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Thousands of people were infected with Hepatitis C and HIV through NHS blood products in the 1970s and 80s.
Ms Ellison said the money would come from the Department of Health's budget, and she apologised again to victims.
In March last year the Penrose report was published after a six-year inquiry.
Lord Penrose, a retired judge, concluded that more should have been done to screen blood and donors for hepatitis C in the early 1990s.
Many of those affected were in Scotland, which was the only part of the UK to hold an inquiry.
Ms Ellison said the government was now opening a 12-week consultation on the new payment proposals.
She said the £100m is in addition to the £25m which was announced in March - taking the total to £225m over the five years to 2020.
"This is significantly more than any previous government has been able to provide for those affected by this tragedy," she told MPs in the Commons.
But she also admitted that "no amount of money could make up for the impact" blood infections had on victims and families.
The contaminated blood scandal has been described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, and was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people - many of whom were haemophilia patients.
In Scotland the Penrose report said that 478 people acquired the Hepatitis C virus from blood product therapy, and 2,500 acquired the virus from blood transfusion in Scotland between 1970 and 1991.
Sixty patients acquired HIV from therapy with blood products, and 18 from blood transfusion in Scotland.
The scandal happened before the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament, which now has full responsibility for the NHS in Scotland.
When the Penrose report was published last year there was an angry response from victims and relatives, some of whom labelled it a "whitewash", and burned copies of the report on the streets of Edinburgh.
Ms Ellison also said that within the consultation there was a proposal for all those currently receiving regular support to have that funding increased to £15,000 a year, and those who are co-infected - as in contaminated with more than one virus - should get £30,000.
She also said the government wanted to "focus on those who are infected" and be able to "respond to new advances in medicine".
As well as the extra cash the government is also proposing to make a single body responsible for a new support scheme with the promise of more help for certain groups of people, such as those with Hepatitis C.
"There is a large population within the infected blood community who currently do not receive any regular financial support. These are the people with Hepatitis C.
"I believe it is important that everybody receives support from the new scheme and that this is linked to the impact that infection has on their health," she said.
Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne praised the government's intentions for a consultation, but noted the "injustice felt by many victims". | The government wants to increase the amount of money on offer for those affected by the blood contamination scandal by a further £100m, public health minister Jane Ellison has said. | 35371248 |
A study of more than 1,000 Scottish 70-year-olds found that those who had had complex jobs scored better on memory and thinking tests.
One theory is a more stimulating environment helps build up a "cognitive reserve" to help buffer the brain against age-related decline,
The research was reported in Neurology.
The team, from Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, is now planning more work to look at how lifestyle and work interact to affect memory loss.
Those taking part in the study took tests designed to assess memory, processing speed and general thinking ability, as well as filling in a questionnaire about their working life.
The analysis showed that those whose jobs had required complex skills in dealing with data or people, such as management and teaching, had better scores on memory and thinking tests than those who had done less mentally intense jobs such as factory workers, bookbinders, or carpet layers.
To rule out that those with more complex jobs may have had higher thinking abilities in the first place, the researchers looked at scores they had achieved in the Scottish Mental Survey in 1947, when they were 11.
They found that the benefit was reduced, but there was still an association between having a mentally stimulating job, such as those including negotiation, mentoring or synthesis of data, and better cognitive ability years after retirement.
Study leader Dr Alan Gow said: "Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on."
He added it was rare for these sorts of studies to be able to account for prior ability.
"Factoring in people's IQ at age 11 explained about 50% of the variance in thinking abilities in later life, but it did not account for all of the difference.
"That is, while it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs, there still seems to be a small advantage gained from these complex jobs for later thinking skills."
While the study did not look at biological reasons for the protective effect of certain jobs, potential explanations include that structural changes within the brain mean less damage is accumulated over time.
Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study added to the growing evidence about factors that affect brain health as we aged.
"Keeping the brain active throughout life could be helpful and different types of work may play a role.
"However, it's important to note that this study points to a small and subtle association between occupation and later-life cognition rather than offering proof that people's occupation has a direct influence." | People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests. | 30115497 |
"It's an emergency, it's a national emergency. We are going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis," he said.
The number of deaths from the drugs - prescribed to a third of Americans in 2015 - has quadrupled in 20 years.
Declaring a national emergency means the issue can get prioritised funding and resources from Washington.
"There's never been what's happened to this country over the last four or five years," said President Trump.
Mr Trump spoke to reporters on Thursday from his golf resort in New Jersey, where he has been taking a 17-day "working vacation".
The declaration came in response to a reporter's question, and was not announced through an official White House press release or statement.
On Tuesday during a meeting at his golf course to discuss the opioid crisis, Mr Trump took a moment to threaten North Korea with "fire and fury" if it continued to engage in provocative nuclear behaviour.
Opioids, according to the US National Institute of Drug Abuse, include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic medications such as fentanyl, or pain relievers that are available by prescription, such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and many others.
Many of the victims of drug addiction were initially prescribed legal drugs by doctors to combat pain, but then later switched to the illegal version after their prescription expired.
Patients who are no longer receiving opioids as medication sometimes turn to street drugs such as heroin, which in many cities is cheaper than beer.
Mr Trump had previously been urged by the White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis to declare the emergency.
The commission said this would "awaken every American to this simple fact: if this scourge has not found you or your family yet, without bold action by everyone, it soon will".
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who chairs the commission created by Mr Trump, applauded the announcement, saying the group looks forward "to working with this President to address the approximately 142 deaths a day from drug overdoses in the United States".
But on Tuesday, Health Secretary Tom Price suggested that Mr Trump already had the necessary authority to tackle the crisis.
"We believe at this point that the resources that we need or the focus that we need to bring to bear to the opioid crisis at this point can be addressed without the declaration of an emergency," he said.
Mr Trump campaigned partly on a promise to tackle the drug epidemic which has claimed lives in urban, suburban and rural America.
Last week transcripts revealed that Mr Trump referred to the state of New Hampshire, where he campaigned often, as drug-infested.
"I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den," Mr Trump told the president of Mexico, according to a leaked transcript of the January phone call.
As an open-air heroin camp is closed, options narrow | The crisis over the US addiction to painkillers - opioids - is a national emergency, says President Donald Trump. | 40891691 |
Ofcom said customers could avoid an awkward and long call to their operator and instead send a text. In turn, they will be sent switching codes.
The proposal means Ofcom's previously preferred option - a more simple one-stage process - is being dropped.
That system was more expensive and could have raised bills, it said.
The change of preferred plan marks a victory for mobile operators who would have faced higher costs under the alternative system. Ofcom said its research suggested customers would also prefer the new planned system.
At present, anyone who wishes to switch to a different mobile provider must contact their current supplier to tell them they are leaving.
Ofcom research suggests that, of those who have switched, some 38% have been hit by one major problem during the process. One in five of them temporarily lost their service, while one in 10 had difficulties contacting their current supplier or keeping their phone number.
Under previous plans, Ofcom wanted responsibility for the switch being placed entirely in the hands of the new provider. That would mean one call to a new provider by the customer.
The regulator has now concluded that such a system would be twice as expensive as its newly-preferred option of texting to switch.
They would text, then receive a text back, which includes a unique code to pass on to their new provider who could arrange the switch within one working day. Customers would be able to follow this process whether they were taking their mobile number with them or not.
Under the proposed rules, mobile providers would be banned from charging for notice periods running after the switch date. That would mean customers would no longer have to pay for their old and new service at the same time after they have switched.
A final decision will be made in the autumn.
Latest figures published last year showed that there were an estimated 47 million mobile phone contracts in the UK, and approximately 5.9 million people had never switched provider at all, nor considered switching in the previous year. | Mobile phone users will be able to switch operators by sending a text to the provider they want to leave, under plans drawn up by the regulator. | 39972720 |
Mr Lugovoi and an associate, Dmitry Kovtun, deny the British charge that they poisoned Litvinenko in London with radioactive polonium in 2006.
Mr Lugovoi's stated 2014 income was 30.5m roubles (£400,400; $603,000).
Most Russian MPs' earnings were in the 3-5m rouble range.
Mr Lugovoi was elected to the Duma - the Russian parliament's lower house - in 2007 and as an MP got automatic immunity from prosecution.
The leaders of all four party blocks in the Duma had income in the 3-5m rouble range last year, according to the Duma's figures. The chamber is dominated by supporters of President Vladimir Putin.
The income figures come amid widespread discontent in Russia about price rises and low-paid jobs. That discontent came out during a live phone-in with Mr Putin on Thursday.
The average Duma MP's salary is about 10 times bigger than the average wage in Russia, which is 30,000 roubles a month.
MPs' pay in Germany is about twice the national average, and in the US, for members of Congress, three times more.
Some Russian MPs earned more than Mr Lugovoi - such as celebrity singer Iosif Kobzon, with 2014 income of 93m roubles.
Mr Lugovoi is also listed as having five houses - three of them country dachas - and a flat.
The highest-paid MP was Grigory Anikeyev, who is in Mr Putin's United Russia party. He got nearly 1bn roubles.
Mr Putin himself earned 7.6m roubles in 2014 - double what he earned in 2013, according to Kremlin figures released this week.
Mr Putin owns a house with land covering 1,500 sq m (16,200 sq ft), as well as a flat and garage. He also uses an official flat and garage, the declaration says.
Some officials in Mr Putin's Kremlin entourage earned more than him, according to the figures. | One of the suspected killers of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, earned £400,400 as a Russian MP last year and has six properties, his official income declaration says. | 32349310 |
Phyllida Barlow, Steve Claydon, Helen Marten and David Medalla will find out in November which of them will be the first recipient of the £30,000 prize.
The prize, which will be awarded every other year, is open to artists who have made "a significant contribution to contemporary sculpture".
The four artists will go on show at the West Yorkshire gallery in October.
Barlow, who will represent Britain at the Venice International Art Biennale later this year, said it was "a surprise and huge honour" to be shortlisted.
Her sentiments were echoed by Claydon, who said the award was "a validation... of the part played by artists in Britain who contribute toward this medium."
Marten said she was "excited" to exhibit alongside her fellow nominees, while Medalla called the prize "a palpable expression of the greatness of Barbara Hepworth as a sculptor".
The gallery that bears Hepworth's name opened in May 2011 and has since had about 1.4 million visitors.
Hepworth's granddaughter, the art historian Dr Sophie Bowness, said the award was "a fitting legacy to... one of Britain's greatest sculptors".
The prize is being funded by benefactors including TV executive David Liddiment, the art collector David Roberts and Linda Harley, founder of the LK Bennett shoe chain. | Four artists have been shortlisted for the first Hepworth Prize for Sculpture, a new award for UK-based sculptors. | 35856816 |
Alberto Salazar has been under investigation since a BBC Panorama programme in 2015 made allegations about drugs use at his US training base, and a leaked report from the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) was obtained by the Sunday Times this weekend.
"I believe in a clean sport, " he said. "I do not use supplements that are banned."
The leaked report also alleged Salazar - head coach of the world famous endurance Nike Oregon Project (NOP) - routinely gave Farah and other athletes prescription drugs with potentially harmful side-effects without a justifiable medical reason.
According to the Sunday Times, the leaked report claims Salazar used a banned method of infusing a legal supplement called L-carnitine.
"I have clearly and repeatedly refuted allegations directed against me and the Oregon Project," Salazar said.
"I believe in a clean sport and a methodical, dedicated approach to training. The Oregon Project will never permit doping and all Oregon Project athletes are required to comply with the Wada Code and IAAF rules.
"L-carnitine is a widely available, legal nutritional supplement that is not banned by Wada. Any use of L-carnitine was done so within Wada guidelines.
"In this case, to ensure my interpretation of Wada rules was correct, I also communicated in writing with Usada in advance of the use and administration of L-carnitine with Oregon Project athletes.
"I have voluntarily cooperated with Usada for years and met with them more than a year ago. The leaking of information and the litigation of false allegations in the press is disturbing, desperate and a denial of due process. I look forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion I know to be true."
Salazar and Farah deny they have ever broken anti-doping rules.
"It's deeply frustrating that I'm having to make an announcement on this subject," said 33-year-old Farah in a statement.
"I am a clean athlete who has never broken the rules in regards to substances, methods or dosages and it is upsetting that some parts of the media, despite the clear facts, continue to try to associate me with allegations of drug misuse.
"I'm unclear as to the Sunday Times' motivation towards me but I do understand that using my name and profile makes the story more interesting. It's entirely unfair to make assertions when it is clear from their own statements that I have done nothing wrong.
"As I've said many times before we all should do everything we can to have a clean sport and it is entirely right that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished."
In a statement, UK Athletics said it stood by the findings of an investigation published in 2016 that found "there was no evidence of any impropriety on the part of Mo Farah and no reason to lack confidence in his training programme".
The statement said: "Usada have not reported back to UKA on any aspect of their investigations but we remain, at all times, completely open and cooperative with them.
"L-carnitine is a legal and scientifically legitimate supplement that can be used by endurance athletes. To our knowledge, all doses administered and methods of administration have been fully in accordance with Wada-approved protocol and guidelines."
The Usada interim report was passed to the Sunday Times by the suspected Russian hacking group Fancy Bears.
The BBC has so far been unable to verify its authenticity with Usada, or establish whether any of its reported conclusions are out of date.
In a statement, Usada said it could "confirm that it has prepared a report in response to a subpoena from a state medical licensing body regarding care given by a physician to athletes associated with the Nike Oregon Project".
It said: "We understand that the licensing body is still deciding its case and as we continue to investigate whether anti-doping rules were broken, no further comment will be made at this time.
"Importantly, all athletes, coaches and others under the jurisdiction of the World Anti-Doping Code are innocent and presumed to have complied with the rules unless and until the established anti-doping process declares otherwise. It is unfair and reckless to state, infer or imply differently."
Contents of the report
According to the Sunday Times, the leaked report claims that Salazar:
Salazar maintains that drug use has always fully complied with the Wada code and that athletes were administered with L-carnitine in "exactly the way Usada directed".
The Sunday Times claims the Usada report also reveals:
The report, apparently written in March 2016, allegedly states: "Usada continues to investigate circumstances related to L-carnitine use" by Farah.
Farah told the Sunday Times two years ago that he had "tried a legal energy drink" containing L-carnitine but "saw no benefit" and did not continue with it.
The newspaper also claims the report says Dr John Rogers, a medic for the British athletics team, told Usada in an interview that conversations he had with Salazar at a training camp in the French Pyrenees before the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, gave him such "concern" that he wrote an email at the time to his medical colleagues at UK Athletics.
It also says Rogers told Usada that Salazar had told him about "off-label and unconventional" uses of the prescription medications calcitonin and thyroxine (hormones) and high doses of vitamin D and ferrous sulphate.
The revelations will pile more pressure on Britain's greatest ever endurance runner, who has steadfastly refused to end his association with Salazar.
It raises questions too for UKA, which gave the Briton the all-clear to continue working with Salazar after an inquiry was launched following the BBC Panorama programme.
Background
In June 2015, in conjunction with the US website ProPublica, the BBC's Panorama programme Catch Me If You Can made a series of allegations about the methods at NOP, and included testimony from a number of former athletes and coaches, including Kara Goucher and Steve Magness.
The film alleged Salazar had a fixation on the testosterone levels of his athletes, and may have doped American Olympic medallist Galen Rupp with the banned steroid version when he was 16. The programme also alleged Salazar had conducted testosterone experiments on his sons to see how much of the drug he could apply to them before it triggered positive tests.
The film also alleged Salazar used thyroid medicine inappropriately with his athletes, and encouraged the use of prescription medication when there was no justifiable need.
Salazar denied the wrongdoing alleged in the programme, and issued a 12,000-word rebuttal.
Usada took the unusual step of confirming it had launched an investigation into NOP following the BBC and ProPublica's revelations in 2015. Earlier stories by the New York Times and the Sunday Times had also raised concerns about some of Salazar's methods.
It is not clear why the Usada report remains unpublished.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan
Nine months ago, amid rumours Usada had dropped an investigation into his coach, Sir Mo Farah said he felt vindicated after standing by Alberto Salazar, the man who has helped him achieve so much success. This will raise more questions over that association.
Last year Farah distanced himself from another controversial coach - Somalian Jama Aden. And he could now face renewed pressure to do something similar with a man who we now know Usada is still looking into.
This could also be awkward for Salazar's employers Nike - and for UK Athletics; not least how they came to clear Salazar in 2015 - even though it now seems one of their senior medics - Dr John Rogers - says he had raised concerns to them over the coach's methods. | The American coach of Olympic champion Mo Farah rejected claims he may have broken anti-doping rules to boost the performance of some of his athletes. | 39097761 |
Kim Jong-nam fell out of favour years ago and has been living in China.
Japanese author Yoji Gomi said he was no longer in contact with Kim Jong-nam but believed he was "doing fine".
Mr Gomi told the BBC that he did not believe that the publication of his book in January 2012 would put Kim Jong-nam in any danger.
When his book was published, readers gained an insight into North Korea's enigmatic first family through the reported views of Kim Jong-nam.
He was the man passed over in the world's only Communist dynastic succession.
Kim Jong-nam's opinions about North Korea's future course after the death of his father Kim Jong-il were far from complimentary.
In the book, which draws on interviews and emails, Kim Jong-nam is quoted as saying he believes his younger half-brother lacks leadership qualities, the succession will not work, and that North Korea is unstable and needs Chinese-style economic reform.
Interviewed by the BBC Chinese service, Tokyo journalist Yoji Gomi said Kim Jong-nam had wanted to speak out.
But since the book's publication, he said there had "not really" been any reaction from Mr Kim and he was not in touch with him now.
"When I told him about my book, he said that we should not contact each other any more if I insisted on publishing it," said Mr Gomi.
"He wanted me to wait for a while because in Korea when someone dies you remain silent for 100 days and it wasn't then 100 days since (his father's death).
"However, I want people to know how Kim Jong-nam thinks at this particular moment when Kim Jong-un starts his new regime and nobody knows where North Korea is heading."
Yoji Gomi insisted that, far from putting Kim Jong-nam in danger, his book was actually protecting him, because "nobody can do anything while he is getting all the attention."
The author admitted he was no longer in contact with Kim Jong-nam, but he said he did not worry.
"According to an acquaintance of an acquaintance of mine, he (Kim Jong-nam) is living in Macau and is doing fine," he said. | An author has defended a book in which the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expresses doubts about the future of the Communist state. | 16839781 |
Allardyce added that the player was undergoing a medical on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Argentina striker has scored twice in eight appearances for the Hammers since joining from Velez Sarsfield last summer.
Zarate was quoted in the national press as saying that Allardyce refused to play him because he was signed by Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan. | West Ham manager Sam Allardyce expects Mauro Zarate to move to QPR on loan in the January transfer window. | 30631066 |
He is leaving his post as Welsh Rugby Union group chief executive in October after the World Cup and will replace Lord Rowe-Beddoe.
Transport Minister Edwina Hart said he was "the right person to steer our future ambitions" at the airport, which the Welsh government bought in 2013.
Mr Lewis said he was "thrilled" to be offered the job, saying the airport was "crucial" to the economy of Wales.
He has been at the helm of Welsh rugby since 2006, following a 30-year career in the music and media industries. | Welsh rugby chief Roger Lewis is to be the new chairman of Cardiff Airport. | 32040529 |
According to new data, up to 57% of all Amazonian trees may already fit the criteria of being globally threatened.
If confirmed, the estimates would raise the number of threatened plant species on Earth by almost a quarter.
Forest cover in the Amazon has been shrinking for decades, but little is known about the impact on individual plant species.
The trees at risk include iconic species like the Brazil nut tree, food crops such as cacao, the source of chocolate, as well as rare trees that are almost unknown to science.
The research, published in the journal, Science Advances, compared data from almost 1,500 forest plots with maps of current and predicted forest loss to estimate how many tree species have been lost and how many are likely to disappear by the middle of the century.
