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Simon Kirby will take up the role of chief operating officer, reporting to chief executive Warren East.
Mr Kirby has earned a reported £750,000 salary at HS2, which will link London with the Midlands and northern England.
He said it had been a "huge honour" to work on the project, which critics say threatens swathes of countryside.
HS2 Ltd said it would miss Mr Kirby's "experience and leadership", while Rolls-Royce boss Mr East said the appointment would "strengthen management capability ahead of a period of significant expansion".
But Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin accused Mr Kirby of "getting out before the true scale of the mess he has presided over is realised".
"The departure of Simon Kirby will be a serious blow to those who champion HS2, though many of us are at a complete loss to see just exactly what it is he has done to justify his three-quarter of a million pay packet."
The first part of the HS2 project will link London and the West Midlands, carrying 400m-long (1,300ft) trains with up to 1,100 seats per train.
They will operate at speeds of up to 250mph - and would travel up to 14 times per hour in each direction.
This will be followed by a V-shaped second phase taking services from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds.
Intermediate stations in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire are also planned. | The boss of the controversial HS2 rail link is leaving to take up a senior post at Rolls-Royce, the aerospace and engineering group has said. | 37332118 |
The Russian-born 43-year-old is the third Welsh competitor to be selected for the Games, following triathlete Non Stanford and sailor Hannah Mills.
Allen, who lives in Blackwood, was part of the British skeet team that won gold at the 2014 World Championships.
She also won individual silver in 2014 to go with a bronze claimed at the 2013 event in Peru.
Allen will be competing at her second Olympic Games, having failed to qualify for the skeet final at London 2012 when she admitted the applause of the crowd had put her off.
Previously, Allen was a bronze medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games when she competed for England and in 2014 won silver at the Glasgow Games after qualifying for Wales through residency.
"In shooting you have to win your quota place... but you win the quota for the country and I did that at the World Championships in Spain in 2014," Allen told BBC Wales Sport.
"But the [individual] place is never guaranteed, so you have to wait and see and you have to do your best, carry on competing at the best level you can.
"So you can never count your chickens until they're hatched!" | Welsh shooter Elena Allen has been named in the Great Britain team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. | 34768380 |
Spotlight: A Woman Alone With The IRA investigated the republican movement's handling of sexual abuse allegations against a suspected IRA member.
Maíria Cahill waived her right to anonymity to tell how the republican movement responded to her allegations.
The programme won news and current affairs programme of the year and scoop of the year.
Spotlight reporter Jennifer O'Leary also won the award for broadcast journalist of the year.
In the programme shown last October, Ms Cahill claimed she was raped by a suspected IRA man when she was a teenager, and that the IRA later helped to cover up the alleged abuse.
BBC Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan was named news and current affairs presenter of the year.
The Arts Show on BBC Radio Ulster won entertainment programme of the year.
BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson won the award for speech radio broadcaster of the year.
BBC Northern Ireland director Peter Johnston said: "We are extremely proud of the awards received at this year's CIPR ceremony and I would like to congratulate all the teams and individuals who won and were nominated.
"2014 was a very eventful year for us across TV and radio, and receiving acknowledgement for this content is testament to the dedication of our teams who continually strive to provide audiences with high quality programmes." | BBC Northern Ireland current affairs programme Spotlight has won three CIPR NI Media awards. | 33296614 |
Deniz Yucel, who works for Die Welt, was detained almost two weeks ago and has since been held in police custody.
He had earlier reported on leaked emails that allegedly highlight the influence wielded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son-in-law.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the move "disappointing".
"We will continue to insist on a fair and legal treatment of Deniz Yucel and hope that he will soon regain his freedom," she said.
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Mr Yucel's arrest showed in "glaring light" the differences between Germany and Turkey on matters of freedom of the press and freedom of opinion.
Die Welt says Mr Yucel, 43, is the first journalist with German nationality to be held in pre-trial detention since Mr Erdogan's AKP party took power in 2002.
Several other journalists have also been detained in connection with the emails, purportedly obtained by left-wing hackers from the private account of Berat Albayrak, who is the country's energy minister.
Pre-trial detention in Turkey can last up to five years, Die Welt says.
Many Turkish writers and journalists have been arrested in a widespread crackdown that followed a failed July coup against Mr Erdogan.
More than 100,000 people have also been sacked or suspended from Turkey's police, military, civil service and private sector since the failed coup and tens of thousands arrested.
The Turkish government says the measures are necessary given the security threats it faces but critics say Mr Erdogan is using the purges to stifle dissent. | The Turkish authorities have arrested a German-Turkish journalist they accuse of producing terrorist propaganda and undermining the government. | 39110469 |
The NSPCC said Scotland's two Childline bases had conducted 22 counselling sessions to help frightened youngsters since the craze began last week.
The fad has left police dealing with a wave of incidents, with forces warning pranksters will face arrest.
Childline said a quarter of calls about clowns came from children under 11.
More than a third came from terrified youngsters between the ages of 12 and 15, added the charity.
The US-born craze has seen cases of clowns chasing children with weapons such as knives or baseball bats, in some instances specifically targeting schools.
Staff at the Childline base in Glasgow said they had conducted 12 counselling sessions with worried children, while staff in Aberdeen have taken part in 10.
In Dunbar, East Lothian, a clown was spotted chasing terrified school children and stopped traffic by jumping onto the road.
Children have also been targeted online, in one instance in which a 13-year-old girl was messaged on Instagram from someone posing as a clown who threatened to cut her throat and rape her.
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: "People getting dressed up as 'creepy clowns' and frightening children should take a long hard look at themselves.
"Clowns are meant to make children laugh but these people are abusing this idea and turning it into something twisted and warped.
"Increasing reports that these 'clowns' are not simply seeking to frighten children but using them to intimidate, commit crimes, abuse or bully are deeply worrying and this trend needs to be stamped out."
The NSPCC urged children who seen a 'creepy clown' out on the streets or lurking near their school to contact an adult or the police. | The "creepy clown" craze has led to a deluge of calls to helplines from youngsters left terrified by the sinister phenomenon. | 37653630 |
The new Scottish government guidelines are part of the country's first human trafficking strategy.
Scots will be urged to look for signs that people have been trafficked and ask whether what they are buying has been made by someone forced to work.
The move comes as figures show trafficking has increased in Scotland.
Last year there were 145 potential victims of trafficking identified in Scotland - a 31% increase on the previous year.
More than a third were trafficked into forced labour. Another third were forced to work in the sex industry.
The strategy, which will now go out to public consultation, states: "We will inform the public, encouraging them to question and reject the exploitation of other human beings and to think about how what they buy and what they do could contribute to this crime.
"We will highlight the fact that trafficking and exploitation do not only happen across international borders, but also within the UK and Scotland. Alongside this we will seek to identify those areas where victims brought to Scotland come from."
It follows revelations by BBC Scotland about increases in child trafficking.
Kiet told BBC Scotland his brother was involved in a real estate investment which went wrong - leaving his brother owing gangsters the equivalent of £700,000. He said the gangsters killed his brother and then told Kiet they owned him. He was trafficked to the UK.
"When I arrived in [Northern] Ireland, strong men took me to a house and I was locked there. After a week I was taken to a school in the city where I learnt English four times a week.
"That was the only job I was told to do. I just went to the school and back to the house. I couldn't go out anywhere."
After two months, Kiet was taken to another house in Belfast with three others.
"I was locked at the house and I was threatened not to do anything or I would be killed.
"I didn't understand the language and when I was threatened I was so scared.
"I was brought to Scotland and arrested by police. At that time I told them I was a victim of the trafficking."
Kiet was taken to the Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre before being helped by the charity Migrant Help.
"I felt happy and comfortable in Scotland. I was given some money and now I have a place to live.
"I want to start a new life - that's why I'm learning a new language so I can get a job and earn my own money so I don't have to depend on the social money.
"I have applied to be refugee and I'm waiting for it to be approved by the authorities."
One of the main aims of the strategy is to provide more support for victims.
Figures shows many victims are forced into illegal activities with threats and violence, including being forced to work in cannabis farms.
The strategy states there is a "strong presumption against prosecution" in such cases.
However, the BBC understands that some who claim to have been victims of trafficking and have been forced to work in cannabis cultivation have faced charges regardless.
A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "Where there are concerns that an accused is a genuine victim of human trafficking, those concerns will be fully explored and taken into account when deciding whether or not it is in the public interest to prosecute.
"There is a strong presumption against the prosecution of a credible trafficked victim for crimes which arise as a consequence of the accused being a victim of human trafficking."
The Crown Office said identifying genuine victims of human trafficking was a "complex task".
The new Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, which came into force in Scotland earlier this year, created a new offence of trafficking with a possible maximum life sentence.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The number of trafficking victims identified and rescued in Scotland rose by 46% in the two years up to 2015.
"Today's draft strategy sets out the approach to address trafficking and exploitation, aimed at exposing and eradicating these crimes."
He added: "I encourage anyone who has encountered such crimes - as a victim or witness or any other interested party - to have their say and help shape our action against these vile criminals. There must be no place to hide for them in Scotland."
John Merralls, UK operations manager and deputy head at Migrant Help UK, said: "Migrant Help UK welcomes publication of the Scottish government strategy on combating human trafficking in Scotland.
"The strategy establishes a clear blueprint for the future and represents a commitment to working in partnership with all relevant agencies and providers across national and international borders to achieving its aims."
Deputy Chief Constable Johnny Gwynne of Police Scotland said: "Trafficking is a challenging and complex issue to investigate, with most cases being protracted and involving law enforcement in more than one country, both in the UK, Europe and internationally.
"Trafficking is often a hidden crime and its victims frequently don't see themselves as such, therefore we proactively look for victims.
The officer asked the public and businesses to be "socially and ethically aware", adding: "If you suspect someone is being exploited and may have been trafficked, please contact us on 101."
A spokesperson for Community Safety Glasgow, which delivers the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance service, said: "This is the first time Scotland has ever set out a strategy to tackle human trafficking and we look forward to continuing to make a detailed contribution to the crucial, national dialogue." | Consumers are to be asked to consider whether people working in their local nail bar, car wash or shop might have been trafficked into the country. | 37624067 |
Mr Thomas is stepping down from his seat as Plaid Cymru AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr before May's assembly election.
He described his appointment as a "huge privilege".
Mr Thomas will start work at the Aberystwyth library on 6 April and will be in post for four years. | The new president of the National Library of Wales has been named as Rhodri Glyn Thomas. | 35563785 |
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United lost Mark Durnan to a red card for felling Brian Graham in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
"What a shift from our players, going down to 10 men the fighting spirit was excellent," said Paatelainen.
"Even though we were a man short we wanted an attacking threat, hence the 3-3-3 formation, and it worked."
Paatelainen's side are eight points adrift at the foot of the Premiership table, but have a game in hand over second-bottom Kilmarnock.
And the Tangerines now have a semi-final to look forward to next month after Henri Anier's double and Billy Mckay's headed winner defeated County.
"We know we are a match for any team when we play well," the Finn told BBC Scotland. "Today we did. That hasn't changed at all.
"Yes, we have a long way to go; we're nowhere near safety yet. The boys' attitude is tremendous on the training ground and in the matches as you can see, but hopefully, by hard work, I believe we can do it."
Ross County manager Jim McIntyre meanwhile bemoaned his side's failure to prevent Dundee United's deliveries into the box - from which they derived much of their attacking success.
"We've blown a golden opportunity to get to another national semi-final," he said. "Quite frankly we didn't stop crosses - their goals have come from three crosses and it's not good enough.
"We've got to get out, get close, but when United went down to 10 men we seemed to stand off them and allow crosses to come into the box. We've got to be much better than that.
"We've been masters of our own downfall. You've got to give United credit, of course, but we've not picked up our men and we've been punished."
County tackle Hibernian in next Sunday's League Cup final and McIntyre revealed midfielder Martin Woods "felt ill" at half-time, prompting his substitution.
But Jackson Irvine, who was also withdrawn, is not currently a concern for the showpiece at Hampden. | An "exhausted" Mixu Paatelainen praised the resilience of his Dundee United side after they twice came from behind to beat Ross County 3-2. | 35736684 |
The 1950 World Cup final defeat by Uruguay in the Maracana, and the crushing 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany in Belo Horizonte at the 2014 World Cup can never be erased, but by winning their first Olympic football gold, the hosts can at least point to a new chapter in their story.
Before the game, fans talked of "revenge" over Germany, but Neymar's winning penalty also made this Brazil's most successful Olympics as they won a sixth gold medal for the first time.
For a Games staged amid continuing social problems, and with relatively few golden moments for the host nation, the deafening noise at the finale was symbolic.
As Neymar sunk to his knees in tears, the 78,000-strong crowd bellowed "o campeao voltou" (the champions are back), a song which has echoed throughout the past fortnight and gave a sense of Brazil's restored confidence after a bruising past few years.
Neymar missed the humiliating loss to Germany two years ago (known as the Mineirazo) after he fractured a vertebrae in the quarter-final win over Colombia, but it hasn't stopped him from being asked what went wrong and if Brazil could ever recover from one of the worst episodes in the team's history.
Both Brazil coach Rogerio Micale and Germany counterpart Horst Hrubesch tried to play down the relevance of the rematch, pointing out there would be no-one on the field who played in the World Cup.
But fans outside the Maracana were unconvinced. "It was a disaster and we want revenge," one said. "Brazilian football has not been the same since."
Many supporters felt Brazil would win easily, but as Germany hit the woodwork twice, then equalised through skipper Max Meyer after Neymar's opener, there seemed a growing anxiety among the crowd that history might repeat itself.
Three previous Olympic final defeats did not help the mood; indeed when players wasted opportunities, the fans let them know of their frustration in no uncertain terms.
So when Neymar walked towards the penalty spot, kept his cool under remarkable pressure and scored to Timo Horn's left, the outpouring of emotion was as deafening as it was heartfelt, as the demons from two years ago were banished.
And there are those who think it can point to a brighter future.
"After the World Cup and what happened against Germany, I think Brazil's self-esteem was damaged," said former international Rai.
"I think the first gold medal can mark the new era for Brazilian football."
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Though Neymar was absent in Belo Horizonte, he still felt the pain and has played in these Olympics like a man determined to heal the wounds and prove he could win a first major international title.
This is a player used to winning trophies on a regular basis with Barcelona but, like club-mate Lionel Messi, has had only limited success in international football.
As captain, and one of the over-age players in the under-23 squad, he proved to be perfect leader material, chasing back to help out in defence as much as he kept his cool in front of goal.
His prodigious work-rate led to a goal after just 15 seconds of the semi-final against Honduras, and, in the final, he was cajoling and encouraging his team-mates until the final minute of extra time before he took centre stage.
After a bruising few years from a political and football point of view, Brazilians needed a role model to lead them forward, and the 24-year-old sealed his hero status on a night the country will never forget.
"The only thing on my mind was I had to do this," said Neymar, who stepped down as captain after the game. "I have fulfilled my dream."
While foreign tourists and media have been worried by petty crime and fears over the Zika virus, the problems facing Brazil's residents have been a lot more serious.
Crippling cuts, political upheaval and an uncertain future have provided a backdrop to the Rio Games, with some locals questioning whether the cost of hosting the Olympics has been worthwhile.
With some tickets costing more than the monthly minimum wage, at times the Games has felt like an event for international tourists, media and the more moneyed residents of Rio.
The attendances in stadiums have certainly reflected that, with sports outside those traditionally favoured in Brazil seeing many rows of empty seats. But on the occasions Brazil have thrived, the supporters have celebrated with fervour, no more so than during the football tournament.
