addition to this, an important defence against ransomware is the use of anti-virus engines to scan for threats.
"With over 450,000 new threats emerging daily, anti-malware engines need to detect new threats continuously, and will inevitably address different threats at different times," Mr Berning said.
The Daily Mail did not immediately provide a comment. | Readers of the Daily Mail's website were shown fake advertisements that linked to malware, a security company has discovered. | 34541915 |
Upper tier tribunal judge Lord Doherty dismissed the appeal against a first-tier tax tribunal decision but referred several issues back to the panel.
The tax authority had argued that payments made to players and other employees should be taxable.
The Murray Group, which formerly owned Rangers, argued they were loans.
The first-tier tribunal (FTT) had issued a 2-1 majority verdict in November 2012 which favoured, in principle, the Murray Group and ordered that HMRC's £46.2m demands, about three-quarters of which referred to the liquidated club, be "reduced substantially".
The upper-tier appeal has largely upheld that verdict but some payments will be re-examined by the original tribunal, including termination and "guaranteed bonus" payments.
However, the Murray Group appeared to secure an additional victory relating to payments made to several people including former Ibrox chairman Sir David Murray, which it argued were not special cases.
The judgement, which has no impact on the current Rangers owners, reads: "The appeal is dismissed except in so far as it relates to the termination payments.
"I shall remit the case to the FTT with a direction to allow the taxpayers' appeals against the assessments relating to the payments to the sub-trusts of Sir David Murray, his sons, Mr McClelland and Mr MacMillan; to proceed as accords in relation to the termination payments, the payments in respect of guaranteed bonuses, and any related questions of grossing up.
"Standing my findings and my disposal, the remit should be to the FTT as originally constituted."
It is unclear how many termination payments were made but the FTT's decision referred to five "guaranteed bonus" payments.
In a statement, a spokesman for Murray International Holdings (MIH) expressed satisfaction with the ruling but said there were no winners.
He said: "We are pleased with the judgement which again leaves negligible tax liability and overwhelmingly supports the views collectively and consistently held by our advisers, legal counsel and MIH itself.
"We will therefore review the detailed content of the decision with our legal counsel and advisers to ascertain what action, if any, is now required by MIH.
"The decision substantially reduces HMRC's claim in the liquidation of the old Rangers Football Club.
"While we have been successful in both the FTT and UTT, there are, as we have stated previously, no victors.
"This has been an exceptionally long, difficult and expensive process involving not just the FTT and UTT but also several approaches to resolve the with senior HMRC officials on a commercially sensible basis for all parties which were rejected."
The spokesman said MIH had, at all times, recognised that the tax tribunal proceedings stemmed from arrangements put in place during its ownership.
They were introduced before legislative changes removed the tax efficiency of such arrangements from the end of 2010, he added.
But he said: "However, it is obvious that the much publicised existence of these proceedings overshadowed Rangers Football Club for many years and tarnished the external perception of its value.
"There can be little doubt that despite favourable legal opinion, potential acquirers were therefore dissuaded from pursuing their interest during a period in which we were marketing the sale of MIH's shareholding.
"The case has also stimulated extensive press and social media comment, discussion and speculation, a significant quantity of which has been ill informed."
The spokesman said it would have been "entirely inappropriate" for MIH to have highlighted "fundamental misunderstandings or contribute to this public debate" during the legal proceedings.
He added: "Notwithstanding all of this, it is abundantly clear that Rangers Football Club would not have gone into administration or liquidation had the purchaser fulfilled its contractual obligations and responsibilities.
"Similar to the resolution of the UTT appeal, we hope that the relevant authorities conclude their investigations and commence proceedings at the earliest opportunity."
A spokesman for HMRC said: "We are naturally disappointed with today's decision and are considering an appeal."
HMRC has one month to decide whether or not to seek permission to lodge an appeal with the Inner House of the Court of Session.
Rangers began using the EBT scheme while under the control of Sir David Murray.
He sold the club for £1 to Scottish businessman Craig Whyte in 2011, while the tax liability was in dispute.
Rangers were subsequently forced into administration by HMRC in February 2012, over non-payment of tax totalling about £14m, while under Mr Whyte's control.
HMRC subsequently rejected proposals for a creditors agreement that would have prevented Rangers from going into liquidation.
Rangers released a statement in response to the decision on their website.
It said: "Rangers Football Club Limited (the "Club") notes the findings of Lord Doherty in the HMRC case against Rangers Football Club plc (Oldco) and shares the views of many fans that so much of what later ensued at our club following the start of that investigation was avoidable.
"We are pleased to see the end of this sorry chapter in the history of Rangers FC, yet our greatest sympathy is with those who felt the pain of the last four years the most - our supporters.
"In spite of almost unrelenting attacks and setbacks they have never flinched from supporting their football club with all their energy and resolve.
"It is a matter for the authorities to explain their actions during this entire period that has seen the good name of Rangers severely damaged.
"Our focus is on rebuilding the football club and getting Rangers back to where we belong. That, in itself, will help right some of the wrongs our club and supporters have suffered over the last four years." | HM Revenue and Customs has lost its appeal over Rangers' use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) - the so-called "Big Tax Case". | 28231598 |
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has compared the advantages in incomes of UK graduates from the mid-1980s with those from the mid-1990s.
Despite student numbers more than doubling in that time, the wage premium for graduates remained unchanged.
Researchers also found that the number of graduate jobs had expanded.
But they warn that the rising numbers of graduates could diminish their higher level of earnings in the future.
The research also found that the biggest factor reducing the real value of earnings for all types of employees - graduates and non-graduates - had been the lack of wage increases since the recession.
On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of teenagers will find out whether they have got the A-level grades they need for university places.
The IFS, a leading financial think-tank, has examined whether increasing numbers of university students have caused a decrease in the value of a degree.
The study compared two cohorts of graduates, born about a decade apart, and found that graduate earnings showed no sign of being diminished by the growth in student numbers.
"The fact that the dramatic increase in the number of graduates in the early 1990s did not have any discernible negative impact on graduates' wages relative to school-leavers is remarkable," said researcher Wenchao Jin.
The study examined the typical earnings of graduates born between 1965 and 1969, who were students in the 1980s when only 14% of that age group went into higher education.
Their earnings were compared with graduates born a decade later, who would have been students in the 1990s, and of whom 31% went to university.
Researchers found that despite the big increase in those obtaining a degree, the relative average earnings difference between graduates and those who left school after GCSEs did not shrink.
This durability of graduate earnings reflected changes in the economy.
For instance, more graduate-level jobs were created, as lower-skilled jobs disappeared.
The study suggests that the way firms were organised changed as an increasing proportion of their employees were better qualified, with less "hierarchical" and centralised management structures.
But the study warned that this "process cannot go on forever and there are now signs that it might be reaching a natural end".
"Further increases in the number of graduates could start to erode the graduate wage premium in the future.
"This does not, however, imply that getting a degree will not be worth it any more. It's just that the gain might be smaller in the future than it is now," the report's authors added.
However, the study did show a more immediate negative impact on earnings for all employees in the wake of the recession.
This wage stagnation affected both those with and without degrees and the IFS says that in real terms, hourly earnings for recent graduates fell by nearly 20% between 2008 and 2013.
According to the analysis, this means that the value of typical earnings in 2015 had fallen back to the levels of the mid-1990s, when the second cohort in the study were graduating. | The ability of a university degree to pave the way for higher earnings has not been eroded by the increase in student numbers, say researchers. | 37106997 |
The saddles were initially piloted in 2012, to help transport women in labour in mountainous regions of Afghanistan.
SaddleAid, based on Anglesey, has been working with their donkey 'Queenie' to help adapt and improve the design.
"They can be used for a range of different activities," said Peter Muckle, from SaddleAid.
These include "carrying women who are in labour to the nearest medical facility to using the saddle to enable people with mobility issues to experience horse, pony or donkey riding," he said.
The fully inflated saddle weighs about 8kg (18lb) and provides a frame which can be sat in, with a quick release mechanism that makes it easy to get off the donkey.
SaddleAid aim to train local people to make the saddles, using low-cost and easily available materials.
Hub Cymru Africa, funded by the Welsh government, is supporting the project, which will begin trialling the saddles in parts of northern Ethiopia.
"The time to get to the facilities can often put both the mother and baby at risk, so a device like this can make a real difference when access to roads and vehicles is often not possible, but where many families have access to a horse, pony or donkey," said Cat Jones, Head of Partnership at Hub Cymru Africa. | An inflatable saddle for donkeys developed in Wales is helping mothers-to-be in some of the remotest parts of the world. | 35151804 |
Costa, 28, has reportedly been the subject of an offer to move to China.
Shearer said: "It depends how bad an apple he becomes. If it affects the dressing room, you have to get rid."
The former England captain added that Dimitri Payet was in the wrong if he is refusing to play for West Ham.
The Hammers recently turned down a £19.1m bid for attacking midfielder Payet from his former side Marseille, and his current boss Slaven Bilic revealed this week that the France international wants to leave the club.
"I have not got a problem with players wanting to leave football clubs," added former Newcastle and Blackburn striker Shearer. "You are allowed to do that, but there is a way and means to do it.
"Refusing to play is not correct."
Brazil-born Spain international Costa has been integral to the Premier League leaders this season, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists.
However, this week he became embroiled in a dispute with a coach over his fitness, which led to him being dropped for Saturday's 3-0 win at Leicester - although manager Antonio Conte said the player had a back injury.
His absence came amid reports of interest from the Chinese Super League in a deal that would be worth £30m a year.
Shearer said: "Chelsea will miss Diego Costa. He has scored goals, provided assists and been the best player this season. It will be a huge uphill struggle to win the league without him.
"He will dictate the situation. The players have the vast majority of the power. If the player does not want to be there, he will go."
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Ex-Blues goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer added: "He is a big character, he is always joking in training and if he throws his toys out of the pram, he will be a big disruption. Knowing what Antonio Conte wants, they will not want him around the team.
"On the pitch, he is as fighter, he wants to scrap for everything. Off the pitch, he is a real character among the players. He loves that position in the squad. Who knows? He may come back next week saying he had a back injury and it had all been blown out of proportion."
Telegraph football correspondent Jason Burt added that he does not think Costa will be sold in January.
"I'm not sure [Blues owner] Roman Abramovich will want to be pushed around by the Chinese market. He has spent a lot of money," said Burt.
"Sometimes an owner like this may put his foot down. He will not be pushed around. If Costa is going to go, it will be in the summer."
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Payet joined West Ham in June 2015 for £10.7m but has regularly been linked with a move away from London Stadium - despite being under contract until 2021.
He was on the bench in their 5-0 FA Cup third-round defeat by Manchester City, and was left out of the squad for Saturday's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.
"If it is quite clear Dimitri Payet is refusing to play for the club, you have to get as much as you can and sell him. The dressing room is far more important," said Shearer.
"For manager Slaven Bilic to come out and say what he did, that was the last straw. He had nowhere else to go. When he put Payet on the bench in the FA Cup and put him on at 4-0 down, he was saying 'I am the boss, don't mess me around'."
Schwarzer added: "Payet is a commodity, you have to get as much money for him.
"The players said they had a close-knit unit and they showed against Crystal Palace they are together and can win games without him. Then they can bring in players to improve the team."
Take part in our Premier League Predictor game, which allows you to create leagues with friends. | Chelsea will struggle to win the Premier League if striker Diego Costa leaves the club, but they should sell him if he is disruptive, says MOTD2 Extra pundit Alan Shearer. | 38629345 |
Emma Watson got another trophy for her collection, the British Style Award.
Model of the year went to Cara Delevingne, who was playing up for the cameras backstage with her sister Poppy and some of her model mates.
Victoria Beckham picked up the prize for Brand of the year for her fashion range.
Other celebrities who enjoyed the night out with the fashion crowd included Kylie Minogue, Rita Ora, Lana del Rey and even Jack Whitehall.
Kate Moss was at the awards as well, and enjoying a night off was Lewis Hamilton with girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Harry Styles, Ellie Goulding and Kendall Jenner helped boost the celebrity count at Monday night's British Fashion Awards in London. | 30292853 |
In a first half of few try-scoring chances, Gopperth and Newcastle's Andy Goode exchanged penalties in tough conditions to make it 3-3.
Nili Latu crossed from close range to put Falcons ahead after the break, while Wasps had tries from Christian Wade and James Cannon disallowed.
But two Gopperth penalties against his old side sealed the win for the hosts.
Relive Saturday's Premiership action.
Falcons were left to rue rue missed opportunities, with Goode, making his first start for Dean Richards' side against one of his former clubs, missing two penalties and a conversion attempt in the windy conditions at the Ricoh Arena.
Right at the death, Newcastle had also Goode in the pocket waiting for a drop-kick attempt, but Giovanbattista Venditti - who was sin-binned midway through the second half - knocked on as the ball came loose and Wasps saw the ball dead to earn victory.
The hosts had Wade returning to the back line after a three-month injury lay off, and midway through the second half he had the ball down in the corner, but was ruled offside from the kick forward by the TV match official.
Cannon - an early replacement for James Gaskell - also thought he had scored for Dai Young's side, but the referee adjudged that there was a forward pass in the build-up.
The defeat leaves Newcastle second from bottom in the table, four points above London Irish, with Wasps moving above Gloucester into fifth.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:
"It was a typical Wasps effort as we seem to have to win games three times over and then try and find four ways of throwing it away.
"We squandered a couple of opportunities and the conditions made it a very tight game but those conditions don't suit us as we want to play with tempo.
"We have to be smarter than that, especially in the last few minutes, and we were lucky to come out on the right side."
Newcastle assistant coach Dave Walder:
"We are hugely disappointed as we were controlling the nothingness and Wasps were getting frustrated in that second-half.
"We need to be more clinical but will learn from it.
"Getting a point out of the game was a positive as Wasps are one of the form teams of the Premiership."
Wasps: Miller; Wade, Macken, Downey, Bassett; Gopperth (capt), Robson; McIntyre, Shervington, Cooper-Woolley, Gaskell, Myall, Rieder, Young, Hughes.
Replacements: Johnson, Mullan, Swainston, Cannon, Smith, Stevenson, Jackson, S Piutau.
Newcastle: Hammersley; Tait, Powell, Socino, Venditti; Goode, Young; Vickers, Lawson, Vea, Wilson, Robinson, Welch (capt), Latu, Hogg.
Replacements: McGuigan, Rogers, Ryan, Botha, Mayhew, Takulua, Willis, Watson.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Jimmy Gopperth's late penalty gave Wasps their third straight Premiership victory as they edged out Newcastle. | 35474559 |
The incident happened at about 20:40 on Friday 16 December in Saughton Mains Park after the pair - aged 16 and 20 - left a house party.
They became involved in an argument with a passerby who then allegedly assaulted them both before running off.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested and is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.
The victims suffered serious neck injuries and were taken to the city's Royal Infirmary.
At the time, officers described the incident as an "unprovoked attack" and said one of the victims could have had "life-threatening" injuries. | A man has been arrested by police investigating an "unprovoked attack" on two young men in Edinburgh. | 38508796 |
But Arsenal full-back Emma Mitchell could miss this summer's Euro 2017 finals after undergoing surgery.
Celtic 22-year-old Kelly Clark has been named in the squad for the first time for the 11 April friendly with Belgium.
Fellow central defenders Barsley, 29, of Eskilstuna United, and Howard, 23, of Hoffenheim, await paperwork.
Head coach Anna Signeul had hoped to announce their call-up on Wednesday but expects international clearance to arrive in time for them to be added to the squad for the match at Stadion Den Dreef in Leuven.
"They are very excited, but it is also really frustrating," Signeul, who will be without central defenders Jennifer Beattie, Rachel Corsie and Joelle Murray through injury, told BBC Scotland.
"The reason they have not been selected before is that I think we have had four very good central defenders in Scotland - Ifeoma Dieke, Jennifer, Rachel and Joelle.
"But three of them are not available and this is a great chance for Vaila and Sophie - and also for Kelly Clark, who is doing really well at Celtic."
Born in England, Barsley qualifies through her mum, who is from Shetland, while Howard was born in Germany but has a Scottish grandfather.
Barsley was a youth with Norwich City and Arsenal and played at under-17 level for England.
She had spells with clubs in the United States, Iceland and Ireland before moving to Sweden's top flight in 2013, where she plays alongside Scotland striker Fiona Brown.
Howard, who also played in the United States before joining her present Bundesliga club in 2015, has turned out for Germany at under-20 level and was in the England Next Gen squad last year.
Injuries to Arsenal midfielder Kim Little, Glasgow City pair Hayley Lauder and Jo Love and Hibernian defender Rachel McLauchlan also contributed to Signeul only being able to name 19 players in her squad.
Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert will also miss out because she is playing for Scotland Under-19s in elite round matches against Republic of Ireland, Finland and Ukraine.
The coach will therefore invite potential additions to the squad to a pre-game training camp before they leave for Belgium, with the intention of bringing the travelling party up to 23.
Signeul said that all the injuries apart from Mitchell's were "precautionary" and therefore short-term, but she expressed concern about the Arsenal player's chances of making the Euro finals, being held in the Netherlands in July.
"They say three-to-four months, so it can be touch and go," she said of the 24-year-old.
"We are still hoping. That would be massive to lose her."
The spate of injuries will give Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Alexander and Hibernian midfielder Lucy Graham, who have both been in previous squads, hope of earning their Scotland debuts.
Belgium, who have won two and lost two in previous meetings with the Scots, have climbed to 23 in the world rankings - two behind April's opponents - and Signeul views them as one of the best up-and-coming sides.
"We have played them before and they are always very tough," she said. "They have always had individually skilful players, but now they are getting it together as a team as well."