It found that the Amazon - the world's most diverse forest - could be home to more than 15,000 tree species.
Of these, between 36% and 57% are likely to qualify as being globally threatened under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species criteria.
Prof Carlos Peres from the University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences in Norwich is one of 158 researchers from 21 countries who worked on the study.
He said there was a big gap in knowledge about all the plants and animals in the Amazon, from trees and ferns to bats and birds.
"Our research estimates that more than half of all species may face extinction," he said.
"Fortunately protected areas and indigenous territories now cover over half of the Amazon basin, and likely contain sizeable populations of most threatened species. "
He said parks and reserves - which face "a barrage of threats - from dam construction and mining to wildfires and droughts" - will prevent extinction of threatened species only if they are properly managed.
"In a sense this is a call for more effort into the 'last chance saloon' to discover this diversity before it goes inevitably extinct," said Prof Peres.
William Laurance from James Cook University in Australia, who also contributed to the study, added: "Either we stand up and protect these critical parks and indigenous reserves, or deforestation will erode them until we see large-scale extinctions."
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is regarded as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
Follow Helen on Twitter | More than half of all tree species in the Amazon face extinction, warn international scientists. | 34880656 |
Maybin has been struggling with a wrist injury in recent years and withdrew from the Johannesburg Open in February.
He lost his European Tour Card at the end of 2014 and has admitted in a statement that he has found the last few years "challenging".
Maybin turned professional in 2005 and competed in both the US Open and the Open Championship.
He came close to winning only his third European Tour event in 2008 when he lost in a play-off at the South African Open.
The Northern Irishman finished the 2010 season in the top 40 in the Race to Dubai standings but has been troubled with the wrist problem since June 2015.
He played in a Pro-Am in South Africa last week on his return to action after 20 months out of the game.
After losing his European Tour card, Maybin had hoped to play in around 15 tournaments on the Challenge Tour the following season, before suffering the bad wrist injury in June. | Ballyclare golf professional Gareth Maybin has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 36. | 39730945 |
Striker Rooney, 30, was left out of Jose Mourinho's starting line-up for the 4-1 win over Leicester on Saturday.
Asked if Rooney appeared down when he was told, Smalling replied: "No."
The England centre-back added: "He was the same before the game when we were all getting ready. He is often one of the most vocal and he was the same."
Saturday was the first time Mourinho had dropped Rooney since he took charge of the Red Devils in the summer.
Smalling, 26, said the England captain acted in the same manner whether he was in the team or on the bench.
"Whatever the situation is, whatever game, whether he is on the bench or playing or whatever, he is always that same type of character and that's why he is England's main man and our main man," he said.
Rooney is just four goals short of his 250th for the club, which would overtake the 249 hit by record goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton - and Smalling does not think it will be long before he returns.
The former Fulham player said: "He's a very experienced guy and he's played that many games that I think it'll only be a matter of time before he's back in there and firing again because he's quality."
Smalling headed home the opening goal in United's victory over Leicester, with Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba also scoring.
Asked about Rooney after the game, Mourinho said: "He's my man, I trust him completely. He's as happy as I am at this moment.
"He's a big player for me, for United, a big player for this country."
Media playback is not supported on this device
BBC Sport's Simon Stone
"There is no great disconnect between Wayne Rooney and club or manager, as there was in 2013, when Rooney sat in an executive box and watched Sir Alex Ferguson's final Old Trafford game as Manchester United manager behind glass.
"Rooney politely applauded back when he was sent out to warm up for the first time, and the home fans' reception was enthusiastic when he ran on to the field after replacing Rashford near the end.
"It won't stop the chatter around Rooney though. His United future is on the line.
"What we don't know yet is whether England's captain is surplus to requirements permanently."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
The impossible job? Probably. Use our shortlist and pick who you think would make the greatest combined post-war Liverpool-Manchester United XI. | Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has not been affected by being dropped and is still the "main man" at Old Trafford, says defender Chris Smalling. | 37467152 |
People living in Llandudno made the 1,500 tarts needed for Friday's event.
Alice Liddell, the little girl who was Lewis Carroll's inspiration for Alice, spent her family holidays in Llandudno.
The record attempt took place at 12:00 BST and will be confirmed at a later date if they have succeded. | A Conwy town has marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland by attempting a world record for the longest line of jam tarts. | 32536475 |
Sir Keith Porter is the UK's only professor of clinical traumatology, based at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QE) in Birmingham.
He is in charge of the unit where between 650 and 700 servicemen are flown over from Afghanistan or admitted for follow-up treatment each year.
Prof Porter said the skills of the 350-strong team at the RCDM have had to progress at a "significant rate".
He said: "We've been seeing injuries coming out of Afghanistan we simply don't find in textbooks.
"They can be divided into two types, those caused by gunshot wounds and blast injuries caused by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which are the most severe.
"We've had to debate and discuss how to manage these complex problems and draw on the experience of military surgeons on an international level, including the US where there's big exposure to trauma."
Prof Porter said the team was formed of a "unique blend" of civilian and military personnel.
This team works with colleagues at the £20m the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
He said: "Some of our patients are very critically injured and it's a great delight to see many unexpected survivors.
"We are very proud of our records that over a decade we have only lost nine or 10 patients here at Birmingham as a consequence of their wounds.
"There are others who have sadly died because of their head injuries, but relative to the number of patients who we see that figure is very impressive."
When asked if the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could be doing more to improve force protection to help curb the scale of the injuries, he said the introduction of "blast pants" had helped.
By Julia LeonardBBC News, Birmingham
The trauma ward where injured servicemen are treated at the QE looks like any other from the outside and its exact location cannot be disclosed for security reasons.
The 31-bed ward treats both military and NHS patients although the former are kept together and wrapped in a "military bubble" in terms of their clinical and welfare needs.
I was told the longest known length of stay for a patient is 18 months.
"They have significantly modified the extent of genital injuries and our feedback chain to the MoD is very robust in terms of what is working and what isn't."
The MoD said anyone who went on operation had been issued with pelvic protection, as standard, since 2010.
It said further developments meant three-layered protection was now being used, although protection had to be weighed up against flexibility of movement.
A spokesman said: "They [troops] are also issued with an extensive 'black bag' of personal kit worth £3,000.
"So whilst some soldiers may choose to purchase additional items, they are provided with all the necessary kit they require.
"We continually work with scientists, medics and service personnel to ensure that our equipment and vehicles are best suited to meet the emerging threats in Afghanistan, and the Urgent Operational Requirement process has helped to provide billions of pounds of kit as quickly as the technology has become available."
Force protection has had to evolve to mitigate the emerging threat, the MoD said.
It is not just on the front line where servicemen need safeguarding, added Prof Porter.
He said the "gap" between wound care treatment for serving soldiers compared to those who had been discharged needed addressing and he had become a patron of a charity called Woundcare 4 Heroes.
"There will be a significant legacy factor after this war and it's our job to make sure they're captured and get the best advice for their ongoing life.
"Fundamentally there are some complex problems many clinicians will not have been exposed to.
"Discussions are going on with the Department of Health about how we ensure we look after our veterans and this is a work in progress," said Prof Porter.
The Birmingham-based charity was founded by Claire Stephens, a nurse specialist from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, who is a former nursing officer captain of The Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.
She was wounded herself and medically discharged last year.
She said: "The problems start to arise when servicemen are discharged and cascaded outside of the military - that's no disrespect to the NHS, but wound care within the military and within the NHS are very different."
The Department of Health has welcomed the support offered by the charity.
A spokesperson said: "We work closely with the MoD, NHS, armed forces networks and service charities to make sure those wounded whilst serving their country continue to get the right care they need once they leave the armed forces.
"Much of the wound care received by those still serving will be provided by the NHS."
Prof Porter said: "When we come out of Afghanistan we need to make sure everything we've learnt is documented.
"There's been a tremendous advancement and we're working hard to ensure we capture all the legacy issues." | "People are surviving injuries now they wouldn't have done three or four years ago but we are having to be reactive and adapt to the skills of the Taliban." | 20268734 |
Here's part two of our festive selection of science and environment long reads.
Football as a numbers game. By Jonathan Sullivan
"Big data" - the world of analytics, algorithms and statistical models - is increasingly part of our lives, and professional sports such as football are no different.
Read the feature
Are humans driving evolution in animals? By Prof Adam Hart
Mounting evidence suggests activities such as commercial fishing, angling and hunting, along with the use of pesticides and antibiotics, are leading to dramatic evolutionary changes in other species.
Read the feature
How do you drill into a 500C volcano? By Rebecca Morelle
Scientists in Iceland are drilling in to a volcano to harness the energy from beneath the Earth. They hope this will enable the geothermal industry globally to step into an era of more production.
Read the feature
Is there any point in planting new trees? By Isabella Kaminski
Successive governments have made popular pledges to plant large numbers of new trees. But do these trees ever actually get planted and, where they do, does it ever achieve anything useful?
Read the feature
The huge promise of tiny machines. By Paul Rincon
The 2016 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded for the design and synthesis of the world's smallest machines. The work has overtones of science fiction, but holds huge promise in fields as diverse as medicine, materials and energy.
Read the feature
Nuclear fusion lab faces uncertain future. By David Shukman.
A question mark hangs over a world-leading laboratory that has pioneered research into fusion for nearly 40 years. Fusion is the process that powers the Sun and a decades-long quest has attempted to replicate it here on Earth to provide a clean source of energy. Since the vote for Brexit, many at the centre have become "extremely nervous" amid uncertainty about future financing and freedom of movement.
Read the feature
Solar Impulse: A repaired plane and team. By Jonathan Amos
The pilot behind the longest non-stop solo aeroplane flight recalls the big bust-up and make-up that he believes has put his team in a stronger position to complete its solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe.
Read the feature | There has been a feast of interesting stories behind the news headlines this year. | 37788438 |
There will be auditions held in cities including Milan, Helsinki and New York.
A total of 19 singers from 25 countries will be picked for the competition.
Finalists will be announced early in 2015 and will join Welsh representative Celine Forest to compete for a place in the final, held in Cardiff from June 14 to 21.
The competition, held every two years, was launched in 1983 and David Jackson has joined as artistic director.
He said: "From their base in Cardiff the team have been busy preparing for the competition and I'm thrilled to be part of it.
"We have a new trio of expert judges travelling to eight cities to discover the competitors." | The search has begun for the next generation of opera singers for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2015. | 29761522 |
Contrary to Louis van Gaal's comments, sources close to De Gea say he never expressed a desire not to play.
De Gea is not happy to have been made to train with United's reserve team. He will not be considered by manager Van Gaal until the transfer window shuts.
De Gea, 24, is wanted by Real Madrid. United are demanding a world record fee and defender Sergio Ramos in exchange.
Before United's opening Premier League game against Tottenham on 8 August, Van Gaal said he did not think De Gea was in the right frame of mind to play and "wasn't the same" as last season.
He repeated his view when he spoke to the media before his side's visit to Aston Villa on Friday evening, when Argentina's Sergio Romero is expected to keep his place.
The opposing opinions on De Gea's willingness to play do not suggest a particularly harmonious state of affairs, which Real Madrid will hope to exploit before the 1 September transfer deadline.
United are determined to be seen as Real's financial equals and have indicated a willingness to let De Gea's contract, which expires at the end of the season, run down rather than sell the former Atletico Madrid man on the cheap.
It will be a test of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward's skills as to whether that stance can be maintained over the next fortnight.
Van Gaal would need time to bring in further cover in the goalkeeping department if De Gea did leave given another Spain international, Victor Valdes, is currently being frozen out after refusing to play for United's Under-21s side last season. | David De Gea is surprised at being left out of Manchester United's team for the first two games of the season. | 33935204 |
James Eyre, 41, from Derbyshire, was on the waiting list for more than four years before his operation in October.
Mr Eyre, a dry stone waller, has since returned home from the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, where he had been for three weeks.
The Cystic Fibrosis Trust said he had been "very lucky" as one in three with the condition die waiting for a donor.
It said the UK had one of the "highest rates of family refusal to organ donation in the Western world" and has urged people to join the donor register to help people like Mr Eyre.
The 41-year-old, who lives in Milltown, near Ashover, said he had always been physically fit, despite his genetic condition, describing his own muscle power as "phenomenal".
However, his lungs were slowly failing and he needed an oxygen tank to breathe when their function fell to a dangerous 30%.
He kept working and pushing himself physically despite concerns over whether he would survive the wait for a transplant.
"The harder you push the better your body is, it stands you in better stead," he said.
After returning home following the transplant, Mr Eyre described his eldest son not being able to keep up with him and another one of his children "squealing with delight" as he ran ahead.
He said: "The little things mean so much to the children, being able to walk with them in a field, I feel like a proper dad again."
Mr Eyre said he would be forever grateful to medical staff and the family of the donor.
He is planning to return to work in March, as well as go mountain biking, following further recovery.
What is cystic fibrosis?
Source: Cystic Fibrosis Trust | A man with cystic fibrosis has said he can be a "proper dad" again following a successful double lung transplant. | 34712561 |
Suarez, 28, played 13 times for the Serie A side this season after signing from La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
He spent five years at the Spanish club, where he won the league title, Spanish Cup and Europa League.
That included a season with current Hornets boss Quique Sanchez Flores, before Diego Simeone took over.
Suarez is Watford's third signing of the transfer window after bringing in goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon and forward Nordin Amrabat.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Watford have signed Mario Suarez from Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee, the midfielder signing a four-and-a-half-year deal. | 35451984 |
The film, tentatively titled The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint, is about "human beings who are addicted to blood. Funny, sexy and bloody".
More than 28 backers each paid $10,000 (£6,300) to sit next to Lee courtside at a New York Knicks basketball game.
Self-described "indie filmmaker" Lee said: "I put my own money in my films."
Writing on the site, he continued: "Indie filmmakers are always in search of financing because their work, their vision sometimes does not coincide with studio pictures.
"I self-financed Red Hook Summer. My fee for Malcolm X was put back into the budget. The truth is I've been doing Kickstarter before there was Kickstarter."
Lee pointed to the recent successes on Kickstarter, such as Scrubs actor Zach Braff raising more than $3m (£1.9m) to direct his next film, and fans of the cancelled TV show Veronica Mars who raised more than $5m (£3.1m) for a film based on the series.
Lee acknowledged critics who have questioned the ethics of successful directors asking fans for money and raising the potential for hurting young filmmakers who struggle to find funding outside of the Hollywood system.
He defended his campaign by saying: "This is another fallacy. The fact of the matter is I'm bringing exposure to Kickstarter, backers to Kickstarter who have never even heard of Kickstarter before."
Lee also defended his decision not to disclose much about the project. He said: "It's a thriller. In order for a film of this type to work the less details the better. For this film to work with the audience, they can't know a whole lot before they sit down in a theatre to see it.
"What I can tell you is this. I have never made a film like this and it excites me very much. I'm doing a semi-genre film about addiction. These people are addicted to blood. However, they are not vampires. It's going to be sexy, humorous and bloody. To me that's a unique combination."
Lee's latest film, a remake of the Korean film Oldboy, starring Josh Brolin, is due to be released in the UK in December. | US film director Spike Lee has reached his $1.25m (£799,000) target on the fan funding website Kickstarter for his next movie project. | 23752947 |
The proposal is among measures the government is considering to reduce congestion on English A-roads.
Roadworks on major routes would also have to take place seven days a week so that projects are completed sooner or be lifted until they resume.
The transport secretary said the plans offered "welcome relief" for drivers.
Patrick McLoughlin said: "Roadworks can be essential but that doesn't mean they should be in place any longer than is absolutely necessary.
"These commonsense measures will be a welcome relief to those trying to get from A to B on our local roads."
It is estimated there are about two million roadworks every year, with drivers losing millions of hours annually by being stuck in traffic.
Councils and utility companies would be fined for needlessly inconveniencing drivers by leaving road works in place over weekends when no-one is working on them.
Penalties could also be handed out to those who leave temporary traffic lights in place after work has been finished.
Daily fines of £5,000 currently exist for roadworks that overrun.
The Department for Transport plans would only apply to A-roads, which are managed by local authorities.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Road users see red when they come across sets of temporary traffic lights that are stopping traffic but there are no workmen in sight or the work has actually finished.
"Ministers can't stop utility companies digging up the roads but they can make firms pay the price if the work is not done swiftly and they do not tidy up after themselves." | Councils and utility companies could be fined up to £5,000 a day for leaving roadworks unmanned at weekends, the Department for Transport has said. | 35415992 |
Leaders of the Ka'apor tribe accused the Brazilian authorities of failing to protect them.
They tied up the loggers and set fire to their trucks and chainsaws, before forcing them out, reported the Reuters news agency.
The logs found at the indigenous territory in the north-eastern state of Maranhao were also destroyed.
The incident happened on 7 August but has only just been reported by Reuters.
The Brazilian indigenous agency, Funai, says it has requested tighter security in the Alto Turiacu Indian Territory to prevent violent clashes. | A group of indigenous people in Brazil's Amazon region have detained and expelled loggers working illegally in their ancestral lands. | 29073536 |
Kanye West has tweeted a cryptic link to a site called Yeezy.Supply and a time code counting down to 21:00 GMT on 12 February.
The page contains no other clues about what will happen at that time, revealing nothing more than a ticking clock and an industrial sounding montage of buzz.
So what could it be?
Not completely out of the realm of possibility, but it is pretty unlikely.
The post follows recent collaborations with Paul McCartney and Rihanna on Only One and FourFiveSeconds as well as reported leaks of previously unreleased tracks.
West played FourFiveSeconds at the iHeartMedia Music Summit in January, but, at the time of release, there was no indication of whether it will appear on Kanye's or Rihanna's next album.
But if Theophilus London's Instagram feed is anything to go by, the follow-up to 2013's Yeezus is ready to go.
In October the rapper posted a picture with West and wrote: "I only remember Kanye playing his new album three times in a dark room of 20 people last night and moshing drunk with mad babes."
For all we know he could be planning to follow Beyonce with a surprise release but the use of the word "supply" and a recent announcement from Adidas suggest Yeezy has something a little more commercial up his sleeve.
Well maybe not leather black jeans on, probably leather black sneakers on.
It's more likely that Kanye's countdown is linked to his recent announcement that he'd be partnering with Adidas for a new project after cutting his ties with Nike.
Earlier this week, it was reported that his new trainer collection would launch on 12 February at New York Fashion Week - the day the timer runs out.
It's also no secret that the rapper is big on his fashion, especially trainers.
In THAT interview with Zane Lowe, Kanye said he had dedicated the last 10 years of his life to fashion and that "no-one can say that I don't know how to design a guy's sneaker".
With a level of dedication that saw him being "kicked out of class for drawing Jordans" at school, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Mr West was excited enough by his own trainer launch to make an entire website and start a week long countdown ahead of the release.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | A teaser from the self-titled "biggest rock star in the world" is always bound to get people talking. | 31159955 |
The blaze broke out at Willow Place Shopping Centre in Corby on Tuesday evening.
Two boys, aged 14 and 17, and two men, aged 19 and 20, have been arrested on suspicion of arson. They remain in police custody.
The car park is closed, along with four stores, although the shopping centre is open.
Northamptonshire Police said other people may have been involved, although the cause of the fire is still to be established.
Det Ch Insp Nick Lyall said the "large fire caused significant damage to the car park and nearby shops".
The four people were arrested on Tuesday evening, but police want to speak to anyone who may have seen a group of young people running away from the scene just after 18:00 GMT.
"We would also like to speak to anyone who lives with anyone who returned home last night smelling of smoke and acting suspiciously," Mr Lyall said.
Six fire engines and more than 30 firefighters attended.
Corby town centre director Dan Pickard said the car park would be shut for the "foreseeable future".
He added that Evans, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins and River Island would be closed on New Year's Eve due to heat and water damage.
Willow Place Shopping Centre is open, with visitors advised to park at the Cube, although some smaller retailers have also closed for the day.