At first, success came from more unexpected sports. When judoka Rafaela Silva won a first gold for the host nation, the screams could be heard around the whole city as locals watching in street bars burst into the street. More golds followed - from boxer Robson Conceicao and pole vaulter Thiago Braz da Silva, whose shock victory made newspaper front pages the following day.
More spontaneous joy followed when Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze won gold in the 49er FX. Friends and family joined them in the water, before the duo were carried off the beach in their boat.
Then the traditional favourites came to the party: Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt won beach volleyball gold at the stunning Copacabana arena and the men's volleyball team did likewise in a raucous Maracazinho.
Could the football team deliver? No gold medal was more important to Brazil, and Neymar was untested in this sort of scenario.
But his penalty ensured that, however the Games are regarded from other points of view, for many Brazilians they can now be considered a success.
That is the power of football in this country. | Brazil will always associate itself with two football tragedies at home, but now it finally has a defining moment it can be proud of. | 37147347 |
They lost Dominic Sibley and Kumar Sangakkara at The Oval, with both well taken behind the stumps by wicketkeeper Lewis McManus.
Burns remained watchful in overcast and humid conditions, reaching his hundred off 205 balls with a six and 15 fours.
He departed four deliveries later, caught off Brad Wheal for 101, before bad light play with Surrey on 260-6.
After Sibley (11) and Sangakkara (26) departed, Arun Harinath was caught for nine as he sent a mistimed pull off South African Ryan McLaren to Wheal.
And the home side slumped to 144-4, with Wheal taking his first scalp of the day as Steven Davies was caught in the slips by Will Smith.
However, Burns passed 5,000 first-class runs as he reached his half-century and after two interruptions for bad light, he hit Wheal for a four and six as he went to three figures.
The pace bowler got his revenge in his next over to dismiss Burns but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes' unbeaten 47 saw Surrey past 250 before the light forced the players left the field for the third and final time.
Surrey are third in Division One and need to win to keep in touch with leaders Middlesex, who are 16 points ahead of their London rivals, having played one fewer game.
Hampshire are 14 points adrift of seventh-placed Durham, who have a match in hand, and safety.
Surrey batsman Rory Burns told BBC Radio London:
"It's done quite a bit and to be where we are in the game, we're pretty happy with it, and the next target is to push on to 300 in the morning.
"It was very humid, which helped the ball swing all day, and the pitch was quite fresh as well. It was a good contest.
"I've had a couple of near misses in recent times so to get there (to a hundred), I'm really chuffed.
"It would have nice to go massive, but in the context of the game, that could prove to be a really big score."
Hampshire coach Craig White told BBC Radio Solent:
"It was another frustrating day. On that pitch, in the conditions we had, I don't think we bowled as well as we could.
"We bowled a couple of decent balls in an over, then bowl a poor ball and just release the pressure.
"We got better as the day went on, but if we'd done that first session we could have been batting tonight.
"Saying that, with a new ball first thing tomorrow, if we bowl well, we could bowl them out for 280, that's be the aim." | Surrey opener Rory Burns hit his second Championship century of the season on an even first day against Hampshire. | 37276602 |
The Portuguese Fado event encourages integration between the different communities in the town and celebrates Portuguese culture.
There are an estimated 2,000 Portuguese nationals in Wrexham.
Last month, Wrexham council signed a formal agreement with the Portuguese government to build ties.
The festival, which has been given Big Lottery funding, is being organised by Iolanda Viegas who moved to Wrexham from Portugal 15 years ago.
"The main aim is integration," Ms Viegas, a representative of the Portuguese Council of Great Britain, said.
"We try for the Portuguese community to engage in the local community.
"It's by going to these events that we realise we are all the same.
"It's just one big community," said Ms Viegas who is also a representative on the Race Council Cymru and is director of the Portuguese Speaking Community Group in Wrexham.
Wrexham council has been working to develop close relationships across its diverse communities since 2008 when it launched its Together in Wrexham strategy.
Earlier this month, it signed a friendship agreement with the Portuguese government, reinforcing principles of "integration and collaboration", according to Councillor Hugh Jones, Wrexham's lead member for communities.
"We readily agreed and we saw that as recognition that out community cohesion team has a really successful link with the Portuguese community.
"We'd more than welcome similar protocols, if the Polish community came forward, we'd look at that in a favourable way."
In spite of the work being done by community leaders, the local authority and the police, there were some hate crime incidents in Wrexham in the aftermath of the EU referendum result.
Mr Jones said he felt confident such issues had now died down. | A folk music festival aimed at promoting community cohesion among people from different nationalities is being held in Wrexham on Saturday. | 39155726 |
Scans suggested the brain worked harder to regulate emotional and behavioural responses to fear when it was not conscious of it.
The women in the small study were shown pictures of flowers interspersed very briefly with images of spiders.
The researchers said the technique could be used to treat children.
Current treatments are often based on persuading patients to directly face their fear, which could cause serious emotional distress, they said.
A phobia is an irrational fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal.
Phobias are more pronounced than fears, and can become overwhelming and affect day-to-day life.
They are particularly common in women.
For the research, 21 young women with a phobia of spiders were shown images of spiders for a split second in between image of flowers.
They were then shown spider images for a longer time, so that they were clearly visible.
At the same time, their brain activity was monitored and compared with that of women with no phobias.
In the group with phobias, seeing the spider images very briefly resulted in strong activity in areas of the brain that regulate emotional and behavioural responses to fear.
This was unexpected and resulted in the level of fear actually experienced being reduced, the researchers said.
In contrast, when women with phobias were exposed to clear images of spiders for a longer time, the brain was unable to control its response to fear, causing them to experience the full force of their phobia.
Paul Siegel, lead author of the study and associate professor of psychology at Purchase College of the State University of New York, said: "Counter-intuitively, our study showed that the brain is better able to process feared stimuli when they are presented without conscious awareness.
"Our findings suggest that phobic people may be better prepared to face their fears if at first they are not consciously aware that they've faced them."
Dr Bradley Peterson, director of the Institute for the Developing Mind at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said the technique could be a useful approach for treating children who could suffer significant distress if confronted head on by what was causing their phobia.
The study is published in Human Brain Mapping.
The 10 most common phobias in the UK are:
NHS Choices says some simple phobias can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes fear and anxiety.
But treating complex phobias, such as agoraphobia, can take longer and require counselling, talking therapies or psychotherapy.
Nicky Lidbetter, from charity Anxiety UK, said the current treatment approach for this type of specific phobia was cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
"This approach aims to replace the fear response of a phobia with a relaxation response, through gradual exposure to the phobia inducing stimulus." | Showing arachnopohobes images of spiders so briefly they remain unaware of them could help them overcome their fear, US researchers suggest. | 38880104 |
Ibrahim Halawa, now 21, was 17 when he was arrested with three of his sisters during a siege at a Cairo mosque.
He has been on hunger strike and has become so weak that jail staff used a wheelchair to bring him to see his relatives last week, his lawyer said.
On Wednesday, his trial was adjourned for the 20th time in almost four years.
In a statement after Wednesday's hearing, his sister, Somaia Halawa, said: "The sad reality is my brother is dying in an Egyptian prison, facing a mass trial, which at this rate will take over 10 years.
"Given Ibrahim's current mental and physical state we don't believe he will be strong enough to survive that delay."
She added: "The flawed trial process and conditions to which Ibrahim has been detained can no longer be accepted."
The family has called on the Irish government to begin legal proceedings against the Egyptian state at the International Court of Justice.
Mr Halawa, who was born and raised in Dublin, is the son of the most senior Muslim cleric in the Republic of Ireland.
Before the latest hearing, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny said he was "disturbed" by reports that Mr Halawa is in a wheelchair and wanted his health to be assessed "from an Irish medical point of view".
On Sunday, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said that after more than three years in custody, the prisoner's spirit had finally been "broken".
Speaking to Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, she said he was being "kept alive" with glucose injections.
Mr Halawa's Belfast-based solicitor, Darragh Mackin, said on Wednesday: "It is inarguably clear that the current trial process does not meet the standards required by international law."
His firm, Kevin Winters Law, intends to lodge a legal opinion with the Irish government within days on how the claim should be lodged.
The trial has been adjourned until 5 April.
For several years, Mr Halawa faced the death penalty if he was found guilty, but in January, President Sisi's told a delegation of Irish politicians he would offer a pardon Mr Halawa once his trial is over.
The Egyptian parliament has previously objected to calls from the Irish parliament to release the Dublin man, saying the request would interfere in the affairs of the Egyptian judiciary.
He had been through a "horrific experience", said Amnesty International, spending 1,313 nights "unjustly incarcerated".
"Amnesty International continues to be gravely concerned for his mental and physical wellbeing," said the charity in a statement.
"We reiterate our call on the Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against Ibrahim and to order his immediate and unconditional release. We also urge the Irish government to continue working on his behalf and to use every means at their disposal to secure his release" .
At the time of their arrests, the Halawas were on family holiday in Egypt.
Their trip coincided with violent anti-government protests in Cairo, staged in support of the ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
The family were arrested, along with many others, when Egyptian security forces stormed the Al-Fath mosque in August 2013.
Mr Halawa's three sisters were released after about three months and were allowed to return home to Dublin, but he has remained in jail. | The family of an Irishman who has been imprisoned without trial in Egypt since 2013 has called on the Irish government to take international legal action. | 39356824 |
Forty-four people complained to Ofcom about the 1 August episode.
Biggins had said: "The worst type though is, I'm afraid to say, the bisexuals... what it is is people not wanting to admit they are gay."
Ofcom said the comments could cause offence but were likely to be within the audience's expectations.
The openly gay actor was removed from the Big Brother house a few days after his views were aired.
The show's producers said they took the decision because he had made "comments capable of causing great offence".
The 67-year-old was warned three times by Big Brother over the comments.
The final incident involved a conversation where he said Aids was "a bisexual disease".
After he was removed from the house, Biggins said he was he was "very sorry and very sad".
Meanwhile, BBC One's DIY SOS: The Big Build, is being investigated over comments made by presenter Nick Knowles.
In an episode shown on 29 September, Knowles made comments to female designer Julia Kendell including: "Fighting talk from Kendell there, who used to be a boxer when she was a man."
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We're investigating whether comments made by a male presenter were justified by the context of the programme."
Six complaints suggesting Knowles' comments were offensive were received in relation to the episode.
Two complaints were also made to the regulator about a segment on ITV's Good Morning Britain, which Ofcom is also looking into.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We're investigating whether the broadcaster took due care of a four-year-old girl, when featuring her in the programme which discussed her medical condition."
ITV featured the girl, who has early-onset puberty, in a live interview with her mother on 15 September. The girl appeared to be trying to hide her face throughout the segment.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Comments about bisexuality made by Christopher Biggins on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother have been found not in breach of broadcasting rules. | 37751930 |
Currently economy and transport minister, Mrs Hart's previous posts included local government and health.
Mrs Thomas has been deputy social services minister, chaired committees and led a safeguarding children review.
The announcements follow news that Labour Llanelli AM Keith Davies is also leaving Cardiff Bay next year.
All three AMs are expected to tell their constituency Labour parties of their decision to stand down on Friday evening.
Mrs Hart said it had been an "honour and a privilege" to serve her constituency for 16 years.
"I am very grateful for the support they have given me during this time, and I will continue to represent their views vigorously until the end of the assembly term next year," she added.
Mrs Thomas said: "It has been a privilege to be part of Wales' political journey, but most of all, I am happy to have had the chance to work for communities I love and call home."
First Minister Carwyn Jones paid tribute to the women, and added: "I know that for both Gwenda and Edwina, representing their 'home' areas was incredibly important to them - and both Neath and Gower are losing very talented and passionate advocates."
A major figure on the Welsh political scene, Mrs Hart showed leadership when she took the decision to dramatically shrink the number of health boards in 2008, just five years after a previous reorganisation under a predecessor.
But she lost out to Carwyn Jones in the battle for Welsh Labour's top job a year later.
More recently, she has been at the centre of a major row over plans for an M4 relief road, the decision on which will now be taken by another minister after the election.
The announcement by Mrs Hart that she is leaving the Senedd follows a shock general election result in her Gower constituency.
Labour lost a seat it had held for more than a century to the Conservatives.
Also an AM since the assembly's creation in 1999, Mrs Thomas has been regarded as a strong voice for her Neath constituency, offering support to the local community at the time of the Gleision mine disaster.
As a deputy minister, she steered a major piece of legislation overhauling social services through the assembly and also chaired the housing and equal opportunities committees.
The departure of Mrs Hart and Mrs Thomas from Cardiff Bay, in addition to Mr Davies, means the Labour benches in the Senedd will look rather different in 2016, regardless of the outcome of the assembly poll. | Gower AM Edwina Hart and Neath AM Gwenda Thomas are to stand down at the 2016 assembly election. | 33199040 |
Now he's one of the stars of the England wheelchair rugby league side, determined to lift the sport's World Cup that kicks off in France this week.
And he says the sport is unique, bringing together those who, like him, have undergone amputation after injury or illness but also able-bodied athletes all competing together in the high-speed, big-collision world of wheelchair rugby league.
"It's a disability sport but it's an all-inclusive sport. We welcome people who really just enjoy rugby league - you don't have to be disabled," Simpson tells 5 live Rugby League.
"The game started with people playing because it was a disability sport. But in the five years I've been playing, the sport has evolved to more rugby league fans playing.
"Our England captain Jack Brown is able-bodied, his brother Harry also plays and has had his legs amputated because of meningitis. It's the only sport they can play together.
"We have people who run around during the week playing rugby league and then join us at the weekend. There's no gender barrier, no age barrier."
Simpson, 31, a rugby league fan who had not played the sport competitively before, discovered it after he was forced to leave the Army as a result of his injuries. He was a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment when he was badly injured on patrol.
"I was in Afghanistan in 2009 and on a normal patrol and I triggered an improvised explosive device that was buried in the ground," he said.
"It detonated underneath me and took both my legs off above the knee, instantaneously.
"I was lucky to be alive. The guys around me were amazing.
"I was evacuated back to the main hospital in Afghanistan and then back to the UK. From there I had two or three years' rehabilitation to get used to my prosthetics and get walking again.
"I didn't really struggle mentally. I guess it's just my attitude or the way I've been raised. I treated it as life-changing not life-ending.
"I treated it just as another hurdle to get over. So once I'd overcome it and I was walking again I just carried on with my life like I did before but a bit different.
"It's really weird to explain but you do get put in those make-or-break situations and you've just got to make it."
Find out how to get into rugby league with the fully inclusive Get Inspired guide
After returning to his home city of Leeds, he hooked up with the Leeds Rhinos wheelchair team for a couple of training sessions, and was soon a regular in the side.
A full-back, he has now made 12 appearances for England and is looking forward to representing his country at the World Cup after he was confirmed in the 12-man squad last week.
And he admits that the sport can be brutal at times, with some bone-crunching tackles when wheelchairs collide at high speed. "It's as close to the running game as we can make it. The tackle is pulling tags off your opponent's shoulders." he explains.
"But there's no rule to say how hard you can go in to make that tackle, so you tend to go in as hard as you can and essentially try to flip them out on to the floor.
"If you do get flipped and you hit the ground the wrong way it can knock the wind out of you."
England's World Cup campaign begins on Thursday, 20 July in Toulouse against hosts and holders France. Other nations competing include Australia, Scotland, Wales, Italy and Spain. The final will be in Perpignan on 28 July.
"France won the World Cup four years ago, but we beat them in the European Championship two years ago, so we're expected to perform at that top level," says Simpson.
"There's quite a bit of pressure on us to win that trophy, but we're relishing it. We're ready to bring that trophy home."
But the sport is also gearing up for what it hopes will be a huge boost to its profile when the Wheelchair World Cup tournament will run alongside the men's and women's Rugby League World Cup to be hosted in England in 2021.