Meanwhile, Signeul is hopeful of finding grass venues for forthcoming home friendlies against Romania and Ireland - the other being away to Sweden - as they prepare for the finals.
"Last year, we had to play our home qualifier against Iceland on Astroturf and I don't think that was to our advantage," she added.
Goalkeepers: Gemma Fay, Lee Alexander (both Glasgow City), Shannon Lynn (Vittsjo GIK)
Defenders: Frankie Brown (Bristol City), Kelly Clark (Celtic), Ifeoma Dieke (Vittsjo GIK), Nicola Docherty (Glasgow City), Kirsty Smith (Hibernian)
Midfielders: Leanne Crichton (Notts County), Claire Emslie (Bristol City), Lisa Evans (Bayern Munich), Lucy Graham (Hibernian), Christie Murray (Doncaster Rovers Belles), Leanne Ross (Glasgow City), Caroline Weir (Liverpool)
Forwards: Lizzie Arnot (Hibernian), Fiona Brown (Eskilstuna United), Lana Clelland (UPC Tavagnacco), Jane Ross (Manchester City) | Vaila Barsley and Sophie Howard, both previously involved with England, are poised to be drafted into a Scotland squad badly hit by injuries. | 39435012 |
Customers had raised concerns over the smell and taste of the water, which is manufactured in Macduff, Aberdeenshire.
The Food Standards Scotland (FSS) said it was aware of an incident involving bottled water and an investigation was under way.
The FSS advised people not to drink the brand in the meantime. The owners of Macb have not yet commented. | Scotland's food watchdog is advising people not to drink the Macb brand of water as a "precaution". | 40367625 |
Cédric Herrou was sentenced by an appeal court in Aix-en-Provence, near Marseille in the south of France.
He has housed dozens of migrants in caravans on his farm in the Roya valley, in south-east France.
In February he received a suspended 3,000 euro (£2,700) fine.
Prosecutors had sought an eight-month suspended jail term for Herrou, for helping migrants to slip past police after entering from Italy.
Outside the court, Herrou told reporters: "It's the role of a citizen in a democracy to act when the state is failing."
"I'd like the judiciary to recognise what's happening on the ground in the Roya valley, recognise these asylum seekers. What am I to do, really? Kick these people out?" he added.
He said he had "no regrets" and "I won't be stopped by threats - quite the opposite".
Herrou has become a symbol of ordinary Europeans who have taken action to aid migrants fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
He has housed teenagers from Eritrea and Sudan on his property, reports say.
Last month French President Emmanuel Macron described a plan to set up "hotspots" in Libya to process asylum seekers, because so many migrants were still "taking crazy risks" crossing the Mediterranean.
He said nearly a million migrants were currently in camps in Libya, hoping to reach Europe, but were not eligible for asylum.
Most of the migrants rescued from overcrowded boats and brought to Italy this year have been sub-Saharan Africans. Many have suffered violence, including rape, but they do not qualify for asylum if they are not victims of persecution.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR says nearly 118,000 have reached southern Europe by sea so far this year, more than 96,500 of whom came ashore in Italy.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | A French farmer who helped migrants to enter France illegally has been given a four-month suspended jail sentence, after prosecutors argued that an earlier suspended fine was too lenient. | 40860138 |
The international team compared entries in these medieval annals with ice core data indicating volcanic eruptions.
Of 38 volcanic events, 37 were associated with directly observed cold weather extremes recorded in the chronicles.
The report is published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
In the dim light of the Dark Ages, the Irish literary tradition stands out like a beacon.
At monastic centres across the island, scribes recorded significant events such as feast days, obituaries and descriptions of extreme cold and heat.
These chronicles are generally known as the Irish Annals and in this report, scientists and historians have looked at 40,000 entries in the texts dating from AD431 to 1649.
The researchers also looked at the Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP2) ice-core data.
When volcanoes erupt, they produce sulphate aerosol particles which down the centuries have been deposited on and frozen in ice sheets, leaving an extremely accurate temporal record of the event.
Scientists say these particles reflect incoming sunlight and can cause a temporary cooling of the Earth's surface. In a country with a mild maritime climate like Ireland, these colder events would have a significant impact.
The Hekla volcano in Iceland had a major eruption in AD1104. This clearly registers in significantly elevated sulphate levels in the Greenland ice at the time, and is reported in the Annals of Inisfallen as: "Heavy snow this year, and a great loss of cows, sheep and pigs in the same year." And then again in AD1107, it is reported that "Snow fell for a day and a night on the Wednesday before the feast of St Patrick, and inflicted slaughter on beasts in Ireland."
"When the weather that is cold enough to allow you to walk over a lake in Ireland, it is pretty unusual," lead author Dr Francis Ludlow, from Harvard University, told BBC News.
"When it happened, it was remarkable enough to be recorded pretty consistently."
The scientists in the team identified 48 volcanic eruptions in the time period spanning 1,219 years. Of these, 38 were associated closely in time with extreme weather events identified in the Irish texts.
"These eruptions occur and they override existing climate patterns for a period of two or three years," said Dr Ludlow.
"And it is clear from the sources that they cause a lot of devastation among societies at the time - whether it was the mass mortality of domestic animals or humans, or indirectly by causing harvest failure."
The research team believe the texts are accurate as the annals also record solar and lunar eclipses which can be compared with other contemporary sources.
What are the four ways volcanoes can kill?
The keen recording of weather though had another motivation.
"A lot of these scribes are working in monasteries, in some time periods they are interpreting these weather events as divine omens or portents as signals of the coming of the last days," said Dr Ludlow.
"That was one of their motivations so we are able to use the records that were created for a completely different purpose that the scribes would never have conceived."
The researchers say that one expected effect of volcanic eruptions that occur in tropical regions is to make for milder winters in northern latitudes.
But in this study, they found several instances of these type of eruptions causing extremely cold winters in Ireland. The team believes their work shows the complex nature of volcanic impacts on climate, and they say there are lessons for the future in the ancient texts.
"That tells us a lot about what sort of weather we might expect in the British Isles when the next big eruption goes off," said Dr Ludlow.
"We might want to buy a bit more salt for the roads."
Follow Matt on Twitter. | Researchers have been able to trace the impact of volcanic eruptions on the climate over a 1200 year period by assessing ancient Irish texts. | 22786179 |
Five sand companies and the Shaftesbury estate, which owns the bed of the lough, are challenging a direction to cease extraction.
But an appeal also serves as an application for planning permission, and that will cost each of the six parties more than £40,000.
They were ordered to stop dredging by the environment minister last month.
The dredging had no planning permission and was taking place in an important bird habitat with European protection.
The companies and the estate have until mid-July to pay the planning application fee.
If they fail to pay, the Planning Appeals Commission, which is hearing the case, cannot adjudicate on whether planning permission ought to have been granted.
And as the case involves a type of mining, those appealing will have to include an environmental statement on what they believe will be the impact of the dredging.
They have until the end of November to supply that.
Documents lodged at the commission show that the Shaftesbury estate has four grounds of appeal.
They include that the dredging complies with existing European and domestic legislation, including environmental law.
It also claims the requirement to cease within a day of the departmental enforcement notice coming into effect at the end of June was "manifestly unreasonable".
The estate says that would have "catastrophic implications" for the construction industry, which relies on the sand.
The sand companies are also claiming the enforcement notices were "not served as required by law".
The department of the environment's own checklist spells out the likely environmental effects of the project that must be considered.
These include disturbance of the sand bars, the extent to which suction dredging creates craters in the bed of the lough, and the impact on fish and other species.
It also includes reference to the impact of wash from barges on wildlife and other users of the lough. | An appeal against an order to stop dredging sand from Lough Neagh could end up costing £250,000 in fees. | 33431654 |
The man driving the car had been flagged down by two men in Banbridge at about midnight who asked him to take them to the town centre.
The driver agreed but when the men got into his vehicle they threatened him and demanded he take them to Hilltown.
The pair then tried to steal the car in Rathfriland Road, Hilltown, but both fled when passers-by intervened.
A police spokesman said the driver was not physically injured but was left "badly shaken". | Members of the public have come to the aid of a motorist during an attempted hijacking in County Down overnight. | 33663520 |
The historic overhaul of the existing tax legislation was carried out at a special midnight session of parliament.
India says introducing GST will cut red tape and increase tax revenues, fuelling economic growth.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says the reform will help the economy grow by 2%.
But businesses have been asking for more time to implement changes, worried that they are not ready for the move to the new system.
Many do not even have a computer to register on the GST network.
"No country of comparable size and complexity has attempted a tax reform of this scale," Harishankar Subramanian, of Ernst and Young previously told the BBC.
Under the new system, goods and services will be taxed under four basic rates - 5%, 12% 18% and 28%.
Some items like vegetables and milk have been exempted from GST, but will still be subject to existing taxes.
The price of most goods and services are expected to increase in the immediate aftermath of the tax.
Analysts expect economic growth to slow down over the next few months, but say it should pick up after the tax is fully implemented. | India has replaced its numerous federal and state taxes with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), designed to unify the country into a single market. | 40453774 |
Following a tip off, police searched the property in North Elgin Street, in the Whitecrook area, on Thursday.
A woman aged 58, two men aged 17 and a 61-year-old man were arrested in connection with alleged drugs offences.
All four were expected to appear from custody at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday. | Four people have been arrested after amphetamine, cocaine and cannabis worth £11,000 was seized at an address in Clydebank. | 34290256 |
President Jacob Zuma said the nation had lost a leading pioneer of jazz who promoted a "cosmopolitan culture".
Born to a shoemaker and a domestic worker in racially segregated South Africa, she performed with US stars such as Roberta Flack and Patti LaBelle in a career of more than 50 years.
Klaasen was battling pancreatic cancer at the time of her death.
"She was a role model to many of our young and upcoming musicians and her legacy will live on for generations to come," Mr Zuma said in a statement.
As a teenager, Klaasen's face was permanently disfigured in an acid attack by a jealous rival.
Recalling the incident, she said that "even if people in the street make you feel like you have leprosy or like you're dirty... you must be strong".
Klaasen grew up under white minority rule in South Africa, and gained a reputation for fighting both racism and sexism.
"Her career as a singer and dancer began in the mid-1950s when the apartheid and patriarchal system were entrenched but that did not deter her from pursuing her dreams," the governing African National Congress women's wing said in a statement.
Analysis: Milton Nkosi, BBC Africa, Johannesburg
Affectionately known as Sis Thandi, Klaasen was not just a brilliant jazz musician. She was far more than that. She was the very embodiment of triumph over adversity.
The horrific acid attack on her face did not dim the fire in her soul to share her rare talent in the arts. She also survived intolerable racial obstacles which were experienced by many black artists during the dark days of apartheid in Sophiatown, which was demolished by the then-minority regime as part of its policy of promoting segregated living.
Klaasen became a pillar of support for younger female artists like Mara Louw and many others by offering her wise counsel on issues that where outside the realm of jazz.
World renowned musician Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse put it aptly when he said: "Sad news. Rest in peace Thandi Klassen, always humble and so gracious. We have lost a giant of South African music."
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said Klaasen had a "silky smooth voice which serenaded audiences the world over".
"How much richer we are having heard her sing. How much she touched our spirits and made us complete beings in a world in which things were falling apart," he added.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance described her as a "guiding light" in the arts industry.
"South Africa is a country filled with talent and hope, and Thandi Klaasen's story shows what we can achieve - even in the most difficult of circumstances," it added.
Mr Zuma gave her one of South Africa's highest awards, the Order of the Baobab, in 2006 for her "excellent achievement in and contribution to music". | South Africans have been paying tribute to renowned jazz musician Thandi Klaasen who has died aged 86. | 38635861 |
It came after the company entered negotiations with the German firm ThyssenKrupp over a merger.
Tata has put the sale of its Welsh operations on hold in the meantime.
The meeting was organised as unions are increasingly frustrated with how the process is being handled.
Alan Coombes of the Community Union said the meeting "went well" and it was "important to give people an opportunity to ask questions".
Steelworker and union representative Mark Davies said: "We've given some information to the workforce but we can't answer all their questions.
"We want to reassure the workforce the unions are doing all we can to fight for this business."
On Wednesday, the management buy-out team Excalibur said it would remain in the bidding process.
It said its objective was "to save jobs, protect threatened communities and preserve primary steel-making capacity in the United Kingdom". | About 100 Tata steelworkers gathered for a meeting in Port Talbot on Thursday evening to discuss the latest developments in the efforts to secure the future of the plant. | 36913109 |
In a speech to pro-government lawyers, Ms Rousseff said Brazilian democracy was under attack.
"I have committed no irregularity. I will never resign," she said.
Opposition lawmakers are seeking to remove her over allegations that she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit.
Ms Rousseff, a former political prisoner during Brazil's military government, began her second term in office 14 months ago.
But her popularity has plummeted amid corruption allegations surrounding senior members of the governing Workers' Party.
The speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, agreed in December to open impeachment proceedings against her.
"There is just one name for that - a coup," said Ms Rousseff.
"I want tolerance, dialogue and peace. And that will only be possible if democracy is preserved," she said.
Brazilian democracy was restored in 1985, 21 years after the military coup that deposed the left-wing government of Joao Goulart.
The Workers' Party has been in power since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in for his first term in 2003.
Government supporters say the opposition did not accept the results of the 2014 election, in which Ms Rousseff was re-elected for another four-year term, and are trying to remove her by undemocratic means.
Last week, Ms Rousseff suffered another blow when a move to appoint Lula as her chief of staff was blocked by a federal judge.
The government appealed against the decision, but it was later confirmed by a Supreme Court judge. The court is expected to issue a final ruling by the end of the month.
Ms Rousseff had been accused by opposition figures of appointing Lula to shield him from charges of money-laundering which he denies.
The leftist former leader is being investigated for alleged involvement in major corruption at state-owned oil company Petrobras.
Under Brazilian law, cabinet members can be investigated only by the Supreme Court.
During a pro-government demonstration on Saturday, Lula said he was joining the government to help the country and said Brazil, which is in its worst recession in decades, needed to resume growth.
"There will not be a coup against Ms Rousseff," he told cheering supporters.
"Democracy is the only way to allow people to participate in government's decisions," added the former leader.
Lula says he will run for president again in 2018. | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said impeachment proceedings launched against her in Congress amount to a coup attempt. | 35877230 |
The poll found parents spent an average of one hour and 26 minutes a week reading with their children in 2011, up from one hour 18 minutes in 2009.
For the majority (71%) reading with their child is one of the highlights of their day.
But the poll of over 1,000 parents found 18% felt too stressed to do so.
Two-fifths (41%) said that a child's tiredness stopped reading together being fun, while 30% cited their own tiredness as a problem.
More than a third (36%) of the 1,011 survey participants said they were too tired to spend longer reading.
The research found 60% of parents and carers of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun, getting through an average of 46 books per child per year.
While 51% said they also read daily for school or educational purposes.
The research also highlighted how parents valued being read to when they were a child, with 64% saying this was a treasured childhood memory.
The poll suggests that daily reading rates have increased rather than decreased over the generations.
Just 23% of today's parents said they were read to on a daily basis as a child, compared to the 60% who say they now read for pleasure with their child every day.
The book remains the main reading "device", with 86% of respondents saying their child prefers to be read to from a book rather than other media such as e-readers or laptops.
The researchers also canvassed the opinions of 207 teachers of four to six-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland.
They found teachers saw a difference between those children who are read to at home and those who are not.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ) attributed developed language skills and more advanced reading levels to those children who regularly enjoyed a shared book time with parents at home.
And 30% found these pupils tended to be the first to answer questions in class.
Some 98% of teachers questioned said they are either very or quite concerned that reading for pleasure does not take place often enough in some homes.
The survey, carried out by pollsters Opinion Matters, was commissioned by the publishers Pearson and the reading charity Booktrust who sponsor the Booktime programme.
This year the scheme will see 1.38 million free books given to reception-age children in England.
Viv Bird, chief executive of Booktrust, said: "It is good news that parents are spending more time reading to their children.
"But I think that parents are pretty busy people and the stress of daily life can get in the way of reading with a child. So we've got to keep reinforcing the message."
Peter Hughes, head of corporate responsibility at Pearson, said: "A passion for reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Good reading skills are the basic cornerstone that helps all of us progress throughout our lives.
"Books inform, educate, but also inspire. Good reading starts early." | Parents in England and Northern Ireland are spending more time reading to their children for pleasure, a survey for the reading scheme Booktime suggests. | 15635733 |
Forty of the jets will be bought by leasing company Macquarie AirFinance in a deal worth about $3bn (£1.84bn), based on current prices.
The company has an option to buy 10 more.
Bombardier now has 243 firm orders for the C-Series, edging closer to the company's target of 300 by the time the plane enters service in late 2015.
The wings for the aircraft will be made in Belfast, supporting 800 jobs.
The C-Series programme has experienced repeated delays and rising costs that have worried investors.
Test flights resumed in September after an on-ground engine fire halted them in May.
The aerospace company is one of Northern Ireland's biggest employers.
About 5,000 permanent employees and about 1,000 temporary and contract staff work at its Belfast base. | Bombardier's C-Series aircraft programme has been boosted by one of its biggest orders to date. | 29412099 |
He will give Congress six months to draw up legislation to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), sources quoted by US media say.
The decision, first reported in Politico, is considered a compromise amid strong support for the scheme.
However, the sources cautioned that Mr Trump could still change his mind.
He is due to formally announce his decision on Tuesday.
The Obama-era Daca programme protects hundreds of thousands of so-called "Dreamers" from deportation and provides work and study permits.
Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Candidate Trump promised to do away with Daca, and it appears that's what he's going to do, despite warnings from a cross-party collection of politicians. Or, knowing this president, those objections from "the establishment" only make him more determined to act.
Fortunately for him, unlike repealing Obamacare or building his Mexican border wall, he doesn't need Congress's help here.