Manager of Tresspass Gemma Brierley said the fire had been an "inconvenience" and her shop had been closed all morning for cleaning.
She said: "We are not sure what is damaged and what is not. We are trying to sort through what we can actually sell."
It took two hours to put out the blaze and the nearby Chandos House flats were evacuated until about 22:30 GMT.
One person needed medical treatment for the effects of breathing in smoke.
Anne Street remains closed while the investigation takes place. | Four people have been arrested in connection with a fire at a multi-storey car park in Northamptonshire. | 30642116 |
Opener Cook made only 16 as England slumped to 57-5 in pursuit of 350 on day four of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.
He has managed 601 runs in his last 24 innings, at an average of 25.
"The captain is in terrible form," Boycott said on BBC Test Match Special. "It's a recipe for resignation. I don't know if he will, but it is."
"Put simply, England's pacers have been outperformed by a nation of spin bowlers. There was some talk about this Sri Lanka attack being no better than a county side. Maybe a county attack would have bowled better than England on that pitch today.
"There was seam, swing and the odd hint of uneven bounce to be had on the fourth day. But, Liam Plunkett aside, a pace quartet that also contains James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan has been way below par."
England taught a seam-bowling lesson - Agnew
Cook's contribution still took him past fellow opener Boycott on the list of England's leading all-time run scorers.
The 29-year-old left-hander is now fifth on 8,125 runs from 187 innings, compared with Boycott's 8,114 from 193.
Graham Gooch heads the rankings with 8,900 runs, ahead of Alec Stewart (8,463) and David Gower (8,231).
England look set to a lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka for the first time, in their first series since the 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia last winter.
"We thought the nightmare of Australia was over, but it is still here," Boycott added. "I don't know where this side can go."
Cook also came in for criticism for the tactics that allowed Sri Lanka, who began the day on 214-4, to post 457 and leave England chasing a record highest fourth-innings target.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews made 160, sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 149 with Rangana Herath, as England repeatedly looked to give Mathews the single that would keep him from the strike, despite the visiting skipper's refusal to take it.
Cook was the first England wicket to fall as seamer Dhammika Prasad ran through the top order with a spell of 4-15.
"The concern with England's new-look batting line-up is the captain is not in good nick, we've lost Jonathan Trott and we've lost Kevin Pietersen," said former opener Boycott, who played 108 Tests for England.
"He could resign, Cook. He might if we lose. He's not happy in the job."
England batsman Ian Bell said he does not think Cook will quit.
"He's got more hundreds than anyone for England and he's one of the best players I've ever played with," said Bell. "I'm not worried about his batting, but, as a team, we have to get behind him."
Bell has been suggested as a possible replacement for Cook and has captained the side when Cook has been off the field in this series.
But former England spinner Graeme Swann told TMS: "Of the current crop of players, Cook is the right man.
"I don't think Bell is the right man. I don't think the extra pressure would do him any good. Cook is more of a leader."
Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott analyse the day's play in the Test Match Special podcast. | Alastair Cook's form is a "recipe for resignation" as England captain, says ex-skipper Geoffrey Boycott. | 27988472 |
An action plan has been agreed, but Thursday's EU summit ended with leaders recognising that more solidarity was needed - as much within the 28-nation bloc as in its relations with Turkey.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel aims to build on the progress made in EU Commission negotiations with Turkey by visiting Ankara on Sunday, but she admitted that "there is still a huge amount to do".
Turkey is the main transit country for Syrian refugees and other migrants - many of them also fleeing conflict zones - hoping to start a new life in Europe.
It is driving a hard bargain with the EU because of the cost of sheltering more than two million Syrian refugees on its soil, and because the crisis has put it in a strong negotiating position.
Record numbers of migrants continue to risk their lives on crowded boats crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands and from chaotic Libya to Italy.
The relocation of refugees to other EU countries has started, but so far the numbers are small, and the scheme is hotly debated.
Eritreans are going from Italy to Sweden, and soon Syrians are to leave Greece for Luxembourg.
But the idea of having a permanent mechanism to relocate refugees inside the EU caused friction at the summit, so it was left out of the summit conclusions.
Mrs Merkel told a news conference that "for some reason some East European countries feel treated badly, and I need to understand why they react so strongly and are so tough on migrants".
Last month Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania opposed the relocation plan, but were outvoted.
The focus on Turkey is now bound up with its candidacy for EU membership and its desire for visa-free travel for its citizens in the EU's Schengen passport-free zone.
The summit conclusions say Turkey's EU accession process "needs to be re-energised".
That could mean the EU soon opening new policy areas - called "chapters" - in the accession talks, which have been stalled because of Turkey's long-standing dispute with Cyprus.
Yet growing violence in Turkey and a general election on 1 November make this a difficult time to be conducting such sensitive talks.
Twin suicide bombings in Ankara last Saturday killed nearly 100 people rallying for peace - the worst such atrocity in modern Turkish history. It came amid escalating clashes between Turkish forces and PKK Kurdish rebels.
That instability, the ruling AK Party's crackdown on opponents, and wider concerns about human rights make it controversial for the EU to be offering inducements in exchange for action to keep migrants in Turkey.
A deal on migrant readmission between the EU and Turkey was reached in December 2013, which on paper allows the EU to send failed asylum seekers back. But Turkey has not ratified the deal and the message of this summit is that such agreements must now be put into practice.
Turkey says that for it to take back migrants from Greece and other EU countries - an extra burden besides the many refugees it is housing - the EU must bring forward visa liberalisation. Ankara would like visa-free travel to start in mid-2016, rather than 2017.
Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, yet only Bulgaria and Luxembourg recognise Turkey as a "safe country of origin" when handling asylum cases.
Last year 23% of asylum claims by Turkish nationals in the EU were treated as well-founded.
If an EU state considers a country safe then it can legally send migrants back there, so now there is a drive to establish a common EU list of safe countries, to speed up migrant returns.
But the EU border force Frontex is still far short of the resources it needs - especially as the plan now is for Frontex to start initiating migrant returns itself.
So the conclusions stressed the need to fulfil the EU's funding pledges for Frontex, Turkey and UN agencies struggling with the surge in migrant numbers.
Ms Merkel said a figure of €3bn (£2.2bn; $3.4bn) in EU aid for Turkey was discussed "because Turkey has spent €7bn on refugees, but received only €1bn".
The bottom line is that much more money needs to be spent on tackling a crisis that European Parliament President Martin Schulz called "an epochal challenge, with migration flows unseen since the Second World War". | More intense EU diplomacy with Turkey lies ahead to turn ambitions into facts on the ground in the migrant crisis. | 34549830 |
She is currently chief executive of Voice UK, a national learning disability charity, promoting justice and well being for vulnerable victims.
First Minister Peter Robinson said: "She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the job and has dedicated much of her life to improving the lives of victims.
"We believe that she will be a true champion for the cause."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: "This is an exciting time for Kathryn to be taking up post, with a number of significant developments across the victims' sector including the establishment of the new Victims and Survivors Service which brings together some £11m of annual funding into a single, unified service.
"We are grateful to the work of the previous commissioners over the past four years. We are pleased that we have reached the point of being able to appoint a single commissioner."
Ms Stone was principal inspector for Milton Keynes Council and head of inspection for the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham and Barking and Dagenham, responsible for the regulation of residential, nursing and day care.
She also worked as an independent inspector for eight local authorities across the UK.
For the past 11 years, she has been involved with the Registered Intermediary Scheme sitting on the Quality Assurance Board and the Registration Board.
She has also been a member of the Home Office Victims Advisory Panel (2006-2010) and a member of Derbyshire police's independent advisory group since 2009, and chair of this group since March 2012.
She was awarded an OBE in 2007 for her services to people with learning disabilities and was made a chartered director by the Institute of Directors in 2008 and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in 2009.
In a statement, the Wave trauma centre welcomed the appointment.
"Individuals and families bereaved, injured and/or traumatised by the Troubles require a strong champion to ensure that their needs are met and we look forward to working with Kathryn when she comes into post," the statement said. | Northern Ireland's new commissioner for victims and survivors is Kathryn Stone. | 19468666 |
President Trump recently ordered a ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries, but Afghanistan was not included on the list.
Teams from Iran, Sudan and Syria - which are on the list - did manage to enter the country.
The girls said they did not know why they had not been given visas.
A US State Department official said it could not discuss individual cases. A team from The Gambia also failed to gain visas.
The six-member team will watch their ball-sorting robot compete in Washington DC via a video link from their hometown of Herat, in western Afghanistan.
"We still don't know the reason why we were not granted visas, because other countries participating in the competition have been given visas," Fatemah Qaderyan, 14, told Reuters.
She was one of the team members who made two journeys to the US embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to apply for their papers.
Team-mate Lida Azizi, 17, said: "All of the countries can participate in the competitions, but we can't. So it's a clear insult for the people of Afghanistan."
The First Global competition has seen teams from 164 countries compete in a series of robotic games.
The non-profit organisation aims to promote Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).
First Global's president, Joe Sestak, said in a post on the organisation's Facebook page that he was "saddened" by the US decision, adding his own thoughts as to why the girls had been refused visas.
"Visa decisions are often made regarding many whose lives are endangered," he wrote. "This is compounded by the low number of visas available within the nation to begin with."
A group of Afghan girls based in the US will represent the team, and the Skype call will be broadcast on a big screen at the event. | An all-girl team of roboticists from Afghanistan will watch their creations compete in a US competition via Skype after being denied entry visas. | 40504352 |
One person died and five were injured at the decommissioned power station on 23 February. Three are still missing.
Assistant Chief Constable Scott Chilton added that the victims' families had returned home after visiting the site.
A four-minute silence was held at demolition firm Coleman and Company's sites across the UK.
A spokesperson said it was "a sign of respect to our men, their families, friends and work colleagues".
Npower said it still did not know how the collapse happened and would not speculate.
Updates on this story and more from Oxfordshire
Thames Valley Police said the site remained "highly unstable" but that emergency services were continuing to work closely together to establish the best way to recover the bodies.
ACC Chilton said: "It is now one week since this major incident occurred.
"I know that this makes it particularly difficult for the families involved, as they await the recovery of their loved ones. Our priority remains to return them to their families and we continue to support the families as needed."
Chief fire officer Dave Etheridge said: "I believe the emergency service teams working on site are the best in the world and know they are using their experience and expertise to the limits."
Will Hancock, chief executive of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I would like to thank the many SCAS staff who attended the incident at Didcot A Power Station last week and who triaged and treated over 50 casualties, before taking five people to hospital.
"Our Hazardous Area Response Team has remained on site since the collapse and we continue to provide support to the recovery teams carrying out their difficult task."
In a statement Coleman and Company said: "It is now one week since this terrible accident and I would like to express our deep sorrow at this heartbreaking time for our colleagues, and their families and friends.
"Nothing can prepare you for, nor are there words to express, our devastation at the events of the last week.
"All our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have died and are still, tragically, missing.
"At this time, our over-riding priority is to support those families affected by this terrible incident."
It described the scene as an "unprecedented and hugely-challenging environment".
Part of the decommissioned Didcot A plant collapsed a week ago as it was being prepared for demolition.
One person, named as Michael Collings, is confirmed to have died. The cause of the collapse is unknown.
Five others injured in the incident been discharged from John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and are expected to make a full recovery, the company said.
A search operation involving sniffer dogs, listening devices and a thermal imaging drone continues as rescuers try to locate the missing workers. | Recovering the bodies of the victims of the Didcot power station collapse is a "very complex operation" that will take "many, many weeks", police have said. | 35695270 |
Indian-American Waris Ahluwalia, who is also a designer, said he was prevented from boarding after he refused to remove his turban in public.
The incident happened during additional security checks before a flight from Mexico City to New York.
Aeromexico said it had complied with security protocols and it regretted any "inconvenience".
He posted a picture of the ticket on his Instagram account. It carried an "SSSS" stamp, an acronym for Secondary Security Screening Selection, an airport measure that selects passengers for additional screening. The selection is said to be random.
Mr Ahluwalia, who has appeared in The Grand Budapest Hotel and starred in a campaign for American clothing brand GAP, said he was on his way to New York Fashion Week.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Mr Ahluwalia said he had complied with the additional checks but refused to remove his turban when he was asked by airline personnel to do so.
"That is not something that I would do in public," he was quoted as saying. "That's akin to asking someone to take off their clothes."
Mr Ahluwalia added that when he said he would not take his turban off without going to a private room, he was told that he would not be flying and would have to book another flight.
"I was shaking at first," he told the News. "That's not a nice thing to be told, that you are not allowed to fly on this plane because of something you are wearing, or because of your religious beliefs."
In a statement, Aeromexico said that he was asked to go through "screening and inspection before boarding, in strict compliance with TSA protocol" - a reference to the US Transportation Security Administration.
"We have offered the passenger alternatives to reach his destination as soon as possible", it said. | A Sikh actor has claimed he was barred from boarding an Aeromexico plane because of his turban. | 35528196 |
The Magpies started well and could have been a goal ahead in the opening 10 minutes when Mark Yeates smacked the top of the bar with a wonderful long-range drive.
Notts took the lead in the 24th minute and the architect was Michael O'Connor, who produced a wonderful pass which picked out the run of Jon Stead who ran on to smash beyond Scott Brown.
It was no more than County deserved for a vibrant display and they gave themselves a cushion when Richard Duffy's header from Yeates' corner squirmed over the line just past the half-hour mark.
That prompted Robins boss Gary Johnson into a tactical switch as he ditched a 5-4-1 system to play 4-4-2 and the new shape seemed to kick-start Cheltenham.
The extra man up front made it more of a contest and, after Jonathan Forte hit the post for the hosts, Manny Onariase grabbed a late goal.
Match report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Notts County 2, Cheltenham Town 1.
Second Half ends, Notts County 2, Cheltenham Town 1.
Corner, Notts County. Conceded by Tin Plavotic.
Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jorge Grant (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town).
Jorge Grant (Notts County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Liam Davis (Cheltenham Town).
Jorge Grant (Notts County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jordan Cranston (Cheltenham Town).
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Daniel Wright replaces Carl Winchester.
Goal! Notts County 2, Cheltenham Town 1. Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from very close range to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Dan Holman.
Jorge Grant (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Manny Onariase (Cheltenham Town).
Elliott Hewitt (Notts County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town).
Substitution, Notts County. Jorge Grant replaces Curtis Thompson.
Foul by Curtis Thompson (Notts County).
James Rowe (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jonathan Forte (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town).
Attempt blocked. Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked.
Attempt missed. Tahvon Campbell (Notts County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Jonathan Forte (Notts County) hits the right post with a right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Attempt missed. Tin Plavotic (Cheltenham Town) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Elliott Hewitt.
Substitution, Notts County. Tahvon Campbell replaces Mark Yeates.
Substitution, Notts County. Jonathan Forte replaces Shola Ameobi.
Attempt blocked. Liam Davis (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Michael O'Connor.
Attempt missed. Curtis Thompson (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Foul by Thierry Audel (Notts County).
Liam Davis (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Richard Duffy.
Attempt blocked. Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Michael O'Connor (Notts County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Michael O'Connor (Notts County).
James Rowe (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Michael O'Connor (Notts County) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Notts County maintained their unbeaten home record under new boss Kevin Nolan as they secured victory over fellow League Two strugglers Cheltenham. | 38865835 |
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After newspapers carried a picture of England assistant manager Ray Lewington yesterday carrying a team sheet, Coleman did the same - but with Pele and Maradona up front for Wales. | Wales manager Chris Coleman was in a jovial mood in training on Wednesday with a cheeky jibe at Euro 2016 rivals England with a team-sheet spoof. | 36481611 |
Their innings defeat by Surrey left Hampshire 23 points from the safety of seventh place with six games left.
Hampshire required a late revival to avoid relegation last season and Smith is confident of a repeat performance.
"We've got six games left in the season as we'll approach every one of those as winnable," he told BBC Radio Solent.
"We've just got to take the positives really and make sure we keep fighting.
Acting four-day captain Smith added: "This point last year, we'd won one and lost five. This year, we've won one and lost three, so in all intents and purposes we're actually ahead of the game.
"We don't want another great escape, but we know we're going in the right direction.
"We've been hard to beat this year and we've just got to keep maintaining and believing that, which I know the guys do." | Will Smith believes Hampshire can pull off another "great escape" despite being left adrift at the bottom of County Championship Division One. | 36855404 |
Some transactions were affected for two 30-minute periods, leading to queues.
The Post Office apologised, saying that the service had now been restored across the UK network of 11,800 branches.
The problem came as Royal Mail's website continued to suffer from a computer glitch.
"We are very sorry for the inconvenience this problem has caused customers. We know how important the Post Office is to our customers at all times, but especially at Christmas," said Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office's network and sales director.
This is the second computer problem at the network in six months. In July, a shutdown blocked access for 3.3 million customers with Post Office card accounts.
Some pensioners have their benefits paid into a Post Office card account.
A Post Office spokesman said the glitch affected most services offered by the branches which were hit.
Andy Burrows, from the government-backed watchdog Consumer Focus, said the problems would have caused "major disruption".
"People rely upon the Post Office not just for mail services but also to access cash and much-needed pensions and benefits. We will be taking up our concerns with Post Office Limited as a priority," he said.
Post offices were expected to be particularly busy, because Royal Mail was predicting its busiest day of the year.
They were expecting 131 million items to be posted, double the usual number. They had taken on thousands of extra staff to cope with the Christmas rush, caused in part by the popularity of online shopping.
Last week, Royal Mail admitted that it had charged some customers twice for postal services as problems continue to hit its website.
Some 600 customers had cards debited twice, at an average of £50 each time, after repeating a purchase in the SmartStamp section which the system told them had initially failed. Various online postage applications - such as Price Finder - have also been down since 21 November.
A Post Office spokesman said the issues affecting Royal Mail were unrelated to the problems at the Post Office network on Monday.
The final deadline of Christmas post for sending overseas was Monday, and for standard packages is 14 December.
The Christmas deadline for second-class post is 17 December and is three days later for first-class deliveries. | Transactions were affected at the Post Office network on Monday as computer issues caused problems on one of the busiest days of the year. | 16143730 |
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The Irish must beat Bangladesh on Friday to keep their hopes alive after Wednesday's dramatic two-wicket defeat.
"As long as Oman lose a game, to a large extent, it's still going to be in our own hands," said Porterfield.
"We've got to win our next two games and keep an eye on the run rate."
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Chasing 155, Oman openers Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali added 69 and Aamer Ali's 32 from 17 balls helped steer the minnows to victory in Dharamsala.
Oman needed 14 from the final over but two Max Sorensen no-balls, one of which went for four and another which went for four byes, helped seal a dramatic victory.
Porterfield's decision not to give former England Test player Boyd Rankin his full possible four overs looked questionable as Sorensen was punished at the death after Tim Murtagh had been clubbed for 20 in the 17th over.
The Irish captain defended his decision to hand the late overs to Murtagh and Sorensen and said the slippery ball in the moist conditions may have been a factor in Ireland's implosion.
Relive Oman's historic win with in-play highlights
"A lot of the lads have been there and done in that scenario. Whether the ball was slippery at the end, I'm not sure," added the Ireland captain.
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"We just didn't get it quite right in that last four or five overs."
Opener Porterfield had failed to get off the mark in the first over of Ireland's innings before his 29 helped the Irish reach 154-5.
"We felt that getting over 150 was a decent effort but it didn't prove to be enough," continued Porterfield.
"We've been in this kind of position before when we've lost the first game in qualifiers and then fought back to win 10 games in 11 days.
"A lot of the team have been involved in those campaigns so we will now aim to get back on track on Friday." | Ireland captain William Porterfield said his team's shock World Twenty20 defeat by newcomers Oman was "hard to take" but insisted that they can regroup to progress to the main draw. | 35769501 |
Munster are being investigated over their management of scrum-half Murray's head injury in the Scotstoun game.
Ireland's Murray was allowed to return to the field after belatedly being sent for a head injury assessment.