"I think that's going to be huge," says Simpson.
"It's going to be an amazing opportunity, it's really going to push it out there. Over the next four years there is going to be such a push in creating new clubs, especially associated to Super League clubs.
"They've only been playing the sport for three years in Australia, yet already every NRL team has a wheelchair side. So far, only three Super League teams - Hull, St Helens and Leeds - have sides. We do have Championship sides too, such as Keighley and Rochdale.
"But by 2021 everyone is going to want to get on board, and by the time that World Cup happens we're going to have a whole new talent pool from the new clubs so that we can make a really, really good England team.
"The legacy it's going to leave will be amazing as well, it's going to be brilliant." | When James Simpson had his legs blown off during an Army patrol in Afghanistan eight years ago, he refused to let the life-changing injury break his spirit. | 40613449 |
Paul Massey was one of five men who, along with a woman, were arrested by Greater Manchester Police in December.
A spokesman said the arrests were part of a police investigation which started in 2011 into Salford-based security business 21st Security.
Mr Massey said the police had "no evidence" against him.
He said that he would be "very stupid" to be involved with anything criminal while he was running for mayor.
"I'm definitely not into money laundering," he said.
He added the police possessed "no evidence to have me in that interview room and no evidence to come and kick my door off".
"I'm into no criminality at all and I'd be very stupid to be doing that while I've come forward for the mayor's job," he added.
Mr Massey, who is standing as an independent candidate, is one of 10 people in the running to become Salford's first directly-elected mayor.
Voting in the Salford mayoral election takes place on Thursday 3 May.
A full list of | A candidate to become mayor of Salford, who has been arrested in a money laundering investigation, has said he is not involved in criminality. | 17695433 |
These are not your typical two-for-one, or name in a programme type deals, these are deals which really make the clubs involved stand out.
But can you tell (or guess) which deals are true and which are false.
At the end of the quiz you'll get your own special (made up) offer. Get quizzing! | As part of the 2015 Price of Football, we asked clubs if they had any special offers they'd like to tell us about and they didn't disappoint. | 34515478 |
The track operator said that it was running about 0.5% behind a year-end target of 90%.
"Almost 9 out of every 10 trains arrive on time, but train performance has not been as good as we want," Network Rail said.
Its comments came as the company said that profits for the six months to 30 September fell to £246m from £321m a year earlier.
Network Rail, which reinvests its profits in the rail network, said that profits fell in line with projections in the current five-year regulatory control period that runs until 2019.
Revenue rose by £19m in line with inflation to £3.14bn.
The company said it expected to invest £34bn in the railway network in the five years to 2019 but said that some schemes, such as the Great Western electrification programme, would cost much more than expected.
The chairman, Sir Peter Hendy, warned on Wednesday that "some projects will cost more and take longer than originally expected".
The original estimate for electrifying the line from Swansea to London was £640m, but delays and extra costs has sent the bill soaring to £2.8bn.
Other major programmes underway include the Thameslink scheme and works for Crossrail in London, the Northern Hub, the Strategic Freight Network, and improving the network between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The rail operator is proposing to sell £1.8bn of railway arch space, disused depots and shop space in bigger stations to help funds to upgrade the network.
Network Rail has struggled since it became a public body last year.
It no longer issues debt in its own name and borrows from the UK Government. Net debt increased by £1.4bn to £39.1bn in the six months to September.
The challenge, according to Network Rail, was to "increase capacity on the railway network, while keeping it running safely, reliably and punctually" for the 4.5m Britons who take a train each day. | Network Rail has admitted that train punctuality has been inadequate. | 34930381 |
Very few Thais even knew of its existence, apart from dedicated pro-democracy activists who would occasionally clean the plaque or decorate it with flowers.
Yet the plaque is one of the very few monuments to mark the most significant moment in modern Thai history.
In June 1932, a revolution overthrew 700 years of absolute monarchy and a constitutional political structure, requiring non-royal governments elected by the people, was introduced.
Four-and-a-half years later, one of the leaders of that uprising and the first post-revolution prime minister Phraya Phahol held a small ceremony, embedding the plaque into the ground at the spot where he had first announced the end of the absolute monarchy.
The inscription on it read: "Here on 24 June 1932 at dawn, the People's Party produced a constitution for the country's prosperity."
Earlier this month two teams of students from Thammasat University, which was founded by one of the leaders of the revolution, were sent by their professor to study the plaque.
The first group, on 2 April, found it intact. A second group who visited it on 8 April discovered that it had been replaced.
Neatly cemented in the same spot was a new plaque, with a different message: "To worship the Buddhist trinity, one's own state, one's own family, and to have a heart faithful to your monarch, will bring prosperity to the country".
The same inscription surrounds the Chakri Star, a symbol of the reigning dynasty in Thailand.
Unsurprisingly there has been an uproar, as pro-democracy activists, historians and social media commentators have protested against this apparent violation of a piece of Thailand's historic heritage.
This was no casual act of vandalism.
A fringe, ultra-royalist group had threatened to remove the plaque last year, but given the location, it seems unlikely even they would dare carry out their threat without significant official backing.
The instigators of the 1932 revolution had chosen the location for their early morning announcement with care. Symbols, and locations, have always mattered in Thai power politics.
Royal Plaza was the dramatic entrance to the new district of Dusit, built by Thailand's greatest absolute monarch, Chulalongkorn, as a more modern centre of royal power, away from the glittering palaces by the river.
It marks the end of Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the grand royal boulevard connecting the two districts, and is dominated by a large statue of King Chulalongkorn astride a horse.
The little brass plaque, stuck right next to the statue, was a deliberate snub, by a government determined to curb, or even end, royal power.
But they failed. During the long reign of King Bhumibol, which ended with his death last October, royal power and prestige were restored to levels unknown since the days of absolute kings.
Royal Plaza remains a potent symbol of the monarchy's elevated status.
The new King Vajiralongkorn chose the imposing throne hall to host an elaborate formal ceremony, unseen in almost half a century, on 6 April, giving his royal approval to a new constitution drafted by Thailand's military rulers.
Photographs published in the Thai media suggest the plaque was removed on the night before that ceremony.
The reaction of the Thai authorities to the theft has left people perplexed. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha dismissed it as unimportant.
"What good will it do to demand its return?" he responded to journalists, adding warnings not to organise protests about the plaque.
The police insisted they could not investigate the disappearance because they did not know who owned the plaque. The deputy police chief even suggested that it had originally been put illegally in Royal Plaza, even though it was done by the government of the day.
One activist who turned up at Royal Plaza to protest was detained; an opposition politician, who posted that the plaque was a national asset and should be protected by law, is being charged under the tough Computer Crimes Act.
Two more who filed a complaint to the local police were warned not to go there, and instead bussed to Bangkok City Hall, where they were told that all 11 CCTV cameras in the area had been removed days before the plaque was taken.
For a few hours a fence was erected around the new plaque to stop people photographing it, until the police realised it was a hazard to traffic, and took it down.
Because 1932 was such a pivotal moment in Thai history, it has long been the subject of debate among the country's main political factions, each aiming to co-opt the event to enhance its own legitimacy.
Some of the language used by the leaders of the uprising was stridently critical of the monarchy. It could hardly be republished now, under the exceptionally harsh interpretation of the lese majeste law used by today's military government.
But very quickly the uprising's leaders decided they needed the endorsement of their new regime by then-King Prajadhipok, softening their proposals to limit royal powers in the constitution they finalised by the end of 1932.
Relations between the two remained tense, with a failed royalist uprising in 1933 leading to the king eventually abdicating two years later.
That chaotic start to Thailand's first attempt at democracy has allowed royalists to present it more as a gift from a caring monarchy, and for democrats and republicans to present democracy as something that must stem from the will of the people.
In many ways, Thailand's recent political turmoil reflects a debate over the true source of political legitimacy in the country which has never been settled.
So whoever removed the little brass plaque, with its brief homage to the first "people's constitution", was sending a message, or adjusting the symbolic balance in Royal Plaza.
The evasive responses of the government and police show it is a very sensitive matter that they are reluctant to investigate.
They are making it clear they will not tolerate anyone else investigating the missing piece of history either. | For more than 80 years a small brass plaque, no larger than a dinner plate, sat embedded in the tarmac in front of Bangkok's Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, worn down after being driven over countless of times by traffic. | 39650310 |
The 24-year-old, who won 200m breaststroke bronze at the London 2012 Olympics, was given a provisional ban after testing positive for meldonium.
The International Swimming Federation (Fina) lifted the ban after advice from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Meldonium is the substance Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova tested positive for earlier this year.
A statement from Fina read: "Wada is to undertake further scientific research on meldonium and have therefore recommended to Fina that the suspension of the swimmer should be lifted."
However, Fina also said the case "is not closed" and a decision will be made "following the outcome of Wada's studies".
The statement added: "After that, Ms Efimova would be entitled to file an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
Efimova is facing a life ban having previously tested positive for a banned substance.
The American-based swimmer was banned for 16 months by Fina after traces of the anabolic steroid DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) were found in her system at an out of competition test in Los Angeles in 2013.
Wada added meldonium to its list of banned substances at the start of 2016 and recently gave those athletes who had since failed tests a lifeline with the admission it was unclear how long the substance took to clear the body. | Russia's Yulia Efimova has had her provisional suspension for doping lifted by swimming's governing body. | 36354552 |
The Spiders finished fourth in Scottish League Two but defeated Cowdenbeath then Clyde in the play-offs to end a seven-year spell in the bottom tier.
MacPherson previously led St Mirren to the top flight and kept them there.
"That's probably the biggest achievement, but this is probably a close second," said the head coach.
"This is up there with keeping St Mirren in the Premier League, which was one hell of an achievement with the resources that we had that first season."
Queen's Park bosses are used to having to rebuild their squad each summer as their players are attracted to senior, or even junior, clubs able to pay them for their services.
But MacPherson, who took charge in 2014, is hopeful of retaining more than usual, even though some, like 17-year-old midfielder Liam Brown, are attracting attention from other clubs.
"That's the frustrating aspect of it," said the 47-year-old after the 3-2 aggregate win over Clyde.
"Liam is only 17 and already attracting interest and he's got a big future in the game.
"He's been given his opportunity and he's not looked back and I'm looking forward to working with him."
MacPherson, who spent seven years with St Mirren before also managing Queen of the South, is hoping that playing their home games at Hampden Park, the national stadium, will help persuade players to stay.
"We would hope that we could retain quite a few of them, because that is the challenge - to go and play at a higher level - and where else has facilities like this, whether it be Hampden or Lesser Hampden?" he told BBC Scotland.
"It is well documented how we try to recruit players - this is a selling point.
"You see the reaction of players who get to score goals in this arena and have watched international players of the past doing it and probably only dreamed of doing it themselves."
Queen's Park not only relegated Cowdenbeath, who had finished second bottom in League One, but overcame a Clyde side who had finished a place above the Spiders in League Two.
"It would have been a travesty if we hadn't got up," added MacPherson, whose side survived a 1-0 second-leg defeat by the Bully Wee.
"The way we try to play and the quality within that group, from the level they have came from, the team spirit, the way they work, they are a credit to themselves.
"They know the facilities that we've got, the team spirit that's been built up and hopefully they look at this, they remember it, they enjoy it and they look forward to coming back." | Gus MacPherson feels that leading amateurs Queen's Park to promotion almost matches his achievements as manager of St Mirren. | 36296054 |
The claim: Prime Minister David Cameron says as a result of his negotiations in Brussels earlier this year - which has not come into effect yet but will if the UK votes to stay in the European Union - EU citizens who come to the UK but fail to find work will have to leave after six months.
Reality Check verdict: Existing EU rules allow states to deport citizens from other EU countries if they have become a burden on the welfare system of the state. UK law suggests this occurs after six months of unsuccessfully looking for work, but it is not clear how many people have been removed from the UK on this basis. The UK will have no additional powers in this area as a result of David Cameron's EU deal in February.
"There are good ways to control migration and there are bad ways," he said.
"A good way is doing what I did in my renegotiation, which of course hasn't come into effect yet and will if we vote to stay in the European Union, which is to say to people if you come to our country first of all you don't claim unemployment benefit, second of all after six months if you haven't got a job you have to leave."
Both these points are already part of UK law, following amendments to The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 .
As things stand, EU citizens who come to the UK to find work cannot claim jobseeker's allowance during their first three months in the country.
After that they can claim for a total of 91 days, which can be split across several periods of jobseeking. They can continue claiming beyond that period if they can demonstrate that they are actively looking for a job and are likely to get it.
After a total of six months they can be removed if they still have not found a job, and have no realistic possibility of finding one, and require support from the welfare system.
These rules have been in place since early 2014, and are in line with existing EU legislation.
The EU-UK deal which David Cameron negotiated in February, and which will be implemented if the UK votes on 23 June to stay in the EU, will not change anything in this respect.
Home Office figures do not show how many people have been deported on the basis of being a burden to the UK since the rules came in, but the numbers are thought to be low.
Mr Cameron did make a third point on Sky News: "And third of all if you do come and get a job you have to work for four years paying into the system before you get full access to our welfare system."
That's the so-called emergency brake on access to the welfare system, which does not exist at the moment and will only come into force if the UK votes to stay in the EU on 23 June. It would affect all new arrivals and could be applied for a period of seven years.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | Speaking on Sky News' special referendum programme on Thursday evening, David Cameron addressed concerns about migration by referring to what he gained in his renegotiation with Brussels earlier this year. | 36449974 |
The Arirang handset, described as a "hand phone" in state media, was shown to leader Kim Jong-un during a factory tour.
The country has had a mobile network since 2008, but activity is heavily monitored and restricted.
Last year the country launched a tablet, but it later emerged it was likely to have been made in China.
Clues to the tablet's origin were uncovered by Martyn Williams, an expert on North Korean technology, who noted that parts of the tablet's software code suggested links to a manufacturer in Hong Kong.
The Arirang smartphone, named after a popular folk song, was unlikely to have been made in the country, Mr Williams added.
He noted that no actual manufacturing was shown, and that the device was "probably made to order by a Chinese manufacturer and shipped to the May 11 Factory where they are inspected before going on sale".
The leader was accompanied by the Korean Workers' Party propaganda chief and the head of the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a hint that the devices could be used for widespread dissemination of government information.
Mr Kim was seen to be demoing the device, which appeared to be running a version of Google's Android mobile operating system.
There are no further details available about the smartphone's exact specifications, but the KNCA reported that the leader praised the "high pixels" of the built-in camera.
The article said Mr Kim had high hopes for the "educational significance in making people love Korean things".
He advised that factory workers should "select and produce shapes and colours that users like".
Mobile phones in the secretive country have been available since 2008. The national network is maintained thanks to a joint operation by the North Korean government and Egyptian telecoms company Orascom.
Phones on the network are heavily restricted. They cannot access the internet and can only make calls within North Korea.
For a short time, foreigners in the country were able to use mobile internet, but this access was later revoked.
It is believed that many in North Korea, particular those near the borders, use illegally owned mobiles to contact people outside the country.
One man, a 28-year-old who left North Korea in November 2010, told a research paper: "In order to make sure the mobile phone frequencies are not being tracked, I would fill up a washbasin with water and put the lid of a rice cooker over my head while I made a phone call."
Being found in possession of a foreign phone would be a very serious crime, the paper's authors said.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | North Korea says it has produced its first home-grown smartphone, but experts have disputed its origins. | 23681261 |
Cilic tested positive for banned substance nikethamide in April and was given a suspension in September, backdated to 1 May.
This is the third time in just over two years that the Court of Arbitration for Sport has reduced the length of bans issued to tennis players. As all professionals now receive considerable anti-doping education, its latest reasons will be carefully studied when made public.