In fact, by setting a six-month fuse on Daca's destruction, Mr Trump puts all the pressure on legislators if they want to protect undocumented immigrants who entered the US as children.
While the votes may be there for some type of fix, Congress already has its hands full with other pressing issues - hurricane relief, budget resolutions, the need to authorise new government debt and, at some point, tax reform.
Mr Trump may not care, but he's putting Republicans with tough re-election races in a difficult spot. If the president's Daca bomb goes off, they will face angry constituents just as the campaign season gets into gear.
The president, however, satisfies his anti-immigration base with this move - and washes his hands of the matter. The loyalists who have stood by him are rewarded, others in his party be damned.
According to Politico, the White House informed House Speaker Paul Ryan of the president's decision on Sunday morning.
Mr Ryan last week urged the president not to scrap the scheme, arguing it left many young people "in limbo".
"These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don't know another home," he said.
Mr Ryan is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers and business leaders to speak out against scrapping the programme.
While campaigning for office, Mr Trump took a hard-line on immigration and said he planned to "immediately terminate" the Daca programme.
But since then he has said he finds the subject "very, very tough".
He said he intends to show "great heart" in dealing with what he described as, in many cases, "incredible kids".
The decision to give Congress six months to draft an alternative is seen as a compromise after Republican lawmakers and business leaders from companies including Google, General Motors and Microsoft urged Mr Trump to retain the programme.
On Sunday, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted: "Thanks to Dreamers' courage & resolve, #DACA has allowed thousands of young people to contribute to our society. We're better for it."
End of Twitter post by @SenSanders
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican Representative from Florida, also took to Twitter to vent her frustration, saying: "After teasing #Dreamers for months with talk of his 'great heart,' @POTUS slams door on them. Some 'heart'."
The Daca programme protects roughly 750,000 people in the US from deportation and provides temporary permits for work and study.
In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.
They must go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in school, recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.
In exchange, the US government agrees to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.
The majority of so-called Dreamer immigrants in the US are from Mexico and other Latin American countries. | US President Donald Trump has decided to scrap a programme that protects young undocumented immigrants, according to reports. | 41144231 |
Counting starts at 10:00 BST on Friday and the result will be posted on the council's website.
The local authority has been led by a coalition of Liberal Democrats and Independents since 2013.
One contest, in Bodmin St Petroc, has been delayed following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Rogerson.
The Council of the Isles of Scilly has also been electing 16 councillors. | Voters have been to the polls to elect 122 of the 123 members of Cornwall Council. | 39796755 |
The 82-year-old was found dead at her Leven home on 5 January.
Sandra Weir, 41, denies murder and has lodged a special defence of alibi claiming that around the time of the murder she was elsewhere in Leven.
Paramedic Alan McIntyre said Mrs Logie was on her side when he found her.
He said he was surprised at the amount of blood in the living room where Mrs Logie was lying because he thought he had been called to a fall.
When he felt her skull, he realised there was a soft area, and that he could feel her brain.
One ear had also been partially cut off. He was unable to save Mrs Logie, pronouncing "life extinguished" at 20:51.
Mr McIntyre also noticed a stain of blood on the carpet, and he thought attempts had been made to clean it.
He described it as looking a bit like a spillage of red wine which has been unsuccessfully cleaned. He also noticed a rolling pin on the sofa.
Pathologist Dr Ian Wilkinson told the court the cause of death was blunt force head trauma.
He said there were multiple fractures to her head, especially on the right side.
There were a total of 31 injuries to her head and neck and he said "some injuries suggested a curved blunt object might have been involved".
When shown an exhibit of a rolling pin, he said the "injuries could possibly fit with that".
Later, the pathologist agreed to a suggestion by prosecuting counsel Alex Prentice his findings would be consistent with Mary Logie being struck with a rolling pin and trying to defend herself.
Dr Wilkinson also said he couldn't exclude the possibility that Mrs Logie was attacked twice in one day, at different times.
However, equally, it could have been just one event that led to her death.
Jurors were also read a statement of evidence agreed between prosecutors and Ms Weir's solicitor advocate Murray Macara.
In the statement, jurors were told that a rolling pin was taken from Mrs Logie's house on 6 January 2016. A DNA swab was taken from the handle of the rolling pin.
Jurors were also told that DNA belonging to Mrs Logie, Ms Weir and another person was obtained from the swab which was taken from the rolling pin handle.
Jurors were also told a purse was recovered from Mrs Logie's house on 6 January. DNA swabs were taken from over the edges of the opening and the paper note section of the purse.
DNA belonging to Mrs Logie, her son Ronald, Sandra Weir, another person called Elvedina Salmond and another unknown individual were obtained from the swab.
Ms Weir, 41, also denies stealing money and jewellery from Mrs Logie, fraudulently using her bank card and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by cleaning up blood and disposing of clothing.
The trial at the High Court in Edinburgh continues. | A paramedic has told the Mary Logie murder trial of the moment he realised he could feel her brain through a hole in her skull when he was called to her home in Fife. | 38223271 |
NHS Lanarkshire took the decision despite the results of a consultation which showed a majority of patients questioned backed the service.
More than 200 people each year in Lanarkshire are referred to the Centre for Integrative Care, formerly Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital.
NHS Lothian and NHS Highland previously voted to stop patient referrals.
Homeopathy involves treating people with highly diluted substances with the aim of triggering the body's own healing mechanisms.
Medical scientists have said many trials have shown it is no better than a placebo.
In a report that went before NHS Lanarkshire, officials set out the findings of a survey of 153 patients, who attended clinics in the health board area.
On a 70% response rate, 88% said that, overall, the treatment made them feel better than before.
The health board voted, however, to cease new referrals from 31 March 2015 "on the basis of the lack of clinical effectiveness evidence for homoeopathy".
NHS Lanarkshire said patients currently being treated at the homeopathic hospital would continue until their course was completed. | A third health board in Scotland has voted to stop sending patients to the country's only homeopathic hospital. | 30402134 |
Wooden coffins and metal caskets have been the traditional means of carrying the dead to their final resting place, but more people are looking for an alternative form of carriage, illustrating the changing face of the funeral industry.
In the digital age, personalisation is at a premium.
Coffin supplier Desmond Stephenson has noticed a growing trend for bespoke funerals and coffins.
"It could be an expressive design that would evoke memories and start a conversation," he said. "It is unique to that person.
"If grandad was a long-term Northern Ireland football team supporter, or a fan of a particular GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) team, we can do it.
"There is a woman from Lisburn who is a big music fan and she has put in a request to have Elvis Presley on her coffin with the words 'Love Me Tender' on it.
"Her husband said he would like a lone piper on his coffin.
"Other people might like an image of the Mourne Mountains or the Fermanagh lakes on their coffin - an image that is special to them. We can also put on a photo of the loved one in happier times - the coffin design can have a photograph of the person celebrating a birthday or on holiday.
"It is a difficult time for families and these things can help a bit."
Ian Milne is a Northern Ireland representative of the National Association of Funeral Directors and has been involved in the business for over three decades.
He says bespoke coffins are another example of the transformation of funeral practices in the region during the past five years.
"I would say that people feel easier about expressing their wishes at the time of death now," he said.
"In society now, we have a greater density of faiths and non-faiths.
"I have carried out funerals for people who would describe themselves as high priestesses and wizards.
"There are a lot more humanist funerals now. The number of cremations has also increased dramatically. There is a lot of change, the number of religious-based funerals seems to be decreasing.
"The time that people stay in a funeral home has increased. Some people have booked their holiday and they simply cannot cancel it - the longest we have kept any body here is six weeks."
Mr Milne said that population changes in Northern Ireland meant he had become educated in the funeral cultures of various nationalities.
"I would do a lot of Eastern European funerals now," he said.
"I have also been involved in a number of Vietnamese funerals which are lovely.
"They can burn money including (replica) high-value notes, the idea is that the money goes to the higher place where the person who died is supposed to be."
Mr Milne also acknowledged that the internet was driving development in the industry and that the "personalisation of the funeral is in full swing".
"A lot of people are writing down what they want ahead of their funeral," he added.
"I have wishes for people who want to wear ostrich feathers in their coffin.
"There are some people who want to be buried with their pets, but because it is consecrated ground that cannot happen.
"Some people want to be dressed in their favourite football kit, which would not have happened before."
He said he expected imaginative ways of remembering the individual would continue with future generations.
"My son Andrew who is 21 works for us and part of his role is to monitor our Facebook page," he said.
"The young people are open to change, his generation sees funerals as stuck in the 1950s.
"At one of the funerals we did for a young woman recently those in attendance wore pink ties and doves and balloons were released, something that we had not done before. It was a lovely touch.
"The people who were friends of the young woman wanted that." | It is the last journey we will make and, as with any form of travel, there will always be some who want to mark it in style. | 38923790 |
Led by four horses, it set off from Cardiff Mail Centre on Penarth Road and made its way to the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay.
The coach driver, horn blower and grooms dressed in traditional Royal Mail costume.
They were joined by current Royal Mail employees, friends and family.
All proceeds from the parade will be donated to Royal Mail's chosen charity, the Stroke Association.
Caroline Rich, Cardiff Mail Centre manager, said: "We are proud to be celebrating our historic 500 years with a special procession in our capital city, demonstrating the pride we have in being part of this national network that connects consumers, companies and communities across the UK today." | A Royal Mail coach paraded through Cardiff city centre on Saturday to celebrate 500 years of postal services in the UK. | 36445225 |
Belgian survivors of Nazi persecution appealed to the government to stop the payments, and Pensions Minister Daniel Bacquelaine "shares their indignation", his spokeswoman told the BBC.
But Germany manages the payments and "we have no official figures" for the recipients, Geraldine Lamoureux added.
After the 1945 liberation, 57,000 Belgian collaborators were convicted.
Belgians were recruited into the German SS and Wehrmacht, and collaborators also helped the Nazis to send Jews and resistance fighters to concentration camps.
The petition to stop the German pension payments was the initiative of the Memorial Group - Belgians who survived the Nazi camps and who want modern Belgium to remember the wartime occupation.
The group's president, Pieter Paul Baeten, quoted by Belgian broadcaster RTBF, said: "It's sad. Belgium can't get hold of the information [on pension recipients], or doesn't want to.
"But I don't understand how, in today's Europe, Belgium and Germany can't manage to exchange this information."
It is not clear if those receiving the pensions are all living in Belgium.
Ms Lamoureux said the pensions minister "will discuss the matter with other ministers, to find a solution".
After the war Leon Degrelle, who led the Belgian collaborators under the Nazis, fled to fascist Spain, where he was sheltered by the Franco dictatorship and died in 1994.
Belgium sentenced him to death as a traitor, but he prospered in Spain, even after Franco's death and the rebirth of democracy in 1975.
A detailed investigation by Belgian historians concluded in 2007 that Belgian collaborators worked closely with Nazi officials to persecute Jews after the German invasion in 1940. Anti-Semitism was widespread in the Belgian establishment at the time, they said.
In a parliamentary answer in 2012 the German government said it could not confirm the 2,500 figure for Belgian ex-collaborators alleged to be getting German pensions.
The government said only scrutiny of each individual's file could determine how many had served with Nazi military units, and those files were held by the German regional authorities.
When asked about the collaborators, it said (in German) 57 Belgians were getting German BVG ("Bundesversorgungsgesetz") maintenance payments, but did not explain who those Belgians were.
In 2012 the German government paid BVG allowances to 209,654 victims of the Nazis and their relatives, in Germany and abroad, but the amount was not specified.
Other German reparations for World War Two included payments to 58,932 Jews via two funds managed by the Jewish Claims Conference. The government said recipients were getting up to €300 (£236; $341) monthly from one fund, and up to €260 from the other. | A Belgian minister has voiced concern that as many as 2,500 Belgian ex-Nazis are receiving German pensions. | 36489700 |
Mogwai, Bloc Party and Rag'n'Bone Man are also set to perform at the Portmeirion festival, the organisers announced on Thursday.
Welsh acts include film director Kevin Allen talking about the sequel to cult movie Twin Town, Charlotte Church's Pop Dungeon, Gulp and Yucatan.
The event takes place between 7-10 September.
Festival founder Gareth Cooper said the line-up was "our most diverse bill to date with amazing artists from across the globe packing every stage". | American rock band The Flaming Lips have been announced as a headliner at this year's Festival No6 in Gwynedd. | 39065136 |
Nicola's Brown trial heard how her son Jake suffered a brain injury and a fractured skull before he died.
The 43-year-old from Portsmouth was found guilty in December and given a life sentence with a minimum 14-and-a-half year term in February.
The Court of Appeal said Brown's appeal was in the "very early stages". A Serious Case Review has been carried out but not yet published.
Brown's trial heard how Jake died on 19 December 2014 due to "an impact to the head requiring substantial force".
Winchester Crown Court also heard Jake had previously suffered 17 broken ribs.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Dingemans said he accepted Brown was suffering from a mental disorder.
The judge said the boy's mother had been prepared to blame others for his death, including health care professionals, and had refused to accept responsibility.
Brown had not informed her doctor she was expecting the child and social services were alerted to the "concealed pregnancy". | A mother who murdered her 19-day-old baby is appealing her prison sentence. | 39855151 |
After surviving several attempts on his life, he was killed in a US drone strike in western Yemen on 30 September 2011.
In recent years, Awlaki's overt endorsement of violence as a religious duty in his sermons and on the internet is believed to have inspired new recruits to Islamist militancy.
US officials say he was a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of the militant network in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and helped recruit Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of attempting to blow up an airliner as it flew into Detroit on 25 December 2009.
Following the failed attack, US President Barack Obama took the extraordinary step of authorising the Central Intelligence Agency to kill him. Soon afterwards, Awlaki survived an air strike on a suspected al-Qaeda base in southern Yemen.
His family said he was not a terrorist and launched a legal challenge to stop the US executing one of its citizens without any judicial process.
Awlaki was born in 1971 in the southern US state of New Mexico, where his father, Nasser, a future Yemeni agriculture minister and university president, was studying agricultural economics.
He lived in the US until the age of seven, when his family returned to Yemen.
After studying Islam during his teenage years, Awlaki returned to the US to gain a degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and a master's in education at San Diego State.
In 1994, he married a cousin from Yemen and took a part-time job as imam at the Denver Islamic Society.
Awlaki later became imam at a mosque in Fort Collins, Colorado, before returning to San Diego in 1996, where he took charge of the city's Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami mosque.
During his four years there, his sermons were attended by two future 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi. The two men were also seen attending long meetings with the cleric.
In early 2001, he moved to the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, which was attended by Hazmi and a third hijacker, Hani Hanjour.
The 9/11 Commission found the connections to be suspicious, though FBI agents who interviewed him said they doubted he knew of the plot.
It also emerged that in 1998 and 1999, while serving as vice-president of an Islamic charity that the FBI described as "a front organisation to funnel money to terrorists", Awlaki was visited by Ziyad Khaleel, an al-Qaeda operative, and an associate of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was serving a life sentence for plotting to blow up landmarks in New York.
In 2002, he left the US for the UK, where he spent several months giving a series of popular lectures to Muslim youths.
Unable to support himself, Awlaki returned to Yemen in early 2004, and moved to his ancestral village in the southern province of Shabwa with his wife and children.
He soon became a lecturer at al-Iman University, a Sunni religious school in Sanaa headed by Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, a cleric who has been designated a terrorist by both the US and UN for his suspected links with al-Qaeda.
In 2004, Zindani was listed as a "specially designated global terrorist" by the US Treasury Department and the UN, but Yemen took no steps to freeze his assets.
Former students include John Walker Lindh, known as the "American Taliban", and several suspected militants.
In August 2006, Awlaki was detained by the Yemeni authorities, reportedly on charges relating to a plot to kidnap a US military attache.
He said he was interviewed by FBI agents during his subsequent 18 months in prison, and believed the US had asked the Yemeni authorities to prolong his detention.
Following his release, Awlaki's message seemed overtly supportive of violence, railing against the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the killing of Muslims in covert operations in Pakistan and Yemen.
He incited violence in a number of texts via his website, his Facebook page and many booklets and CDs, including one called "44 Ways to Support Jihad".
Such materials have been found in the possession of several convicted English-speaking militants in Canada, the UK and US.
It also emerged after the Fort Hood incident that Awlaki had given the US Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people, Maj Nidal Malik Hasan, religious advice by email. He had also seen Awlaki preach in Virginia in 2001.
In July 2009, the cleric stated in a blog post that a Muslim soldier who fought other Muslims was a "heartless beast, bent on evil, who sells his religion for a few dollars". Following the shootings, Awlaki called Maj Hasan a hero.
"My support to the operation was because the operation brother Nidal carried out was a courageous one," he told al-Jazeera.
Awlaki again hit the headlines in January, when US officials said he might have met Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab at al-Iman University, while the latter was studying Arabic there in November or December 2009.
The 23-year-old was at the same time receiving his final training and indoctrination from members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, ahead of his alleged suicide mission, they said.
Awlaki later acknowledged that he had "communications" with the Nigerian in late 2009, but denied any role in the alleged attack.
In May 2010, Faisal Shahzad, the US citizen of Pakistani origin who has admitted attempting to bomb New York's Times Square, said he had been inspired by the violent rhetoric of Awlaki, according to US officials.
Two months later, the US treasury department named Awlaki a "specially designated global terrorist", blocked his assets and made it a crime for Americans to do business with him or for his benefit.
And in late October of that year, he was the only man named by the head of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) when he outlined major threats to the country in his first public speech.
Only days later, two suspect packages containing bombs and addressed to synagogues in the US city of Chicago were sent from Yemen. They were carried by plane and intercepted in the UK and Dubai.
US officials blamed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for the failed attack and again linked the plot to Awlaki.