"I was fully conscious and talking to them (Munster's medics) about my neck," said the Lions half-back on Wednesday.
Munster's 14-12 victory guaranteed the Irish province a place in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
Recently, Northampton were found to have breached rules by allowing Wales winger George North to play on after a head injury.
Sale are also being investigated for an incident involving TJ Ioane.
On Sunday, European Cup organisers confirmed to BBC Sport that an Untoward Incident Review Group would convene this week to decide whether Munster had broken concussion management protocols.
However, Murray told a news conference he has been closely monitored since last weekend and has continued to pass all head injury assessment protocols.
"They (the Munster medics) didn't suspect that I had lost consciousness, which is the most important thing, and I came back on and finished the game and have felt fine since.
"I've passed all the tests and I'm fine. We've followed all the HIA protocols and worked with World Rugby.
"There's been a bit made about it but I am fine, I've trained fully today and the physios have looked after me, kept a close eye on me and I came through ok, so I'm ready for the weekend."
Murray emphasised that he is, like all players in the professional era, "very wary of concussion and how dangerous it can be".
"If I had a headache or I felt a little bit slowed or any of those symptoms, I'm fully sure I'd bring it up and I'd tell the physio and doctor and we'd deal with it and probably wouldn't play this weekend because everyone's aware of how dangerous concussion can be down the line." | Conor Murray has insisted he did not lose consciousness in Munster's European Champions Cup victory over Glasgow last weekend. | 38668438 |
"I do not want, nor will I accept the Republican nomination," he said.
Mr Ryan's name was floated as a late contender if there is a contested convention in July, as doubts persist over the strength of the candidates.
If none of Donald Trump, John Kasich and Ted Cruz can win 1,237 delegates, the convention will be contested.
The state-by-state primary contests, which come to New York next week, determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
Mr Trump is still well ahead in the number of delegates accumulated but may fall short of the magic number required.
In 1886 former civil war general William Sherman set the gold standard for disavowing interest in serving as US president. "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected," he bluntly stated.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan may not reach Shermanesque levels of certainty with Tuesday's statement, but the move should put the latest round of rampant speculation and rumour-mongering to rest.
The Ryan presidential boomlet was largely a result of growing desperation among Republicans who see a presidential ticket headed by the epically unpopular Donald Trump as an unmitigated disaster and by absolutist Ted Cruz as only a slightly mitigated disaster.
Mr Ryan won't be their establishment-friendly "white knight", however, and there are few others out there with the stature to pull off such an unlikely convention coup.
Former candidate Mitt Romney? Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker? At this point, anyone other than Mr Cruz or Mr Trump - the two men who have slogged through the presidential season and won the votes and delegates - appears to be pure fantasy.
How does a contested convention work?
Five ways Republican bloodbath could end
Profile: House Speaker Paul Ryan
At a contested convention, the delegates are free after the first ballot to back whom they want, opening the door for Texas Senator Mr Cruz or even the third candidate in the race, Mr Kasich.
Some in the party had hoped Mr Ryan would emerge as a candidate at that stage, believing he would be a more effective and less divisive figure than Mr Trump or Mr Cruz.
Speaking at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, Mr Ryan - who ran as Mitt Romney's running mate in the 2012 presidential election - ruled himself out unequivocally.
But some commentators were quick to point out that he said he did not want to run for Speaker of the House last year before eventually accepting the job. | US House Speaker Paul Ryan has officially ruled out making a late attempt to become the Republican presidential nominee. | 36029685 |
Northumberland County Council approved the proposals for 200 houses, shops and a school at its County Hall site.
Morpeth Chamber of Trade chair Jacky Beesley said it was "unsatisfactory that the council was both the planning authority and the landowner that would benefit from approvals".
The council said it was "clearly a contentious issue".
"We note the decision of the secretary of state but as we are currently in purdah ahead of local elections in May we are unable to comment further", a spokesperson said.
Secretary of state Sajid Javid will now make a decision after a public inquiry, the Department for Communities and Local Government confirmed.
South Morpeth Coalition residents' group said 1,700 people had "finally been listened to".
David Holden, from the group, said: "The resolutions passed at the planning committee were disgraceful and made a mockery of the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan, which was endorsed by nearly 4,000 residents last year with a 93% majority."
The neighbourhood plan made it clear the site was not suitable for retail and housing, he said.
"The principle of a new school is supported but the suggested location opposite a fast food drive thru is appalling," he said.
The coalition and the Morpeth and District Chamber of Trade submitted requests to the secretary of state for the plans to be called in.
There had been criticism of the cost of council plans to relocate its headquarters.
The authority said selling off the land and erecting a new £40m building in Ashington would be more cost-effective than refurbishing the current building. | Criticised plans to sell-off a council headquarters and build on the land have been called in by the government. | 39418975 |
EU proposals should be considered by the UK both as an EU member state, and in terms of their Brexit implications, the European Scrutiny Committee said.
Policies would affect the UK up to, and in some cases after, Brexit, it said.
The government has said it "will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation" until Brexit.
Prime Minister Theresa May formally began the Brexit process last week when she triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, meaning that, unless the UK and the 27 remaining EU member states agree to extend the deadline for talks, the UK will leave on 29 March 2019.
Brexit: All you need to know
Article 50: What happens next?
Is Whitehall ready for Brexit?
Until then, the committee points out, the UK continues to take its place in negotiations on EU legislation at the European Council and in the Council of Ministers.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has pledged to "exercise our influence over what we think is the best interests of the European Union until the moment we leave".
But the committee heard from the UK's former ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, who said, in the six months after the EU Referendum, he "saw a diminution of Whitehall attention and effort on day-to-day dossiers".
He also suggested that other EU member states may already be preparing for life after Brexit as new legislation goes through: "Others are, frankly, looking at opportunities in the next couple of years to land things in directives and regulation that they know are going to cause us difficulty."
The committee said all departments should consider new EU proposals both from the perspective of the UK as a member state and in terms of their Brexit implications. It said the government must give "proper priority to negotiations on existing dossiers" as well as "minimising the risk that changes to current EU law may disadvantage the UK after Brexit".
"The government may consider that there will be occasions when it feels it should vote against proposals it considers to be against the national interest, rather than allowing agreement by consensus," the committee said.
Commons Leader David Lidington warned that "an approach to negotiations on dossiers that enabled others to paint us as wreckers would not be helpful in the exit negotiations". The committee said while they would not want the UK to be seen as a "wrecker" it was "entitled to oppose [European] Commission proposals and to make their views known".
"We consider that it may now be appropriate for the government to be firm in its attitude to proposals it considers misguided and to be readier to vote against such proposals if it does not manage to negotiate satisfactory changes."
While recognising "clearly considerable" pressures in Whitehall and UKRep - the UK permanent representation to the EU - the committee raised concerns that "departments may not have been giving sufficient priority to negotiations on new and existing EU dossiers" which would continue to affect UK law until Brexit - and in areas like trade or EU energy policy, afterwards.
"It cannot start from the assumption that EU policy and legal frameworks are fixed. Rather than driving away from a fixed petrol pump, Brexit is analogous to disengaging from mid-air refuelling. Both parties are moving; the challenge is to separate them without either losing momentum."
Shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield accused the government of "failing to grasp and prepare for the complexity of the Brexit negotiations" adding: "The government is treating EU law and policy as fixed, when the committee is right to say it's evolving."
A government spokesman said: "We have been clear that we are a full member of the European Union until the day we leave and so we will continue to respect the rights and obligations of EU membership and engage with day-to-day EU business. "That is why ministers from across government have regularly represented the UK at EU Council meetings since last year's referendum." | Ministers must continue to scrutinise - and be prepared to vote against - new EU measures while it remains a member of the EU, a committee of MPs has said. | 39518212 |
Captain Charlotte Edwards top-scored with 65 in a total of 194 all out with four balls left of their 50 overs.
New Zealand lost wickets regularly and were 104 all out with Anya Shrubsole taking four for 36.
The tourists, who lost the first match by 67 runs, will look to make it two wins at the same venue on Sunday.
Shrubsole said: "We were not up to scratch the other day and were determined to come here and put in a great performance and a win on the board, so it's a happy dressing room.
"I've not bowled brilliantly on the trip so owed the girls a bit in terms of wickets. Charlotte threw me the ball and showed faith in me and thankfully it paid off for me."
The first three games of this five-match series count towards the International Cricket Council's Women's Championship, which determines qualification for the 2017 World Cup. | England's women beat New Zealand by 90 runs in their second one-day international in the ICC Women's Championship in Mount Maunganui. | 31450936 |
The 34-year-old midfielder has just finished his latest spell in the Indian Super League with Atletico Kolkata.
"Having been the player who has come back three times before, I know the appeal and why you would want to come back," said McFadden, who confirmed that Well have made him an offer.
"And I know Pearo is exactly the same."
Pearson began his career at Fir Park and, after spells with Celtic, Derby County, Bristol City and Karela Blasters, rejoined Well for a season in 2015.
He is a free agent again after helping Kolkata finish fourth in the Indian league before winning the title with a play-off victory over his former club, Karela.
"We have spoken to him and offered him a deal and we're waiting to hear back," said McFadden, who thinks Motherwell have a tradition of welcoming back former players.
"Pearo would be a great addition on and off the park here.
"We would love to him back, so hopefully he makes the right decision and comes back.
"I know he has one or two things to think about before he makes that decision, but he knows he will be welcomed back with open arms here by everyone."
Motherwell have signed winger Elliot Frear from Forest Green as well as adding Reading defender Zak Jules and Everton goalkeeper Russell Griffiths on loan in recent days.
However, they are still looking to add to their squad before the transfer window closes.
"There could be, we are still working away on that," added McFadden. "But we don't have answers back from the people we are speaking to, so we will see how it goes." | Motherwell assistant James McFadden hopes Stephen Pearson will follow his example by signing with the Scottish Premiership club for a third time. | 38802482 |
They have published a report saying the results of the IGCSE in English language were flawed and pupils received unfair grades.
The exam board, Cambridge International Exams, said it was "confident" in the accuracy of the results.
Exam regulator Ofqual said the exam results were reliable and pupils had received "appropriate" grades.
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and Girls' School Association said an "unprecedented number" of schools had come forward with concerns about the results.
The report said the exam results "cannot be trusted" and there had been a "large-scale award of false grades" for the IGCSE English language paper taken by pupils in May 2015.
The independent schools' groups said there had been problems with the grade boundaries and the results had been "exceptionally out of line" with expectations, with pupils forecast to get top grades receiving U grades.
Leicester Grammar School headmaster Chris King, who chairs the HMC, said they were publishing the report after months of "fruitless formal appeals".
"Yet again, schools have known that students have been graded unfairly but have been unable to gain justice for pupils under the current system," he said.
But the claims about the IGCSE were strongly rejected by the exam board.
Roderic Gillespie, director of assessment at Cambridge International Examinations, said the independent schools' report was "flawed" and had been based on a "small sample of self-selecting schools unhappy with their results".
"There is no evidence in the report to justify re-grading the exam papers," he said.
Ofqual said it had checked the schools' claims but remained unconvinced by the evidence.
"It is unreasonable for any study to make assertions about an entire cohort of students based on the results of an unrepresentative sub-set of schools," said an Ofqual spokesman.
The exam watchdog said it was "satisfied that the grade boundaries were suitable".
Last year saw a record number of grades being changed after pupils appealed against results.
There were more than 90,000 GCSE and A-level grades changed in 2015, almost twice as many as three years before. | Independent school head teachers have said there was a "major problem" with an exam taken last summer. | 36046505 |
Cambridgeshire Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the death during an event held by the Fitzwilliam Hunt, which is based near Peterborough.
The force said it was alerted to the death when the hunt reached Elton, at about 14:00 GMT.
It is now working to establish if a crime was committed under the 2004 Hunting Act.
Hunting foxes with dogs is illegal and those found guilty can be jailed and fined up to £5,000 for hunting illegally or up to £20,000 for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
However, the killing of foxes is allowed in England and Wales for pest control purposes as long as the fox is shot and a maximum of two dogs are used.
"An investigation has been launched to establish whether the killing was lawful or not, and we have been speaking with a number of independent witnesses, as well as participants of the hunt and the saboteurs," Sgt Dave Walker said.
"We are taking this matter seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation to establish whether a crime has been committed."
The Hunt Saboteurs Association said its members had filmed the hunt and presented its footage to Cambridgeshire Police.
It claims the fox was disembowelled and pronounced dead shortly after the alleged incident close to the River Nene.
Spokesman Lee Moon said: "We look forward to a robust investigation by Cambridgeshire Police."
Mark Randell, director of operations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said the case could be an indication of a wider problem within hunting.
"We don't know the full details of this case, but this is a familiar story and people can make their own minds up as to whether or not it was a coincidence.
"We would like to see the Hunting Act tightened up a bit so that the law can more consistently catch up with people when they break it."
The Fitzwilliam Hunt is thought to be at least 250 years old and hunts two days a week in the main season.
A spokesman said: "The Fitzwilliam (Milton) Hunt is aware of the press and other interest in an incident alleged to have occurred on 1 January 2016.
"It is not considered appropriate for the hunt to comment further given that Cambridgeshire Police has stated its intention to conduct an investigation." | The killing of a fox during a New Year's Day hunt in Cambridgeshire is being investigated by police. | 35225812 |
The latest hospital waiting list figures show 55.3% of patients were waiting longer than 13 weeks to be admitted for inpatient or day case treatment.
Meanwhile, 12% of patients waited more than 52 weeks.
The college said the figures do not come close to meeting the current target.
In a highly unusual move, the RCS said it had decided to speak out as people must not forget that behind the figures "are potentially very ill and anxious patients who are being made to wait too long for surgery".
"This is the true impact of waiting times spiralling out of control in Northern Ireland," it added.
The college is also concerned that according to the recently published elective care plan - one of the reforms includes the removal of the 13-week target for inpatient and day case treatment.
This would mean that the only remaining target would be for no patients to wait more than a year for treatment.
The latest Department of Health statistics reveal more people are having to wait longer on a hospital outpatient appointment in Northern Ireland.
At the end of December, a total of 246,198 patients were waiting - that is 3,057 more people than who were on the same list at the end of September 2016.
About 72.4% of patients were waiting more than nine weeks.
Government targets state that at least 50% of patients should not have to wait any longer than the recommended nine week target.
The number of people having to wait more than a year for an outpatient appointment has also jumped - in three months that figure has increased by about 7,000.
With no additional funding, a budget, or an executive in place, the jump comes as no surprise.
As these figures capture what was happening between October and December 2016, they will already be out of date and undoubtedly have increased again.
A spokesperson for the Royal college of Surgeons said it was deeply concerned about the current trends in Northern Ireland.
"It has been over four years since the health service in Northern Ireland last met its 13 week waiting time target for inpatient and day case treatment and 10 years since the 52 week target was met.
"Currently over two thirds of patients are waiting more than 13 weeks for inpatient treatment."
Diagnostic waiting times are also up - at 31 December, 105,316 men and women were waiting for a diagnostic service, that is a 3.2% increase compared to the end of September and 12% more than 12 months previously.
The ministerial target for diagnostic waiting times says that by March 2017, 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks.
According to these latest figures, 43.7% of patients were waiting longer than nine weeks.
This upward trend will continue until a substantial sum of money is injected into the health service. | The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has warned that Northern Ireland patients are waiting too long for surgery. | 39066288 |
The ban is set to begin on 1 July after two rival group claimed control of the country's association.
On 2 June, Sudan's Ministry of Justice ordered the Fifa-recognised SFA president Mutasim Gaafar Sir Elkhatim to be removed and replaced by Abdel Rahman Sir Elkatim.
Football's world governing body prohibits governmental interference in the running of a member association.
If the ban comes into place then Sudanese club Al Hilal Obeid would feel the effect immediately as they are due to play in the Confederation Cup on Saturday.
The country's two biggest clubs Al Hilal and Al Merreikh play on Friday in the African Champions League so would initially avoid the sanction.
In April, Abdel Rahman won SFA elections even though Fifa had previously stated that no elections should take place until late 2017.
After Mutasim Gaafar reported the matter to Fifa, claiming the elections were illegal, the governing body took action this week.
"The Bureau of the Fifa Council decided on 27 June that if the degree of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice of Sudan of 2 June - giving the police the right to evacuate the SFA premises and hand it over to a self-proclaimed president of the SFA - has not been declared null or void by 30 June, the SFA will be automatically suspended with immediate effect," Fifa told the BBC in a statement.
"The suspension would be lifted once the decree of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice of 2 June is declared null or void and the Board of Directors of the SFA with its President, Dr Mutasim Gaafar, is reinstated."
Dr Gaafar is also the President of the Council for East and Central African Football Association (Cecafa).
On 13 June, Fifa sent a delegation to Khartoum in an effort to reach a solution and met the two disputing groups and the Minister of Youth and Sport, Abdel-Karim Musa.
Yet the various parties failed to agree on the direction advised by the Fifa officials. | Fifa has warned Sudan that it faces an international ban from football unless it overturns a governmental order to install a new football association president. | 40444567 |
The ceremony will also feature sets from Hozier, Jess Glynne and OMI, whose single Cheerleader was one of the songs of the summer.
Many of the acts will be backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The ceremony, at Birmingham's Genting Arena, will be hosted by Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton.
More than 10,000 tickets are available for members of the public; while nominees for the awards will be announced in the run-up to the show on 10 December.
Launched in London's Earl's Court last year, the inaugural ceremony saw Pharrell Williams receive two of the four prizes on offer - best international artist and song of the year, for his exuberant, gospel-inspired single Happy.
Ed Sheeran was named British artist of the year, while newcomers Catfish and the Bottlemen won BBC Introducing award for best new act.
This year's show will add one further category: Best live performance, given to the band or artist who has delivered "the stand out live moment" on the BBC over the past 12 months.
The first seven performers were announced live on BBC Radio 1 and 2, both which will broadcast the award ceremony, alongside the TV screening on BBC One.
Jess Glynne, who has scored three number ones in the past year with songs like Hold My Hand and Don't Be So Hard On Yourself said she was "really excited" to be invited.
"I was there last year at the inaugural awards, performing with Clean Bandit, and it was a great night, with a brilliant performance from Ed Sheeran among my personal favourites."
Jamaican-American star OMI said: "I'm extremely excited as usual. I love being in the UK and feeling the British energy. I can't wait to perform for my fans."
Chris Evans added: "We had such a blast last year so I can't wait to get back on stage and relive this amazing musical year of 2015."
In the run-up to the ceremony, a week of live concerts will be held across Birmingham, showcasing new talent from the city.
A series of BBC Music workshops and seminars will also take place, providing advice and guidance to aspiring musicians - with topics including How To Make Money in the Music Industry and The Art of Song Writing.
For official BBC Music Awards ticket Information, the full line up, artist profiles and highlights from the 2014 ceremony, visit the BBC Music Awards website. | One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Little Mix and Mumford and Sons have all been confirmed to play at the second BBC Music Awards in December. | 34597290 |
Saints needed maximum points from their final Pool Three game to stay in with a chance of progressing as one of the best three runners-up.
And they did it with ease, thanks to tries from Harry Mallinder, George Pisi, Sam Dickinson and George North.
Rhodri Jones grabbed a late consolation score for the hosts.
Bottom side Scarlets had nothing left to play for in the competition and they were soon behind as 19-year-old Mallinder, son of director of rugby Jim, intercepted a loose Scarlets pass and sprinted home.
Saints struck again eight minutes later as Pisi went over in the corner, before Aled Thomas slotted the hosts' first points from the tee to make it 12-3 at the break.
Dickinson claimed a simple touchdown after the restart and Scarlets' woes continued when lock Maselino Paulino was yellow-carded for a shoulder barge on England's Courtney Lawes.
Wales international North secured the important bonus point when he crossed the line after a brilliant pass from Mallinder.