But the Croat's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) was partially upheld, meaning he is eligible to return to competition.
The 25-year-old has won nine career titles and is a former Australian Open semi-finalist.
"The panel determined that the degree of fault committed by the athlete was inferior to that established in the [tribunal] decision," Cas said in a statement.
"The panel also determined that the sanction imposed was too severe in view of the degree of fault and concluded that it should be reduced to four months."
International Tennis Federation president Francesco Ricci Bitti said the ITF "respected the decision of the CAS tribunal, who agreed that an anti-doping rule violation has been committed".
"We await the full decision to better understand CAS's reasoning for reducing the sanction," he added.
Cilic's ranking, which has dropped to 47, is set for an immediate boost with the return of his points from events including the French Open, Wimbledon and Aegon Championships at Queen's Club, London, where he was runner-up to Andy Murray. | Marin Cilic's drugs ban has been reduced from nine to four months. | 24672616 |
Highlights from this year's National Television Awards, held in London on 20 January. | 35366703 |
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The United States Air Force (USAF) announced a year ago that it would vacate the base by 2020.
A decision on its future is due in the spring, but council leaders fear the site will be "mothballed".
They calculated that RAF Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath are worth up to £700m a year to the local economy.
Proposed changes at the bases would see the loss of 2,900 local jobs, including USAF personnel, they said.
In November it was announced that 350 personnel would be relocated from RAF Lakenheath to an airbase in Italy.
Forest Heath District Council is one of several authorities that have joined together to campaign to secure the future of the bases.
Its leader James Waters said: "We are pushing the Ministry of Defence to make a decision regarding any future military use for all or part of the RAF Mildenhall site.
"We want a commitment that the site will not be mothballed when the USAF leave - the potential damage of doing so is clear for all to see."
The Ministry of Defence said it was reviewing future uses of the site.
"We will continue to work with the relevant councils to ensure any decision takes into account local strategic planning issues," a spokeswoman said. | The Ministry of Defence must commit to the future of Suffolk airbase RAF Mildenhall or risk damaging the local economy, council leaders say. | 35253172 |
British Transport Police said the incident happened on a 16:00 service, travelling from Edinburgh Waverley to Peterborough last Sunday.
A spokesman said the assault, while the train was at Waverley Station, was on a boy aged two or three who was hit three times and kicked in the head and chest.
The man and three children got off at Alnmouth in Northumberland.
Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the alleged incident or anyone who can help identify those involved.
The man was described as being white, of large build, with short, dark hair. He was wearing glasses, dark jeans and white Nike trainers.
PC Joss Froggatt, said: "I would like to speak to anyone who was on board this service who may have seen or heard the incident. It is unclear at this stage exactly what took place, but we have had serious allegations made, so we are investigating to establish what happened.
"If you have any information, please contact me by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting reference number 324 12/2/17." | Police are appealing for information after a man was seen kicking a young boy in the head and chest on a train. | 39009410 |
It would also allow health and social care services to work more efficiently, according to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists' (RCOT) report.
It said therapists and support workers were "driving forward improvements" but work must "go further and faster".
The Welsh Government said occupational therapists increasingly play a "key role" in health and social care.
RCOT chief executive Julia Scott said there "can no longer be any excuse" as to why all older people in Wales do not have access to the best occupational therapy (OT) services.
"Occupational therapy has proved its value. But now is the time for this work to go further and faster.
"We want occupational therapists to be given the tools and resources necessary to ensure that everyone across Wales receives these same high standards of care," she added.
Published on Thursday, the RCOT's Living, not Existing report recommended occupational therapists be based within primary care units to prevent any delay for care and support.
It also called for OTs to be deployed to develop "person and community-centred" approaches to ensure older people "live independently, for as long as possible".
In addition, the RCOT called for partnerships between housing, health and social care bodies to improve access, irrespective of people's circumstances.
The RCOT, which has 1,600 members in Wales, pointed to several examples across the country where OT projects had saved money and time.
For instance, in Cardiff the council's OT team reviewed 227 care and direct payment packages between April 2015 and March 2016.
The report estimated the assessments save £120,000 by preventing increases of care and £274,000 by cutting care packages.
Ruth Crowder, Wales Policy Officer for ROCT, said "high-volume, low-cost" approaches to delivering care have an "isolating and dehumanising effect" on older people.
"Across Wales there are some really innovative examples where the intelligent deployment of occupational therapy services has enhanced the lives of older people," she added.
"These savings are achievable but rely on better-designed and connected services in our communities."
The WLGA said Welsh councils had been "working hard" with other bodies to place a "greater emphasis" on preventative and community care, including occupational therapy services.
But they added that despite some "innovative projects", collaborative working alone cannot solve all the problems.
"Significant investment is needed by Welsh Government, not only to enhance and build on the provision of social and community care, and services such as occupational therapy, but to also support further integrated working between health and social care," a spokesman said.
A Welsh Government spokesman said it had a "clear vision" for ensuring health and social care was provided in the community, "closer to people's homes".
"Occupational Therapists are increasingly playing a key role as part of integrated health and care teams across Wales," he added.
"Our £60m Integrated Care Fund has been used to develop new and innovative models of integrated working between social services, health and the third services." | Better access to occupational therapy could help older people in Wales to keep their dignity, a report has said. | 40556404 |
The chunks of arachnid DNA were probably stolen by the virus to help it punch through animal cells.
But its target is not the animal itself - the "WO" virus only infects bacteria living within insects and spiders.
It was a surprise because bacterial viruses were generally thought to steal DNA only from bacteria.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, Sarah and Seth Bordenstein from Vanderbilt University in the US analysed the genome of WO, which belongs to a group of bacteria-infecting viruses known as bacteriophages.
WO targets the bacterium known as Wolbachia, which in turn infects the cells of insects and spiders.
The virus pinched a gene that codes for latrotoxin, the poison used by black widow spiders.
The toxin can break down the cell membranes of eukaryotes (the domain of life including animals, plants and fungi).
The researchers think the virus uses latrotoxin to enter animal cells and reach the bacteria that it targets. It may also enable the virus to exit cells when it needs to.
The finding is unusual because viruses that infect eukaryotes usually assimilate eukaryote genes and viruses that infect bacteria usually steal useful bacterial genes.
But the authors of the study say their result makes sense because WO has to contend with the defence mechanisms of two separate domains of life.
During its life cycle, the WO virus is exposed to the internal environment of insect and spider cells and the scientists found other genes in its DNA that may help the virus evade animals' immune systems.
Follow Paul on Twitter. | In a very unusual case of genetic theft, a virus has been caught with a gene that codes for the poison of black widow spiders. | 37632616 |
A 23-year-old French citizen of Algerian origin, he had long been known to the French authorities as a petty criminal but latterly his links to Islamist extremism drew attention.
The man who reportedly told police negotiators he was a member of al-Qaeda had recently made visits to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he was found in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar.
He reportedly admitted the shootings in which three unarmed French soldiers were killed, as well as a rabbi and three small children at a Jewish school. Merah reportedly held, by her hair to shoot her in the head.
According to French prosecutors, he had expressed no regrets other than "not having claimed more victims" and was proud of having "brought France to its knees".
He said he had been motivated by the fate of the Palestinians, the French military presence in Afghanistan and France's ban on the full veil, prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters.
Mohamed Merah was from Toulouse where he grew up on a housing estate in Les Izards, a troubled district in the north-east of the city with a large North African population.
He later moved to the block of flats on Sergent Vigne Street, in the quieter, south-eastern district of Cote Pavee.
From a family of five children, the suspect was largely raised by his mother, who was divorced.
He was a mechanic by trade, according to French magazine Le Point, and loved scooters in particular. He was also a keen footballer.
He was considered a juvenile delinquent. As a minor he was reported at least 15 times for acts of violence, and was described as having "a violent profile from childhood and behavioural troubles".
First arrested in 2005, he served two short prison terms, in 2007 and 2009. His convictions reportedly include thefts and driving offences.
In February, he was found guilty of driving without a licence and was due to appear in court in April.
However, two of his friends said he was a "nice guy" who "got on well with everyone", JDD reports.
One of them, Samir, said Merah had been seen in a Toulouse night club only last week.
"I served in the army and he never said anything to me about it," he added.
"I am also shocked he killed North Africans. We can't believe it."
Others give a different picture.
An unnamed young man who ran into him in arai(popular Arab music) night club around the time of the first shooting told the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur: "He's a waster, a layabout.
"A loner. Not a serious guy... Sometimes he had his hair long, sometimes short, sometimes red."
An unnamed former paratrooper interviewed by local newspaper La Depeche was a friend of the first victim, Sgt Imad Ibn Ziaten, killed on 11 March.
On Saturday night, 17 March, he ran into Merah, whom he also knew, and unwittingly embraced him, as is the custom.
"On Saturday, he even said to me, you are speaking to an angel," the ex-paratrooper said.
"I didn't understand at the time."
La Depeche suggests the "angel" may have been a reference to the suspect's jihadist beliefs.
When he attacked paratroopers in Montauban on 15 March, Merah shouted "Allahu Akbar", or "God is great" in Arabic, prosecutor Francois Molins said, quoting police who had viewed video of the attack.
He reportedly became radicalised years ago while in prison, according to Le Point.
French media reports say that two years ago he forced a boy to watch bloody videos from Afghanistan, then beat up the boy's sister after the boy's mother intervened.
Several witnesses in Les Izards are quoted by La Depeche as saying Merah turned up outside the family's home dressed in camouflage and waving a sword, shouting "al-Qaeda! al-Qaeda!"
The mother lodged a complaint but there was apparently no prosecution, La Depeche adds.
When Merah's mother was asked by police to assist in police negotiations, she reportedly refused, saying she no longer had any influence over her son.
French lawyer Christian Etelin, who defended the suspect in non-terrorist proceedings in recent years, told AFP news agency he had not given the impression of being a fanatic and had never talked about Islam to him.
"But two years ago I learnt that he had suddenly become radicalised and had left for Afghanistan," the lawyer added.
Merah visited Pakistan in 2011, from mid-August to mid-October. He had already visited the country in 2010, when he was stopped by Afghan police over the border in Kandahar, the former stronghold of the Taliban.
Handed over to US forces, he was sent back to France, La Depeche writes.
France's domestic intelligence agency (DCRI) was aware of his foreign trips and suspected him of radical Islamist activity.
Interior Minister Claude Gueant revealed that Merah had been asked by intelligence officials in November 2011 to explain his visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan and had shown them photographs to prove he had been a tourist.
Mr Gueant defended the DCRI by saying it followed "a lot of people engaged in radical Islamism".
"Expressing ideas and manifesting Salafist opinions is not grounds enough for prosecution," he added.
Days after the final shooting, Merah was tracked down by police to his flat where he opened fire when they tried to approach him.
Said to be armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an Uzi machine-gun and several handguns, he resisted arrest for nearly a day and a half.
In his last conversation with police, on the evening of 21 March, he refused to surrender and threatened to kill police officers, Mr Gueant said in a detailed statement soon after news of his death.
When RAID police commandos moved into the first-floor flat in the morning, he opened fire from the bathroom, shooting so heavily that an experienced commando later told the minister he had never seen an "assault of such violence".
Merah jumped through a window with a gun in his hand, still firing, Interior Minister Gueant said.
He continued shooting, at which point a RAID commando killed him with a single shot to the head, Francois Molins said.
Three police officers were injured, one seriously, during the operation. | Mohamed Merah, the man believed to be the gunman on a scooter who killed seven people in south-western France, was killed in an armed siege after police surrounded his block of flats in Toulouse. | 17456541 |
Nico Reed, who had cerebral palsy and severe learning disabilities, was found dead at Barrantynes supported living home in Chalgrove in August 2012.
An inquest at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court heard that the 23-year-old died after inhaling his own vomit.
Southern Health, which now runs the home, said Nico's needs were met.
The inquest heard on the night Nico died there was one member of staff caring for four profoundly disabled residents and it was likely there had been 45 minutes to an hour between the time Nico was last seen and found not breathing.
Guidelines suggested checks every 20 minutes.
Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter, recording a narrative verdict, said there was no risk assessment in place regarding Nico's vomiting and that that would have been preferable.
"Nico had complex health and social care needs which we are confident were assessed and met in the most effective way possible," said Phil Aubrey-Harris, divisional director for social care.
"We have reviewed our processes and conducted an internal investigation since the incident, and though we do not believe we could have changed the outcome that day, we are committed to learning from any incident such as this, and from the coroner's comments."
He said Nico was a popular resident and was "fondly remembered" by the staff who cared for him.
Nico's parents Rosi and Ian Reed, from Bloxham, are calling for an independent review into their son's death.
"There was a real possibility that had he been found within the specified guideline times, he could have been saved. You can imagine how we feel about that," said Mrs Reed.
"Perhaps this goes as a warning shot out now, to not just supported living services like Barrantynes, which unfortunately seem to fall through the net quite often, but all care homes.
"It is time to sharpen up your act folks, it is time to get it right.
"Because if you don't get it right, the consequences won't be good for you."
Southern Health took over the running of the home from the now defunct Ridgeway Partnership after Nico's death in 2012. | A man who died suddenly at a supported living home could possibly have been saved if there were more checks while he slept, a coroner has ruled. | 30441266 |
Helen Bailey, 51, was last seen at around 14:45 BST on Monday walking her dog, a miniature Dachshund, near her home in Royston, Hertfordshire.
She is described as slim and with long black hair. It is not known what she was wearing at the time disappeared.
Police want help tracing the Northumberland-born author, known for the Electra Brown series for teenagers.
She is also known for a blog which she began writing after her husband drowned while the couple were on holiday in Barbados in 2011. The blog, Planet Grief, was later turned into a book.
She has connections to Kent, London and around her home village of Ponteland in Northumberland, Hertfordshire Police said.
Anyone who knows of her whereabouts is asked to call the non-emergency number 101. | Concerns are growing for the welfare of a children's author who has been missing for nearly a week. | 36066699 |
About six separate blazes broke out at Altaghadherry, at about 13:00 BST on Sunday.
Joe Canning and his family were eating dinner when they noticed clouds of smoke behind their property.
"We smelled smoke and we closed the windows and it raged into an inferno thereafter. It's been burning ever since," he said.
"It'll probably go on for days because there is no access to it. The fire department won't be able to get up near it, so it'll probably burn and burn until it does go out, until it rains."
Mr Canning said he was not concerned for his own safety or that of his property, but was worried about the local wildlife.
"There's a lot of wildlife around here, pheasants and badgers and foxes and young birds at this time of year," he said. | A number of gorse fires have been burning on a hillside just outside Londonderry. | 17721847 |
Minister for London Greg Hands has questioned whether it was "appropriate" to stage a carnival near the site of a "national disaster".
But London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, has rejected the call.
And Pepe Francis, one of the carnival's organisers, said this year's event will "offer respect and solidarity" to the Grenfell Tower victims.
In a letter Mr Hands, the MP for nearby Chelsea and Fulham, urged the mayor to consider moving it "given the recent tragic events in the area".
The event "clearly" must go ahead but "we have to ask ourselves if it is appropriate to stage a carnival in the near proximity of a major national disaster", he explained.
More than a million people are expected to descend on the streets of west London to take part in the 51st annual street festival.
The carnival route passes within 500m (546yds) of Grenfell Tower, where toilets and amenities have been provided in previous years.
Mr Francis, the chair of London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust, said: "The blackened marker of Grenfell Tower casts a dark shadow over the joy and celebration of Carnival.
"We do not pretend to provide solace. But we can, and will, offer respect and solidarity."
Mr Hands also stressed the Greater London Authority (GLA) should take a greater role in running the event.