In late 2010, the Yemeni authorities surprised many by putting him on trial in absentia, charged with inciting violence against foreigners in connection with the killing of a French security guard at an oil company's compound.
According to prosecutors, Awlaki and his cousin, Osman, were in contact with the alleged attacker, Hisham Assem. Yemeni officials had until then said they had no legal justification to detain Awlaki.
At the time, he was thought to be hiding in the mountainous governorates of Shabwa and Marib, under the protection of the large and powerful Awalik tribe, to which he belongs. | Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, was linked to a series of attacks and plots across the world - from 11 September 2001 to the shootings at Fort Hood in November 2009. | 11658920 |
One of the original Winter Olympic sports, skating in the UK has enjoyed a renaissance with the rise of reality TV - but the sport requires serious skill and dedication to be successful.
Why is it good for you?
Figure skating is reported to burn almost 900 calories per hour at its most intense, though beginners won't be doing anything quite as strenuous.
Skating around a rink at close to 30mph requires a great deal of strength in both the leg muscles and core, as do the jumps and lifts associated with the sport, which add the aerobic workout of dancing while on the ice.
The National Ice Skating Association's flagship campaign is Skate UK, a 10-stage programme to increase participation and involvement in all forms of skating from beginners to more experienced skaters.
Skate UK aims to nurture the skating stars of the future by promoting all skaters through the Nisa system, encouraging and identifying "talented skaters" who can be fast-tracked.
To find your nearest skating rink, use the rinks and clubs finder.Skate NI offers similar services.
Nisa offers membership to those skating at Nisa-accredited skating rinks. Membership includes £5m civil liability insurance whether competing at home or abroad, as well as basic personal injury cover.
Modern figure skating originated in the 19th Century and claims to be the oldest of all sports contested at the Winter Olympics - though its original incarnation was extremely rigid and didn't allow for the expression and movement of today's figure skating.
The International Skating Union was founded in 1892, a year after the first European Championship had been held in Hamburg.
In 1896 the first World Championship took place, although both the European and World Championships remained for men only until 1908, where pairs skating was introduced for the first time.
Figure skating was featured at the inaugural Winter Olympics of 1924 and has been a fixture within the Games ever since. The United States and Russia are world leaders, with both winning numerous medals throughout the sport's history.
Though success has recently been hard to come by, Great Britain also features prominently in the record books, with a haul of 15 medals including five gold. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were Olympic champions in 1984 before going on to TV stardom as the faces of Dancing on Ice.
Are you inspired to try Figure Skating? Or maybe you are an enthusiast already? Get in touch and tell us your experience of the activity by tweeting us on @bbcgetinspired or email us on [email protected].
See our full list of activity guides for more inspiration. | Figure skating is a lot more than sequins and skates. | 23254799 |
All Stars Cricket is an eight-week course that will be introduced in May through local cricket clubs and centres, offering youngsters a first experience of the sport.
Children will receive a backpack of cricket gear, while participating clubs will be given kit to deliver the programme and training for volunteers.
From Monday, 20 March, parents can register their children via the ECB website.
More than 2,000 clubs have already signed up to the scheme and Matt Dwyer, the ECB's director of participation and growth, said it has the potential to make a significant difference to the sport's youth base.
"It's all about putting a bat and ball in the hands of more children at an earlier age," he said. "We want to make playing cricket a fun and enjoyable experience for children and give them a passion for the game to last a lifetime."
Dwyer also noted that family participation is an vital element of the programme.
"We want to make sure parents have a great first experience at the club and give them the chance to have an hour back with their kids every week," he said.
"We will be encouraging parents to get involved with sessions, whatever their prior knowledge of the game."
Find out how to get into cricket with our inclusive guide.
The programme was officially launched on Monday at London's ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with former England captain Michael Vaughan in attendance, along with current England internationals Jonny Bairstow and Lauren Winfield.
Vaughan is an ambassador for the project and says it is more important than ever to get children actively involved in cricket.
"As a parent, I've seen how tough it can be to get kids interested in sport, especially given the amount of activities competing for their time," he said.
"[But] I can't wait to see the positive impact this programme will have on clubs and the wider game." | The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched a grassroots programme for five- to eight-year-olds, with the aim to get 50,000 more youngsters participating in the game this summer. | 39327833 |
Zambia forbids homosexuality and can pass a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
But Faz is undertaking a constitutional review aimed at upgrading its statutes to put them in line with football's world governing body Fifa.
Fifa prohibits discrimination against sexual orientation and can suspend or expel offenders from football.
A draft constitution circulated by Faz reads: "Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion."
While that is precisely in line with the statutes of Fifa, should Faz's members adopt the sexual orientation clause it would put the association in conflict with the country's legal constitution.
According to human rights organisation Amnesty, Zambia is one of 35 African nations where homosexuality is illegal.
Faz general secretary Ponga Liwewe played down any potential issues with his association's proposals - despite a widely held conservative view in the country in line with the legal position on homosexuality.
"The draft constitution is in line with Fifa statutes and it is these that are up for discussion," Liwewe said.
"It is the prerogative of Faz members to agree or disagree with the statutes and to make recommendations that will be incorporated in the final document."
Fifa delegate Primo Corvaro conducted a workshop with Faz officials on the constitutional amendments in August whereupon several clauses pertaining to the Fifa statutes were proposed for the new Faz constitution.
But Fifa refused to provide more details when contacted by BBC Sport.
"Fifa is currently working with Faz on the revision of their statutes," said a Fifa spokesperson. "We have no further comment at this stage." | The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) has proposed changes to its constitution which contradict the country's laws regarding homosexuality. | 38013040 |
Yan, who is still at school, secured a shock 4-2 victory over the 2015 Masters winner and 2005 world champion.
Murphy described his opponent, who had a top break of 74, as "potentially a great player in the making".
"Shaun is a tough opponent so I had nothing to lose and that took the pressure off," the teenager said.
Yan, who plans to turn professional next year, added: "I loved the atmosphere and I was proud of the reception I got. It was my first match in the UK and I really enjoyed it."
The Chinese player was later knocked out by Australian Neil Robertson, who beat him 6-3 to set up a semi-final against Joe Perry.
The 41-year-old from Wisbech beat four-time world champion John Higgins in an 11th frame decider in his group final. | Former world champion Shaun Murphy was knocked out of the Champion of Champions event in Coventry by 15-year-old Chinese amateur Yan Bingtao. | 34804688 |
The former Kilmarnock manager is in charge of Derry City, who compete in a February-October calendar in Ireland.
Rivals Dundalk came within one tie of the Champions League group stage before competing in the Europa League.
"There's only one negative with the summer season, the pre-season training is done in very wet conditions, that's the only one I have," said Shiels.
"The summer league certainly suits our style of play.
"With the exception of Celtic, who play a great brand of football, the other clubs, the Aberdeens and these teams, need to start playing with more innovation and then summer football I'd say is better for that type of game.
"It'll encourage coaches to put a brand there that's entertaining.
"We have to be mindful that the game was created for local villages to bring entertainment to the parish, to the community."
Shiels led Derry into Europe in his first season in charge and they will take their place in the Europa League qualifiers in June, when they will be midway through their domestic campaign.
Scottish clubs other than Celtic have struggled to make an impression in Europe in recent years.
Since 2011, Celtic are the only Scottish side to have competed in the group stage of either the Champions League or Europa League.
And Shiels said: "If there's good surfaces, which there will be [in summer], it will encourage entertainment and what's the point in having a full house if we're discouraging entertainment?
"Entertainment is at the top of our priority so it will enhance that and the chances of doing better in Europe."
Shiels parted company with Kilmarnock in 2013 having led them to the first League Cup in the club's history the year before.
The Northern Irishman, who was initially brought to Rugby Park as Mixu Paatelainen's assistant, was asked what he has made of the club since he left.
After a pause, he said: "Difficult. When I took the job, I said to my chairman, 'look, if I'm sacked, can you please give the job to someone who will continue to give the club an identity?'
"Kilmarnock are never going to win the league. Unless they turn into a Leicester City, their best hope is to win a knock-out tournament.
"Kilmarnock is a town that has had a lot of problems, losing a lot of their industry, so it's quite impoverished and the people of the town - which a football club is for - deserve an entertaining product.
"I explained all this and I said that, when I'm leaving, it's important that you bring in someone who is like me, who is going to develop young players and is going to give them identity back.
"How you win is so important to a club the size of Kilmarnock and I'm disappointed in that aspect."
Shiels was replaced at the Rugby Park helm with Allan Johnston, who - thanks primarily to the goals of Kris Boyd, prevented the club being relegated from the top flight.
"They didn't go for that type of manager," Shiels suggested. "I wish they'd have gone for someone who would go and play.
"Allan Johnston took over and, to be fair, Allan did his best, but I think it was the wrong type of manager at that time and I like Allan - it's not anything against Allan the person.
"But they needed someone in there who had a proven track record and having a football philosophy to entertain.
"They all need it and they all need to start getting their act together and entertain first and foremost. The results will then take care of themselves.
"Scottish footballers are technical, they're skilful. Over my lifetime, you go through all the players that have represented Scotland, they were right up there. Billy Bremner, Charlie Cook, you could go on and on."
Shiels could soon be facing Scottish sides again with the introduction of League of Ireland clubs to the Irn-Bru Challenge Cup from next season.
Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers, who finished fourth and fifth respectively last year, will join teams from Northern Ireland and Wales in the competition from next season after the latter two nations entered this term.
And Shiels believes sides across the Irish Sea could cause problems to sides in the Scottish top flight, let alone those competing in the Challenge Cup.
"It's good as long as they are good teams going in," Shiels added.
"Sligo play decent football and it'll be interesting to see how it goes because this is full-time in every sense. It's a very professional league.
"The Scottish Premiership is a better standard, but there's teams in the League of Ireland - and we're one of them - that could beat top clubs in Scotland.
"Maybe that's a bit audacious of me, but there are teams in our league that could do that.
"Over the piece, the Scottish Premiership, I have to be honest and say, is probably above the League of Ireland.
"In terms of winning games, they would beat us, but the style of play in the League of Ireland is way ahead of the Scotland if you take away Celtic." | Kenny Shiels has urged Scottish football to make the transition to a summer season. | 39583047 |
The authority is carrying out a pay review across more than 70 schools in the city involving 7,000 people.
The union Unison said it would mean staff such as teaching assistants and site managers could lose up to 25% of their pay.
The council said it needed to ensure all its staff were treated equally.
Nicole Berrisford, of Unison, said the council wanted to only pay school support staff during term-time and increase their standard working week from 32.5 to 37 hours.
She said: "Schools rely on support staff to keep going - without them schools wouldn't be able to function.
"For years now, support staff have worked up and beyond their working hours, without pay, and that's all been based on goodwill and commitment to the young people.
"That will stop if these changes are implemented."
She added: "The reaction from our members in schools is one of disgust, distress and anger. There's low morale and they are going to want to withdraw [their] goodwill."
The city council is yet to comment on the proposals, but did issue a statement.
It said: "The aim of the review is to ensure that the council meets its legal requirement that all employees receive equal pay for work of equal value and common terms and conditions wherever they work in the council."
If the pay review is implemented, it will come into force in January.
Unison said it would ballot members over possible strike action. | School support staff in Derby face pay cuts of thousands of pounds a year due to proposed changes to their terms and conditions, a union said. | 34336732 |
The electoral blueprint complies with guidelines from China's legislature that candidates for the 2017 election will be screened.
Democracy activists said this amounted to a "fake democracy".
When the guidelines were announced last August there were weeks of street protests and some violent clashes.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's second highest government official, put forward the reform package.
"These proposals are in strict compliance with the Basic Law [Hong Kong's constitution] and the relevant decisions of [China's] standing committee of the National People's Congress," Ms Lam said.
"At the same time they fully take into account the views expressed by various sectors of the community," she said.
Hong Kong's leader will be chosen by the general population of more than five million eligible voters in the 2017 elections for the first time.
However, the process prior to that was outlined by Ms Lam:
Pro-democracy protesters have said this process allows Beijing to eliminate unwanted candidates and does not amount to universal suffrage.
Hong Kong protests: Has Beijing won?
Hong Kong's democracy debate
Thousands of people barricaded parts of Hong Kong for more than two months in protest when the guidelines were first announced last year.
But China has repeatedly made it clear that no concessions will be given. In December, Hong Kong police dismantled the last of the protest camps.
The electoral proposal is due to be voted on in the legislature in the summer, and needs a two-thirds majority in the 70-member Legislative Council to be passed.
The 27 pan-democratic lawmakers have mostly vowed to veto it. Many of them walked out of the chamber after the proposal was announced.
"We will launch a campaign to oppose the proposal and we will ask the Hong Kong public to continue to seek true universal suffrage," Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong said.
The government will have to win over at least four of them to get the proposal through.
Speaking beforehand, the city's leader, Chief executive CY Leung, warned that if the proposal was vetoed this time, it would be a number of years before it was discussed again.
That would mean the current system, under which the chief executive is elected by a 1,200-member election committee, would remain in place.
China governs Hong Kong, a former British colony, under the "one country, two systems" principle.
The system has allowed the city a high degree of autonomy and civil rights, including freedom of assembly and free speech.
Hong Kong's mini-constitution says the ultimate aim is to elect the chief executive "by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee". | Hong Kong's government has unveiled proposed reforms for the next election, which do not concede to pro-democracy demands for a fully free vote. | 32397179 |
Norwich City fan Matt Grimmer from Bradwell discovered Freddie the cockapoo had chewed up part of the tickets for Monday's game against Middlesbrough at Wembley.
"The barcode which you use to go through the gates at Wembley was totally defaced," he said.
Norwich City have reprinted the tickets for him and two of his sons.
Mr Grimmer, 41, will now be able to go to the game to see if his side can reach the Premier League.
He had put the tickets in what he thought was a safe place, so they would not get mixed up with the recycling.
But two-year-old Freddie "obviously got a smell of them", he said, "he's a typical cockapoo" (a cross between a poodle and a cocker spaniel).
"He's full of life and energy and if he sees something he'll go for it and have a play and obviously he saw the tickets and the rest is history," he said.
"He chewed the edges and had actually eaten some of the tickets.
"My season tickets were with them as well and we thought he might have had one of those, but we found that underneath the rug."
Mr Grimmer said the dog was born in Norfolk and not Suffolk and so could not have an allegiance to rivals Ipswich Town.
"It happened to a QPR fan last year [and they won] so the omen is there for us to do it again this year - we will win 2-1," he said.
Canaries fans have had ticket disasters before - earlier this year Mikey Knights' mother accidentally cooked 16 tickets he had bought for a match at Brighton. | A football fan was left in panic after his dog ate three tickets for his club's Championship play-off final. | 32844906 |
Chinese exporters into the US - including Suntech - will now face customs tariffs of between 2.9% and 4.73%, the Commerce Department said.
In 2011, imports of solar cells from China into the US were valued at $3.1bn (£1.96bn), it added.
The price of solar panels dropped more than 30% last year, mainly linked to cheaper panels made in China.
"Countervailable subsidies are financial assistance from foreign governments that benefit the production of goods from foreign companies," the Commerce Department said.
China's Suntech, the world's largest producer of solar panels, will now face duties of 2.9% to offset what the US said is its subsidy from the Chinese government.
Another firm, Changzhou Trina Solar Energy, will receive duties of 4.73%.
All others face duties of 3.61%.
US customs will collect deposits equivalent to these amounts now and the Commerce Department will make a final ruling in June.
The US will also rule on whether China's solar panel output is violating its anti-dumping rules on 17 May.
Chinese firms have said that they are not the only ones that receive government help - for example, the US has subsidies to encourage people to install solar panels.
China has already said it will launch its own investigation into US government support for renewable energy. | The US has imposed duties on Chinese solar panel manufacturers after it said that they received unfair subsidies. | 17450718 |
Natalia Fedorova was leaving her house when a man splashed the substance in her face and ran away, Moscow party branch head Sergei Mitrokhin said.
She had lost vision, but may regain her sight in time, he told Interfax.
He said he believed the attack was related to her campaign against property development in her area.
Mr Mitrokhin wrote in a tweet that the attack had taken place in Cheremushki, a suburb of Moscow.
Ms Fedorova had been taken to hospital with burns to her face and eyes, he later told Interfax news agency.
"She's a Yabloko member, but I don't think this is the reason. This is more likely to be a reaction to her campaigning," Mr Mitrokhin was quoted as saying.
"She's had her windows shot at already, and a coffin has been placed at her door," he said.
It comes a day after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was taken to hospital after antiseptic green dye was splashed on his face in Moscow.
It was the second time he has been attacked with zelyonka ("brilliant green" in English) this year.
The dye is a common antiseptic in Russia and has been used in protests there and in Ukraine.
It is not clear who carried out the latest attack, which happened near the offices of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) that he founded.
Mr Navalny is one of the foremost Russian critics of President Vladimir Putin and has announced his intention to run for president himself. | A Russian political activist has suffered burns to her eyes after an attacker splashed her with a chemical, the opposition Yabloko party has said. | 39748903 |
Nick Davies, his wife Jane Boulter-Davies, and Pierre-Yves Garnier were banned on 10 June, and cannot now hold office until 31 January 2017.
Davies stood down as chief of staff to IAAF president Lord Coe last December.
The IAAF ethics board said more time was needed to "conclude the process".
The provisional suspensions, initially for 180 days, were imposed earlier this year after "careful consideration of the evidence and information available".
That relates to an email reported to have been sent by former IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack to his father and then IAAF president Lamine Diack in July 2013.
It claimed three staff members were in receipt of, or had knowledge of, a cash payment to withhold details of attempted cover-ups of Russian doping cases.
In December, Davies said he was standing aside "until such time as the ethics board is able to review the matter properly".