Saints finished with 14 men after replacement scrum-half Lee Dickson was sin-binned for a technical offence, and it gave Jones the chance to touch down at the death.
Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac: "We wanted to be in the game, and over the 80 minutes we put in a solid performance.
"It was a big step up from last week."
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder: "It's always a challenge, particularly to get the four tries, so we are delighted to get the bonus point.
"We knew that whatever team Scarlets put out they would be fighting. We can sit back and hope that results go our way on Sunday.
"Not getting any bonus point wins has made it difficult for us and made it close, but to win four and draw one is pretty good."
Scarlets: Michael Collins; Tom Williams, Regan King, Steven Shingler, DTH van der Merwe; Aled Thomas, Gareth Davies; Phil John, Ken Owens (C), Samson Lee; Tom Price, Maselino Paulino; Aaron Shingler, Will Boyde, Morgan Allen.
Replacements: Kirby Myhill, Dylan Evans, Rhodri Jones, Lewis Rawlins, Tom Phillips, Aled Davies, Josh Lewis, Steff Hughes
Sin Bin: Paulino (48).
Northampton: Ben Foden; Jamie Elliott, George Pisi, Harry Mallinder, George North; Stephen Myler, Tom Kessell; Alex Waller, Dylan Hartley (c), Paul Hill; Courtney Lawes, Christian Day; Jamie Gibson, Tom Wood, Sam Dickinson.
Replacements: Mikey Haywood, Ethan Waller, Gareth Denman, Michael Paterson, Jonathan Fisher, Lee Dickson, JJ Hanrahan, Luther Burrell.
Sin Bin: Dickson (73).
Ref: Pascal Gauzere (France).
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Northampton claimed a bonus-point win over Scarlets, with results on Sunday sending them into the Champions Cup last eight. | 35355000 |
Ms Taubira was known to disagree with the controversial proposals.
The citizenship plans were put forward after the 13 November Paris attacks in which 130 people were murdered.
"Sometimes staying on is resisting, sometimes resisting means leaving," she tweeted.
Many of the Islamist militants who carried out attacks in France and have joined the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group have had dual citizenship, and Ms Taubira was among several figures on the left who objected to the government's proposals because they singled out those with dual nationality.
However, the law went before a parliamentary commission shortly after her resignation on Wednesday with no reference to dual nationality.
One of France's few senior black politicians, Christiane Taubira, 63, has been replaced by Jean-Jacques Urvoas who is seen as a supporter of the constitutional change and an ally of Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
Born in French Guiana, she has suffered racist taunts from the far-right during her time as justice minister.
Her left-wing leanings have put her increasingly at odds with official policy, especially after the November attacks when the president announced a much tougher line on terrorism, BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield reports.
A communique from the Elysee Palace said that President Francois Hollande had accepted the justice minister's decision to resign.
"They agreed on the need to bring her role to an end at a time when debate on constitutional revision begins in the National Assembly, today," the statement read.
In his communique, President Hollande also praised Ms Taubira's part in pushing through same-sex marriage laws.
President Hollande is going to miss Christiane Taubira because she performed a vital role in his government. Every time he took a move to the right, or was accused of doing so, he could point to his justice minister and say: "Don't worry, Christiane's still with me."
She was his left-wing shield, and he kept her in office to ward off attacks from inside the Socialists over his increasingly pro-business economic policies, and (since November) his tough new line on terror.
Taubira was the darling of the left. Pugnacious and outspoken, she saw through the gay marriage law, and promoted a liberal line on police and sentencing. By the same token, the right despised her and there is now much rejoicing in their ranks.
In the end, President Hollande could no longer pull off the act of political splits which allowed his government to include such mutually hostile forces as Manuel Valls (on the right) and Taubira (on the left).
The times being as they are, it was the left-winger who went.
EU at grave risk, says Valls
Was Salim Benghalem Paris attacks ringleader?
Who were the victims of Paris attacks?
Last month the justice minister made plain her distaste of the plan to strip citizens with dual nationality of their French citizenship, arguing it "would not help the fight against terrorism in any way".
She said the plan was being dropped only for it be announced the following day by the prime minister with her appearing beside him.
Mr Valls said at the time that it was a "strong symbolic act against those who have excluded themselves from the national community".
He presented the proposals before a parliamentary commission at the National Assembly on Wednesday before they were due to go before MPs next week.
No mention was made of dual nationals, apparently in response to criticism that it could lead to two types of nationality and to people being stigmatised.
However, the French government has made clear that no-one should be made stateless as a result of the reform, implying that it could only ever be used against people with dual citizenship.
Mr Valls told the BBC last week that France could not live forever under a state of emergency but as long as the threat remained all means had to be used "until we can defeat Daesh (so-called Islamic State).
The reforms include the right to declare a state of emergency under the constitution, which would make it easier for the French government to adopt strict powers such as police raids and house arrests.
The government aims to extend the three-month state of emergency imposed after the November attacks when it expires on 26 February. | French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has stepped down from her job, shortly before plans to strip people convicted of terrorism of their citizenship go before parliament. | 35417732 |
The paper calls it her "mea culpa".
In an editorial, the paper says it is right that Mrs May will show contrition - but adds that the time for apologies is over.
It says decisiveness and clarity are the best way of uniting the cabinet, her party, and ultimately, the country.
The Sun on Sunday, meanwhile, says Mrs May is being urged to clear out what it calls the "Brexit-bashers" in a mini reshuffle in order to reassert her authority.
The Mail believes Chancellor Philip Hammond and the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson are poised to back a leadership bid by "soft-Brexit" supporter, Home Secretary Amber Rudd - if Mrs May is forced to step down.
Both the Mail and the Sunday Times say backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg is considering whether he should enter the race to succeed Mrs May.
Although when asked directly about his ambitions, he told the Sunday Times: "I think if I threw my hat into the ring, my hat would be thrown back at me pretty quickly."
In an editorial, the paper says what it calls "Moggmentum" is gaining strength.
"Could he become Tory leader? Stranger things have happened", it concludes.
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The Observer has an article by the former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband calling for politicians on all sides to fight back against what he calls the "worst consequences" of Brexit.
He says the country should have the chance to vote on any Brexit deal in a second referendum with a straight choice between remaining in the EU and the negotiated alternative.
The former Business Minister, Anna Soubry, who campaigned for remain in the referendum, says a hard Brexit would destroy the lives and livelihoods of her constituents.
In the Mail on Sunday, she says "it's not impossible" that she could join with like-minded people who wanted to save the country from that fate.
In the Sunday Telegraph, Chancellor Philip Hammond, and the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox have written a joint article insisting the UK will leave the customs union and single market when it withdraws from the EU.
They previously appeared to have opposing views on Brexit.
The ministers stress there should be a limited transition period but say this must not be a means of staying in the EU.
Five pages of the Mail on Sunday are given over to the first hand account of the British model who says she was abducted in Italy by masked men, who wanted to sell her as a sex slave.
It says Chloe Ayling has given her first account of her ordeal.
The paper says her story has divided the nation and invites its readers to decide whether she was telling the truth.
The Sunday Mirror has spoken to her agent, who says police posed as him in an effort to track down her captors.
The Daily Star Sunday is predicting a Royal wedding. It says Prince Harry's inner circle claims he has asked his actress girlfriend, Meghan Markle, to be his wife - adding that she has accepted.
The People says Ms Markle has received her first seal of approval from the royal family - from Mike Tindall, the husband of Prince Harry's cousin, Zara Philips.
It quotes the ex-England rugby union international as saying Ms Markle will do "absolutely fine" if she becomes a royal - even though he has not actually met her yet.
The success of Great Britain's men in 4x100m relay at the World Championships came too late for the first editions of Sunday's papers.
But Sir Mo Farah is pictured on many front and back pages - the disappointment at coming second in the 5,000m final clearly shown.
The Mail on Sunday calls him a "silver knight", while the Sunday Mirror says he had a "knight to forget".
The Sunday Times is kinder, saying that if defeat is the making of a true champion, then Farah left the track as the greatest champion of all.
The Sunday Telegraph sums up his legacy as: "A loser on the night, a winner forever."
David Kidd, the Sun on Sunday's chief sports writer, says even the greatest icons are eventually caught by an invincible opponent - old father time. | According to the Mail on Sunday, Theresa May will make a grovelling apology at the Conservative Party conference for the loss of the government's majority, to try to head off a threat to sack her as prime minister. | 40914148 |
The Hartlebury Castle Preservation Trust has agreed to pay Church Commissioners £2.45m for the freehold of the castle and grounds.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) turned down a bid for £478,000 from the trust in 2011 over concerns about the original asking price.
The trust wants to keep the castle, museum and library open to the public.
It houses the county museum and the Hurd Library, a collection of 5,000 volumes dating from 1476.
Robert Greenwood, from the trust, said the award was "a very significant first step to securing the future of this magnificent heritage site".
The trust plans to raise the money to buy the castle using contributions from private donors, and has raised £50,000 from donations made by members of the public.
Iain Rutherford, from Museums Worcestershire, said: "We look forward to working in partnership with the trust to deliver one of the best tourist attractions in the Midlands, indeed in England, and to re-establishing Hartlebury as an important centre of learning and culture."
The castle was the residence of the Bishop of Worcester until 2007. | A group hoping to buy the former home of the Bishop of Worcester has been awarded £413,700 of lottery money. | 21999628 |
Metropolitan Police officer Tom Harrison, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, used the name Mr Gorilla during the challenge.
All sponsorship money would go to The Gorilla Organisation, he said.
After crossing the finishing line he was congratulated by TV celebrity and conservationist Bill Oddie.
Mr Harrison missed out on the marathon finishers' medal, awarded to runners who complete the course within eight hours, but was given a trophy and a stuffed gorilla toy.
He slept at friends' homes overnight and spent 10-12 hours most days covering the course.
Mr Harrison said it was difficult crawling on his knees and he eventually decided to walk on all fours - feet and hands.
"When people saw the marathon number on my back they realised what I was doing and support grew.
"People even stopped to cheer me," he said. | A man has raised nearly £50,000 for gorilla conservation by crawling around the 26.2-mile London Marathon course in costume over six and a half days. | 39828787 |
Azhar Hasyim, e-business director at Indonesia's Information Ministry, told the BBC the decision had been made without consultation with the New York-based company, which is owned by Yahoo.
"We must ban the site first, and tell them later," Mr Hasyim said.
Earlier this month, Indonesia ordered social networking sites to remove any emojis representing same-sex couples.
Unlike Facebook and some other social networks, Tumblr allows adult content on its site.
The closure was part of a wider crackdown, with nearly 500 sites shut down by authorities, according to Indonesian media.
Earlier this month, Netflix was blocked by Indonesia's biggest internet service provider, which said it had concerns about the content the platform was offering.
And last May, video-hosting site Vimeo was blocked in the country for alleged carrying pornographic content.
Indonesia has in the past asked social media companies such as Twitter to put in place a special filter for pornographic content.
Companies that don't comply can be charged according to Indonesian law.
Tumblr has been approached for comment. | Indonesia has banned the blogging platform Tumblr, saying that the site distributes pornographic content. | 35594617 |
Mr Duncan Smith said the latest planned cuts to disability benefits were "not defensible" in a Budget that benefited higher-earning taxpayers.
In response, Mr Cameron said they had "collectively agreed" on the proposals, before deciding on Friday to have a rethink to "get these policies right".
Stephen Crabb has been named as Mr Duncan Smith's replacement.
Before he was ousted as Conservative leader in 2003, Iain Duncan Smith was dubbed "the quiet man". But there was nothing subdued or understated about the manner of his departure last night.
Instead, a zinger of a resignation letter, designed to inflict maximum damage on Chancellor George Osborne; a relationship that had long been testy, tested to destruction by this week's Budget.
By questioning, as the Conservatives' critics have long done, the Tory slogan to justify cuts - "We are all in this together" - Mr Duncan Smith knowingly provided the government's opponents with ammunition.
For a man with ambitions to lead his party, these have been difficult days for George Osborne.
This morning David Cameron woke to a vacancy in his cabinet and a wound inflicted on his government.
In his Budget on Wednesday, Chancellor George Osborne had said the government would be spending an extra £1bn on disability but changes to disability benefits announced a few days earlier had suggested the government would save £4.4bn by 2020-21.
They included changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in January 2017, that were expected to save £1.3bn a year and sparked outcry from opposition parties and some Tory MPs.
On Friday, prior to Mr Duncan Smith's resignation, a government source said the planned changes would be "kicked into the long grass".
Baroness Stroud, who worked with Mr Duncan Smith in government and now heads the Centre for Social Justice think tank, which he founded, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Iain came into government... in order to deliver a social justice agenda, a reform agenda of the welfare state.
"He always used to say to me, 'I'm here in order to deliver reform and to protect the poorest'.
"Yesterday he felt that he could no longer protect the poorest... This is a step too far."
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Today he was also "disappointed" by Mr Duncan Smith's resignation but the welfare reform programme would "go on".
Frank Field, who chairs the Commons work and pensions committee, said: "Behind this is a much, much bigger drama of which Iain was the driver... What he crucially cared about was the balance of resources going to families and children and older people.
"The pensioner element, the biggest part of the Budget, was safeguarded and in fact increased.
"And therefore all these cuts were on people of working age and it's this point that Iain thinks the social contract between generations is being broken."
In his reply to Mr Duncan Smith's resignation letter, Mr Cameron said there had been collective agreement that "the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most".
"That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your department then announced a week ago," he said.
"Today we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months.
"In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign."
Mr Cameron's letter also highlighted that they were "on different sides in the vital debate about the future of Britain's relations with Europe".
Sources close to Mr Duncan Smith, who wants the UK to leave the EU, say his resignation was not about Europe.
In his resignation letter, Mr Duncan Smith said that "because of the perilous public finances we inherited from the last Labour administration, difficult cuts have been necessary".
"I have found some of these cuts easier to justify than others but aware of the economic situation and determined to be a team player I have accepted their necessity.
"You are aware that I believe the cuts would have been even fairer to younger families and people of working age if we had been willing to reduce some of the benefits given to better-off pensioners but I have attempted to work within the constraints that you and the chancellor set."
But he went on: "I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to believe that the latest changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are a compromise too far.
"While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers."
He added: "I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest."
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said: "Tensions with the chancellor had been simmering for some time, but there was little warning of Friday's explosion.
"What seemed to be at its core were briefings by government sources which placed responsibility for the controversial changes to PIP firmly at Mr Duncan Smith's door, while he had in fact felt some pressure from the Treasury to deliver them."
Mr Duncan Smith was Conservative Party leader and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003, and had been work and pensions secretary since the 2010 general election.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron have both called for Mr Osborne to resign.
Mr Corbyn said: "The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith reveals a government in disarray and a chancellor who has lost the credibility to manage the economy in the interests of the majority of our people." | David Cameron says he is "puzzled and disappointed" after Iain Duncan Smith quit as work and pensions secretary. | 35850200 |
In seven out of 10 cases studied, a prosecutor or the police commissioner imposed lesser punishments on officers who used chokeholds, which are banned
The report is in response to the death of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by police.
The practice is banned by the New York city police department.
The report, the first issued under the newly formed police inspector general's office, warns its review is an initial inquiry and a broader review of how prevalent chokehold complaints are and how officers have been disciplined is required.
Eric Garner's death is not included in the review.
Inspector General Philip Eure called the report "a deep-dive into cases involving this prohibited tactic to explore and demystify how these complaints are addressed internally".
A watchdog agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), investigates claims of officer misconduct and makes recommendations on whether to discipline an officer.
Since April 2013, the review board now tries some cases, but police commissioner has the final say on whether to discipline an officer.
The report found the CCRB had substantiated all 10 claims, occurring over five years, and recommended the highest disciplinary action to be taken against the officers involved in nine cases.
But in seven instances the police department's prosecution office or the former police commissioner himself imposed lesser action or no discipline at all.
In the remaining three, one officer died before any final decision was made, one was found not guilty by the CCRB's prosecution unit and one is still pending.
The report also notes officers used chokeholds - "whether neck grabs or headlocks or some other contact with the neck or throat - as a first act of physical force in response to verbal resistance, as opposed to first attempting to defuse the situation".
The review recommends more transparency by the police department when it departs from the discipline recommendations by the civilian board, but also recommends the board improve its own record of informing the city's internal affairs division about reports of officer misconduct. | A review of the New York police's recent chokehold cases has found discipline recommended by a complaints board was very often not followed. | 30783323 |
To eat the famous holy sweet, given as an offering at one of India's holiest Hindu shrines, Tirumala Tirupati, you don't need to shell out a lot of money.
The temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state provides two laddoos at a subsidised cost of 10 rupees ($0.5; £0.1) each, and customers are allowed to buy another two at 25 rupees each.
But "allowed" is the key word here.
Actually getting your hands on the coveted sweet involves braving long queues, and procuring a high tech coupon complete with its own security code and biometric details like face recognition.
Volunteers from various banks man counters where they check the validity of each ticket and money changes hands only after potential customers pass the facial recognition tests.
The laddoo itself is a roughly fist-sized ball, made of chickpea flour, clarified butter, sugar, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom.
The recipe is a closely guarded 300-year-old secret, and only a few cooks are given the honour and responsibility of actually making it.
They do so in a secret temple kitchen called "potu", where they make around 300,000 laddoos every day.
These high security measures are in place to check bootlegging of the holy sweets.
This is the 14th article in a BBC series India on a plate, on the diversity and vibrancy of Indian food. Other stories in the series:
The dark history behind India and the UK's favourite drink
The Indian state that is obsessed with beef fry
Why this Indian state screams for ice cream
The street food that silences even the most heated debate
How home chefs are helping uncover India's food secrets
Amma canteen: Where a meal costs only seven cents
Production is standardised.
Each of the laddoos looks the same and even the weight of each sweet is precise - the small laddoo, as soon as it is taken out of the vats and shaped into a ball, should weigh precisely 178 grams (6.2 ounces). As it cools down, this weight will reduce to 174 grams.
In 2009, the Tirupati laddoo got its own Geographical Indicator (GI) tag.
Like other GI items Champagne and Darjeeling Tea, having the tag helps in preventing others from copying the sweet or exploiting the name.
But the laddoo is not the only thing you get to eat in Tirumala. The temple also has one of the world's largest kitchens that feeds nearly 120,000 pilgrims every day.
All day, more than 1,100 staff work in the solar-powered kitchen to make piping hot breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Everything in the kitchen is massive - the pans alone are capable of frying hundreds of kilos of vegetables each. The huge steel containers fitted on trolleys can hold 1,000 litres of curry each.
With a donation corpus of over $100m, the temple kitchen trust has been running for over three decades.
The devotees who wait in endless queues for a glimpse of the god say eating here completes their pilgrimage. | Getting your hands on a Tirupati laddoo is not easy. | 36832237 |
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, with many rescued from rising waters and housed in shelters.
Nepal has suffered the highest death toll with over 75 people killed this week in floods and landslides.
Hundreds die every year across the region during the monsoon season between June and September.
In Nepal the army has been evacuating hundreds of people from villages submerged by rising flood waters, with western parts of the country worst hit.
Interior ministry officials say they fear the death toll could rise as information comes in from remote areas.
A spokesman, Yadav Prasad Koirala, told BBC Nepali that at least 12 people were missing as search and rescue efforts continued.
Across the border in India's Bihar state, 22 people have died in heavy flooding and over 1.5 million people have been directly affected, with disaster response teams shifting many to safer places.
In the north-eastern tea growing state of Assam a further 1.6 million people have been affected with at least 16 people losing their lives and over 100,000 sheltering in 472 relief camps.
Vast areas of farmland and roads have been submerged along with several of the states' wild life sanctuaries where animals have sought safety on higher ground.
Several rivers, including the Brahmaputra, are flowing dangerously above their normal level or have burst their banks.
Downstream across the border in Bangladesh, the Kurigram and Jamalpur districts have taken the worst hit from the flooding.