"I would like you to consider moving the location and the GLA, with its experience of running major events, taking over the carnival, in conjunction with the current organisers," he said.
However, a spokesman for Mr Khan said the festival "was born out of the African-Caribbean immigrant community in North Kensington and Notting Hill in the 1950s, and it's only right that this remains its home".
"Any attempt to impose a move to another location on the carnival, particularly at a time when the community has little trust in those in positions of authority, would be a mistake" he said. | This year's Notting Hill Carnival should be moved following the Grenfell Tower fire, a minister says. | 40533680 |
The 17-year-old, whose bedroom was plastered with Third Reich paraphernalia, was arrested after sharing images of the "viable" explosive on Snapchat.
Jurors heard the boy described Mrs Cox's killer Thomas Mair as "a HERO" in an online post.
He was cleared of a charge of preparing acts of terrorism.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, will be sentenced on 13 February.
Live updates and more stories from across Yorkshire
Trial judge Mr Justice Goss told the court he was concerned about "a very disturbing mindset in this young man and unusual and worrying behaviour".
Counter-terrorism officers arrested the boy at his home in July after a member of the public reported him to police.
Officers found the improvised explosive device (IED) inside a desk drawer and an army bomb disposal expert was called out to make it safe.
Jurors also heard his bedroom was covered Nazi regalia, including a swastika flag and the symbol of the Waffen SS.
During his trial, the boy said he had built the bomb using plastic casing and sparklers months before posting the images.
Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson said the device was not high-powered but had "the capacity to cause shock and injury and damage to property in the immediate vicinity" if it had exploded.
Prosecutors also claimed the boy had been intending to carry out a terrorist attack, pointing to a series of online messages, including one which appeared to threaten Muslims.
However, the boy told the court he wanted people to think he was "planning an attack" but had no intention of doing so.
Asked what the point was of making something he did not use, he replied: "Not sure. I don't really know. It was kind of a pointless thing to do."
During his trial it emerged the boy was a member of the "secretive neo-Nazi" group National Action.
The court heard he would dress in Nazi uniform in order to "offend people" during online video conversations. | A neo-Nazi teenager who praised the killer of MP Jo Cox has been found guilty of making a home-made pipe bomb. | 38773032 |
The device - in Kinnaird Street, off the Antrim Road - was reported to police at about 21:30 GMT on Friday.
A number of residents were moved from their homes while Army bomb disposal experts examined it, then made it safe.
The alert ended at about 01:40 GMT on Saturday. The device, described as viable, was taken away for further examination.
Police have not released any more details about the bomb.
They have appealed for anyone with any information about the incident to contact them. | A bomb has been found in the garden of a house in north Belfast. | 38867769 |
Homeless charity Crisis said of 458 street sleepers it interviewed in England and Wales, 80% had suffered an attack or abuse in 2016.
More than half said they did not report crimes, as many believed that the police would not be able to help them.
The government has promised to support a bill aimed at tackling homelessness.
Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said the report exposed a "horrifying state of affairs".
"We knew it was dangerous on the streets already but the very scale of it is quite shocking," he told BBC News.
He said crimes like urinating on a person, which affected 7% of those surveyed, were "appalling and dehumanising" but that victims often felt too ashamed to go to the police.
Gary, who has slept rough in Yorkshire, told Crisis he feared gangs of youths who would roam the streets in the early hours.
"Anyone sleeping in the shop door was done," he said. "They used to brick them or worse still - a couple of lads that were sleeping on the streets with me got knifed while they were asleep."
Being homeless was the only reason Simon, also interviewed by Crisis, was kicked in the head by a member of the public this year.
"He said, 'Are you homeless?' I said, 'Yeah' and he just kicked me in the head. I was sat on the floor reading my book."
Many of those interviewed said they had become reclusive in order to avoid violence.
Dan, from south-west England, said: "I stay by myself quite a lot. I don't want to get involved.
"It doesn't really do me any good mentally because I'm on my own, but I do find it's safer."
Six per cent of the street sleepers surveyed said they had been sexually assaulted in the past year.
"Police need to reassure homeless people their safety is paramount and they will investigate these crimes," Mr Sparkes said.
More than 250,000 people in England are homeless, according to charity Shelter.
On any one night in England last year, an average of 3,569 people slept rough, according to government figures, a 30% increase on the previous year.
Recent estimates suggest there are some 8,000 homeless people in Wales,15,000 in Northern Ireland and 35,000 in Scotland.
Crisis expects to take in 4,000 people over the festive period at its Christmas centres in London, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Coventry and Birmingham.
Volunteers provide hot meals, healthcare and advice on how to access housing, work and benefits.
But Mr Sparkes called on the government to do more to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place.
In January, the Homelessness Reduction Bill will be examined in detail by a House of Commons committee.
Bob Blackman MP, who introduced the bill, has said he hopes it will give people longer to seek help from their local authority.
He proposes councils intervene when someone is facing homelessness within 56 days' time, instead of 28 days as now. | Rough sleepers have described being urinated on, having belongings stolen and being sexually assaulted while living on the streets. | 38386088 |
One officer was taken to hospital as precaution and the patrol car, a BMW X5, had major damage.
A green Mitsubishi Pajaro hit the police car near Stoulton on the B4084 from Pershore to Worcester.
The car may have had cloned plates, said police who are appealing for witnesses or anyone who sees a Mitsubishi which may be damaged.
The collision happened at about 03:35 GMT on Wednesday and the driver left in the direction of Worcester.
More on this story and updates from Hereford & Worcester | A driver deliberately reversed into a police car twice after being pulled over in Worcester, officers said. | 34805194 |
Nicholas Taylor, 47, and Joan Taylor, 43, targeted children as young as 11 and supplied them with crack cocaine.
The 84 offences by the "master manipulators" occurred between 1996 and 2006, Leicester Crown Court was told.
Taylor, who had previous convictions for indecency, and his wife, a former prostitute, pleaded guilty to 10 charges.
They will be sentenced at a later date.
Det Insp Adam Pendlebury, from Northamptonshire Police, praised the "extraordinary courage" of the Taylors' 11 victims.
He said: "The Taylors were master manipulators who used crack cocaine to force their victims to engage in sexual activity against their will and their actions have had a devastating impact on their victims' lives."
He described Nicholas Taylor as a "very dangerous, depraved individual" and his co-accused as "a more than willing accomplice".
The investigation into the couple began in 2014 and was the largest of its type in the force's history.
Nicholas Taylor was found guilty of:
He pleaded guilty to:
Joan Taylor was found guilty of:
She pleaded guilty to: | A couple has been convicted of carrying out a decade of sex and drug abuse against children, including rape. | 39294189 |
He was travelling to work through a residential district when his vehicle was sprayed with bullets, police said.
Mr Bhatti, the cabinet's only Christian minister, had received death threats for urging reform to blasphemy laws.
In January, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had also opposed the law, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards.
The blasphemy law carries a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam. Critics say it has been used to persecute minority faiths.
Mr Bhatti, 42, a leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had just left his mother's home in a suburb of the capital when several gunmen surrounded his vehicle and riddled it with bullets, say witnesses.
By Orla GuerinBBC News, Islamabad
In the streets where Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead, the gunmen left their mark. We found bullet holes gouged into the walls. The gunmen had been lying in wait close to the home of Mr Bhatti's mother.
The minister made an easy target, according to a neighbour at the scene, who didn't want to be named. He told us Mr Bhatti was alone, away from his driver, when the gunmen struck.
"The minister had only one car. There was no security, no police at that time. After the incident happened, the police came," he said.
Senior police officials said Mr Bhatti had been assigned police and paramilitary troops, but had asked them not to travel with him at the time.
In recent weeks Mr Bhatti had been concerned about security. One of his friends said the minister had asked repeatedly for a bullet-proof car. In late January, Mr Bhatti said to me: "I am telling you I have no extra security. It is the same security I was given when I became a minister."
The minister's driver was spared.
Mr Bhatti was taken to the nearby Shifa hospital, but was dead on arrival.
The gunmen, who were wearing shawls, escaped in a white Suzuki car, according to witnesses.
The minister had not been accompanied by his guards or the security escort vehicle that is standard for all Pakistani ministers, and it is not clear why.
Pamphlets by al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab, a branch of the Taliban in Pakistan's most populous province, were found at the scene.
Tehrik-i-Taliban told BBC Urdu they carried out the attack.
"This man was a known blasphemer of the Prophet [Muhammad]," said the group's deputy spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan.
"We will continue to target all those who speak against the law which punishes those who insult the prophet. Their fate will be the same."
Security has been stepped up on all main roads in Islamabad.
In January, Mr Bhatti told the BBC he would defy death threats he had received from Islamist militants for his efforts to reform the blasphemy law.
A government spokesman condemned the assassination.
"This is a concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal, progressive and humanist voice in Pakistan," Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to President Asif Ali Zardari, told AP news agency.
The Vatican condemned the murder of the Catholic politician as "unspeakable".
Governor Taseer was shot dead on 4 January, also in Islamabad, by one of his own police bodyguards. The killer has been feted by many in the country as a hero.
The governor had backed a private member's bill in parliament by Sherry Rehman, a female MP, to amend the blasphemy law in an attempt to make miscarriages of justice less likely and remove its death penalty.
But in the face of strident popular opposition, the federal government said it would not support the proposed reforms.
Ms Rehman said last month she was receiving death threats every half hour by e-mail and telephone.
Christians, who make up an estimated 1.5% of Pakistan's 185 million population, were left reeling by Mr Bhatti's death.
"We have been orphaned today!" Rehman Masih, a Christian resident of Islamabad, told AP news agency. "Now who will fight for our rights?"
In Karachi, a small number of demonstrators called for the rights of religious minorities to be protected.
Pakistan's blasphemy law has been in the spotlight since a Christian, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to hang in Punjab last November.
She denies claims she insulted the Prophet Muhammad during a row with Muslim women villagers about sharing water.
Although no-one convicted under the law has been executed, more than 30 accused have been killed by lynch mobs.
Critics say that convictions under the law hinge on witness testimony, which is often linked to grudges. | Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti has been shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car in broad daylight in the capital, Islamabad. | 12617562 |
The monarch, who cut a severe figure in black in later life, wore the delicate cream garments in the 1840s, when she was in her 20s.
The stockings, which have Queen Victoria's initials embroidered in red, were sold for £220.
Newcastle auctioneer Anderson & Garland had estimated they would go for £150.
A spokesman said there had been global interest in the undergarments, currently owned by a private collector.
Fred Wyrley-Birch, a specialist at the auction house, said: "When I was shown the stockings by the current owner, I was immediately reminded of a scene in the film The Young Victoria where Prince Albert knelt at Queen Victoria's feet and rolled her silk stockings up her legs.
"It contradicts the image we usually have of Queen Victoria as a rather large elderly lady dressed in black."
Items of the monarch's clothing were distributed to members of the royal household following her death in 1901.
In 2015 a pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers sold for £12,000, while in 2010 a pair of her stockings went for £700. | A pair of Queen Victoria's silk stockings - which contain just one small ladder despite being 170 years old - have gone under the hammer. | 37013567 |
The 33-year-old fly-half limped off with a thigh injury during Saturday's match at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
The Toulon player ends his 14-year France career with 77 caps and played in three World Cups.
Stade Francais lock Pascal Pape, 35, has also retired from international duty after winning 65 caps.
Michalak, whose contract with Toulon runs until 2016, said: "It's a sad end but my body can't respond any more."
He ended his international career with 436 points - more than any other Frenchman - and 136 World Cup points, again another record for his country.
Pape joined outgoing France coach Philippe Saint-Andre in calling for structural changes to the French domestic season to help the national side.
"The national team comes last," said Pape. "It is time that everyone in French rugby sit around a table and make the France team a priority.
"If this does not happen the next coach will face the same problems."
Saint-Andre, 48, who will be replaced by Toulouse coach Guy Noves next month, claimed many France players had played too many club games ahead of the World Cup.
"We are in the same stage as English soccer. Our players play 40 games a year but New Zealand players play 25 games a year," he said.
"That's not rugby, we are in a box." | France's record points scorer Frederic Michalak has retired from international rugby following the 63-13 World Cup quarter-final defeat by New Zealand. | 34565997 |
Folajimi Orebiyi, known as Fola, was stabbed in the neck outside the Aston House estate in west London on 3 July 2016.
The 17-year-old then fled along the Portobello Road but collapsed. An air ambulance was called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will be sentenced on 10 February.
A second boy, aged 16, was acquitted of Fola's murder.
In a statement, Fola's mother Yinka Bankole said "this is the most devastating moment of my life".
Ms Bankole said Fola was "passionately looking forward to university and was working hard on his grades to achieve it".
Fola's death had affected his family, friends, church and wider community, she added.
"I was in labour for 23 hours with him, yet it took less than four minutes to stab him to death, while several youths stood there and didn't ask for help or assist him, and Fola he bled to death." | A 15-year-boy has been found guilty of murdering a teenager in Notting Hill. | 38750195 |
Legs 11 on Broad Street, Birmingham, had the licence suspended on 3 July over police claims it was associated with "serious crime".
Barbara Dring, the city council's licensing sub-committee chair, said it was revoked to protect public safety.
Legs 11 has not responded to requests for a comment.
Read more stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
Chris Neville, head of licensing, said the club had ceased trading. Its Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) licence was revoked earlier this month.
"We were really shocked at what was happening on those premises," he added.
Supt Andy Parsons, of West Midlands Police, called for the licence review saying the club was "associated with serious crime".
In the committee's report, he said two men had claimed they were drugged, with one testing positive for methadone with a home testing kit.
The club was being investigated over 17 fraud-related allegations since 2013, police said.
Some customers paid for dances "in a private area" but additional transactions were taking place that they had not authorised, Supt Parsons added.
One victim claimed he had lost as much as £19,417.
Mrs Dring said councillors saw "deeply concerning" CCTV footage in the meeting, which was closed to the public, including of sales of alcohol to "clearly inebriated" patrons.
They heard evidence customers had lost "significant sums of money" through unauthorised transactions, while others were "routinely overcharged" by the venue which turned over £1.6m in one six-month period, she said.
The committee heard one patron was offered sex in exchange for money, contravening the rules of the licence.
Mr Neville said the next step was to see what criminal proceedings would follow and the council would also check other lap dancing clubs in the city were being run appropriately. | A lap dancing club which allegedly drugged customers and took more than £90,000 in credit card overpayments has had its alcohol licence revoked. | 40777799 |
Minesh Parbat, 36, of Gregory Close, in Maidenbower, Crawley, was driving his BMW at 60mph when he crashed on the A2011 in West Sussex, on 9 March 2014.
His girlfriend, Lisa Watling, 28, was thrown from the car and died later in hospital from her injuries.
Parbat denied causing her death but was found guilty after a trial in July.
He had claimed in court he dropped his trousers as part of a dare with mother-of-two Ms Watling.
He told jurors she said she was feeling "horny" and invited him to pull down his trousers as he drove.
He claimed she sat on the dashboard, then moved in front of him and obscured his view.
But he denied anything sexual had taken place and said he struggled to get Ms Watling off him before the crash.
Jurors heard Parbat veered into the central reservation, then over-steered before crashing into a fence.
In the aftermath of the collision, Parbat was discovered with his trousers and underwear around his ankles. Ms Watling was found seriously injured in just a T-shirt and bra.
Parbat gave a positive blood test showing 102 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The drink-drive limit is 80 milligrams.
Jailing him, Recorder Peter Griffiths QC said Parbat was "entirely" responsible for causing the crash "while engaged in some form of sexual activity".
In a statement, Ms Watling's family said: "Our lives have been ripped apart, leaving a wound that will never fully heal.