Boulter-Davies is employed by the IAAF as a project manager, while Garnier is a medical manager. | Three senior members of athletics' world governing body have had provisional suspensions extended over allegations they took money to delay naming Russian drug cheats. | 36497906 |
Samuel Baxter trapped the officer's leg against a police vehicle after he was stopped from passing through security lines on Twaddell Avenue, Belfast Magistrates Court heard.
The 53-year-old was also found guilty of disorderly behaviour during one of the nightly demonstrations in the area.
Baxter, of Canmore Close, will be sentenced next month.
Police witnesses told the court that one constable suffered a bruised shin in the incident after Baxter repeatedly directed his wheelchair weighing up to 28 stone at them.
Baxter said he was only in the area for family reasons and had no involvement in the protests over a disputed Orange Order parade.
He claimed that he was trying to pass through the police cordon to get his friend who had a blood clot to hospital.
He claimed the officer he was charged with assaulting told him: "Sit down, you're not getting through, OK."
He argued that the constable's flak jacket had caught on his wheelchair's gear stick, causing it to shunt forward about an inch.
A police inspector told the court Baxter was swearing and abusive.
He said the incident was part of attempts to incite a crowd who were filming on their mobile phones.
"This set-up happens on a nightly basis and has done for the past 400-odd nights," he said.
"Things like that are staged to try and rile the crowd up. I was made aware he had come out with a whole crowd round him and their cameras already on."
The inspector said police had been trying to calm the situation.
"We do this protest on a nightly basis. If there was a medical emergency it would have been quite obvious and we would certainly facilitate that," he added.
"When I spoke to this man and gave him numerous chances to tell me what the problem was, he was just extremely verbally abusive and playing to the crowd."
The judge convicted Baxter of both counts of assault on police and disorderly behaviour, and ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared. | A motorised wheelchair user has been convicted of ramming a policeman during a loyalist protest in north Belfast. | 29666122 |
Plaid leader Leanne Wood said the US president was "deeply irresponsible" while Lib Dem Mark Williams accused him of "environmental vandalism".
Wales Green leader Grenville Ham said he was "repaying political favours".
But UKIP's Neil Hamilton claimed Mr Trump was "right to call time on the climate change scam".
Mr Trump said he was pulling the US out of the 2015 agreement reached by 195 countries to cut emissions, claiming it "punished" his country and would cost millions of American jobs.
Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her disappointment and told the US president in a phone call that the deal protects the "prosperity and security of future generations".
Ms Wood echoed the prime minister's concerns, saying: "Climate change is a global threat that must be tackled as one united people across the world.
"Donald Trump's decision not to play his part is deeply irresponsible and a matter of great regret."
However, the president was praised by Mr Hamilton, UKIP's leader in the Welsh Assembly.
He claimed legislation to limit emissions had "all but destroyed steel-making, aluminium smelting, glass and cement manufacture in Britain".
"What mugs we are to allow our elite politicians in every party except UKIP to saddle us with ruinous energy taxes," Mr Hamilton added.
"We are now exporting manufacturing jobs to countries like China and India, with far worse emissions records.
"And we are making poor people in Wales even poorer, forcing many to choose in winter between heating and eating."
UKIP has claimed UK households are paying an extra £500 a year in "green taxes and charges" to fund a "middle-class politicians' vanity project".
Welsh Lib Dem leader Mark Williams was scathing in response, saying: "Like Trump, UKIP would happily put the future of our planet at risk by committing an act of environmental vandalism on a global scale.
"UKIP are more interested in political dogma than improving people's lives.
"The reality is that more than 290,000 households in Wales are living in fuel poverty, and UKIP's plans would hit hard-working people most.
"We must do everything we can to protect our environment, and the Liberal Democrats will lead the way on cleaning up our environment and with it bringing household energy bills down."
For the Greens, Mr Ham criticised the US president, saying: "This is not the first daft thing he's done, and I don't think it's going to be the last."
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, he said: "It's really just to appease the big corporate interests - gas, oil, potentially people that have given him a lot of funding.
"I think he's repaying political favours.
"He's trying to protect those jobs and protect those interests, but the future of technology and the future of energy is in decentralised renewables." | Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US support for the Paris climate change agreement has been condemned by Plaid Cymru, Welsh Lib Dems and the Greens. | 40134033 |
A chimpanzee couple named Adam and Eve smashed windows to get out of their enclosure at the Sa Coma Safari Zoo on Monday.
Eve was surrounded as she neared the town of Son Carrio and shot dead.
Local media say that Adam is believed to be hiding in a wooded area close to residential housing.
Police have closed off a nearby road to try to prevent the 80kg (176lb) chimpanzee from reaching a nearby tourist area and beach front, according to reports.
How the animals managed to escape is not yet known.
"It is not very clear, but it seems they broke the bars of their cage," a spokesman for Spain's Guardia Civil told AFP news agency.
"These animals are very strong. They can lift double their weight."
Animal rights groups have criticised the shooting of Eve.
Police said the chimpanzee had been killed because she had become "very agitated" and there was a risk she might attack a member of the search party. | Police in Spain are searching for a chimpanzee in Majorca, two days after it escaped from a zoo popular with tourists. | 32609747 |
An investigation into the incident at RAF Lossiemouth found a collision avoidance system was ineffective because it had not "warmed up".
The incident in August last year involved a Typhoon and a Tornado from separate aircraft formations.
The RAF has taken action to avoid a repeat of the incident, which was investigated by the UK Airprox Board.
A group of four Tornado jets had left the RAF station at Lossiemouth. At the same time, a formation of four Typhoons was flying close to the base.
As one of the Typhoons turned to the right to avoid the town of Lossiemouth, for noise abatement reasons, it came near to a Tornado which had just taken off.
In determining the cause, the UK Airprox Board said the pilot of the Typhoon had not "integrated effectively" with the other jet.
Since the incident, aircraft now veer left to avoid the town to make similar incidents less likely.
The RAF has been installing collision warning systems in Tornado aircraft following a crash between two of the jets in 2012.
Three airmen were killed in that crash over the the Moray Firth.
Flt Lt Hywel Poole, 28, who was born in Menai Bridge on Anglesey in north Wales, died in hospital after being airlifted from the scene.
Sqn Ldr Samuel Bailey, 36, from Nottingham, and Flt Lt Adam Sanders, 27, who grew up in Lancashire, were also killed.
A fourth RAF serviceman, Sqd Ldr Paul Evans, survived but was badly injured.
Following the investigation into that collision, the RAF said it was acting to ensure suitable warning systems were fitted to the Tornado type.
A spokesman said: "This is the first time such a system has been fitted to an existing combat fast jet anywhere in the world." | Two fighter jets came within 300ft (91.4m) of each other near a Moray air station. | 38768929 |
The 28-year-old from Castledawson died after an assault outside a bar and nightclub complex on the Hillhead Road on Sunday morning.
It is understood the accused will appear in court in Londonderry later on Thursday.
Three other men who were also arrested have been released on bail pending further inquiries. | A 24-year-old man has been charged with the murder of James McDonagh near Toomebridge, County Antrim. | 35307358 |
The error - caused by mixing up measurements from older imperial meters with modern metric ones - is thought to have affected thousands of people.
The regulator has ordered gas suppliers to refund any affected customers.
The problem came to light after energy firm E.On discovered that it had overcharged 350 of its customers.
One customer paid too much for 15 years, E.On has admitted.
The company said that all compensation would be worked out on an individual basis.
Those that have been overcharged are people who have imperial meters - which measure gas use in hundreds of cubic feet.
They have been charged as if they had used cubic meters instead.
Some people in the reverse situation have been undercharged, but they will not have to pay any extra.
E.On has identified 250 customers in that position. They should have paid 65% more than they did.
The regulator, Ofgem, believes that several thousand households may have been affected in total.
As a result, all the other energy firms have been ordered to identify any customers who have been overcharged by Friday this week.
"We have written to suppliers and asked them to refund affected customers," an Ofgem spokesperson told the BBC.
Ofgem said the mistake had been caused by human error.
E.On said the 350 customers who had paid too much would be refunded in full, "plus interest and appropriate compensation".
Customers themselves do not need to take any action.
However details on the difference between cubic and metric meters can be found here.
Trade body Energy UK said firms were "working hard" to address the issue.
The trade association, which represents the major energy companies, said "detailed analysis" showed "an extremely small number of accounts" had been affected.
"Any customer affected will be contacted shortly by their supplier and where there has been overcharging, a refund will be issued as quickly as possible," it added. | Some householders have been paying nearly three times too much for their gas, after at least one energy supplier got its maths wrong. | 37079287 |
Either Leo Varadkar or Simon Coveney will become the new Fine Gael leader on Friday 2 June.
Almost certainly, within a fortnight, that person will become taoiseach or Irish prime minister.
Enda Kenny, 66, who was elected taoiseach in 2011, resigned as Fine Gael leader earlier this month.
He will continue as taoiseach until Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament) chooses a successor.
On Sunday night in Cork, Mr Coveney's home city, the party held the last of its four hustings, screened online, for the parliamentary party, local councillors and members to make up their mind.
Until then, the debates had been largely gentlemanly.
However, the gloves briefly came off with Mr Varadkar, the overwhelming favourite, accusing his rival of engaging in "divisive and dishonest" politics.
Mr Coveney, the son of a former Fine Gael minister who died tragically while out walking, accused his opponent of "spending money we don't have".
Mr Varadkar, minister for social protection, is regarded as a centre-right politician aiming his policies at "those who get up early in the morning".
The Housing Minister, Mr Coveney, is seen as more centre-left often reminding his audience that he also cares about those who have nothing to get up for.
Mr Varadkar, a medic and the son of an Indian doctor, denies he lacks compassion saying that there are enough people "misrepresenting" Fine Gael without others in the party also doing so.
Whatever differences the two men have about their political priorities there are realities that limit what they can do.
They are in government with different shades of Independent TDs.
There is a programme for government and understandings that depends, on its very survival, on the main opposition - party Fianna Fail - in motions of confidence and financial matters for two more budgets.
Those voting this week ultimately have to decide whose face on the general election poster is most likely to benefit Fine Gael, knowing that such an election may not be very far off.
The result will be decided by an electoral college.
The 73 members of the parliamentary party comprising of TDs, senators and MEPs have 65% of the vote; 235 local councillors have 10%, while an estimated 21,000 members have a 25% vote-share.
Even before the voting began, so many members of the parliamentary party had pledged their support for Mr Varadkar, meaning he was on about about 45% before a single vote had been counted.
He is also ahead with declared support from those councillors who have expressed an opinion, but the contest among party members is believed to be closer.
The contest has brought out qualities that the public had not seen before in both men.
Mr Varadkar, who revealed that he was gay several months before the same-sex marriage referendum in 2015 is normally seen as shy but was able to joke about his background.
"My mum is from Waterford and my Dad is from India, that's where I get the year-round tan and the funny surname," he said in Cork.
Mr Coveney also showed he could be witty and good humoured.
But it says much about how the state has changed that this once almost white mono-cultural society has increasingly become a rainbow society that will soon almost certainly be led by a rainbow leader. | Voting is under way in the contest to succeed Enda Kenny as leader of Fine Gael, the political party that leads the Republic of Ireland's government. | 40083133 |
It will be the first time doctors have ever removed cover from areas such as A&E and intensive care.
The British Medical Association said it had been left with "no choice" in its fight against the imposition of a new contract in England.
But Mr Gummer said the government could not be "held hostage".
Previous junior doctors strikes have affected only routine care.
But the all-out stoppages - which will take place from 08:00 to 17:00 on 26 and 27 April - will include emergency care.
It will mean consultants being drafted in from other hospital departments to staff emergency care, potentially causing huge disruption to routine services.
Mr Gummer told the House of Commons that "we will do everything in our power to ensure patients are protected," but added "if you withdraw the number of doctors that will be withdrawn by the BMA in this action then there is an increased risk of patient harm".
Labour's Heidi Alexander said this was a "worrying time for patients" and urged ministers to listen to patients and "think again" to avert strike action.
She told the Commons: "The secretary of state may think the matter is closed, I say that is arrogant and dangerous in the extreme.
"This is an awful game of brinkmanship and the government must press the pause button before it is too late."
A full walk-out is unchartered territory for hospitals - and of course raises the risk for patients.
Consultants will have to be drafted in from all across the hospital to staff everything from intensive care and emergency surgery to, of course, A&E. That will undoubtedly mean a mass postponement of routine work.
But perhaps more important is what it means for life-threatening care - the heart attack patients and car accident victims. Greater consultant presence in A&E may mean better, quicker care, as they will be more available to make decisions about what patients need.
In emergency surgery, consultants are helped by junior colleagues. Having more consultants in a theatre should resolve that. But where it becomes less clear is what sort of response patients on wards get if they have a medical emergency.
Normally, junior doctors would be among the first medics called. Without them there, and with consultants and other staff deployed elsewhere, patients could be vulnerable.
Yesterday, BMA junior doctors' leader Dr Johann Malawana said: "No junior doctor wants to take this action, but the government has left us with no choice.
"In refusing to lift imposition and listen to junior doctors' outstanding concerns, the government will bear direct responsibility for the first full walkout of doctors in this country.
"The government is refusing to get back around the table and is ploughing ahead with plans to impose a contract junior doctors have no confidence in and have roundly rejected.
"We want to end this dispute through talks, but the government is making this impossible." | Junior doctors will put patients "in harm's way" by withdrawing emergency care during strikes next month, health minister Ben Gummer has said. | 35890910 |
And, if the past two years have set a precedent, Vladimir Putin will turn up on Sunday and sit with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone proudly overseeing his creation.
The aim? To make the host city the highest-profile and most glamorous resort in the region.
The setting is attractive enough. Sea? Check. Mountains? Check. Theme park? Check.
It's not, though, likely to go down in history as a great grand prix circuit.
The track may wind around the Olympic stadiums, but it is largely featureless - flat, some long straights, some largely right-angled corners, a technical challenge to the drivers but not much more.
One blessing of its ultra-low abrasion surface, though, was a race last year in which drivers could push their tyres hard throughout.
That led to an incident-packed event more obviously on the edge than many others these days. And if that carries on into 2016, and what is intended to be the last year of Pirelli's heat-sensitive, high-degradation tyres, it cannot be a bad thing.
Andrew Benson, chief F1 writer
Russian Grand Prix coverage details
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Never want to miss the latest formula 1 news? You can now add F1 and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home. | The Russian president ensured a reputed $50m a year is paid to make it happen, building on the 2014 Winter Olympics as part of a branding exercise for the Black Sea resort of Sochi. | 36131787 |
Prince Charles, who also had a meeting with leader of the opposition Andrew Little, discussed climate change and issues facing the country.
The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall are on a 12-day tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Day six saw the couple visiting a garden party in New Plymouth on the North Island's western coast.
Despite delays to the day because of travel disruption the Duke and Duchess were met by cheering fans and invited guests at the Tea With Taranaki garden party, including former New Zealand rugby player Peter Burke.
Camilla also took part in traditional arts and crafts while local children performed a haka.
Later Prince Charles crossed the striking Te Rewa Rewa bridge along the region's coastal walkway. The bridge, designed by Peter Mulqueen, is shaped like a whale's skeleton.
He met also met members of a walking club and young surf guards along the area's eight-mile long coastal walkway.
The Duchess carried out her own engagements in the area, including a visit to a museum dedicated to the New Zealand artist Len Lye, famed for his kinetic sculptures.
The couple will end their New Zealand visit on Tuesday morning, before heading to Australia. | The Prince of Wales has met New Zealand Prime Minister John Key for talks in Auckland. | 34763994 |
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The races have been pushed back to Thursday, a scheduled day off.
Rules state that winds between six and 24 knots are required to race.
Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR team will face both New Zealand and France on Thursday, while France will also race Japan, who will then go on to meet defending champions Team Oracle USA.
Team USA lead the standings with New Zealand in second place, ahead of Britain in third, Sweden, France and Japan.
It is the second time in this series that racing has been postponed. Wednesday's event was halted as winds dropped below six knots, and the opening day's racing was delayed because of gale-force winds.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Wednesday's four races in the America's Cup Qualifiers were postponed after organisers decided winds were too light to let sailing go ahead in Bermuda. | 40115063 |
The 25-year-old signed a short-term deal in August when he returned for a second spell at Fratton Park after leaving Dagenham & Redbridge.
His only three appearances for Pompey this season have all come in the group stage of the EFL Trophy.
The former England Under-19 international also previously played for Barnet and Brentford. | Portsmouth goalkeeper Liam O'Brien has extended his contract with the club until the end of the season. | 38575394 |
At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Carly Fiorina captured a lot of airtime, accolades and new fans on the crowded stage of 11 candidates. She claimed the third most speaking time (and interrupted the most). She gained 22,000 Twitter followers. And her rebuttal to Donald Trump's "look at that face" comment lit up the internet with reaction and applause.
"I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said," she told the audience.
She has been slowly gaining traction in the polls but barely made the cut for the main stage Wednesday night to face off with top contenders like Trump, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker.
So, who is she, how did she get here and what challenges lie ahead?
Early life and career
Cara Carleton Sneed was born in 1954 in Austin, Texas. After earning an undergraduate degree at Stanford University and then dropping out of law school, she went to work for AT&T as a sales representative and steadily moved up the ranks.
She met her husband Frank Fiorina at AT&T and became a mother to his two daughters from a previous relationship.
In 1990, she became AT&T's first female senior vice president, then took over a spinoff company called Lucent Technologies, which dramatically increased in value under her watch. In 1998, she was named "The Most Powerful Woman in American Business" by Fortune magazine.
She was named CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company. She oversaw a controversial merger between HP and rival Compaq, which some consider a disaster, leading to 30,000 layoffs and plummeting stock prices.