The Bangladesh Disaster Management Bureau says that around 1.5 million people have been affected, more than a third of that number in Kurigram district alone.
The authorities have set up 70 shelter areas for those evacuated or fleeing. Eleven people have died in the last few days, the bureau says.
In Pakistan heavy rain and flash floods have killed at least 22 people in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, the county's Dawn newspaper reported.
At least 58 people died in northern Pakistan and India as a result of flash floods and landslides at the beginning of this month with Pakistan's Chitral district worst hit alongside India's Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh states. | More than 100 people have been killed in monsoon floods in South Asia, as torrential rain caused chaos in several countries. | 36913429 |
The 24-year-old was found dead on a houseboat she was sharing with a local family in Srinagar, Kashmir, in April.
Dutch national Richard De Wit, 43, denies her murder in a trial that has been running since July.
The court heard the witness was missing for "health reasons" and the case was adjourned until 17 January.
Rahim Shoda, the brother of Ms Groves' boyfriend Saeed Shoda, was due to be the fifth and final witness called by the prosecution.
Saeed Shoda, both of his parents and his uncle have already given evidence. | The trial of a man accused of murdering Guernsey woman Sarah Groves in India has been adjourned after a prosecution witness did not appear. | 25418716 |
The post was also uploaded on to her sister's boyfriend, Scott Disick's account.
He added "And a Jew" referencing his own background.
It shows the three sisters smiling into the camera dressed in white, with the caption "The Only KKK To Ever Let Black Men In".
Khloe tweeted a link to the Instagram meme along with the word "true" - that still remains on Twitter but the link no longer works.
It's been reported that the meme has been doing the rounds online for a while and is in reference to the Ku Klux Klan.
The group has historically been known as a secretive racist society based mainly in the southern states of the USA. They opposed civil rights for African Americans.
It is also known for wearing white floor length robes and a white sharp pointy hood.
US Weekly said the star had "gone too far", while some fans called the post offensive. A senior digital editor at Ebony magazine called Khloe a "trash bag".
The meme also got a lot of likes and "lols" from fans of the stars.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has deleted an Instagram meme, which some parts of the American media are claiming is offensive. | 30018227 |
The 1,180-mile (1,900km) pipeline will carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Texas coast.
A lawsuit filed in Montana by a coalition of groups says more environmental scrutiny is required.
They - and some landowners - are concerned about potential contamination of ground and surface water.
Supporters of the project say such fears are exaggerated.
President Trump, who overturned President Barack Obama's rejection of the project, has said the pipeline will create jobs and improve US energy independence.
Keystone XL pipeline: Why is it so disputed?
The environmental groups - including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Plains Resource Council, Bold Alliance, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity - say an environmental review of the proposed pipeline that was completed in 2014 is inadequate and outdated.
Their lawsuit says that review minimises or ignores significant environmental impacts of Keystone XL, which will carry a particularly dirty type of crude oil, "including harm to land, air, water, and wildlife".
The $8bn pipeline, first proposed in 2008, would carry more than 800,000 barrels of oil a day.
TransCanada, a Calgary-based company, wants to build it to carry oil from Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. From there, it would connect with an existing Keystone pipeline network that would transport the oil to Texas Gulf Coast refineries.
The US state department issued a permit for the project earlier this month after an evaluation which was required because the pipeline crosses an international border.
But regulators in Nebraska have still to review the proposed route through their state before approving or rejecting it.
The state's elected Public Service Commission will decide whether it believes the project serves a public interest, after reviewing evidence presented at a public hearing.
TransCanada says the pipeline will create 13,000 jobs over two years, but opponents argue the vast majority of these jobs will be short-term work in the construction phase. | Environmental groups in the US have begun a legal challenge to President Donald Trump's approval of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline. | 39450398 |
28 July 2016 Last updated at 08:58 BST
Elephants are the world's largest land mammal and helping that many of them move home is a humongous challenge.
They're being relocated as part of a project to help protect the species.
The number of African elephants has declined due to poaching and it's hoped this herd could restore elephant populations in other parts of Africa in the future.
Guide: What is poaching?
Prince Harry is in Africa and will be helping the project run smoothly.
Kensington Palace said in a statement: "One of the projects he will work with is African Parks' 500 elephants initiative, which will see one of the largest and most significant elephant trans-locations in conservation history."
Jenny has more on the big African move... | Five hundred African elephants are being moved to a wildlife reserve in central Malawi from two parks in the southern part of the country. | 36904511 |
Potters manager Mark Hughes said the right-back would miss "three to four weeks", during which time they play Sunderland, Hull, Swansea and West Ham.
Johnson, 32, was included in Gareth Southgate's recent England squad, but had to withdraw with an injury.
England's next match is a World Cup 2018 qualifier at home to Scotland at Wembley on Friday, 11 November. | Stoke defender Glen Johnson has been ruled out for up to a month after suffering a thigh injury in training. | 37653760 |
Construction work on the Mersey Gateway project was declared under way by the leader of Halton Borough Council earlier.
The project begins with the building of access roads across the saltmarsh on both sides of the river.
Work on the six-lane toll bridge, linking Runcorn and Widnes, is due to be finished by 2017. It aims to ease congestion on Silver Jubilee Bridge.
The existing bridge, which has been in place since 1961, will be tolled as part of the project.
Merseylink Consortium said the project will create the equivalent of 470 full-time jobs.
The budget for the total cost of construction and 30-year operating and maintenance of the project is close to £2bn, Merseylink Consortium and Halton Borough Council said. | The building of a second bridge over the River Mersey has started. | 27302026 |
Premier Foods saw its share price drop 14% after a trading update revealed a decrease in sales.
Investors were not calmed by the company's reassurance that "careful management" of costs would see profits meet expectations this year.
A boost to international sales could not make up for the hit in the UK.
It's not often that we see the UK's hottest annual temperatures in September. But this year, the hottest day of the year so far was recorded in Gravesend, Kent, on 13 September when the thermometer hit 34.4C. It was the warmest September day since 1911.
While we all basked in the sun and enjoyed the prolonged BBQ season, we certainly weren't buying gravy and stocks, or custard and cakes.
Shoppers spent £172.5m on Premier Foods products in the July-to-September period. However, that was actually a 5.4% decline on same period in the previous year. Gravy and stocks sales were down 13% and desserts dropped 9%.
Gavin Darby, chief executive of the company said: "We are disappointed that our grocery business reported materially lower sales in the quarter due to warmer weather; particularly in September.
"However, our Sweet Treats and International businesses continued to demonstrate their strong momentum, delivering against our strategic priorities and growing over 6% and 13% respectively."
The company was the subject of a takeover proposal by US spice and sauce maker McCormick earlier this year. A dispute over the value of the company broke out between the two and the takeover did not happen.
Premier Foods announced a tie-up with Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin Foods instead in an attempt to bolster overseas growth and introduce new products in the UK.
Chairman David Beever announced in September he would step down from the position next year. | The unusually warm weather in September meant fewer of us bought gravy and puddings according to the maker of Bisto and Mr Kipling products. | 37627908 |
The 41st president was admitted on Saturday due to "an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia".
The 92-year-old has now been moved to the intensive care unit after doctors performed a "procedure to protect and clear his airway".
Mrs Bush, 91, was admitted on Wednesday suffering from fatigue and a cough.
During his procedure, Mr Bush was sedated, his spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement.
Mr Bush, the oldest living US president, is expected to be well enough to go home in a few days.
In a letter addressed 10 January, Mr Bush wrote to President-elect Donald Trump to say that "my doctor says if I sit outside in January, it will likely put me six feet under".
"Same for Barbara. So I guess we're stuck in Texas," he wrote, adding that they will be "with you and the country in spirit".
Mr Bush, who served as US president from 1989-93, spent a week in hospital in the US state of Maine in 2015 after falling and breaking a neck bone.
He also suffers from a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a wheelchair.
Mr Bush's son, George W Bush, was elected president in 2000 and served two terms as the nation's 43rd president.
The elder Bush was born 12 June 1924, in Massachusetts and also served as a congressman, CIA director and vice president to Ronald Reagan. | Former US President George HW Bush and his wife Barbara Bush have been admitted to a hospital in Houston, Texas, according to a spokesman. | 38667118 |
Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) compiled the tree list by using data gathered from its network of 500 member organisations.
It hopes the list will be used as a tool to identify rare and threatened species in need of immediate action to prevent them becoming extinct.
Details of the study appear in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry.
The data revealed that Brazil was the nation with the greatest number of tree species, home to 8,715 varieties.
Apart from the polar regions, which have no trees, the near-Arctic region of North America had the fewest number of species, with less than 1,400.
Another fact to emerge from the data was that more than half of the species (58%) were only found in one country, suggesting that they were vulnerable to potential threats, such as deforestation from extreme weather events or human activity.
About 300 species have been identified as critically endangered as they had fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild.
BGCI secretary general Paul Smith said that it was not possible to accurately estimate the number of tree species in the world until now because the data has only just been digitised.
"We are in a unique position because we have 500 botanical institutions as members," he told BBC News.
"A lot of the data is not readily available to the public. The digitisation of this data, in effect, is the culmination of centuries of work."
An important factor of the study is the geo-referencing of the tree species, which allow conservationists to locate individual species, Dr Smith explained.
"Getting location information, such as which countries do these these trees occur in, gives us key information for conservation purposes.
"That is hugely useful for us in prioritizing which ones we need to do conservation action on and which ones we need to do assessments to find out what their status is," he added.
BGCI identified a species that was on the edge of extinction as a result of overharvesting. Karomia gigas is found in a remote part of Tanzania. At the end of 2016, a team of scientists found a single population of just six trees.
They recruited local people to guard the trees and to notify them when the trees produced seeds.
The plan is for the seeds to be propagated in Tanzanian botanical gardens, allowing the species to be re-introduced back into the wild at a later date.
BGCI said that it did not expect the number of trees on its GlobalTreeSearch list to remain static as about 2,000 plants were newly subscribed each year. It would be updating the list whenever a new species was named.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @Mark_Kinver | There are 60,065 species of trees in the world, according to a comprehensive study of the world's plants. | 39492977 |
The bank will also "terminate" its global head of electronic fixed income, currencies and commodities as part of the settlement.
Regulators said the bank used super-fast trading systems to reject unprofitable client orders, then failed to disclose why they were rejected.
In May, Barclays was fined $2.4bn for manipulating the forex market.
"We are pleased that Barclays worked with us to resolve this matter," said Anthony Albanese, acting superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services.
"This case highlights the need for greater oversight and action to help prevent the misuse of automated, electronic trading platforms on Wall Street, which is a wider industry issue that requires serious additional scrutiny."
Barclays was one of five major banks fined this summer for manipulating foreign exchange markets. JP Morgan, Citibank, RBS and UBS were fined a total of $5.7bn.
Regulators said that between 2008 and 2012, several traders formed a cartel and used chat rooms to manipulate prices in their favour. | Barclays will pay an extra $150m (£99m) penalty for misconduct in foreign exchange trading, US regulators said. | 34859185 |
The Dow Jones was little changed, falling 0.01% to 21,394.76 while the wider S&P 500 index rose 0.2% to 2,438.3.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq index rose 0.5% to 6,265.25.
Bed Bath & Beyond was among the biggest losers, falling more than 12% after reporting weak quarterly sales.
The home goods chain said on Thursday that quarterly sales increased 0.1% from the same period in 2016, and sales through comparable channels fell 2%.
Home Depot also slid 2.7%, despite a government report showing an increase in sales of new homes.
The losses were offset by improvement in tech stocks, which had suffered declines in recent weeks.
Microsoft shares climbed 1.4%, while Apple gained 0.5%. | US stocks held steady on Friday, as gains in energy and tech stocks outweighed declines in firms focused on consumer goods. | 40385593 |
David Lee, 31, and the woman were transporting the patient from Aberdeen to Kirkcaldy when the incident happened, a trial was told.
Mr Lee denies 15 charges involving several people.
He has lodged a special defence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court claiming all activity was consensual.
The female worker, who cannot be named, said: "He took my hand off the gearstick and put it onto his crotch.
"I said 'stop it, I'm driving at 60mph down a dual carriageway with a pregnant woman and a midwife in the back'.
"He giggled and asked if I was being moody."
The woman also claimed that the accused exposed himself to her in the back of the ambulance.
Under cross examination by defence advocate David Moggach, the female witness denied she had willingly slept with Mr Lee after a night out.
She said: "I did not sleep with that man, to my knowledge.
"There were three other people staying at my flat that night.
"I was very drunk so I went to bed."
Mr Lee is alleged to have acted in a culpable and reckless manner towards women when they were behind the wheel of an ambulance.
The court heard Mr Lee had been working with the Scottish Ambulance Service, based in Aberdeen, for some time before the women joined the service.
At the time of the alleged offences - between 2013 and 2015 - he was a fully qualified ambulance technician and was training to be a paramedic.
The trial, before Sheriff Graeme Napier, continues. | An ambulance technician put his colleague's hand on his crotch while she was driving a pregnant woman to hospital, a court has heard. | 37541963 |
Manager Alfie Wylie was without a string of first-choice players for the tough match in Biel.
The Swiss, with a 100% record in the qualifying series, were 2-0 up at half-time through goals from Vanessa Bernauer and Rahel Kiwic.
Bernauer scored again in the second half and Rachel Rinast then made it 4-0 to the hosts.
Northern Ireland finished fourth in the group with seven points from their eight matches. | Northern Ireland wrapped up their Euro 2017 qualifiers with a 4-0 defeat away to Group 6 winners Switzerland. | 37425628 |
The attack happened in Meadow Road and Milford Road, near the Readipop studio, at about 23:20 BST.
A number of men had been seen running along the road with traffic cones and other items before the fight started.
The victim was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital then transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Det Con Tim Lloyd said the attack started inside the Readipop venue, where a private function was taking place.
"There were in excess of 200 people at the event, therefore a number of people are likely to have witnessed the altercation," he said.
"I would appeal to these people to come forward and speak to police if you saw what happened." | A 21-year-old man is in a critical condition after receiving head injuries during a brawl involving up to 20 people in Reading. | 36451889 |
He was arrested in south-east London on 3 November last year by police investigating a suspected mugging.
Officers had been called to Tyrwhitt Road in Lewisham where they discovered a Mercedes car and a van had been involved in a crash.
The rapper, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, was charged while answering bail on Tuesday. He is due to appear before Bromley magistrates on 20 March.
The 30-year-old was also arrested at the end of November on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, however, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed no further action would be pursued in that matter. | Rapper Professor Green has been charged with drinking and driving. | 26540378 |
Marion Coutts' The Iceberg beat five other titles to receive the £30,000 Wellcome Book Prize, given annually to works that "showcase the breadth and depth of our encounters with medicine".
Coutts' memoir charts the last 18 months in the life of Tom Lubbock.
Chief art critic of the Independent, he died in 2011 of a tumour that robbed him of the ability to write or speak.
Published last July, The Iceberg was previously been shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and the Costa Biography Award.
Author Bill Bryson, chairman of the Wellcome judging panel, called it a "wise, moving and beautifully constructed" book that "stays with you for a long time after".
Coutts is an artist, writer and lecturer who wrote the introduction to her late husband's own memoir, Until Further Notice, I am Alive. | A memoir by the widow of a man who died of a brain tumour has won a prize for new books about health or illness. | 32519385 |
In October "Troliblocs", a stack of three recycling boxes on a wheeled trolley, were sent to residents with black bags collected every three weeks.
Campaigners at Ebbw Vale's Civic Centre said on Friday disabled and elderly people struggle to move the trolleys, especially in houses with steps.
Blaenau Gwent council said it was sympathetic and had made concessions.
The council said it was open to further dialogue and respected the peaceful protestors.
It added all authorities in Wales were required to undertake a kerbside sort collection service, meaning the previous system was not meeting requirements.
The campaigners said they had less room for recycling because of restricted space in the trolleys compared with putting out unlimited numbers of recycling bags previously.
Mandy Shale, one of the protest's organisers, said people did not feel properly consulted about the changes.
She said: "They've not gone around and asked anybody how they would feel about it, how they would manage.
"We have a lot of houses up on mountains, with steps to the front, steps to the back, and the older generation living in many of them.
"If the boxes are full they weigh over 23kg.
"They used to have all their recycling bags taken from the back lanes. Now on rubbish day people are being asked to move their cars."
Blaenau Gwent is the joint third-worst performing authority in Wales. December 2014 figures showed it recycled 51% of its waste
To address this, it has started a process of sending out new Troliblocs (a stack of three recycling boxes on a wheeled trolley) to its residents. These separate paper, metals, plastics and glass and cardboard.
The cost of the new system is between £3.8m and £4.3m, with some of this cost met by a Welsh government grant. The council hopes it will generate income as well as improving recycling rates.
Because the materials are already sorted, officers estimate between £150,000 and £250,000 could be saved annually. Black bags are also collected every three weeks.
While some residents were concerned about storing the Troliblocs or moving them down steps outside their properties, the local authority said it would supply alternative systems if people were struggling to manage them. | About 200 people have attended a protest in Blaenau Gwent over the council's new recycling system. | 34875079 |
The former Liverpool assistant manager was promoted to first-team boss at Mestalla Stadium in March, initially until the end of the season.
The 53-year-old had taken over after former England defender Gary Neville was sacked following four months in charge.
Ayestaran guided his former side to 12th place in La Liga, winning three of his eight games.
The Spaniard previously managed Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, guiding them to the league title in 2015. | Pako Ayestaran has been appointed as Valencia coach on a two-year contract. | 36371773 |
She will sample the culinary histories of stately homes and create new recipes inspired by her visits in Mary Berry's Secrets From Britain's Great Houses.
In September, she announced she would not remain as a judge on Bake Off when it moves from BBC One to Channel 4.
In a statement, she said she was "so excited" to be doing the new six-part series with the BBC.
"I have always had an enquiring mind so I know I will be inspired by the great houses we visit," she said.
BBC director of content Charlotte Moore said: "This series will be a real treat for BBC One viewers to go behind the scenes with Mary Berry and explore Britain's great houses through her love of cooking."
Berry will reveal the workings of the houses and visit the kitchens, gardens and private rooms - as well as meeting the current custodians - in each 30-minute episode.
The 81-year-old made her name as a cookery writer and has judged The Great British Bake Off with Paul Hollywood since its launch in 2010.
The most recent series, which finished last week, was the last series to be seen on BBC One.
However Berry, Hollywood and hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc will be seen in two Bake Off Christmas specials, which have already been filmed.
Tanya Shaw, managing director at Shine TV, which is producing Berry's new series, said: "I can't think of anyone more perfect to tell the stories of these great households and to bring us such a unique insight into Britain's rich culinary past."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The BBC has announced details of Mary Berry's first show since leaving The Great British Bake Off. | 37870515 |
Biofouling by barnacles, mussels and similar animals could pose problems for the growing offshore renewable energy industry.
The UK government's Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult has commissioned the study to see if these "sessile" creatures could harm attempts to harvest power from offshore wind, wave and tide.
The partnership involves the commercial arms of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the paint and coatings company AkzoNobel.
One outcome could be a map showing what kinds of creatures are where - and how the renewables industry can avoid them.
Viewed up close - for which you'll typically need some Scuba gear - they can look pretty disgusting.
Luckily Dr Raeanne Miller loves them.
"I think these are incredible little micro-worlds," she says, "with lots and lots of different types of creatures, each one doing their own thing to survive in some incredibly harsh environments.
"And I think that's really amazing."
Formally they're called sessile animals, creatures that spend their adult lives anchored to one spot on rocks, jetties and piers.
In most situations they do little harm, even though boat owners consider them a pain in the keel.
Some species are soft and unassuming. But the hard-shelled ones like barnacles and mussels can add as much as twenty kilos to every square metre of a structure.
And when they set up home they do it quickly.
In the laboratories of the Scottish Association for Marine Science at Dunstaffnage near Oban, Dr Miller shows me two black plastic plates that have been for dip in the Firth of Clyde.