"However the two real victims are Lisa's children.
"They will never have that soft comforting voice they know and love whisper goodnight, safe in the knowledge that when they wake up in the morning she'll be there to greet them.
"As a family we feel relief that some kind of justice has been seen. It feels like a very small step towards gaining a degree of closure." | A motorist who became intimate with his girlfriend moments before he crashed his car has been sentenced to seven years for causing her death. | 34084235 |
They will also have to share how many relatives of elderly patients have been banned from visiting their loved ones, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.
Family members should not have to "live in fear" of raising concerns, it added.
It comes after BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme learned hundreds of homes are banning visits from relatives who have made complaints.
The programme revealed a Somerset care home had prevented a man from visiting his 93-year-old father after making a complaint, and the family of a woman in a home in Essex says she was evicted after they raised concerns.
Responding to the programme's revelations, the CQC said care homes would now be obliged to tell inspectors how many people had had visiting rights restricted and how many residents had been removed against their will.
The CQC's chief inspector of adult social care, Andrea Sutcliffe, told the BBC's You & Yours: "Care homes are people's homes. They, their family and friends should not live in fear of being penalised for raising concerns.
"Good providers know this and we see plenty of excellent practice where managers and staff respond to complaints positively and make sure it is as easy as possible for people to visit their loved ones in a welcoming, friendly environment."
She added that "too many people are frightened to raise concerns".
The CQC had also taken the step of publishing information "to clarify people's rights and our expectations of providers", she added.
Paul Doolan was banned from visiting the care home in Somerset where his 93-year-old father Terry lived because he complained about the quality of care.
The ban meant Paul could only meet his father - who had cancer, was registered blind, needed hearing aids and used a wheelchair - at a restaurant, with a chaperone.
He said the situation had been "deeply upsetting".
"I had limited time when I'd go in to see Dad," Paul said. "And because his hearing aids weren't working properly, because his batteries had run out or they weren't clean, it took me a quarter of an hour to sort this out [and] to start speaking properly to him.
"For the rest of the week, when I wasn't there, he probably sat in total silence."
A spokeswoman for the care home said in a statement: "I can confirm that during the time in question, the home followed all regulations set by CQC [Care Quality Commission] and all guidelines set by our local authority."
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Former care worker Eileen Chubb campaigns for better regulation of the care industry.
She said she heard from 50 to 60 families a year in a similar position to the Doolans, and that the number was increasing.
"Some people raise a concern, and when it's not dealt with and they raise a concern a second time, they're seen as serial complainers," she said.
"That seems to be a tactic that's used against families who are raising genuine concerns.
"The balance of power is totally weighed against the relative raising concerns, and whatever the care home says is taken at face value by all of the authorities."
Angela and Mervyn Eastman said their mother, Careena, 86, had been evicted from an Essex nursing home because they lodged a single formal complaint about poor care.
Careena had Alzheimer's disease and was moved into the home in 2013.
The Eastmans say the home failed to adequately treat a gash on Careena's leg.
And they finally made their formal complaint in September 2014, after residents who displayed aggressive behaviour had been moved into the same area as their mother - with neither residents nor relatives being informed beforehand.
Two days later, the home responded that it had "thoroughly investigated" their complaint, and that it could not "deal with family needs" or "Careena's needs".
The letter said Careena had been given "notice to quit" the home, and must leave "within 28 days".
Mr Eastman said the nursing home's response was "an excuse" and "disproportionate".
He said: "Why do we raise a complaint and you find your mum is on four weeks' notice to leave, a very vulnerable mum who's been traumatised?"
A spokesman for the care home said it had a duty of care "to ensure that we are always able to meet individuals' needs, and where we cannot, we are compelled to make unenviable and difficult decisions to ensure that the individual is supported to relocate to a service where their needs can be best met".
This had been the case with Mrs Eastman, he added.
The spokesman also pointed out the home had been rated as good by the CQC in its two most recent inspections.
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. | Care homes will be forced to reveal how many patients they have evicted against their wishes, the care regulator says. | 37855342 |
The Eurosceptic Conservative peer said the prime minister's efforts probably will not deliver "fundamental change".
Lord Lawson told BBC Newsnight the PM promised to hold an in/out referendum "largely" to keep the Tories together.
Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the 1975 referendum, he feels the UK will vote to stay in and "regret it".
Lord Lawson said: "I think it's likely that the changes that David Cameron will secure will be inconsequential, of no significance at all.... but given the authority he has and the lack of a credible opposition leader I think it will be the same result."
He added there "isn't anybody" he can see who would be an effective leader of the campaign for an EU exit.
Last week, the prime minister began meeting European leaders as he tried to gather support for changes he wants before holding the UK's EU membership referendum, a vote which is to take place by the end of 2017.
Tighter rules on migrants' benefits are a priority for the Conservatives, as they want to control immigration from the EU.
Mr Cameron also wants an opt-out from the EU pledge of "ever closer union" and more influence for national parliaments over European laws.
Lord Lawson told Newsnight there was "a very small outside chance that he might achieve something of significance" but it was more likely to be "trivial".
He added that "in the short term, the next few years the PM will have bought peace in the Tory party".
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was confident conditions can be created for the UK to stay in the EU.
"It's not about losing sleep over this, but about doing our work and creating the necessary preconditions for Britain to remain in the EU," she told the BBC.
Mrs Merkel said: "There are other points where we have a different opinion, but we have always been able also to pursue a Europe at different speeds, to find opt-out solutions for example."
Meanwhile, a survey for think tank British Future suggests most people have still not made up their minds on which way to vote in the referendum.
David Cameron is starting renegotiation of the terms of Britain's EU membership ahead of a referendum. Here is some further reading on what it all means:
The UK and the EU: Better off in or out?
What Britain wants from Europe
Q&A: The UK's planned EU referendum
Timeline: EU referendum debate
Why Germany is David Cameron's new best friend
The online poll of 3,977 people across Britain found fewer than a third have firmly made a decision.
Only 16% of those questioned said they were definitely in favour of staying in the EU, while 12% said definitely in favour of leaving.
Of those surveyed, 31% said they were leaning towards staying and 28% towards leaving but they would want to see the final conditions of any deal Mr Cameron could secure with Brussels. | David Cameron is unlikely to achieve anything of significance as he seeks to renegotiate the UK's EU membership, former Chancellor Lord Lawson has said. | 33017307 |
Accident and emergency and maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch could be moved to hospitals in Worcester or Birmingham.
It is part of plans by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to save £50m.
The 32-page report has been produced by Redditch Borough and Bromsgrove and Stratford-on-Avon district councils.
It stated: "The removal of services from Redditch will leave what is already a vulnerable society with the worst accessibility to health services in the region.
"[It] will introduce substantial inequalities with the populations of Redditch, Bromsgrove, Studley, Alcester and neighbouring areas being significantly worse off than all other areas in Worcestershire."
The report has been submitted to Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for its current review of the county's hospitals.
The CCG is looking at two options for services at the Alexandra Hospital as part of a £35m reorganisation of health services in Worcestershire.
For the first option, some services at Alexandra Hospital would move to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Alternatively, it would be taken over by a University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Birmingham's QE Hospital.
The council report said if downgrading services was unavoidable, then Birmingham was the more "feasible option" because of better transport links.
Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Bill Hartnett said: "The prevalence of stroke, asthma and high blood pressure in Redditch are higher than the national average with over 28% of adults obese.
"With a clear link between physical and mental health problems and deprivation, the removal of key health services from the Alexandra Hospital to an inaccessible central base would put some of our most vulnerable residents at risk."
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust were unavailable for comment. | Cutting services from a Worcestershire hospital will put some of the most vulnerable people in the county at risk, a joint council report has said. | 24908861 |
Sylvia and Peter Stuart, aged 69 and 75, were reported missing last Friday. Mr Stuart's body was found near their home later that day.
Ali Qazimaj, 42, of Tilbury, is wanted over the murder and disappearance.
Police said while the search for Mr Qazimaj is international in nature, the search for Mrs Stuart is UK-focused.
LIVE: For more on this and other Suffolk stories
Officers said further searches in Weybread were being carried out near the couple's Mill Lane home, where a bunch of flowers had been left outside.
The area around the house remains sealed off, with a police community support officer on guard outside the property.
The force said it would be "combing" fields near the house as part of an "ongoing search strategy" to locate Sylvia Stuart and any further evidence.
Det Ch Supt Simon Parkes said: "We are continuing to work to locate Sylvia and to find Ali Qazimaj."
The couple's son-in-law Steve Paxman, 61 and from Leicester, was arrested on Sunday in connection with Mr Stuart's death, and released on police bail until 3 August. | Police investigating the murder of a man and the disappearance of his wife say they are continuing to search fields near their Suffolk home. | 36499566 |
A 25-year-old man was shot near the BP petrol station in Burley at around 15:00 GMT on Wednesday 24 December.
West Yorkshire Police stressed officers were only interested in speaking to the men as witnesses and not as suspects.
Another two men, aged 24 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and have been released on bail.
The victim was treated in hospital for serious gunshot wounds to his abdomen, but has now been released.
Det Ch Insp Mark McManus, of West Yorkshire Police, said the witnesses were seen on CCTV on Thornville Road near the petrol station at the time of the shooting.
"I am appealing directly for the men themselves to contact us, or for anyone who recognises them to get in touch," he said.
A white Audi and a dark hatchback car met at the scene, close to the Thornville Road junction with Alexandra Road, just before the shooting. | Police investigating a targeted shooting in Leeds on Christmas Eve have released footage of two witnesses they want to trace. | 30811002 |
The commission had ordered the LSE to sell its 60% stake in MTS, a fixed-income trading platform.
However, the LSE said the request was "disproportionate".
It warned investors it would struggle to sell MTS and that such a sale would harm its ongoing business.
As a result, the LSE said: "Based on the commission's current position, LSE believes that the commission is unlikely to provide clearance for the merger."
The two rival exchanges announced plans for a "merger of equals" about a year ago, aiming to create a giant trading powerhouse that would better compete against US rivals.
They had already agreed to sell part of LSE's clearing business, LCH, to satisfy competition concerns before the commission's surprise demand concerning MTS earlier this month.
The Commission had given the exchanges until Monday to come up with a proposal to meet that demand.
LSE said that such a sale would need regulatory approval from several European governments and would hurt its wider Italian business.
"Taking all relevant factors into account, and acting in the best interests of shareholders, the LSE Board today concluded that it could not commit to the divestment of MTS," the exchange said on Sunday night.
When the London Stock Exchange trumpeted its merger with Deutsche Boerse last year, the chairman, Donald Brydon, was remarkably relaxed about the Brexit vote. He and his German counterparts said the deal would go ahead regardless of the outcome. What they didn't know was that it would eventually fall foul of another aspect of the single market - Brussels' control of competition laws.
The two sides have made no bones about the fact the merger would create a company with a powerful presence in key markets, and have offered a number of sops to competition authorities in an attempt to win their approval. But it was not enough; Brussels insisted the LSE cede control of MTS, an important Italian clearing house with a crucial role in the trading of Italian government debt.
For the LSE board, this was a step too far. A sale of MTS would be too harmful, the directors decided, and they have chosen not to meet an European deadline to say how they would get rid of it. The Brits say they want to go ahead with the merger, but it looks like an insurmountable obstacle. The LSE will either go it alone in a post-Brexit world, or - as has often seemed possible before, and even more so now - fall into the arms of one of the giant American exchanges.
MTS is a relatively small part of LSE's business, but it is a major platform for trading European government bonds, particularly in Italy, where it is classified as a "systemically important regulated business".
The LSE group also owns the Milan-based Borsa Italiana.
The LSE said it remained convinced about the merits of a merger, but joining forces with Deutsche Boerse would be impossible unless the commission changed its stance.
Deutsche Boerse said on Sunday night that it and the LSE would await a further assessment by the European Commission, which was expected to make a decision by the end of March.
Syed Kamall, MEP for London and a member of the European Parliament's financial services committee, told the BBC: "I think this is good news for competition, and it's also good news for those who are worried that some business in London might be moved to Frankfurt via the back door."
The European Commission declined to comment.
Shares in the London Stock Exchange fell 3% on the news. | The 29bn euro (£24.5bn) merger of the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse could collapse after the LSE said the deal was unlikely to be approved by the European Commission. | 39098805 |
In a new report, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) claimed spending had fallen to 1.98% in 2016 as a result of the British economy growing faster than the defence budget.
But a Ministry of Defence spokesman said its figures were "wrong".
It cited Nato's own estimate that the UK met the 2% target.
The alliance says only the UK, US, Poland, Greece and Estonia met the target, which was set in 2006, last year.
The UK has called on other countries to increase their spending, and US President Donald Trump has complained of European members failing to pay their fair share for collective defence arrangements.
In its report, the IISS said only Greece and Estonia spent 2% or more, with the UK falling short by about £380m.
Its researchers said there was "no shared understanding" of what constitutes a nation's defence expenditure, pointing out that Nato's definition includes not only defence ministry budgets but also pensions, expenditure for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, and research and development costs.
They added that "very different results" could be reached depending on how expenditure is converted into US dollars and that different GDP figures could also distort the figures.
They also questioned the "increasingly prominent" role of the 2% figure, saying it "only provides a limited representation of countries' defence capabilities and commitments".
"Ultimately, it is the output that matters," they added.
The Ministry of Defence dismissed the think tank's assessment of the UK's spending.
"These figures are wrong," it said. "Nato's own figures clearly show that the UK spends over 2% of its GDP on defence.
"Our defence budget is the biggest in Europe, the second largest in Nato, and it is growing each year as we invest £178bn in new equipment and the UK steps up globally, with new ships, submarines and aircraft over the next decade."
The MoD said the IISS calculation may have been affected by fluctuations in exchange rates.
The think tank's report was released ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.
At a press conference ahead of the summit, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg unveiled figures showing that European members and Canada had between them increased defence spending by 3.8% above inflation last year.
Mr Stoltenberg said the figures were "significantly higher than what we had originally foreseen" and showed Nato had "turned a corner" after many years of steep cuts in spending.
He said: "Regardless of language, the most important thing is that we increase defence spending and that is exactly what we are doing."
MPs have previously questioned the way the UK government records its spending to meet the 2% target.
In April, the cross-party defence committee said including what is spent on intelligence gathering and war pensions could be seen as "creative accounting". | The government has rejected a think tank's claim that it missed Nato's target of spending at least 2% of national income on defence. | 38969697 |
The process began in 1978 when a few cleverly placed licks of paint began the transformation of a rat-infested, rubbish-strewn eyesore with open sewers into a clean and environmentally aware city.
Setting up a festival based on festooning the town's white walls with murals was a deliberate tactic by its photographer mayor, Mohamed Benaissa, to encourage civic pride in the town.
"We don't have any resources other than the cultural abilities and imagination of our residents," he explains. "But my faith in them has paid off."
Mayor Benaissa says he has different priorities from other festival directors, who may not even live in the city hosting the event.
"This city council has a duty to provide its citizens with shelter, employment and basic infrastructure," he says. "We dovetail these with running the festival."
The Assilah effect - sustained growth without "the Torremolinos effect" of high-rise hotels and overcrowded beaches - has encouraged other cities to regard art as a way of boosting income.
From Fez, with its festival of sacred music, to Essaouira, with its Gnawa bands, and Agadir's Timitar based on amazing arts, culture lures foreign tourists who stay for the duration of the festival. Some even buy a second home.
But although lots of Moroccan cities have benefited from investment from Dubai in the construction of large-scale tourist projects, Assilah has side-stepped dependence on mass-market tourism, benefiting instead from Gulf country donations to build a library, hospital, clinic, school or cultural centre.