Fiorina was fired by her board of directors in 2005.
Early political ambition and cancer diagnosis
The year after her ouster, she began working for Republican Senator John McCain's presidential campaign. In 2008, she served as McCain's economic advisor and some wondered if she was material for political office.
Fiorina was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. She underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Two weeks after she completed treatment, she and her husband Frank received word their youngest daughter had died. Fiorina wrote in her book Rising to the Challenge that the death was connected to 35-year-old Lori Ann Fiorina's years-long addiction to alcohol and prescription medication.
Not long after that tragic news, she announced she was running for the US Senate against Barbara Boxer in California. Fiorina won the Republican primary handily, but lost to Boxer in the general election.
Presidential campaign and the road ahead
Fiorina announced her campaign for presidency in May. While initially struggling for significance in the polls, her two debate appearances have substantially buoyed her profile, as has her spat with Trump.
On Wednesday, she harshly attacked Planned Parenthood (she is anti-abortion), told the story of her daughter's death in relation to drug de-criminalisation, and shared her thoughts on foreign policy in regards to Russia and the Middle East. She also defended her record as the CEO of HP, saying that she lead the company through a tough time after the tech bubble burst.
While most pundits seem to agree that Fiorina emerged the clear winner of Wednesday's debate, there is a long road ahead, says Larry J Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He says her relatively tiny campaign war chest and her only credentials being from the world of business are going to become increasingly troublesome.
"Her basic challenge is she has never held public office of any sort," he says. "Her corporate record is going to cause her problems."
Sabato says he and other political analysts like him are inundated by tweets and emails from former HP employees who lost their jobs during her time as CEO.
"They've organised and they're determined to make sure that their story is told," he says. "As you can imagine, they're very anti-Fiorina."
Part of the reason Fiorina is said to have struggled at HP may also play into her ongoing struggles as a candidate - her so-called "likeability," which is a far greater problem for female candidates as opposed to male candidates according to Adrienne Kimmell, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which researches women in elections. Kimmell points out that while Fiorina was praised for her performance, she was almost immediately criticised thereafter for not smiling enough.
"If a voter views a woman as not likeable, they automatically view her as less qualified," she says. "Men don't carry the burden of needing to be liked to be elected."
"I didn't see Marco Rubio crack a smile, but I didn't hear anyone say he didn't seem likeable enough."
Sabato also says that winning a debate hardly translates into winning an election.
"There isn't a direct correlation between debate performance and vote performance," he says. "We need to remember it's a very different process when you get at least to Iowa and New Hampshire." | After the Wednesday evening Republican presidential debate, Carly Fiorina emerged as a clear standout. | 34282816 |
Unless, of course, it's the Conservative Party when it's in the mood.
Just now, the Tories are in more of a mood than they've been since the chaotic days of the Major administration, and possibly since 1990, the year the party hacked down Margaret Thatcher in an orgy of political regicide prompted, naturally, by DNA-deep divisions over Europe.
A surely impossible demand from any senior Conservative for David Cameron to accept his manifesto pledge to reduce net migration into the UK to the tens of thousands is valueless on the ground it's "corrosive of public trust" - in other words because no-one believes it - would be embarrassing enough if delivered in private.
Published in an open letter by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson (Gisela Stuart's a co-signatory, but Labour's internal debate is another story) it amounts to an escalation of a battle that now defies all established principles of government discipline and collective responsibility.
And it does so in a way the prime minister will surely find very difficult to forgive.
Harder still to overlook is the suggestion from once-favoured Employment Minister Priti Patel that the Remain campaign is led by people who are too privileged and rich, too posh, to understand the effect of mass migration on the less well off.
She didn't actually name David Cameron or George Osborne, but it's not immediately apparent which other upper crust, public school and Oxbridge, multi-millionaires at the head of the Remain campaign she might have been referring to.
There is a big argument at the heart of this.
The Leave campaign calculates that worries about mass migration is a raw nerve which cannot be agitated too hard, or too often.
It's their natural advantage, according to all public opinion research and the anecdotal evidence of countless doorstep encounters.
Almost every Labour MP I meet tells me almost every voter they talk to brings it up, which I mention because Labour supporters matter hugely.
Conservative voters are generally judged to lean naturally towards a "Brexit".
In their open letter, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson's simple point is that EU open borders make immigration control impossible.
The Leave campaign needs that point to hit home.
The political cost of such a tactic may be high.
It accelerates a descent into internecine warfare which now threatens to make the Conservative Party ungovernable if the referendum ends in anything but a decisive victory for the Remain campaign.
So bitter has the conflict become, so taut the tension between the rival factions, that angry Eurosceptic Tories talk privately of challenging the prime minister's position even if Britain votes to stay inside the European Union.
One of the most militant MPs, Andrew Bridgen, has gone public.
He told me in an interview for BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics that he believes it "highly likely" at least 50 Tory MPs would sign demands for a vote of no confidence in the PM if the campaign goes on as it has.
More than that, he suggests the Cameron administration could be reduced to what he and others call a "zombie government" by its divided MPs, unable to govern and forced to consider a snap election.
At Westminster, that kind of apocalyptic talk is becoming more common.
Some of the whispering is - and is probably intended to be - hair-raising.
I've heard it suggested that three members of the Cameron administration have become so upset by the tone of campaigning on the Remain side led by the prime minister that they are contemplating resignation, not just from the government, but from the Tory whip, effectively quitting the party.
True? We may never know. But the whispering is becoming feverish.
One MP on the now militant Eurosceptic wing said letters demanding a vote of confidence in the PM had already been submitted to the chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, who's a sort of posh shop-steward for Conservative MPs.
Mr Brady himself is bound by a sacred oath of secrecy where such matters are concerned, so we must wait to find out.
The Sunday Times newspaper carries more mutinous muttering.
Former Environment Secretary Owen Patterson told the paper: "The government now has four weeks to behave properly.
"If they don't, there are risks they will cause long term damage to the Conservative Party."
Another, unnamed MP, puts it more bluntly: "When you tell Tories they are immoral for supporting Brexiteers you are going to get a kick in the nuts."
We'll see, of course. Everything depends on which side wins the referendum, and perhaps on the margin of victory.
Mr Cameron insists he would carry on as prime minister if Britain votes to leave the EU.
The more common view, shared among his closest supporters, is that he would be toast.
If the vote is to remain an EU member, the reaction of Conservative MPs will be more a matter of chemistry than maths.
Angry Eurosceptics (should we be calling them EU-rophobes?) may, or may not, be cross enough and strong enough in numbers to force a vote of confidence in the prime minister.
Even then, winning that vote would be a tall order. It would need the support of 165 MPs. Not easy.
More immediately worrisome, it would need a fraction of that number - just nine Tory MPs - to defeat any government vote in the Commons when combined with all opposition parties.
On a realistic estimate, about 25 Conservatives are now sufficiently irate to press for a vote of no confidence in the PM.
Fewer than half that number could produce the "zombie government" to which Andrew Bridgen referred.
Ministers could be forced to discard any proposal that might meet any serious opposition, governing as if it was a minority, not a majority administration.
Life would suddenly become very difficult.
So a vote to remain could be a Pyrrhic victory if the margin is tight.
And until we know the outcome on Friday 24 June, this self-destructive struggle is likely to intensify before it calms again - assuming, that is, the party is not already broken beyond repair. | Anyone who's followed politics for any length of time knows no party's more prone to suicidal bouts of indiscipline than the Labour Party. | 36407446 |
To many it was obvious that the owner, who protested that his restaurant was a franchise of a Turkish company and not of the American chain, had clearly misjudged the current mood.
Iran is still far from opening up for business with the outside world.
In the past few weeks hardliners have launched a rearguard action against President Hassan Rouhani, whom they suspect of trying to steer the country towards the West and in particular the US following the recent nuclear deal.
They accuse the US, for its part, of conspiring against Iran using agents who have "infiltrated" various institutions of power to make a comeback in their country.
Anti-American rhetoric has been stepped up in all areas of public life.
And ahead of this month's annual commemoration of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, a huge new poster appeared in central Tehran in which the famous US Iwo Jima image was manipulated to show US troops planting a flag on a hill of dead bodies.
As might be expected, the hardliners have provided no evidence to back up their claims. Instead they cite the words of their ideologue, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Soon after the nuclear agreement with the US and other big powers in Vienna that sought to limit Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling international sanctions, he took aim at the US.
"The Americans want to use these [nuclear] talks and the agreement as a means to infiltrate Iran," Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time. "We have stopped this before and we will stop all their future attempts too. We will not allow them to infiltrate our economy or subvert our political system or our culture," he added.
Hardliners, who control many centres of power including the judiciary, the police, the Revolutionary Guard, the intelligence agencies and the state broadcaster have used their Supreme Leader's words to justify a fresh crackdown.
They have arrested several prominent journalists without saying why, although on state television their mouthpieces have accused the journalists of being "agents of US infiltration".
President Rouhani has hit back, saying the arrests smacked of attempts by one faction to silence another. He has also cut off state subsidies to hardline newspapers that have been campaigning against the nuclear deal.
His comments have received almost no coverage in the state-controlled media but they have not gone entirely unheard.
In parliament, an unusually outspoken but conservative MP, Ali Motahari, criticised the arrests as part of a new wave of attacks to intimidate and muzzle the press.
The head of the all-important Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, also said the aim of the campaign was to eliminate factional rivals.
Hardliners in the judiciary have also arrested two businessmen.
One is Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese IT expert who travelled to Iran on an official invitation from the government to take part in a symposium and the other is Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based Iranian-American consultant.
Both have been held in recent weeks on unspecified charges.
Their arrests have sent a strong signal to the business community abroad that the trade and investment climate has not yet changed as a result of the nuclear deal.
The hardliners are deeply unhappy with the deal, which they believe has deprived Iran of the possibility of building a nuclear weapon at least for the foreseeable future.
They are also worried that President Rouhani's policy of building bridges with the outside world will lead Iran to a more pro-Western atmosphere and will ultimately strengthen his position internally.
President Rouhani proudly describes the nuclear agreement as an achievement but hardliners disagree. "What is there to be proud of in the deal?" asked Iran's head of judiciary, Sadeq Larijani, a senior cleric, this week.
The hardliners have been compelled to go along with the nuclear agreement because Ayatollah Khamenei reluctantly approved it.
He is on the record as saying he accepted the deal only because he wanted to see international sanctions lifted - sanctions that had crippled the economy and threatened the stability of the Islamic regime.
He also banned Iranian government officials from holding any talks with the US on other issues, such as the war in Syria or co-operation in the fight against the so-called Islamic State.
But expediency led him to change his mind when he quietly gave his blessing to Iran joining the talks on Syria, organised by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry.
This has brought a degree of confusion to the hardliners. They don't know whether to criticise the Syria talks or praise them.
But they are watching eagle-eyed as President Rouhani embarks on an official visit to Italy and France next week.
Tensions are already surfacing with reports of friction between Iranian and French officials over whether wine could be served at an official lunch for President Rouhani.
This mirrors a similar row almost exactly 16 years ago when Iran's then-president, the reformist Mohammad Khatami, visited France.
Then, as now, the capacity of a moderate Iranian president to effect change either at home or internationally remains severely curtailed by the need to counter constant pressure from the hardliners. | When police and judiciary officials turned up last week in north Tehran to shut down a newly opened restaurant billed as the city's first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, few Iranians were surprised. | 34793719 |
Evan Mosey scored the winner with four minutes, 25 seconds of overtime left, two days after the Panthers had beaten the Welsh side 6-1 in the Elite League.
The victory keeps alive Corey Neilson's fourth-placed Panthers side's hopes of a league-and-cup double this season.
It was a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions for Cardiff.
The Panthers had the best chance in a cagey first 20 minutes when Robert Lachowicz hit the side-netting with the Devils on a powerplay midway through the period.
Cardiff, who beat Sheffield Steelers 2-1 in last year's final, improved in the second period with player-coach Andrew Lord shooting narrowly wide.
The Welsh side, second in the Elite League behind leaders Sheffield, applied plenty of pressure in the final period of regulation time, but could not find the breakthrough.
The Panthers came agonisingly close to finding a sudden-death winner with Stephen Schultz and Brad Moran both striking the woodwork, while Devils' Ben Bowns made a string of fine saves.
But Cardiff's netminder could do nothing to stop Mosey's powerful, long-distance strike into the top corner, as the game threatened to go to penalty shots.
The Devils had beaten Belfast Giants 8-4 on aggregate in the last four while hosts Nottingham saw off Sheffield Steelers to reach the final.
Nottingham now travel to Coventry Blaze in the league on Wednesday, 9 March.
Cardiff's next game is against Belfast Giants in the Elite League on Saturday, 12 March - the Devils' first match at their new home, the Ice Arena Wales. | Nottingham Panthers saw off defending champions Cardiff Devils in overtime to lift the Challenge Cup for the sixth time in seven years in Sheffield. | 35716850 |
Edmund, 21, defeated Czech Rosol, 30, in one hour and 44 minutes.
Aljaz Bedene, Britain's number two, went out of the Barcelona Open, losing 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to Russian qualifier Karen Khachanov in the first round.
Britain's Johanna Konta lost 6-3 6-3 to Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round of the Stuttgart Open. | British number three Kyle Edmund reached the second round of the Nastase Tiriac Trophy with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory over Lukas Rosol. | 36074119 |
John Michael Pio Roda denied receiving over $1m (£645,000) from the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) for a 31 December concert hosted by the sect for which Brown failed to show up.
Mr Roda has been held at the capital's Bureau of Immigration detention facility for nearly two weeks.
His legal counsel described his arrest as "Gestapo-like."
Brown failed to attend the show in question due to a lost passport.
Iglesia-linked local concert producers Maligaya Development Corp. have asked the justice department to file criminal fraud charges against Brown and Mr Roda, saying they had been advanced their million-dollar fee.
Mr Roda's lawyers said in a statement: "To hold Mr Pio Roda accountable for the entire one million dollars... is not only without legal or factual basis but is a travesty of justice and a continued violation of human rights."
They said Mr Roda, in fact, received $45,000 (£29,000) and that he and Brown received another $578,750 (£372,737) in advance from another company.
Brown was stopped from leaving the Philippines by the immigration bureau for three days in July over the row, having returned to play another show.
"Can somebody please tell me what... is going on? I don't know. I'm reading headline after headline," Brown said in a video that has since been removed from his Instagram account.
"I didn't do nothing," he said in a second video post, while raising both hands in the air.
He got down on his knees and begged the authorities, saying "Please, please, let us leave, please."
Although Brown was later allowed to the leave the country, the fraud complaint hearings against the R&B singer will proceed. | Chris Brown's promoter has refuted claims he defrauded an influential religious sect in the Philippines. | 33817814 |
Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat found in Ardnamurchan suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
In a report published by Antiquity, archaeologists describe the finds including a sword, spearhead and 213 of the boat's rivets.
The weapons indicate the burial of "a warrior of high status".
Archaeologists, including Dr Oliver Harris of the University of Leicester, first revealed the discovery at Swordle Bay in 2011.
Since then experts have been studying the burial site and its "rich assemblage of grave goods".
Among them were a single copper alloy ringed pin, thought to have been used to fasten a burial cloak or shroud, a broad bladed axe, a shield boss and whetstone made from rock found in Norway.
Also found were mineralised remains of textiles and wood.
The burial, close to a Neolithic burial cairn, dates back to the 10th Century.
In the report, the archaeologists said: "The Ardnamurchan boat burial represents the first excavation of an intact Viking boat burial by archaeologists on the UK mainland, and it makes a significant addition to our knowledge of burial practices from this period." | The excavation of a rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland has been set out in detail for the first time. | 38730046 |
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City, who reached the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday, take a 5-3 lead to Monaco for the return leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.
Guardiola's side, third in the table, then host fourth-placed Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, 19 March.
City are 10 points behind leaders Chelsea with 11 matches left.
Guardiola's most realistic chances of success in his first season in charge of City are in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
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"The Monaco game and against Liverpool before the international break will define our season," Guardiola told BBC Sport.
"Every game you play, you have to play well, try to win and show the opponent you are there to win.
"It's the only way you can improve as a club with a good mentality, and that is what I am going to try in my period here.
"It doesn't matter the competition, no complaints, no regrets. Go there and try to win the game."
City's scheduled home league match with West Brom on 22 April will have to be rearranged following their latest FA Cup win.
The FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled to take place at Wembley on 22-23 April. | Manchester City are facing a week that will "define our season", according to manager Pep Guardiola. | 39245423 |
Trevor Gray, 49, of Watnall, Nottinghamshire was found not guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of the rape of a 43-year-old woman.
The former detective sergeant was sentenced to eight years in jail in 2012 but the verdict was quashed in 2013.
A jury cleared Mr Gray in a unanimous verdict after the four-day retrial.
The former detective, who had 25 years experience with the force, was accused of rape by a woman in July 2011.
He was suspended and subsequently dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police.
Det Supt Jackie Alexander of Nottinghamshire Police said: "We take any report of sexual assault and rape extremely seriously and have a duty to investigate such allegations, whoever they are made against.
"The CPS considered it appropriate for this case to be prosecuted through the criminal justice system and having been presented to a jury over four days they have considered the evidence and made a decision to acquit Trevor Gray.
"At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further pending the outcome of his appeal to be reinstated and today's acquittal." | A former Nottinghamshire detective has been cleared of rape following a retrial. | 26079983 |
It said those travelling to the continent should take plenty of food and water and check with travel operators before starting out.
The Port of Dover says roads are clear and it is not expecting severe delays.
Last weekend drivers queued for up to 14 hours because of extra French security checks.
Latest information from BBC Travel
Traffic going to the Port of Dover traffic should use the M20/A20, while drivers not planning to cross the channel should consider routes such as the B2011, A256 or A258, which may not be suitable for HGVs, KCC advised.