She said: "Originally these were completely clean plates. After eight weeks all sorts of animals have come and they've settled down to live.
"They've grown bigger and bigger and bigger over these eight weeks."
They have indeed. Both plates are covered with a variety of fascinatingly shaped creatures.
In the sea they'd be fascinatingly coloured too, but the alcohol in which they've been preserved has turned them all a faintly disappointing shade of beige.
It's the sessile sea animals' weight problem that has the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult particularly concerned.
It's been set up by the UK government to be its flagship technology and innovation centre for offshore renewables.
With offshore floating wind, wave and tidal projects in varying stages of preparedness, the Catapult doesn't want these clingy creatures to be a drag on a developing industry.
That's why it is leading this study.
Its project manager, Vicky Coy, has questions she hopes it will answer.
"Do things grow on devices? How quickly do they grow? Where do they grow?
"We want to really fend off that issue before it becomes something that affects developers."
The study's outcomes could include new coatings or designs to deter marine life from moving in.
Another possibility is a map of UK waters showing which species are clinging on and where.
That might give developers the chance to avoid marine organisms which might gum up the works.
It's an approach which particularly interests Dr Miller
She added: "By allowing renewable energy developers to predict what types of creatures could grow on their structures, they could be able to plan for their maintenance and how they operate their turbines or other devices."
True to the scientific method, the project will be making no assumptions. Before seeking a solution to the problem it will establish whether a problem exists.
But if it works, knowledge really will be power. | A bid has been launched to uncover the secret life of clingy sea creatures. | 35457436 |
A knife was used in the incident at Thomas Cook on Penlline Road, Whitchurch, at about 12:30 GMT on Saturday.
South Wales Police said three men were in custody and nobody was injured. | Three men have been arrested following an armed robbery at a Cardiff travel agency. | 35906696 |
Prosecutors believe the driver, who was killed, was not concentrating just before the coach ploughed into standing traffic and burst into flames.
Another 30 people were hurt in the incident on the A9 motorway, near Stammbach in northern Bavaria.
The coach had been carrying 46 elderly people on a trip to Lake Garda in Italy
It was reduced by the blaze to a metal shell.
The driver of the lorry, which was reportedly carrying mattresses and pillows, escaped unharmed.
At the time, motoring safety expert Hans-Ulrich Sander suggested the fuel line that ran under the bus may have ruptured, prompting the fire to spread quickly.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said rescuers had been delayed by the intensity of the blaze and by "gawpers" driving slowly. | A horrific bus crash on a motorway in southern Germany last month that claimed 18 lives was caused by driver error, an investigation has concluded. | 40800533 |
The 63-year-old, who represented the West Midlands, had served in the European Parliament since 1999.
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer shortly after being re-elected in May and died on Friday night.
The Prime Minister said Mr Bradbourn had a "truly admirable" dedication to public service and described him as a "well-respected and effective" politician.
Mr Bradbourn was appointed an OBE in 1994 for his public and political service.
He had been a town planning officer in local government for more than 20 years before becoming political adviser to the Conservative group on Wolverhampton City Council.
Born and bred in the Black Country, Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said Mr Bradbourn took "immense pride in championing the West Midlands" and would be "sorely missed".
Ashley Fox, leader of the Conservative MEPs, said: "His no-nonsense approach to politics made him a powerful voice for the West Midlands as well as a resolute defender of the British taxpayers' interests in Brussels and Strasbourg." | Conservative MEP Philip Bradbourn has died, the party has announced. | 30560399 |
Premier Foods, which has a host of well-known brands including Bisto gravy and Loyd Grossman sauces, said the grocery market was subdued.
It said a later Easter and mild weather also meant lower sales this year.
However, Premier, which recently completed a £1.1bn restructuring, said trading conditions would continue to be tough for the rest of the year.
Premier said that it would, however, meet its annual forecasts and planned new product launches and a rise in marketing spending in the second half of the year.
Sales at the group's "support" brands including Homepride and Angel Delight, were down 10.4%.
The sales fall reflects a weak quarter for supermarket food sales. All four major supermarkets saw sales drop in the three months to March as discount chains Aldi and Lidl picked up business.
Premier is in the process of forming a joint venture with US private equity group Gores, which will see its ownership of Hovis fall to 49%.
Premier aims to concentrate more energy on its cake business, which will invest £20m in a new production line at its factory in Barnsley. | The owner of Hovis and Mr Kipling cakes, Premier Foods, has reported a drop of 6.2% in first quarter sales. | 27141498 |
An explosion on BP's deep-water drill, off the coast of Louisiana in 2010 killed 11 workers.
Millions of barrels of oil were spilled into the surrounding waters.
The ensuing spill took 87 days to stop. BP says the deal gives it "certainty" over what it must pay.
The spill affected the shorelines of five states- Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida- crippling the ecosystems and local economies.
BP spokesman Geoff Morrell said the deal gives "BP certainty with respect to its financial obligations."
The settlement is the largest the US government has ever reached with a single company. It requires court approval to be finalised.
In July, the Department of Justice and BP announced an agreement for $18.7bn. This newest figure includes some payment BP has already made.
The money will be used by the US government and the affected states to handle environmental and economic damages.
"This historic resolution is a strong and fitting response to the worst environmental disaster in American history," said US Attorney General Loretta Lynch at a press conference on Monday.
The deal settles the largest legal claims pending against BP for the Deepwater Horizon spill. | Oil giant BP has agreed to pay $20bn (£13.2bn) to settle claims with the US stemming from the company's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. | 34449678 |
Richard Greaves scored the winner for the ninth tier side against a team that plays two levels higher.
Hereford-based Westfields, who play in the Midland League Premier Division, have won six games in the FA Cup this season, a club record run.
They were formed in 1966 on the back of England's World Cup triumph.
A crowd of 760 - almost five times Westfields' average home attendance of 160 - watched the win over Leiston.
They were one of two clubs in the fourth qualifying round who had started with an extra preliminary tie in the first week of August.
Westfields have won £30,925 in prize money from their FA Cup run so far and will join former winners Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City and Portsmouth in Monday's first-round draw.
Before their trip to Allpay Park in Herefordshire, Isthmian League Premier Division leaders Leiston were unbeaten in all competitions.
Andrew Morris, the secretary and chief executive of Westfields who founded the club after being inspired by the feats of Sir Alf Ramsey's boys 50 years ago, said it was a "magical experience".
"This belongs to the magic of the cup," 66-year-old Morris told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"It's unbelievable, I've seen scenes today that I never dreamt we would see. To win today, to get to the first round, is amazing.
"When we started I'd have been happy to have a good run in the Hereford Senior Cup."
Managerless National League side Wrexham face a replay against Stamford, who are three divisions below the Welsh side, after a Lee Beeson penalty earned the Daniels a 1-1 draw.
Northern League Division One's Bishop Auckland, the lowest ranked team to go into the fourth qualifying round, were knocked out by Stockport County of the National League North.
Solihull Moors got past Kettering Town 3-1 to reach the first round for the first time, and a victory in the first round would see them go further than Solihull Borough and Moor Green - the two clubs that merged to form the current side.
There were two big winners on the day, with Kidderminster Harriers beating Southern League Premier Division side Weymouth 6-0, while National League club Eastleigh put the same number past Southern League Division One Central side North Leigh.
Lincoln City go to a replay on Tuesday after their goalless daw against fellow National League side Guiseley, while the Imps' neighbours Lincoln United went out 3-0 to Spennymoor Town, who play in the seventh tier Northern Premier League Premier Division.
You can watch the FA Cup first round draw live on BBC Two and on the BBC Sport website, which also includes live text commentary, on Monday at 19:10 BST. | Westfields are the lowest-ranked side remaining in the FA Cup after beating Leiston 2-1 to go into the first-round proper draw for the first time. | 37667390 |
Planning for a women's team could start after the men's team's place in World Rugby's post-2019 global calendar is fixed.
Tours to New Zealand and Canada, first and third in the world, could form the basis for a women's team's itinerary.
"A Lions women's team is an important step forward," said McEwen.
"There is a place for a women's Lions team, lots of people have been talking about it.
"Whether that's in the next two or three years, whether that's in five, 10 years, who knows?"
New Zealand's women will play world champions England in a curtain-raiser to the Lions' match against the Maori All Blacks in Rotorua on 17 June. | A women's version of the British and Irish Lions could be launched some time after 2019, according to the team's chief operating officer Charlie McEwan. | 39973823 |
Carwyn Jones will begin his tour in Merthyr Tydfil on 16 July and Rhyl on 22 July with other locations to follow.
The Conservatives said it was a "cynical abuse of taxpayers' money" that the public was "being asked to fund Labour's re-election campaign".
Ministers said an estimated £1,000 cost for each event was "good value".
Mr Jones said he wanted people to share their ideas on how to "build a more prosperous Wales".
But a Tory spokesman called the events a "sham".
"It doesn't take a cynical disposition to question Carwyn's decision to wait until the last year of this term to 'connect' with voters," the spokesman added.
Responding to the criticism, the Welsh government said the estimated cost of each event would be around £1,000 "which we believe represents good value for money".
"All good governments listen to the people they serve," a spokesman said.
"These events, which will take place across Wales, give people the chance to meet the first minister, face to face, to talk through the matters which affect their daily lives - that should be welcomed, not derided."
Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas told BBC Wales it was "blatant electioneering" by the Labour party, which he said was copying the public meetings held across Wales by Plaid leader Leanne Wood.
A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesman also noted the timing, saying: "It's rather telling of Labour's attitude towards the people of Wales that they only think of starting to listen to them a year before the assembly elections."
While in opposition, David Cameron held a series of "Cameron Direct" public events, followed by "PM Direct" events after he came to power at the 2010 general election. | The Welsh government has defended a series of "Carwyn Connect" events, in which people are invited to put their views directly to the first minister. | 33350362 |
Police officers and Scottish Ambulance Service personnel were called at about 08:20 after the boys were found in what is thought to be a fish pond.
The boys were taken to Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
A police investigation is under way and Police Scotland has said officers are supporting the family.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We received a call around 08:20 on Saturday following a report of concern for two children.
"Two male twins, aged two-years-old, had reportedly drowned in a fish pond and officers attended with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
"The children were taken to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy where they sadly died.
"Officers are supporting the family at this time. Inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing."
Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley said: "This is awful news and it's every parent's worst nightmare.
"The loss of two young lives from the same family is heartbreaking.
"My thoughts and prayers, and those of the whole community, are with the family." | Two-year-old twins have died after apparently falling into a garden pond in Dalgety Bay in Fife. | 35794160 |
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, north west London, set up the appeal in a bid to raise £400,000 for its spinal injuries unit.
It said government money goes to frontline staff and services, making "investment in facilities difficult".
The GMB union said it was a "damning indictment" of the lack of NHS funding.
The 'Make it Possible' project is a first for any NHS trust and breaks new ground, with the ideas for improving care coming from patients and families.
The proposals are then assessed by a panel of experts for viability before a funding appeal is launched.
The first project is to help expand the RNOH spinal injuries unit, to include new equipment to rehabilitate patients and add six more beds to the ward.
About £126,000 of the £400,000 needed has been raised.
Rob Hurd, chief executive at the RNOH, said: "We have to be frank, capital is constrained in our National Health Service and investment in facilities is really difficult at this time.
"We are putting all our money into frontline nurses, doctors and providing the services. That means the infrastructure that we have got doesn't get replaced as quickly as we would like. So we need the help of donations and charitable sources to make those additional investments.
"So we really value those donations because without them we cannot even get started."
The GMB union has criticised the government for the hospital's reliance on public donations.
National Secretary Rehana Azam said: "That the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital is asking members of the public to crowdfund improvements is a damning indictment of this government's reluctance to properly fund the NHS.
"It seems that it's not just workers and patients who're expected to suffer at the hands of NHS cuts; apparently the public's bank balances are too."
A Department of Health spokesperson said £10bn is being invested nationwide into the NHS, including about £4bn extra this year and a further £20bn to fund capital programmes such as maintenance and building projects.
It added: "Where trusts need additional funding for capital projects they can apply for it to ensure facilities are of the highest standards for patients."
Patient Marcus Perrineau Daley, 26, a DJ, model and fitness expert, who was left paralysed from waist down in a road accident last year, is fronting the crowdfunding campaign for the new unit.
He said: "No-one ever thinks it's going to happen to them but in a second my life changed forever.
"I had to wait months to be transferred to Stanmore to begin my road to recovery - the funds raised by this campaign will help ensure that patients like me can receive specialist help as quickly as possible." | An NHS trust has launched a crowdfunding appeal to buy equipment for a new hospital unit because "it cannot get started without donations". | 37727426 |
Self-employed roofer Matthew Green, 26, went missing from his Sittingbourne home in Kent in April 2010.
Pauline and Jim Green said they believed he was found by Spanish street pastors amid concerns for his welfare.
Kent Police said "confidentiality and data protection matters" prevented them from giving any further information.
A statement said they were unable to give "the circumstances of how Mr Green was located, or the exact country in which he was located."
Mr and Mrs Green said all they wanted to do was speak to their son, but data protection laws prevented them from any direct contact.
They were told earlier this month that his name and fingerprints were matched to someone missing in the UK.
"We were lost for words," Mr Green said.
"I so much want to see him... I want to tell him that I love him. I want to tell him that we've missed him desperately," Mrs Green said.
She added that she had written a letter to her son, but the British Consulate was unable to tell her whether it had been passed to him.
"At least if we knew he'd got the letter, we'd know it would be down to him to contact us, but we don't even know that.
"We don't know if he's vulnerable. If he is, then we're his next of kin.
"Is he able to make his own decisions, and if he's not then we should be able to override that," she said.
Mr Green said if their son did not want to see them they would understand, but they just needed contact in the first instance.
"This is just the beginning of the next fight. We will not give up," the couple said.
Kent Police said it had "closed its missing person inquiry as of 16 May 2016". | The parents of a man found alive six years after he disappeared have said their joy turned to frustration after they were told they could not see him. | 36315414 |
Fifa said it had evidence that Camila Maria do Carmo Nobre de Oliveira used two passports with different birth dates and two birth certificates showing different parental information.
De Oliveira played in the preliminary competition of the 2016 Olympics.
Equatorial Guinea Football Association has been fined £28,000 and the player banned for 10 matches.
De Oliveira has also been fined £1475.
Fifa says it is investigating the eligibility of several other players on Equatorial Guinea's team.
On Sunday, Equatorial Guinea booked their place in the finals of this year's women's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon after a 2-1 win over Mali in Malabo.
The result took them through 3-2 on aggregate. | Equatorial Guinea have been expelled from the 2020 Olympics preliminary qualifying competition by Fifa. | 36017963 |
The 2,500 crowds that packed out the imposing Tempodrom arena last week - and saw Chinese star Ding Junhui win his fourth ranking title of the season on Sunday - are the biggest the sport draws anywhere in the world.
By way of comparison, Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, home to the World Championships, accommodates just under a thousand fans.
The exponential growth of the game in China has been well documented, but snooker's governing body has long hankered after putting down roots in mainland Europe.
And although snooker is very popular in Poland, Bulgaria and Belgium, nowhere does the sport regularly pull in crowds in such numbers as Germany.
To say the country - which only has one professional player, the 120th-ranked Patrick Einsle, on the main tour - has warmed to this most British of sports over the past 10 years would be an understatement.
Six-time world champion and BBC pundit Steve Davis, who qualified for the German Masters for the first time this year, has seen a huge change from his earliest forays on the exhibition circuit almost 30 years ago.
"The first time I came out here was in the 1980s to Hamburg - a club called Greens, which was ahead of its time," he said. "I did some trick shots live on German TV, a sort of Jonathan Ross-style show, and what they struggled to get their heads around was that I was making a living from it.
"When you first go to a country the knowledge and appreciation isn't there, and people burst into rapturous applause for the break-off shot. But even by the end of the match they weren't doing that any more - there was a quick learning curve.
"Initial excitement, novelty and naivety then gets replaced, and a country wants champions from their own area. It may not need one to flourish - Ronnie O'Sullivan would still be supported against a German player - but there is no doubt it would lift things up another level. The buzz around the German Masters now reminds me very much of the 1980s back in the UK."
So how did it become so popular in a country with no history of success on the green baize?
Sadly, one of the trailblazers is no longer with us. But one of the most enduring legacies the late, great and much-missed Paul Hunter left to the sport was enthusing a new audience beyond its traditional borders.
Thomas Cesal, head of German snooker promoters Dragonstars, lured Hunter over to his home town of Furth for a pro-am event in 2004. That morphed into the appropriately named Paul Hunter Classic three years later, and is now accorded the status of a European Tour event carrying ranking points, won earlier this season by Ronnie O'Sullivan in front of 1,000-plus crowds.
It is a fitting tribute to the three-time Masters champion, who died from cancer aged 27 in 2006.
"We started from very little in 2004," recalled Cesal, who also now runs the Berlin tournament. "Paul kindly came over to start with, together with [Welsh player] Matthew Stevens. And as that event grew, World Snooker started looking at us more seriously to stage a full ranking event."
Germany had previously staged the German Open - a ranking event - three times in the 1990s, including one year in a British Army barracks sports hall in Osnabruck, near the Dutch border.
But the inaugural German Masters in the striking Tempodrom building - usually a music and arts venue, and designed to look like a circus tent - marked a watershed moment in 2011.
Around 14,000 tickets were sold this year, with sell-outs for the weekend sessions. "It is a pilgrimage for German fans," Cesal explains. "Only 30% of tickets sold are to people within a 30km radius of Berlin."
In a country where the mention of snooker would once have drawn blank looks, hundreds of thousands now follow the game on German Eurosport, thanks in no small part to the pioneering, almost evangelical, zeal of commentator and MC Rolf Kalb.
Kalb has been beating the snooker drum for decades, and all major tour tournaments are now shown on television. More than a million Germans tuned in to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Mark Selby in the Masters final at London's Alexander Palace last month.
But snooker remains for the moment a game that is watched, but not played, in huge numbers.
Stalwart German players Sascha Lippe and Lasse Munstermann - who had a brief stint on the World Snooker tour - and current professional Einsle are known to aficionados, but hopes of a further boom in interest appear to rest with Lukas Kleckers, a 17-year-old from Essen.
"The next big step would be a real German star," Kalb says. "Kleckers is already the German national champion. He is practising hard and maybe he can go on to become a professional. Realistically he then has to go to live in England.
"Lukas is a good young player, but he can't play in everything at the moment, still being at school. In Germany he is a big fish in a small pond, but if he goes to England he will be a small fish in a big pond of other bigger fishes trying to eat him. And it isn't easy. Patrick Einsle found it difficult psychologically being away from home and has almost given up."
Regardless of whether Kleckers breaks through to the pro ranks, the signs are positive for continued growth.
"Germany has decided it loves snooker and finds it a fascinating game even without a top German player or hero, so it is a solid foundation," Kalb adds. "When Boris Becker and Steffi Graf came along, tennis went through the roof, but it went down again afterwards, it was like boom and bust. But of course it would be helpful to have a leading player, a real contender.
"But we do have a unique atmosphere at the Tempodrom. It gives those involved goose bumps. Referee Jan Verhaas told me he was shivering walking in for the first final in 2011. Olivier Marteel was crying last year; these are experienced referees. Ronnie O'Sullivan once told me he should have to pay to play in front of a crowd like that."
O'Sullivan failed to qualify for last week's event, but the world champion still flew out to sign some copies of his latest book and help sell some branded merchandise, an indication of Germany's growing influence in the sport.
The sport's biggest draw will be back later in the year, for two exhibition events. An England v Germany contest in June with no danger of penalties will see O'Sullivan and Steve Davis take on Einsle and Lippe, while the two English legends will also play in a Speed Cup tournament in May that will also feature the emerging Kleckers.