Key to Assilah's ability to benefit from socio-cultural financing offered by Gulf sovereign wealth funds is the festival's status as Morocco's first non-governmental organisation (NGO) and Mr Benaissa's close relationship with Gulf ministers, forged during his nine years as Morocco's foreign minister.
Additionally, the Moroccan government's policies have brought it close to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, which invest in commercial schemes in the kingdom.
Ministers and influential policy makers from these countries come in person to address international conferences at the Assilah festival.
The month-long "paint-in" has morphed into an event that confronts key questions that resonate with Africa, the Gulf, Latin America and Asia.
Issues such as immigration, investment in infrastructure, transport and alternative energy have all been debated and opinions have been shaped in this small Atlantic town.
The director-general of the Kuwaiti Development Fund, Abdulwahab Ahmed al-Bader, says Morocco, a member of the Arab League, has a very good relationship with the Gulf Economic Countries.
"It's been an ally in foreign affairs," he says. "It's part of our duty to support a country like Morocco."
The Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has paid for this year's festival, and previously built an old people's home.
It is not alone. The Qatari Investment Corporation built new social housing projects after the construction of a fishing port and a highway from the airport in Tangier to Assilah by the Moroccan government.
Although the donor countries receive no financial benefit from their Assilah investment portfolio, they have the opportunity to participate in the wide-ranging conferences and debates that link together economic, environmental and political matters.
According to Fathallah Oualalou, Morocco's former finance minister and now mayor of the capital Rabat, putting together a sort of high-level think-tank underlines the importance of Assilah.
"Participants from African countries benefit from meeting the heads of Sovereign Funds in the Gulf, he explains. "We are part of Africa here and Assilah acts as a fulcrum between Europe and Africa, but also we have strong Latin American and Asian participation."
This year's conference on renewable energy, attended by UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reminded the audience that more than half of the world's renewable power capacity was being developed in Africa, Asia and the Gulf.
This well attended forum was held in the Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Library, paid for by the former Saudi ambassador to the US.
With debates on Gulf sovereign wealth funds, the image of the Arab in sub-Saharan African media, and a prize for African poetry, it appears that Assilah can mix and match culture with economics and the environment in a way that leaves other Moroccan towns behind. | Cherries, camels, dates and even saffron; all are celebrated in colourful, traditional festivals in towns and villages throughout Morocco, yet none has brought enduring social and environmental benefits on the scale of the art museum in Assilah in northern Morocco. | 14829617 |
Andrew Hawkins, founder of ComRes, said the recruitment of people to watch the seven-way debate had been "more complex" than he had ever witnessed.
He said five of the parties were left of centre - which meant "cheering is going to be skewed in one direction".
But Boris Johnson said the debate was an "echo chamber for left-wing views".
The set-piece event, which took place in Cambridge, featured Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, UKIP's Paul Nuttall, SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson, Green co-leader Caroline Lucas and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood.
Conservative leader Theresa May came in for some criticism for refusing to take part in the debate, with Home Secretary Amber Rudd taking her place.
The BBC said it commissioned ComRes to recruit an audience that was "representative of the country demographically and politically" and this included: age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic factors, party politics, how they voted in the EU referendum and some who had been undecided.
During the debate there was cheering and booing which led some, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, to suggest the audience was biased.
Mr Johnson told BBC Breakfast: "It was seven people speaking to probably the most left-wing studio audience the BBC has ever brought together."
But ComRes founder Mr Hawkins told BBC 5 live a lot of thought had gone into the audience selection.
Read: How ComRes recruited BBC TV debate audience
Mr Hawkins said: "If you have a panel of people - one from the governing party (Conservatives) - one from what's regarded as a right wing party (UKIP) and five from broadly left-wing parties, and you give those speakers equal airtime, it means you're giving five slots of airtime to the left-wing parties for every two slots to the not so left-wing parties.
"Therefore it's inevitable that the cheering is going to be skewed in one direction.
"What I can say is that the recruitment for this was more complex and more rigorously executed than any I've ever witnessed."
He said Brexit had added an extra layer of complications to the selection process because an equal number of Leavers and Remainers had to be chosen.
"We screened out people who have campaigned politically at any time in the last three years," he said.
"But equally, you need to get people who are politically engaged so the audience don't sit there and say nothing and do nothing, so you do get some reaction."
Mr Hawkins said the audience response was "a reflection of the fact that the Conservatives were on the back foot because Theresa May didn't turn up - and therefore it's a bit of an easy target".
The reaction of the audience during Wednesday night's televised debate was in contrast to the first ever UK General Election TV debates, from 2010, when the audience was not allowed to applaud during the programme, only at the beginning and end. | The polling company chosen to select the audience for the BBC's election debate has defended its political make-up amid claims of "left-wing bias". | 40118629 |
Three of seven blocks at Byron House at Nottingham Trent University have the Reynobond ACM PE panels.
The university and the building owners are working with the local fire service to decide the next course of action.
Nottingham Trent University said 30 students in the blocks were relocated to alternative rooms.
The nine-storey Bryon House is located on Shakespeare Street directly above the university's student union facilities.
More news from around the East Midlands
National Student Union vice-president Shelley Asquith said: "We are demanding the government takes immediate action to ensure all halls are included in fire safety checks.
"This needs to happen urgently to reassure students due to enrol in September."
At least 79 people are feared to have been killed in the blaze at Grenfell Tower in London on 14 June.
Prime Minister Theresa May has called for major national investigation into the use of cladding on high-rise towers.
The university and University Partnerships Programme, which owns and runs the Nottingham halls, said they are "liaising with the fire service as a matter of urgency to agree an appropriate course of action".
They said the blocks have "an extremely high-standard fire detection and alarm system, regular alarm testing and fire drills".
The £60m Nottingham complex has a total of 559 student rooms and was completed in September 2013.
Earlier this week in Edinburgh, it was revealed that the same panels were being used on parts of a new hall of residence at Napier University.
The cladding will be removed as a precautionary measure.
Cladding from 120 high-rise buildings in 37 local authority areas in England has now failed fire safety tests which were carried out in the aftermath of the tragedy. | Students have been moved from university tower blocks after they were found to have the same cladding as the Grenfell Tower block in London. | 40429627 |
The 35-year-old was a free agent after leaving National League club Tranmere Rovers in the summer.
"He will be a welcome addition to the squad at a time when we have a number of players missing with injuries and suspensions," said boss John Coleman.
Taylor-Fletcher could make his debut in Tuesday's Checkatrade Trophy game at Chesterfield, subject to EFL approval. | Accrington have signed ex-Blackpool and Huddersfield Town forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher on non-contract terms. | 37544151 |
The discovery at Toronto's Pearson International Airport sparked a major security investigation.
US Customs and Border Protection called their Canadian counterparts and the mock device was swabbed. No trace of explosives was found.
Travellers on the Illinois-bound flight were delayed for hours and re-screened.
The American was scheduled to take United Airlines Flight 547 on Thursday morning to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
Peel Regional Police say the suspect is being held in custody and has a bail hearing scheduled for Friday.
The processing of all travellers in the US pre-clearance section at Pearson, where the mock device was found, was halted while it was tested.
US immigration pre-clearance operations at Pearson allow travellers to pass through US customs sites set up in Canada before landing in the US.
Normal airport operations resumed by midday. | A 58-year-old American has been charged with mischief after US officials found a "mock improvised explosive device" in his suitcase. | 39510313 |
His status grew at such a rapid rate from rookie Glasgow Warriors fly-half to undisputed holder of the Scotland number 10 jersey that it's easy to forget he is not yet two-and-a-half years into his international career.
Scottish rugby writer Alasdair Reid posed the question ahead of Russell's Test debut against the USA in June 2014: "Has a player ever gone into his first Test looking more relaxed than this?"
Russell has taken pretty much every obstacle in his stride from that moment since, and the pleasing thing is he has retained the same relaxed attitude to his rugby.
"There has been a lot in the last two-and-a-half years since I've been playing with Glasgow and Scotland," the Warriors fly-half told BBC Scotland.
"Got to the [Pro12] final twice, won the league once, played the World Cup, couple of Six Nations, so there's been a lot jammed in there.
"Everything for me has just been a new experience so I've just enjoyed it as I've kept on going. I can just have a laugh all the time. I don't get too fazed by it all.
"Although I missed the summer tour [to Japan], I had a bit of time off to reflect on everything which was quite good."
That enforced period of reflection came about in fairly horrendous circumstances.
A serious head injury suffered in last season's Pro12 semi-final defeat by Connacht had some even fearing for his future in the game, but as Scottish rugby held its collective breath, the man at the centre of the concern was typically untroubled.
"Even that night in hospital I made a joke to my big brother and he burst out laughing," Russell said. "The nurse didn't know what was happening, but my big brother found it funny and I think since then I've not really been affected by it at all.
"I think more so it was for my family. My wee brother's in Thailand and he saw it in the news and I think he got a wee bit of a shock from it. My mum and dad who were there got a bit of a shock. But I've been fine from it, I've not really had any affects from it. Just back to how I was."
When contemplating which of the international superstar fly-halves the former Stirling County man would have based his playing style on (let's call it 'no risk, no reward'), one comes to mind. Although he confesses there was "nobody I really idolised" growing up, he offers the very same name as his interviewer.
"Carlos Spencer was a 10 that tried things that if he pulled them off they were amazing, but if he didn't people questioned why he tried it," Russell says of the maverick former New Zealand fly-half.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"The way I play, if I see something I'm going to try it rather than go with the safe option all the time.
"It might be a bit risky, but that's one thing that [Scotland head coach] Vern Cotter brings, he gives players confidence to try things. If they don't pull it off it's on them, but as long as there's a reason behind what they tried then it's worth the risk if it's a good reward at the end."
A further obvious comparison is with his Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend, a similarly threatening 10 with ball-in-hand in a playing career that saw him scale the heights of a Five Nations title win with Scotland in 1999 and a Lions series win in South Africa in 1997.
Under Townsend's tutelage, Russell has been educated in all aspects of being a complete international 10, rather than just the ability to dip into the box of magic from time to time.
"I've learned a lot from Gregor," explained Townsend's protege, who has gained 19 caps since breaking into the national team.
"Him being my coach has really helped me, being a young 10 breaking into the scene. He's helped me not just with my running game but a lot more from the tactical side of it.
"I've had to learn that it's not just all about running the ball and trying things from everywhere, you've got to play the tactical side.
"For a lot of people I think if they're enjoying the sport and enjoying the game then they'll play better. I like to have fun when I'm on the pitch."
Russell and his team-mates will test themselves against Australia - who "played outstandingly well" against Wales last weekend - at BT Murrayfield on Saturday.
It will be the first meeting of the sides since the unforgettable, gut-wrenching World Cup quarter-final defeat by the Wallabies at Twickenham last year.
Referee Craig Joubert's ill-judged penalty award saw Scotland lose at the death with a semi-final place in their grasp, so has the pain eased 12 months on?
"The team didn't dwell on it too much," Russell says more convincingly than you might imagine.
"We were still hurting from it a month or two after it but everyone does realise that it's a game, it's sport and these things happen.
"We played so well that game and came so close. All the boys, although we were down after losing because we had given it our all and given it our best shot, we had to take it on the chin and just get on with it.
"Sometimes it just doesn't happen."
All individual performances from home nations players - domestic league, European club competition, autumn Tests and Six Nations - will be judged in a wider context this season, with the Lions tour to New Zealand on the horizon.
Russell cannot deny the thought of pulling on the famous red jersey donned by British and Irish rugby's finest has not entered his head, but it remains at the back of his mind rather than the forefront.
"For all the boys playing at international level it's definitely an ambition to play for the Lions," he added. "It's the highest honour you can get for a British rugby player.
"It's still six or seven months away. It's on your mind but I'm not really looking too far forward.
"I've only just come back from injury so I'm just getting back into playing with Glasgow and hopefully with Scotland so I'm just looking forward to having a crack at the autumn Tests and then build from there." | Finn Russell has barely had time to pause for breath since he burst on to the professional scene. | 37900841 |
This follows the group stages of the revamped Scottish League Cup, eight groups of five teams playing each other once in a round-robin format in July.
This 80-game group stage will involve all 38 teams not involved in Uefa qualifiers, plus winners of this season's Highland and Lowland Leagues.
Premiership clubs also enjoy a three-week winter break in January 2017.
The full fixture lists for the 2016-17 SPFL league season are expected to be announced in June. | The SPFL has confirmed its four league competitions begin the 2016-17 season the weekend of Saturday, 6 August 2016. | 35400976 |
There were clashes at the prison in the central town of Taiz ahead of the break-out.
Yemen is in the grip of its most severe crisis in years, as competing forces fight for control.
The country was thrown into turmoil after Houthi rebels forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia.
It is not clear how the prisoners escaped.
State news agency Saba quoted a security official as saying that the prison had come under attack from al-Qaeda supporters.
However, another official told the Reuters news agency that the inmates had fled amid heavy clashes between warring militias.
The Associated Press said the prison guards had deserted their posts following clashes between Houthi rebels and their opponents, citing a security source.
It is the third major jailbreak in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition began an air campaign against the rebels on 26 March.
Human Rights Watch said in a report on Tuesday that the coalition had carried out dozens of air strikes on civilians in the Houthi's northern stronghold of Saada since April in apparent violation of the laws of war. | About 1,200 prisoners, including al-Qaeda suspects, have escaped from a prison in central Yemen, officials say. | 33338647 |
By Neil GallacherBBC South West Business Correspondent
I understand that there is no suggestion of gross misconduct, or dishonesty, or of what was described to me as "impropriety".
Clearly there are serious concerns of some sort, or Professor Purcell wouldn't have been suspended.
But this does help to clarify things, because until now there was no hint at all as to why she had been "placed on leave".
What should we make of this?
Some business leaders are concerned that if the university looks shaky at the top, the impressive investment that's been going on there could start to dry up.
On the other hand, the South West Devon MP Gary Streeter told us that he trusts the governors completely, and if there's a process to be gone through, he's happy for them to go through it.
University governors said Wendy Purcell's position was unchanged and her deputy, Professor David Coslett, would temporarily act up.
The BBC understands there has been a "serious clash of personalities".
The governors said they were not able to go into any more detail during the review, asking for the "confidentiality of the situation to be respected".
Professor Purcell, who earned more than £288,000 in 2013, was a graduate of Plymouth University in 1985 with a degree in biological science.
She was appointed vice-chancellor and chief executive of the university in December 2007.
A university statement said: "As you would expect from a world-ranked university with a strong and distinguished reputation, the executive team will ensure core business continues to be focused on the delivery of a first-class experience for our students.
"We also continue to work with partners and stakeholders for the benefit and interests of the city and wider region." | The vice-chancellor of Plymouth University has been suspended pending a review. | 28118405 |
The 24-year-old right-back moves to Shropshire on a two-year deal.
Riley began his career with Bolton Wanderers in 2011 when the Trotters were still in the Premier League.
He went on to have a loan spell at Oxford in the 2014-15 season before joining Bury in January 2015, scoring twice in 57 appearances.
Riley follows defenders Oliver Lancashire and Ryan McGivern, midfielders Gary Deegan and Jim O'Brien and strikers Louis Dodds, AJ Leitch-Smith and Antoni Sarcevic at Greenhous Meadow as boss Micky Mellon looks to improve on last term's 20th place finish in League One.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Shrewsbury Town have made their eighth addition of the summer after signing defender Joe Riley from Bury for an undisclosed fee. | 36689933 |
It will be displayed in the Forgotten War display along with other items relating to the Burma Campaign.
Veteran Jimmy Kemp presented the Standard of the Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex Borders Branch of the Burma Star Association.