The Port of Dover said anyone travelling to the port should be "properly prepared".
KCC said it has delivered 52,300 2-litre bottles of water to the Dover coastguard from where it can be distributed to delayed motorists if necessary.
Writing on the Conservative Home website on Thursday, Charlie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover and Deal, said: "It seems every summer there is travel chaos in Kent.
"If this happened at Heathrow there would be uproar.
"But it's somehow seen as okay for tens of thousands of holidaymakers and truckers to be stuck in the sweltering heat all day long without water, food, information or toilet facilities," he wrote.
"You can't help but get the impression that travelling from the Channel Ports is looked down upon and far less of a priority than the elite jet-set." | Motorists heading towards Dover are being advised by Kent County Council (KCC) to prepare for possible delays and congestion. | 36922772 |
Shares in the biggest US car maker rose more than 2% after it raised its 2016 earnings forecast by 25 cents to between $5.25 and $5.75 per share.
GM also plans to raise its stock buyback programme by 80% to $9bn and extend it to the end of 2017.
In total it plans to give $16bn back to shareholders by the end of 2017.
GM executive Mary Barra said: "We made significant progress executing our strategic plan and the results are being demonstrated through our improved earnings."
Shares in rival car maker Ford fell more than 3.5% after it said US margins could hit a plateau of 9.5%.
Ford said on Tuesday it would give a special $1bn dividend, and that it expects pre-tax profit of between $10bn and $11bn in 2015.
But this figure was at the lower end of analyst expectations.
"Their guidance is in line or below what was expected," said Matthew Stover of Susquehanna Financial. | General Motors (GM) shares have jumped after the firm said it would be more profitable and return more money to shareholders. | 35303790 |
The 43-year-old Scot was formerly assistant to Ashley Giles, who is now coach of England's limited overs side.
The Bears won the County Championship last summer, but Brown insisted there would be no resting on laurels.
"Last year's success is now just that - as champions every other team will be looking to take our scalp so we need to be better prepared than ever," he said.
Graeme Welch will be Brown's assistant, with former wicket-keeper Tony Frost doubling up as first-team batting coach and second XI coach.
"It is a real honour for me to be given this opportunity to lead Warwickshire Cricket with the strong coaching support of Graeme Welch and Tony Frost.
"As a club and as a squad we are in a good place at the moment but we are very determined to deliver sustained success on the pitch. This will only be achieved if we keep working hard, stick together and perform consistently," Brown told the club's website.
He played alongside Giles in the successful Warwickshire side of the 1990s and also represented both England and Scotland at international level, as well as coaching Namibia at the 2003 World Cup.
The club began their search for a new director of cricket when Giles left Edgbaston last November.
Chief executive Colin Povey confirmed that both internal and external candidates had been considered, but said Brown's appointment would ensure continuity and ensure "established cricket policies and processes remain in place".
He added: "Dougie knows the club and the current crop of players as well as anyone, so he is well placed to take the squad forward."
As champions, Warwickshire will begin the new county season by facing an MCC XI in a four-day curtain-raiser in Abu Dhabi, starting on 24 March.
They open the defence of their title on 10 April when they take on newly promoted Derbyshire at Edgbaston. | Warwickshire have named former all-rounder Dougie Brown as their new director of cricket. | 21273750 |
The discovery was made in undergrowth at the Tesco Extra store in North Harbour at about 11:00 GMT.
A Hampshire spokeswoman said a cordon was in place to protect the area.
"At this current time we are unable to confirm any further details as investigations are at a very early stage," she added.
Police said a post-mortem examination of the human remains has been carried out but no further details have been released. | Human remains have been found next to a supermarket petrol station in Portsmouth. | 35767251 |
Scientists are waiting for the first new data to begin flowing from the underground particle smasher, paving the way to a new era in physics.
On Wednesday, the vast machine clattered proton beams together at much higher energies than were achieved during its first run in 2010-2013.
This should allow physicists to hunt for signs of new scientific phenomena.
Situated 100m beneath tranquil countryside on the Franco-Swiss border, the particle smasher operated by Cern has already carried out test collisions at the energy of 13 trillion electron volts (TeV), up from a high mark of 8 TeV achieved during the machine's first run.
Now, with the first "physics collisions", scientists can begin their work.
At 0940, operators at the control room in Geneva guided two stable beams of proton particles around the LHC before slamming them into one another at designated points along the 27km-long underground ring.
Huge detectors stationed at these positions began recording the energetic smash-ups, capturing the information necessary to eventually identify exotic new particles in the sub-atomic wreckage.
Cern's outgoing director-general, Rolf Heuer, congratulated staff, but cautioned against expecting too much in the way of results, too early, saying: "It's not going to happen tomorrow... be patient."
But he explained: "We are living through a fantastic moment."
Fabiola Gianotti, the director-general elect, added: "A higher energy will allow us to address the great outstanding questions in particle physics."
Sergio Bertolucci, Cern's head of research, commented: "We have the best ship in the world, we have the best crew - now we are ready to go on the next exploration."
He added: "We are going into a vastly uncharted space and there could be big surprises."
Operators encountered problems with the machine earlier on Wednesday morning, and at one stage, the proton beams were lost. But they overcame these technical issues to begin the first collisions.
During its initial run, the LHC bagged the Higgs boson - the last missing piece in the Standard Model, which has been the predominant theory of particle physics since the 1970s. But the boost in energy is vital for punching through to a new domain where further discoveries about the Universe are possible.
"This period is really when we start to get the first significant data from the 13 TeV collisions. It is a bit like turning on a tap, but this is just the start," Dan Tovey, professor of particle physics at the University of Sheffield, UK, told BBC News.
"Over the next few months, the rate of collisions will increase very significantly, so that by the middle of the summer we'll have sufficient data that we can begin breaking new ground in our searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model, that we couldn't probe with the previous run of the LHC."
Early discoveries could include hitherto unseen "partner" particles to those in the Standard Model that are part of a scheme known as supersymmetry, or SUSY.
Many physicists had hoped to detect hints of SUSY before the LHC's shutdown in early 2013, but with no evidence having been found so far, a major theoretical re-think has been required, with some variants of the scheme being tossed on the bonfire.
Prof Tovey says this had a "big impact" on the field, but adds "there is a huge region of parameter space that is still allowed and so hopes of a discovery are high". Like many particle physicists, he thinks supersymmetry is the best current framework for explaining some of the limitations of the Standard Model.
One of the first supersymmetric particles to be detected might be one called the gluino. Another novel addition to the zoo of cosmic building blocks might be the particle responsible for dark matter, which makes up some 27% of the Universe.
Because dark matter is expected to be "invisible" at sub-atomic as well as astronomical scales, physicists will have to look for indirect evidence of its production. One of the key signs that dark matter may have been generated is an apparent imbalance in momentum before and after a particle collision known as "missing transverse energy".
"If you see such a signature at the LHC which can't be explained by Standard Model physics, what that's perhaps telling you is that you're turning normal matter into dark matter. If that's the case, the LHC would be acting as a dark matter factory, which is quite a neat idea," said Dan Tovey.
The boost to collisions at 13 TeV has been made possible after a two-year programme of repairs and upgrades, including the re-soldering of thousands of connections between the LHC's superconducting magnets after flaws were found.
"We did changes, upgrades and modifications to the machine to make it run at higher energies," Paul Collier, the head of Cern's beam department, told BBC News.
"The thing about the LHC is that you are dealing with many different systems, but they all have to work together to ensure they're playing the same tune."
Over the coming months, he said, "we will slowly bring up the collision rate, but it needs to be done in stable conditions".
The proton beams in the LHC contain as much energy as a speeding train, but each beam contains billions of particles - only a fraction of which will collide at the crossing points.
The energy of two protons colliding in the LHC is equivalent to that of a dozen mosquitoes in flight. But the extraordinary thing about this machine is that the energy is packed into a minuscule space, billions of times smaller than the humble mozzie.
In this way, the collider is able to recreate energy densities close to those that existed just after the Big Bang - allowing physicists to probe the very fabric of the cosmos.
Follow Paul on Twitter. | The Large Hadron Collider has re-started scientific investigations after a two-year pause. | 32976838 |
They will play the USA, who beat Germany 3-0, while Belarus will face Switzerland in the other semi-final.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova is recovering from hand surgery following a knife attack in her home in December.
"Of course this was for her," said Czech world number 17 Barbora Strycova.
"We hope she comes back and we will welcome her with open arms. We are thinking about her every day and we were talking to her."
The tie was level at 1-1 after the opening day in Ostrava.
The Czech Republic lost Sunday's doubles rubber but world number three Karolina Pliskova beat French Open champion Garbine Muguruza 6-2 6-2 before Strycova beat Lara Arruabarrena 6-4 6-4 to seal their semi-final place.
Coco Vandeweghe beat Andrea Petkovic 3-6 6-4 6-0 as the USA whitewashed Germany in Hawaii to reach their first semi-final since 2010.
Belarus, who were without two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka as she gave birth in December, beat the Netherlands 4-1, while Switzerland beat France 3-1.
The semi-finals will be played on 22-23 April.
Great Britain will find out who they will play from Chinese Taipei, Romania, Italy or Australia when the draw for April's World Cup II play-offs is made on Tuesday. | Defending Fed Cup champions the Czech Republic beat Spain 3-2 to reach the semi-finals for the ninth successive year and dedicated the win to the absent Petra Kvitova. | 38951713 |
Gavin Moore, 40, was with a group of cyclists on the Newtownards Road, Conlig, when the crash happened on Tuesday afternoon.
They were all members of the North Down Cycling Club. Two other cyclists suffered injuries which are not life-threatening.
A 59-year-old man arrested at the scene has been released on bail.
In a post on Facebook, North Down Cycling Club said it was sending condolences to Mr Moore's wife, children and the wider family circle.
Police have appealed for anyone travelling in the area at the time to contact them with any information about the collision. | A cyclist has died after being involved in a collision with a car in Newtownards, County Down. | 40576123 |
James Dwerryhouse suffered brain damage as a result of cardiac arrest following an operation at Portland Hospital in central London on 25 August last year.
A serious incident report found the equipment monitoring him overnight was turned off for almost three hours.
The hospital said it was "co-operating with all investigations".
Police have said his death is "deemed to be non-suspicious".
James suffered from numerous health conditions including sleep apnoea which can cause life-threatening stoppages in breathing.
He had been in hospital for an operation to create a colostomy bag.
The operation was a success but he was later found unresponsive in his bed at the private hospital's paediatric intensive care unit.
He was transferred to the Treehouse Hospice in Suffolk but died the next day.
The hospital's report found the root cause of James' death "appears to be the removal of vital signs monitoring between 01:15 and 03:58, as this resulted in the inability to be alerted to a suspected deterioration in the child's respiratory condition and reducing oxygen saturations."
The report also found hospital staff working that night:
James's family have launched legal action against HCA Healthcare UK, the owners of Portland Hospital.
His mother Marguerite called her son's death "completely heart-breaking".
"Only days earlier, he'd been to a summer club and he'd been chasing around, up and down the slides and having a great time," she said.
A Portland spokesman said the hospital is "co-operating with all investigations, and we are unable to comment further until they are completed."
A statement from Scotland Yard said officers "are undertaking inquiries on behalf of the coroner".
"The death is deemed to be non-suspicious. No one has been arrested," it said.
An inquest has yet to be held, solicitors for the family have said. | A seven-year-old boy died at a private hospital after vital equipment needed to monitor his sleep apnoea was switched off, a report says. | 39155682 |
Some students at Mirfield Free Grammar have said they no longer have access to facilities to pray inside the building.
The school, near Huddersfield, said it was "a broadly Christian Academy" and sixth form students could leave the site to attend a mosque.
A solicitor representing the pupils and families said the next step depended on the school's further response.
Yunus Lunat said: "It's a management issue. It should never have got to this stage, it's been going on for more than a year and I'm amazed that it's not been resolved.
"The problem is that they are told they cannot pray within the school building and so they've met the challenge - which is part of life - by going outside of the school on the grass verge or on the concrete and that has resulted in disciplinary warnings issued to children."
The students told BBC Look North that up until September 2014 Muslim students at the academy had access to prayer mats and space indoors where they could pray.
The pupils said the option was "withdrawn without explanation" and now they had no choice but to worship outside.
Pupils said travelling to the nearest mosque, praying and then travelling back to school would make them late for subsequent lessons.
In a statement, the school's executive principal Lorraine Barker said: "We are a broadly Christian Academy and have never had a prayer room.
"Before students join the sixth form, we make them aware of the facilities we have on site and we make it clear we do not have a prayer room.
"Sixth form students are welcome to leave the site to attend their own mosque, however, local mosques have offered their facilities to them if this is more convenient."
Mr Lunat said he believed there was a case he could take to court "otherwise I wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be doing this".
The Department for Education said it was a matter for the school to deal with. | A school may face legal action from a group of sixth form students who claim they have been forced to pray outside. | 34995250 |
Here is a list of all the local authorities that run crematoriums in the UK - showing their prices for a daytime adult cremation from 2010-11, 2015-16 and the percentage change.
Different councils provide different services for the basic fee listed below.
Where 2015-16 figures were unavailable the 2014-15 figures have been used (marked with *).
Angus Council is listed but now no longer carries out cremations.
Lewisham, North Lincolnshire, Salford City and Wakefield run crematoriums but have not responded to the BBC's Freedom Of Information request.
Find your local authority below: | The average cost of a cremation at a public crematorium has risen since 2010, according to a BBC Freedom of Information request. | 33862761 |
Stephen Thomas Hughes, 29, and Shaunean Boyle, 25, are jointly accused of murdering Owen Creaney at Moyraverty Court, Craigavon, in July 2014.
On Tuesday, the court heard transcripts of police interviews conducted after they found Mr Creaney's body in a bin.
In them, she described the moment when Mr Hughes told her he had died.
Ms Boyle, from Edenderry Park, Banbridge, said she was shocked, "gobsmacked" and described going into the room to look at his body.
It was "pure yellow", she said and she could not look at him.
In the interviews, she repeatedly denied having anything to do with putting Mr Creaney's remains into the bin.
The investigating officer asked how she felt and she replied: "Disgusted. "
Owen Creaney was her friend, she said, and she would not like that done to her son.
Mr Creaney, a disabled man who used a walking aid, was assaulted in the hallway of Mr Hughes's Moyraverty Court home in the early hours of 3 July, 2014.
It took two days for him to die. His body was then dumped into a recycling bin.
Both Ms Boyle and Mr Hughes, whose address was given as Maghaberry Prison, have admitted being present during the attack.
However, both have denied murder and have blamed each other for the violence.
The murder trial at Belfast Crown Court continues. | A woman jointly accused of murdering a man and dumping his body in a bin has said she was "gobsmacked" to hear he was dead. | 37617258 |
But as ever with big political set-piece statements, the real crunching of the numbers takes some time. Some of those details just released by the independent think-tank the Resolution Foundation, make abundantly clear that the same kind of families still stand to lose out in the longer term.
While existing claimants to Tax Credits won't lose in cash terms, once the welfare cuts work their way through, the foundation says similar working households in future on Universal Credit, a different system that will wrap in lots of different payments, will lose an average of £1,200 in 2020, rising to £1,300 for those with children.
For some families, they assert, the loss will be as much as £3,000. But the Treasury contends by the time this squeeze on welfare comes to fruition, higher wages and other changes should help the same kind of people.
The foundation, which is led by the former Labour adviser Torsten Bell, but chaired by the former Cabinet minister David Willetts, has also worked out that families at the bottom half will lose on average, £650 from all of the changes made in the Summer Budget and the Autumn Statement.
As the number crunching continues, the independent IFS hast just released their assessments of the U-turn. Paul Johnson, its boss says: "People will be protected in cash terms even as they roll off tax credits and on to Universal Credit. But the long term generosity of the welfare system will be cut just as much as was ever intended as new claimants will receive significantly lower benefits than they would have done before the July changes."
But, while many families stand to lose under that new system, others stand to gain. Johnson says: "Universal Credit will now involve 2.6 million working families being an average of £1,600 a year worse off than they would have been under the current system while 1.9 million will be £1,400 a year better off."
George Osborne bowed to the political pressure yesterday, and delighted some of his colleagues with the flourish of his reversal. Letters with grim news will no longer be landing on doormats before Christmas.
But this work shows clearly that in the longer term, the government, as it would say it was elected to do, is making very significant changes and reductions to spending on welfare, and for some of the kinds of lower income families who stood to lose from tax credit cuts, will still end up with significantly less support from the state. | George Osborne was in the end not just for turning, but for totally reversing his position on those controversial tax credits that were set to hit millions of working families. | 34930480 |
The man died outside TJ Hughes in the Trongate at about 09:10.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said that, following a post-mortem examination, his death was being treated as unexplained.
However, she said there were no suspicious circumstances. | Police are investigating the death of a man in Glasgow city centre. | 39340339 |
2 October 2015 Last updated at 07:09 BST
This is something that hasn't been achieved since a woman called Amy Johnson made the journey in 1942.
Amazingly, Curtis-Taylor is now planning to make the 13,000 mile flight in the same type of old aircraft that Amy flew in.
She will fly across 23 countries, making 50 refuelling stops and only use the basic flying instruments that were used 70 years ago.
She hopes to land down in Sydney, Australia in 2016. | Tracey Curtis-Taylor is a pilot who is attempting to become only the second ever female to fly single-handedly from Britain to Australia. | 34419209 |
John Kerr, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, was asked by the boy's mother to look after the child on 6 November 2015.
On leaving a pub and returning to the house after a one-hour absence, Kerr found police had been alerted after the tearful child had called 999.
Kerr admitted wilfully abandoning a child in his care in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard that the boy dialled 999 after he could not find Kerr.