Germany has the status, the respect, the event, the venue and the fans. Now it just needs a contender. | The German Masters may be staged at a time of year when temperatures frequently plummet to minus 15C or lower in Berlin, but snooker is one of the hottest tickets in town. | 26019104 |
The court heard that Gavin Coyle, 38, from Omagh, but whose address was given as Maghaberry Prison, had allegedly been secretly recorded talking about the attack.
He faces three charges, including attempting to murder the off-duty PSNI officer and causing an explosion likely to endanger life.
He is also charged with membership of the IRA.
The charges relate to an attack on a police officer in Castlederg on 12 May 2008.
He was on his way to work in Fermanagh when a bomb exploded under his car at Spamount, near Castlederg.
He suffered serious leg injuries and was rescued by a member of the public who dragged him from the wreckage shortly before it burst into flames.
Strabane Magistrates Court heard that police interviewed Mr Coyle about the attack twice in 2008, but that prosecutors decided the evidence against him - namely CCTV images, number plate recognition data, two witness statements, text messages and a trace of explosive residue found in his car - was insufficient to charge him.
A police officer said evidence from a covert recording of a meeting allegedly involving Mr Coyle, recorded in February 2010, had now given police sufficient grounds to charge him.
The officer said the accused's convictions in relation to other dissident activities also added weight to the evidence against him.
A solicitor for Mr Coyle asked the officer why the charge had only materialised five years after the recording was obtained. He also questioned why it was not used against his client in his previous prosecution.
"This material was in the cognisance of the prosecution five years ago," he said.
The officer said expert voice recording analysis had taken a long time to progress and detectives only received a final report on the taped meeting in October this year.
Mr Coyle's solicitor, who questioned whether the man taped at the meeting was his client, highlighted that no specific details about the attack, such as the name of the officer or the location, were mentioned in the recorded conversation.
He accused police of an "abuse of process" and said a bid to stay the prosecution would be made at a later court hearing.
Upon further questioning by the solicitor, the officer acknowledged the case against Mr Coyle did not include fingerprint, DNA, fibre or vehicle tracking evidence.
An application for bail was rejected for Mr Coyle who refused to stand during the hearing or confirm that he understood the case against him.
He was remanded back into custody.
He gave a thumbs up when led away from the dock.
Armed police officers were present in and around the court during the hearing. | A man who is currently serving a prison sentence has appeared in court in Strabane charged with attempting to murder a Catholic police officer in 2008. | 34989967 |
Rosa Dominguez won $655,555 (£508,000) from a pair of $5 scratch cards bought from two different gas stations over the course of a few days.
"I was so nervous I just wanted to cry," Ms Dominguez told the California Lottery.
The California Lottery said she told the organisation she plans to use the money to go shopping and buy a new car.
Ms Dominguez was driving back from Arizona when she bought a Power 5 ticket at a gas station in San Luis Obispo County and won the top prize of $555,555.
A few days later, Ms Dominguez tried her luck again on a $5 scratch-off ticket at a gas station in Monterey County and scooped $100,000.
The Lottery did not say when the tickets were purchased. | A 19-year-old California woman has struck gold after winning the state lottery twice in a week. | 40560398 |
But science practicals will no longer count towards A-level grades, but will become a separate test.
Maths skills will become more important in other subjects, such as physics, geography and economics.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said the changes would correct "pernicious damage" caused by "dumbing down".
"Our changes will make these qualifications more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able; will prepare young people better for the demands of employment and further study," said the education secretary.
Head teachers' leader Brian Lightman warned that schools and pupils faced "enormous pressure" and confusion during the switch to the new exams.
"Hastily implemented changes on such a scale carry an enormous risk," said Mr Lightman.
The Royal Geographical Society backed the changes as a "robust curriculum with an enhanced level of demand" and said the "explicit requirements for the use of mathematics and statistics in geography is also particularly welcome".
But the decision by the Ofqual exam regulator to separate the mark for practicals from the main A-level grade in physics, chemistry and biology has drawn criticism from an alliance of science organisations.
Score, which represents organisations including the Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, the Society of Biology and the Association for Science Education, described Ofqual's plan as "inadequate".
Prof Julia Buckingham, chair of Score and vice chancellor of Brunel University, says that universities looking at applications will see the A-level grade "as a full reflection of a student's knowledge and ability" and will miss the practical work "which is an integral component of science learning".
The Campaign for Science and Engineering warned that "uncoupling practicals from science A-level grades will lead to practicals being deprioritised".
Ofqual says the switch away from including science practical marks in A-level exam grades is because such assessed experiments have become a narrow and predictable process, with pupils' results "bunched around the top of the scale".
The exam regulator has still to decide how science practicals should be assessed at GCSE.
The announcements by the education secretary and the exam regulator set out the content and assessment of GCSEs and A-levels, which will be phased in from 2015 and 2016.
The content of the subjects will include:
A-levels, to be taught from September 2015:
GCSEs, to be taught from September 2016:
There have already been details set out for the first three of the new type of GCSE, which will be English language, English literature and maths, to be taught from September 2015.
The education secretary has also announced that there will be more "rigorous and demanding" A-levels and GCSEs in arts subjects, including music, drama, art and dance.
They will be taught from September 2016, alongside changes to A-levels in RE and design and technology.
Changes to the structure of exams have already been announced - such as shifting from modules to exams at the end of two years.
Last week, exam regulator Ofqual announced that new-style GCSEs would be graded from 9 to 1, with the highest grade to be twice as hard as an A*.
Changes to the structure of exams have already been announced - such as shifting from modules to exams at the end of two years.
Mr Lightman, leader of the Association for School and College Leaders, said he was "very concerned about the amount of simultaneous change".
"The success of these very ambitious changes will depend on effective implementation and high quality communication and preparation for schools from the awarding bodies.
"We still have not seen specific content for the exams nor details of how it will be assessed. Therefore there is no way of saying with any certainty that these new qualifications will be tougher than what is now in place." | There will be a stronger emphasis on maths skills and final end-of-course exams, as tougher, new-look GCSEs and A-levels for England are revealed. | 26955452 |
Just 80 asylum applications will be accepted each day at Austria's southern border, after which it will shut.
The European migration commissioner has described the measure as "plainly incompatible" with European Union law.
EU leaders have announced they will hold a summit in early March with Turkey to attempt to seek fresh solutions to the crisis.
"The EU-Turkey action plan is our priority," European Council President Donald Tusk said at an EU gathering in Brussels.
EU migration: Crisis in seven charts
The EU has pledged €3bn (£2.3bn; $3.3bn) to Turkey in return for housing refugees on its territory.
More than a million people arrived in the EU in 2015, creating Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War Two.
The majority of migrants and refugees have headed for Germany via Austria, which saw 90,000 asylum claims last year, equivalent to 1% of its population.
There are concerns that the new daily limits on asylum seekers here at Austria's southern border will lead to backlogs of migrants in Slovenia.
But police here have told me they will close the border if more than 80 people claim asylum here in a day, or if more than 3,200 want to transit through to neighbouring countries.
However, they also say that since the establishment of the new border control centre at Spielfeld, those numbers have not yet been reached.
Austria's leaders fear that is just a matter of time, unless an EU-wide solution can be agreed. Many locals, concerned about the increasing number of new arrivals, agree.
Others say wealthy Austria is more than able to deal with the refugees. And they are concerned that the hard-won freedom of movement between Austria and Slovenia is being eroded.
Teaching migrants how to behave
Migrants feel chill of tighter borders
Europe's migrant crisis
Vienna says the daily limit is needed because the EU plan for Turkey to restrict the number of migrants leaving for Europe is not yet working.
Last year, 476,000 people applied for asylum in Germany, although the final figure is likely to be far higher. The highest number in the EU according to population size was in Sweden, where some 163,000 people sought asylum.
Sweden has now imposed border controls to reduce the influx and said on Thursday it was planning to house some asylum seekers on a cruise ship because of a lack of facilities.
The EU's migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has written to Austria's interior minister, saying the cap is plainly incompatible with Austria's obligations under EU and international law.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker criticised the Austrian move, remarking that "solo national approaches were not recommended".
On Thursday, about 900 migrants were rescued near the Greek island of Lesbos, the EU border agency Frontex said. More than 83,000 people have reached the Greek islands since the start of 2016, according to the UN.
The spokesman for the United Nations Refugee agency in Geneva, William Spindler, said he understood why countries were acting independently but that it would not solve the problem.
"We are very sympathetic to the situation of Austria but the fact is that the system in Europe at the moment is dysfunctional and as a result some countries have started to take unilateral decisions," he told Newsday on the BBC World Service.
"And this is not going to address the problems faced but only shift them to other countries because the responsibility for protecting refugees cannot be borne only by a few countries."
Turkey is home to nearly three million refugees, most of them from Syria.
Many of them pay smugglers thousands of dollars to make the crossing to Greece. They then head north, trying to reach Germany and Scandinavia.
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. | Austria's daily cap on the number of migrants and refugees allowed into the country has come into force. | 35609823 |
The decision is likely to lead to the first major expansion of a grammar school in England for half a century.
The law in England forbids the opening of any new grammar schools, but recent changes allow them - and other popular schools - to expand.
Critics accuse the government of "expanding selection by the back door".
England has 164 grammar schools and there are 68 in Northern Ireland.
Academic selection and grammar schools were abolished in most areas of England in the 1960s and 70s.
But some areas retained them - including Buckinghamshire, Kent and Trafford. In other areas, there are individual grammar schools. Children have to pass the 11-plus exam to get in.
In 1998, Labour banned the opening of any new grammar schools, but recent changes to the Admissions Code - the rules schools have to follow when allocating places - allow oversubscribed schools to expand beyond their boundaries.
In Kent, parents in the Sevenoaks area set up an online petition to campaign for such an expansion, arguing that this was the only part of the county without a grammar school.
Grammar schools in England are small in number but they inspire a lot of passion, and a decision by Kent to allow this kind of expansion could be a turning point.
It will also reignite a fierce debate.
Opponents say they divide children in to "sheep and goats" at 11 through the 11-plus exam, which they have to pass to get a place, and that schools around them suffer. Supporters say they are beacons of excellence which help children achieve their potential - and that academically bright pupils are best taught together.
The issue is politically sensitive too.
Labour opposes academic selection but did not abolish grammar schools while in government. Instead it said the issue should be decided by ballots of local parents - but the process was involved and expensive and only one case was brought, which did not succeed.
In 2007, David Cameron risked a backbench rebellion when he dropped the party's pledge to build more grammar schools as he sought to modernise the party.
Now the way is becoming more open for grammars to expand. Some say Education Secretary Michael Gove has produced an "elegant political solution", but critics call it a "backdoor expansion".
New grammar school battles
They say more than 1,100 pupils who have passed the 11-plus have to travel for an hour to Tunbridge Wells to their nearest grammar school.
Now Kent County Council has voted to press ahead with plans to set up a "satellite school" in Sevenoaks linked to existing grammar schools in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
The new "satellite school" would take in 120 pupils in a year.
The National Grammar School Association says many other grammars would like to expand. Jennie Varley, vice chairman of the group said: "This is excellent news.
"It's what the parents in Sevenoaks wanted and they put together a great campaign. This may now encourage other grammar schools to do the same."
Labour's education spokesman Stephen Twigg has accused the government of "sneaking in changes" and "expanding selection by the back door".
"We should not divide children at 11," he told MPs earlier this year.
A Department for Education spokesman said on Thursday: "The overriding objective of this government's reforms is to increase the supply of good school places so parents have real choice.
"That includes making it easier for good schools - grammar or otherwise - to increase their published admission number.
"Legislation prohibits the establishment of new grammar schools, and ministers have been clear that that will not change."
Margaret Tulloch, from the Comprehensive Future campaign group, said grammar schools widened the gap between rich and poor.
"We want to see not grammar schools abolished, but selection abolished. We don't want the 11-plus; we don't want children facing this barrier, this test at 11, which rejects most children, especially poor children and children with special needs," she said.
"I'm very concerned about what is happening. This is the thin end of the wedge." | Kent County Council has voted to allow a grammar school to expand onto a new site. | 17534910 |
In a match of few chances, neither side mustered much in the way of impetus on an uninspiring night in Gloucestershire.
Cheltenham's Billy Waters forced a strong one-handed save from Jamie Jones after eight minutes but the best openings of the first half came within 60 seconds of one another.
Stevenage's Charlie Lee had a header cleared off the line by Jack Barthram on 18 minutes before Danny Wright held up for Harry Pell to fire a low shot across goal which was pushed around the far post by Jones at the other end.
The visitors upped the ante before half-time and Stevenage's Tyler Walker teed up Dale Gorman to fizz over from 18 yards, five minutes after the restart.
Cheltenham then enjoyed their own purple patch and with 13 minutes remaining, Pell's drive from a quick lay-off was scrambled around the upright by Jones.
The game became stretched late on with Kgosi Ntlhe guiding another Cowans free-kick back across goal, where the alert Griffiths pushed away.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Cheltenham Town 0, Stevenage 0.
Second Half ends, Cheltenham Town 0, Stevenage 0.
Attempt missed. Henry Cowans (Stevenage) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card.
Hand ball by Tom Pett (Stevenage).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Kgosi Ntlhe (Stevenage) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Fraser Franks (Stevenage) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Danny Parslow replaces Jordan Cranston.
Substitution, Stevenage. Jake Hyde replaces Tyler Walker.
Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jordan Cranston (Cheltenham Town).
Foul by Billy Waters (Cheltenham Town).
Jack King (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Kgosi Ntlhe (Stevenage) header from the left side of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Foul by Jordan Cranston (Cheltenham Town).
Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Stevenage. Michael Tonge replaces Dale Gorman.
Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Jordan Cranston.
Dale Gorman (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Harry Pell (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dale Gorman (Stevenage).
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Jamie Jones.
Attempt saved. Asa Hall (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Jack King (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Amari Morgan-Smith (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jack King (Stevenage).
Daniel O'Shaughnessy (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ronnie Henry (Stevenage).
Foul by Robert Dickie (Cheltenham Town).
Tom Pett (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Amari Morgan-Smith replaces Jack Munns.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. James Dayton replaces Jack Barthram.
Fraser Franks (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Daniel Wright (Cheltenham Town).
Fraser Franks (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Harry Pell (Cheltenham Town).
Foul by Tyler Walker (Stevenage).
Asa Hall (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Strugglers Cheltenham and Stevenage battled out a scrappy goalless draw at Whaddon Road. | 37415056 |
The East of England Ambulance Service was fined £1.2m last year over failures to reach 75% of life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes.
MPs, health watchdogs and patient groups have criticised the service.
A drive is now under way to recruit "compassionate people with a commitment to patient care" to boost operations.
More than 400 paramedics recruited last year will be fully qualified at the end of the month to work for the service covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Some will work in rural areas where the service's performance record has been heavily criticised.
New recruit training can last up to 18 months and covers classroom work at universities in Norwich, Cambridge or Chelmsford as well as blue-light duty alongside experienced crews.
Chief executive Dr Anthony Marsh hopes hundreds more applicants would come forward.
"We have the most ambitious paramedic recruitment campaign in England," he said.
"Taking on more paramedics will help us to continue to improve the caring service we give to patients."
Student paramedics go through eight weeks of training in the classroom and three weeks of blue-light driver training before starting on the front-line.
They then receive three more weeks of classroom training in their first nine months as students.
During the 12 to 18 months which follow, studies involved a mix of classroom and practical work at the University of East Anglia or Anglia Ruskin University. | An ambulance service criticised for failing to meet performance targets is to recruit another 400 paramedics. | 31500246 |
McDowall has been in charge of first-team matters since Ally McCoist resigned as manager and was placed on gardening leave in December.
McDowall leaves Rangers in third place in the Scottish Championship, five points behind second-place Hibernian and 22 behind league leaders Hearts.
Former Motherwell boss Stuart McCall is set to be announced as Rangers manager until the end of the season.
On 19 January McDowall followed McCoist in tendering his resignation, signalling his intention to quit the club at the end of his 12-month notice period. However, he will not see that out.
Walter Smith brought McDowall to Ibrox as part of his coaching staff from rivals Celtic - where he served as youth and reserve team coach - in January 2007.
When Smith stepped down from the manager's position in 2011 to be replaced by McCoist, McDowall was promoted from first-team coach to assistant manager.
"It was an honour and privilege to work for Rangers Football Club and I will leave with so many positive memories," McDowall said in a statement on the club's website.
"I have worked with so many talented people since I joined and I will forever be in Walter Smith's debt for bringing me to Rangers.
"Working with Walter, Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant, Jim Stewart and all the backroom staff plus the staff at Ibrox and Murray Park was a pleasure and I wish the club well for the future.
"I was delighted to play a part in the club's history and I wish the supporters and new management team all the very best."
Interim chairman Paul Murray said: "Everyone at Rangers Football Club thanks Kenny for his contribution and we will never forget the part he played in our success since he joined under Walter Smith in 2007.
"He is a man of integrity and honour and gave everything during his time at the club.
"Kenny worked under extremely challenging circumstances in recent months but he always gave everything he could to try to secure results for the football club."
McCall is expected to be announced as the new Rangers manager later on Thursday. | Caretaker manager Kenny McDowall has left Rangers, the club have announced. | 31860043 |
Tynemouth Pool, filled daily with seawater with the passing of the tides, was once a popular visitor attraction but has lain derelict since the 1990s.
The art exhibition has opened at the Old Low Lights Heritage Centre in North Shields to raise money for the pool.
The specially commissioned artworks will be auctioned on 26 November.
See more on this story and other news from the North East here.
Works at the exhibition include the first print of a previously unseen work by internationally renowned photographer and founder member of the Amber Film and Photography Collective, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen,
The Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool, which was formed in 2012, has submitted detailed refurbishment proposals to North Tyneside Council.
Exhibition organisers said: "While the artwork on display will cover a variety of mediums and artistic approaches, all exhibiting artists share a common aim of helping return the outdoor pool site to its former glory."
Also at the exhibition will be an "incredible illuminated model" of the restoration, which has been created in Lego by architectural photographer Steve Mayes.
Afterwards it will go on display at various locations around North Tyneside. | Campaigners who want to restore an abandoned seaside swimming pool to its former glory are selling artwork inspired by the attraction. | 34779795 |
At the start of a critical political week, Theresa May finds herself under pressure for refusing to answer it.
Did she, or did she not know that something had gone wrong with our nuclear weapons, when she asked MPs to vote to renew the costly Trident system?
She wasn't in charge when the alleged misfire of the Trident missiles system took place - reportedly aiming off at Florida, rather than at its target. But as the prime minister now, when the mistake has come to light, she needs to look in charge of the facts.
Governments often use "security reasons" as a way, sometimes legitimately and sometimes more out of convenience, to avoid answering questions they don't want to. On Sunday, Mrs May didn't use that reasoning, instead repeating again and again an obviously prepared answer about the Commons vote to approve Trident shortly after she took over.
Plainly, she was not answering the very straightforward question from Andrew Marr. The obvious implication was that she did indeed know, but for political reasons, was simply not willing to admit it.
But overnight the government seems to have decided now to resort to that answer. Business Secretary Greg Clark has been using that "security" defence as a way of avoiding the issue.
But it's tricky because the government does indeed talk about weapons testing, even sending out press releases, and publicly awarding trophies to military teams when the tests go well.
When, as it appears they don't and the results are kept secret, the "security" excuse sounds less convincing.
So the simple "who knew" question will keep being asked. And for as long as the opposition parties keep pushing for clearer responses, ministers will keep looking like they are awkwardly, even shiftily trying to evade a straight question.
The irony is that it's unlikely that information about the misfire would have sunk the government in the vote to renew Trident in the summer. The majority was secure.
There would have been more debate about whether the weapons work, but it's unlikely the vote would actually have been lost. But the refusal now to answer questions over the mistake gives even more succour to the government's opponents.
And the refusal to say "who knew" allows those suspicious of ministers' motives to wonder what else we don't know. | It's one of the simplest questions in politics, and one of the most troublesome. | 38719346 |
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