The seven-year-old was tearful when he told an emergency operator that he only had his pets for company.
Officers went to the property and were able to re-assure the schoolboy before one climbed in through a window and comforted him.
Kerr later returned under the influence of alcohol and claimed he had gone for food for the child.
He later conceded he had visited a bar and had stayed away longer than he had intended. | A 50-year-old man has been fined £280 for leaving a seven-year-old boy at home to go to the pub. | 35540553 |
When the adult female was finally captured north of Brisbane on Tuesday, she was also carrying a baby kangaroo, Australia Zoo said in a statement.
Doctors performed surgery to remove the arrow, which came very close to her skull and brain.
The kangaroo and her joey (baby) were released back into the wild after the operation.
The animal was captured by Australia Zoo and the RSPCA near Toorbul and taken to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for treatment.
The arrow "actually grazed the skull and came millimetres from her eye socket and optical nerves", the Australia Zoo statement said.
It said the animal was sedated from when she arrived until when she was released back into the wild.
"She wouldn't have even known she was there, but she will be waking up in the wild much more comfortably without the arrow," the statement said.
"This type of deliberate cruelty towards animals is horrific, illegal and could have caused a certain slow, painful death for this mother kangaroo and her young joey." | A kangaroo has survived for four days with an arrow lodged in her head after being shot in Queensland, Australia. | 33160713 |
The measures are among five recommendations put forward by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) to tackle the growing obesity crisis.
About 61% of Scots admit they need to eat more healthily, up 10% in a year.
FSS said the issue was costing the Scottish economy £2.37bn a year and that tougher regulation was needed.
They want to see curbs on the promotion of unhealthy foods and drinks sold outside the home in a bid to improve Scotland's diet.
However, the FSS also said it recognised the need for support and assistance for smaller food businesses.
FSS chairman Ross Finnie said: "There has been some concrete progress over the past year from Food Standards Scotland, government and industry to address the deep-seated problems with Scotland's diet, and there have been some positive steps in the right direction.
"However, given we've been missing our dietary goals in Scotland since these were first set more than 20 years ago, it's clear that moves towards improving Scotland's diet need to be more rapid, more robust and more effective."
Mr Finnie said food consumed outside the home had a "vital role to play" in helping Scots be healthier.
He added: "In our view, regulation would create a level playing field for industry, and without it, we face the very real prospect of increasing diet-related ill health and unsustainable burdens on the NHS and our economy." | Calorie labelling, smaller portions sizes and healthy options should be available to anyone eating out, according to Scotland's food watchdog. | 39204156 |
Visits to GPs and hospital admissions have all increased with 277 patients being confirmed since mid-December, mostly in hospitals and care homes.
At least 3,000 people have also visited their GP with flu-like symptoms.
But the proportion is still classed within low activity for the winter season.
Nevertheless, public health doctors have urged at "at risk" groups to get flu vaccines, with less than half of those under 65 taking them up so far.
Dr Richard Roberts, head of the vaccine preventable disease programme at Public Health Wales, said, "Recent figures suggest that this winter will be the busiest flu season Wales has seen for several years.
"Most viruses being detected are influenza A (H3N2) viruses, which particularly affect the elderly and adults in at-risk groups.
"Influenza B viruses are also being detected, which usually affect children more than adults. "
Children aged two to four have been offered a nasal spray flu vaccine.
There have been 23.4 consultations with patients per 100,000 in the population, according to the latest figures.
This is higher in patients aged 35-44 years of age (38.6 per 100,000).
Normal seasonal activity is around the 25 per 100,000 mark. | The number of patients being treated for flu in Wales is now the highest for four years, according to the latest figures for Public Health Wales. | 30778651 |
Farmer Robert Fidler 66, built the four-bedroom home near Redhill, Surrey, without planning permission.
He was told on Monday he would be jailed for his "defiance" if the property was not demolished by June.
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council said it would send in the bulldozers if Mr Fidler did not knock down the house.
Mr Fidler would have to repay the council's costs.
"We don't have choice - ultimately we have to ensure that these notices are complied with," said planning committee chairman Mark Brunt.
"On 6 June we expect the site to be clear and the building to be gone."
Mr Fidler told the High Court he had sold the house at Honeycrock Farm in Salfords to an Indian businessman and that the injunction ordering demolition was invalid.
The house was built on greenbelt land between 1999 and 2006. The council first ordered its demolition in 2007.
Mr Fidler claimed the council wanted to destroy his life and that its case was based on lies and deception.
The council said there was another house on the farm where Mr Fidler and his family used to live.
"I urge him to come and continue to talk to the council and look at realistic options for providing accommodation for his family on the site," said Mr Brunt.
Planning law expert Martin Goodall said Mr Fidler had reached the end of the road and would have to demolish the house.
"There are very strong policies against building isolated houses in the greenbelt or open countryside and local authorities cannot allow it," he said. | A council is standing by to demolish a mock-Tudor castle built behind a stack of hay bales if its owner fails to comply with enforcement notices. | 34777566 |
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The defender scored his first goal since November 2011 when he thrashed in from six yards just before half-time after Wilfried Zaha had played him in.
Spurs went close on several occasions, with Dele Alli's first-half shot striking both posts.
Harry Kane had two strikes brilliantly pushed away by keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Palace, who are in the FA Cup last eight for the first time since 1995, are at Championship side Reading in the next round.
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Discipline. The one thing the Spurs backline surprisingly lacked at White Hart Lane.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are the stingiest in the Premier League - having only conceded 20 times - but the defending was shambolic at times today.
There was Kyle Walker's headed backpass that was clawed off the line by Michel Vorm, then there was the failure to track Joe Ledley, who was unlucky not to score.
The Spurs defence also stood still as Yohan Cabaye's delivery flashed across the six-yard area. So perhaps Kelly thought this would be as good a day as any to end a 1,545-day scoring drought.
Like Ledley, he was left free to run into the area and convert a carefully-weighted ball from Zaha.
Key Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld was left on the bench for Sunday's tie. Pochettino might think twice before doing that again, as his team focus success in the Premier League and Europa League.
DDLLLLLDL - Palace's last nine league results. The FA Cup has been a competition that has provided solace for Alan Pardew's side.
The Eagles rediscovered that dogged spirit that saw them reach fifth in late December.
Unlike Spurs, Pardew elected to play his general in defence, Scott Dann. He held the defensive wall together as it faced a barrage of attacks that increased in frequency as the match wore on.
Hennessey was exceptional in keeping out two Kane efforts and Cabaye blocked an Alli header on the line. They also rode their luck in the first half when Alli's sidefoot shot came off both posts before it was cleared by Joel Ward.
It is unlikely the Eagles will be dragged into the relegation fight, so perhaps they can increase their focus on winning this competition, which would be their first major trophy in the club's history.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew: "We've had a tough run, with a lot of injuries, but we have them back now and look like we're back to ourselves.
"Wilfried set the goal up and he was terrific from that moment forward. We had some great performances out there. We learnt our lessons from two previous meetings with Spurs. We worked on shape and they delivered it.
"It was a victory that was well earned on the training ground.
"No-one's ever won it without a little bit of luck. We've beaten three Premier League teams to get here. We hope the draw is kind to us."
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "It was tough. It's like a Premier League game but you need to be clinical in front of goal. We managed the game, created chances but it was difficult to win.
"There was no tiredness. If we analysed the game we played better but you need to score. It's hard to explain.
"It's a tough period for us. We have a crazy schedule but now we need to look forward to be ready for next Thursday [v Fiorentina].
"It's impossible to know if losing here will help us in the long ruin. Now we feel disappointed because we're out."
Tottenham are at home to Fiorentina in the second leg of their last-32 Europa League tie on Thursday with the score poised at 1-1, and Palace are away at West Brom next Saturday in the Premier League.
Have you added News Alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the My Alerts menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add score alerts for your favourite football team, the Six Nations, and more. | Crystal Palace ended Tottenham's hopes of a treble as Martin Kelly's first-half strike sent the Eagles into the last eight of the FA Cup. | 35572137 |
Dawn Butler told BBC 5 Radio Live she was in a members-only lift when an unnamed Commons member told her: "This lift really isn't for cleaners."
The Labour MP for Brent Central said it had been one of "so many incidents" of racism she had encountered while in Parliament.
The 46-year-old became an MP in 2005 and was re-elected last year.
More on this story and other news from London
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said that for Ms Butler to be confronted in such a manner was "ridiculous" as "she was elected years ago" and "gets up and speaks" in the chamber.
Ms Butler, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has previously described other instances of racism in the Commons.
Writing for the Fawcett Society in 2008, she said she was once confronted by a former minister who queried whether she was allowed in the members area on the terrace.
She wrote that when she told him she was an MP, he replied: "They're letting anybody in nowadays." | A black MP has said she was the victim of racism in Westminster when she was mistaken as a cleaner by an MP. | 35685169 |
But if you find yourself feeling lonely, what can you do about it?
For many people, loneliness is not solved overnight - but people from all walks of life, including single fathers, millennials in a new city, widows, teenage mothers, and happily married husbands, have told the BBC their tips for making their days a bit brighter.
"At St John Fisher Church in North Harrow, we started a knitting group for ladies at home to get together over a cup of tea and knit for charities. We laugh and chat all afternoon." - Teresa Arrigo
"My saving grace was the internet - I found a group for widowed people called Way Up (for the over-50s. Way is for the under-50s). The group showed me that after I was widowed I discovered that, despite people expecting me to get over it, all the different emotions I experienced were normal and OK." - Angie Cole
"My lifesaver is the internet - websites for counting penguins and watching a guy and his chicken sail around the world." - Diane Keel
"I am a single dad. My loneliness hit me when I had to sell the business to look after my young children full-time. What helps now is going to the gym and a bit of voluntary work while the kids are at school." - Qamar Qureshi
"I am often lonely. I am currently in the USA as my husband is on secondment and knew no-one when we arrived. I cannot work, so the days are long. The solution for me is to get out, even if it's only for a walk - it helps as you usually see someone to say hello to. I also joined a gym, which gives structure to my week." - Helen Stenson
"I am a mum of two young children, and I definitely found that going to baby groups when they were little and mixing with other parents helped me to stop feeling as lonely. I still try to go to groups with them now, when I can. As much as you might not feel like going out, it does help, and it feels like a real achievement when you do, so that is a boost too." - Emily Holbrook
"I am 79 years old and was always feeling lonely in the evenings - I told my daughter that I would like a kitten, so she searched a cat sanctuary and I chose a little black one and called him Barney. He was eight weeks old when I got him, and he has completely changed my life around because he wants attention all day. I cannot imagine my life now without him. I am disabled but manage to look after him very well, and he is a happy little boy of five months." - Joan Gutteridge
"My cat - she is a constant companion at home and a real comfort. I have to keep going to make sure she has everything she needs, and she relies on me as her significant other. She has become more cuddly, which I find makes me happy." - Kerry Williams
"When I reached rock-bottom, I signed up to volunteer for two charities - one helping disadvantaged families and children, and the other in conservation work. I also joined a community choir, got an allotment - and adopted a cat. I am beginning to feel a lot more connected to my community, and a lot less lonely." - Nancy Saunders
"I offered my time to Age UK, and I help in a day centre. I've met lovely people, and, even better, I'm giving something to the community." - Ruth
"Self-employed people like me struggle. I worked as a video producer and TV repair person from home for over 20 years. I employed a part-time co-worker, scheduled meetings with other professionals once a month, joined a networking breakfast group, joined a gym for badminton classes, joined a club (in my case a video club) - any excuse to meet up, especially with other like-minded professionals." - David James
"Join the University of the Third Age. It is a collection of older people who want to follow new interests or carry on with existing ones. There are groups for cycling, motorcycling, cooking, languages, sewing. The list is endless - all you need to do is contact their local group, you will be given a warm welcome." - John Watts
"My advice would be find your local toddlers' club. I now attend one with my grandson and have made new friends. Also join the library - ours has great children's story times." - Nina Kent
"A few months ago, I came across a phone app called Meetup. It's changed my life already. I've been on a few 'meetups' and met some lovely groups of normal people. I've been on walks, quiz nights, [a] comedy show, booked a weekend in Cornwall and even started Kung-fu." - Keith Littlebury
"I use the internet to overcome loneliness - I use YouTube for music, documentaries and stand-up comedy. Laughing helps a lot." - Kerry Williams
Produced by Annie Flury and Georgina Rannard, UGC and social news | Loneliness in the UK is an epidemic affecting people of all ages and backgrounds, according to a commission started by the murdered MP Jo Cox. | 38814960 |
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Pino Pagliara was one of three agents filmed by the Daily Telegraph seemingly making accusations over transfers.
The Italian told BBC sports editor Dan Roan he wanted to "impress" businessmen and secure a lucrative contract.
"I allowed them to believe the managers would not drop the money on the floor if I gave it to them," he said.
In the interview, Pagliara also:
A Telegraph statement said: "Our investigations team had numerous meetings and telephone conversations with Mr Pagliara over many months.
"The transcripts of our investigation, which are currently being prepared for the police and the FA, make it very clear what he said about a series of Premier League managers."
The unlicensed agent was previously banned from football for five years after being found guilty of match-fixing in 2005.
Pagliara claimed that his past made him "damaged goods" and that "nobody is going to say a word in his defence" because he has been made "to look like a villain".
"Do we want to eliminate corruption? Good. Let's start by looking for the real villains," he said.
"They thought: 'Hey, it's easy to re-invent the villain.' Pagliara seems to fit the bill.
"I don't know where to go from here."
The allegations were published by the Telegraph as part of its investigation into corruption in football.
Sam Allardyce left his post as England manager on Tuesday, making a "whole-hearted apology" in the wake of allegations in the newspaper that he told the undercover reporters how it was possible to "get around" rules on player transfers.
On Thursday, Southampton's assistant manager Eric Black was alleged to have given advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs, with the Premier League club requesting a full transcript of the meeting. He denies the claims.
Barnsley assistant boss Tommy Wright was sacked on Thursday over claims he took cash for trying to engineer certain transfers, allegations he has "categorically denied".
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, manager of fellow Championship side QPR, has denied "any accusations of wrongdoing" after being filmed apparently negotiating a fee to travel to Singapore to speak to the Far East firm, with the club postponing an internal investigation.
Pagliara added that he would co-operate with any investigation by the Football Association, which governs English football.
"If they need me I'm here. I am certainly not running away. The FA have not been in touch or even the police."
He was speaking to Roan on a number of topics surrounding the corruption claims.
"I've been here a long time. Sometimes the average English CEO or manager, endeavouring to do the right thing, they miss out the small picture.
"Sometimes this is a product of naivety, sometimes it's a product of wanting to look at the big picture, you miss out the small things that do happen."
"I have never paid a manager a bung. I have obviously had some good relationships with clubs and managers who knew that, if his job ever came to an end, because of my relationship with another club he could get employment there.
"Of course I used the power that I had behind me. When I worked the patronage of Juventus that gave me this power, this privilege if you like. You can use it as a leverage - but I have never paid a manager."
"It is a lot cleaner, there is no question about that. The whole industry has changed: the athlete, the football, there is more preparation to everything. I don't believe that there is that much to be changed.
"I had to make sure my argument was compelling. At the end of the day, I got a bit creative." | The agent at the centre of English football's corruption scandal says his claim eight current and ex-Premier League managers took bribes was a lie. | 37524416 |
He said he would be "going for a cup of tea" with Caerphilly MP Wayne David, who said on Tuesday Mr Corbyn had "a heck of a lot to learn" on leadership.
Mr Corbyn also told BBC Wales said there was "no problem" with greater autonomy for the Welsh Labour party.
He is in Swansea, on his first visit to Wales as Labour leader.
"I will be campaigning in all parts of the UK - of course I will be campaigning in Wales," Mr Corbyn said.
"This is a big electoral possibility next year for Labour, to show that we're gaining support and that the increased membership of the party, now nearly 400,000, means something on the ground."
On greater autonomy for the Welsh party - something First Minister Carwyn Jones has called for - he said: "I'm very supportive of what Carwyn has put forward; there is no problem on this.
"I look forward to that autonomy that will come forward, but obviously it has to be agreed through the Labour Party structure.
"I'm the leader of the party, I'm not the controller of the party."
He backed the Welsh government's record on health - subject of persistent criticism from opposition parties - saying the Welsh NHS had a 91% approval rating, with the policy of offering free prescriptions proving popular.
Mr Corbyn was given a tour of Swansea University's new bay campus, alongside Mr Jones.
The first minister said it was important for all party members to be careful not to jeopardise Labour's chances in 2016, suggesting Labour MPs who criticise leader Jeremy Corbyn were "not helpful".
"Any party needs to show it's united going in to that election, and we need to make sure that's the case in May," he said
"It's not helpful, particularly, for the party, that's what we need to remember, and for the people who vote for us."
Mr Corbyn also called for a political settlement in Syria and described events in the country as "beyond appalling".
He said there was a "long way" to go before the implications of any UN resolutions on Syria could be considered.
The Labour leader also said it was not too late for the UK government to prevent the strike by junior doctors in England, suggesting ministers could learn from the approach taken by the Welsh government.
Mr Corbyn will join a rally of Labour party members in Swansea later.
It is unclear how often Jeremy Corbyn will be campaigning in Wales in the run up to the assembly election.
He has said himself he will be here "plenty of times".
The reality is he has a strong vested interest with the result in Wales, together with Labour's performance in the Scottish parliament and London mayoral elections, being a major test of his leadership.
The expectation is that his involvement will prove popular in Labour heartland areas, but some senior figures in the party are concerned about his impact in more marginal seats. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will campaign in "all parts of the UK" in 2016, and the party was "united" despite criticism from MPs this week. | 34857595 |
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