Former soldiers attended the hand-over service at IWM Duxford on Saturday.
The branch has had a long association with the museum Mr Kemp said.
"Now that the branch is ceasing formal duties, we have decided to Lay Up the Standard," he said.
"We always wanted it to be part of the collection at IWM Duxford, because of our long association with the museum.
"This is a very poignant moment for us."
Martin Boswell, museum curator, said: "When plans were laid to discuss the construction of a permanent gallery at the museum to commemorate the war in the Far East these veterans were among the first to offer active help and to provide objects for display, giving the most important resource of all; their approval.
"Opened in 1999, the Forgotten War exhibition at last redressed the balance, with many a Far East veteran then pleased to see that at last their deeds and sacrifices were in the public domain." | Soldiers from East Anglia stationed in Burma during World War Two have formally transferred their Standard to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. | 36570125 |
Explosives packed into a car went off near a bus station as a police minibus drove by. More than 20 people were injured in the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed "terrorists" for the attack.
The army is locked in an operation against rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the region.
A ceasefire between the government and the PKK collapsed in July last year.
Since then violence has surged, with militants attacking security forces and the army besieging Kurdish-dominated towns.
The explosion was powerful enough to shatter glass in nearby buildings. Both civilians and police were among the wounded.
"The terrorist organisation shows its heinous face through this attack," said Mr Erdogan, who is visiting Washington.
"We cannot tolerate this any more. European countries and other countries, I hope they will see the true face of the PKK and other terrorist organisations in these attacks."
No group has yet said it was behind the blast.
The attack comes a day before a planned visit to Diyarbakir by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The TAK, an offshoot of the PKK, has claimed two bombings in Ankara this year that killed more than 60 people.
Turkey is also part of the coalition battling so-called Islamic State (IS) and has also been attacked by the militant group.
In Syria, the US has been supporting the YPG, a Kurdish militia Turkey regards as an offshoot of the PKK, in their battle against IS. | Seven police officers have been killed in a bomb blast that rocked the Kurdish-dominated south-eastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. | 35937596 |
Two pygmy goats raced 200m at Spitalfields City Farm near the River Thames, where the university Boat Race has taken place.
Hamish secured Oxford's first win in six years, defeating newcomer Hugo, who ran for Cambridge.
The pair competed for an edible vegetable trophy.
The current record for the course - from the farm's paddock to the stables - stands at 56 seconds.
Farm manager Mhairi Weir said: "Our goats race every single day, because they're down in the paddock during the day and then they're taken back up to the stables for their food - they're always in a rush.
"If the goats choose to race at a leisurely snail's pace, then that's fine by us."
Hamish, who also won last year when he represented Cambridge, and Hugo underwent health checks before the race, and are used to crowds thanks to visits from school groups, Ms Weir said.
"It's fantastic how it's caught everybody's imagination... I even got an email from ABC, American Broadcasting Company, who wanted to come and video it," she said.
Tickets for the race sold out, with all the money raised due to be used to purchase food for the farm.
Last year more than £10,000 was raised, covering the food bill for an entire year. | Oxford has edged to victory over Cambridge after the two sides locked horns in east London's annual Goat Race. | 32264655 |
The incident happened at about 11:00 BST while P4/5 pupils were being taught at Killyleagh Integrated School.
No-one was injured, but the collapse left a three square metre hole in the ceiling.
A father of one of the pupils in the classroom said his daughter was "missed by a matter of inches".
"My daughter was at her desk when the ceiling fell," said William Walker, father of eight-year-old Zoe.
"If it had of been six or seven inches over, it could have done her a lot of damage."
"They all sit four to a desk in the class. A big piece of the ceiling fell onto the desk," said Mr Walker.
"They were doing their writing and it just came down... She could have been in hospital, or worse."
The school's principal said the incident happened because of damp from a leaking pipe.
"The children were moved to a spare classroom and normal business resumed," said Jason Milligan.
"The education board reacted quickly and the ceiling has now been repaired."
It is understood school staff have been raising maintenance issues with the education authority for some time, said BBC News NI's David Maxwell at the scene. | Children at a County Down primary school have been left shaken after a ceiling collapsed in a classroom. | 37510267 |
US National Security Adviser Susan Rice, who announced the development, said she welcomed the new agreement.
It has not yet been confirmed by Turkey, which has so far refused to send troops into Syria or Iraq.
And Turkey's PM says no deal has been reached to allow the US to use Incirlik air base to attack IS militants.
Turkish MPs recently passed a motion that could allow foreign forces to use its bases for activities in Syria and Iraq, although the final decision rests with the government.
The US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against Islamic State militants, who have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. Many have targeted IS around the key Syria-Turkey border town of Kobane.
Eight air strikes were launched by US and Saudi fighter jets on Sunday and Monday, with seven targeting IS near Kobane, US Central Command said.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said an IS suicide bomber had detonated a truck with explosives to the north of the besieged Syrian Kurdish town on Monday.
IS militants, who control some areas of the town, are continuing to meet resistance from Kurdish forces there.
Speaking to US broadcaster NBC on Sunday, Ms Rice said Turkey had agreed to let the US use Turkish bases and territory "to train moderate Syrian opposition forces".
"That's the new commitment, and one that we very much welcome," she added.
Analysis: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul
We knew last week that Turkey would get involved in training moderate Syrian opposition groups - but at the time it seemed that would take place in Saudi Arabia.
Now, after a visit to Ankara by US presidential envoy John Allen, Susan Rice says the training will take place in Turkey. A US military delegation will be here this week to discuss details - and how Turkish bases can be used for the coalition operation against Islamic State.
However, the prime minister's office has now said that the US airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey will not be used for strikes.
The training is a long-term goal. The coalition's immediate concern is the fate of Kobane and, on that, Turkey is still unwilling to intervene militarily.
It argues no other country wants to commit ground troops and it cannot deploy unilaterally, especially given its long, vulnerable border with Syria and Iraq.
And it wants the coalition to commit to targeting President Bashar al-Assad and creating a no-fly zone, neither of which are on the cards. So while Ankara is inching forward in the role it will play, nobody expects it to go into either country with guns blazing.
The training of Syria's moderate opposition is part of US President Barack Obama's anti-IS strategy announced last month.
In recent days, IS fighters have advanced against the Syrian town of Kobane, which has a border crossing point with Turkey.
But neither side has been able to gain significant ground.
Kurdish sources in Kobane said that fierce clashes continued on Monday near aid supplies warehouses at the south-west entrance to the town.
The militants were pushed back as they tried to advance towards a border crossing.
Turkey has ranged its military forces on the border but has so far ruled out any ground operation on its own and has refused to allow Kurds in Turkey to cross the border to fight.
Turkey has been reluctant to get involved militarily, partly because it is concerned about arming the Kurdish forces fighting IS militants. Turkey fought a long civil war with its Kurdish minority.
Since the IS offensive against Kobane began in mid-September, some 500 people have been killed and up to 200,000 have fled across the border into Turkey.
IS says it aims to establish a "caliphate", a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.
It has become known for brutal tactics, including mass killings, abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, and the beheadings of soldiers and journalists. | Turkey has agreed to allow moderate Syrian rebels to be trained on its soil, the US says, in its bid to combat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. | 29591916 |
Aston Martin has announced it is to build its new luxury car, the DBX, in St Athan, creating 750 highly-skilled jobs.
The village was chosen over 20 global locations and will be the only place in Wales to build a complete car.
The coup has been hailed as proof of the area's resurgence. But what will it really mean for local people and how will it change the area?
In the words of Aston Martin chief executive Dr Andrew Palmer, St Athan will turn "from a military base to a luxury vehicle manufacturing plant... and frankly, the sooner the better".
Mr Palmer wants to build the workforce from within Wales. When asked about sourcing staff he said: "They're here, they're in Wales.
"You've got some wonderful universities, Cardiff University for example, you train great people. I believe this will retain youngsters in Wales and in Cardiff. "
And he said he was keen to utilise the area's existing skills: "We have a wealth of craftsmanship here - it takes 200 hours to make a car and to do that we need skilled labour.
"We have got that skilled labour in Wales... and that played a big part in our decision [to come to Wales]."
Cardiff and Vale College, which has sites in Cardiff and Barry, said it saw the news as an "opportunity" for students.
Principal Mike James said: "We are very excited by this investment... it represents a fantastic opportunity for our learners to gain employment with a world-renowned, prestige company."
The college said it was working closely with the Welsh government and employers.
Motor industry economist Prof Garel Rhys, who is chair of the Cardiff airport and St Athan enterprise zone advisory board, said colleges have a big role to play: "Colleges need to make sure that they speak to Aston Martin and they will.
"Aston Martin were attracted to the location for the skills required so colleges are doing the right thing already... [they're] doing a sterling job."
Prof Rhys said Wednesday's announcement was just the start of investment in the area: "The car came around in 1888, we've got a car company for the first time ever...
"When you're waiting for a bus for a long time, damn it, if one comes along a second one turns up. So possibly we might now get a second or third car maker."
His hopes were shared by First Minister Carwyn Jones, who told the assembled press at the unveiling that any development would "not just help Aston Martin but open up the site to further development as well".
And according to Prof Rhys, the 750 Aston Martin jobs can only lead to more jobs: "Every job Aston Martin creates will create 0.8 of a job elsewhere.
"There will be more businesses, leisure and retail services. Then they'll get to the point where they'll employ more people.
"You'll see a new school, the reopening of a post office. The knock-on effects don't happen overnight but it can take up to about six years for the whole thing to work through. "
He said Nissan's investment in Sunderland led to the creation of 27 separate companies: "And the north east of England had virtually no history in the industry."
The development will not have a big impact on the appearance of St Athan as the Aston Martin plant is going into an existing building, the super hanger, Prof Rhys said.
But a proposed northern access road from the B4265 between Boverton and Llanmaes traffic signal junctions was "essential" to the enterprise zone, Vale of Glamorgan council said.
New homes could also be on the cards, according to Prof Rees: "There'll be a lot of people moving into Wales from elsewhere... there will be a need for housing quite clearly and that will come down to housing authorities if the local area wants to benefit from this as much as possible.
"It'll be high quality housing as well."
Wednesday's optimism and excitement follows a spell of economic disappointment for the area.
In October 2010, a £14bn defence training academy which would have created 2,000 jobs at St Athan was scrapped as part of 8% of cuts by the UK government to the defence budget.
Then in 2012 the last RAF aircraft was repaired by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at its St Athan base, ending 75 years of maintenance at the site.
But for today the future is looking bright for the people of St Athan.
Vale of Glamorgan council leader councillor Neil Moore described the announcement as a "vote of confidence" in the area.
He added: "It marks a very significant point in the ongoing resurgence of the Vale of Glamorgan."
"It's an enormous number of jobs, " said Prof Rees.
"They're very well paid jobs. And what a fantastic brand to work for." | A village in the Vale of Glamorgan is in a celebratory mood. | 35650160 |
Steve Thomas said social care costs were expected to double over the next 15 years.
But he said overall council budgets would continue to decline.
Earlier this week the Welsh Government announced an extra £10m a year of new funding to help ensure the social care sector is sustainable.
Much of that money will help meet the extra costs associated with the introduction of the National Living Wage.
The Welsh Government, before the last assembly election, had wanted to merge councils, reducing the number from 22 to eight or nine.
Ministers now want councils to become more efficient by working together in regional partnerships.
Elections will be held in all of Wales' local authorities in May.
Mr Thomas told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme that social care was "the elephant in the room" which new councillors would have to deal with.
He said austerity "looms large" for councils and budgets would continue to decline, adding: "Authorities will struggle if the current prognosis in terms of finance continues.
"There are huge pressures, not least of all on health and social care. Social care costs will double in the next 15 years.
"Active consideration of either mergers of authorities or at least merger of services will be commonplace in the next period."
Mr Thomas would not predict which councils would consider merging, although some authorities had previously looked at such moves.
He said he sometimes wondered why people wanted to be a councillor.
"It's difficult, it's thankless," he said.
"People don't usually stand for office to cut services but that's what they've had to do over the past five years and that has been and is going to be their job."
Social services are the second largest service within local government - it supports more than 125,000 vulnerable people and has more than 70,000 employees. | The rising cost of social care could force some councils to merge, according to the chief executive of the Welsh Local Government Association. | 38529852 |
One plane was approaching the stand and the other was "pushing back" when the incident happened at about 06:45 BST.
The wing-tip of one plane and the tail-cone of another "made contact", said Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely.
No passengers or crew were injured, an airport spokesman confirmed. The Air Accident Investigation Board is investigating.
Essex Police said it had conducted "routine breath tests" on both pilots after the incident, but there was no evidence of alcohol consumption.
Mr Kiely said passengers were put on other planes after a three-hour delay.
He said Ryanair's engineering team were "investigating, and will repair both aircraft and return them to service as soon as possible".
The crash involved a plane heading to Warsaw and an aircraft from Frankfurt Hahn that had just landed. Both were Boeing 737-800 models, which can carry up to 189 passengers.
One passenger on the Warsaw-bound flight said on Twitter: "Huge loud crashing noise and totally felt the crush sitting at the back. Thank God it only hit the wing as if it was the body of the plane it'd been apocalypse."
. | Two Ryanair jets were damaged when they collided on the ground at London Stansted Airport. | 28072770 |
The 22-year-old finished last season as the top scorer in his homeland, netting 27 goals in his first campaign in the Eredivisie.
AZ wanted 20m euros (£16.15m) for Janssen but De Telegraaf reported Spurs had only offered 14m (£11.31m).
"The difference between the offer and the price we demand was too big," said AZ technical director Max Huiberts.
"I've read a lot of speculation and been telephoned by other clubs but no-one else has made any concrete offer."
He added Janssen visited London with his agent but has also held talks with Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
Janssen has scored three goals in five international appearances, including a penalty in a 2-1 victory over England at Wembley in March.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Dutch top-flight club AZ Alkmaar have rejected a bid from Tottenham for Netherlands striker Vincent Janssen. | 36621343 |
Ms Morgan said those who were bullied often retreated from school life, causing repercussions in later life as they choose "safety" over "happiness".
She said while bullying had decreased overall, social media provided an "anonymous space for abuse".
But she remained confident that homophobic bullying would be banished.
Speaking at a conference at Brighton College on Tuesday, she said: "Homophobic bullying affects every young person seen as 'different' and many suffer homophobic bullying regardless of their sexual orientation.
"The fact is bullies will target anyone who doesn't conform to their own views of gender stereotype. I'm talking about the girl who likes rugby, the boy who doesn't like football.
"The nature of bullying has changed considerably, with social media providing an anonymous space for abuse and ridicule."
She went on: "We must not under-estimate the importance of homophobic language which has a huge effect on young people.
"The derogatory use of the word gay is offensive and unacceptable. The impact of homophobic bullying can be devastating.
"A victim is likely to see their grades suffer, experience health issues and they might even consider taking their own life. This is unacceptable."
Ms Morgan said homophobic bullying needed to be tackled at its root.
"I firmly believe that we will see a future where homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying are banished, but we are not complacent." | Homophobic bullying in school can lead to thousands of children changing their career plans, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has warned. | 34920740 |
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Playing on home ice in a world championship tournament for the first time since 1992, GB took a first-period lead as Robert Dowd blasted to the net.
Mislav Blagus levelled for Croatia before goals for the hosts from David Clarke and Evan Mosey.
David Brine replied for Croatia before Russell Crowley hit GB's fourth goal.
Only the winners in the six-team round-robin tournament at the SSE Arena will be promoted.
Great Britain head coach Pete Russell was pleased with his team's opening win.
"It's a good start. It's all we wanted," Russell told BBC Five Live.
"They are a decent team and we maybe made it hard work for ourselves at times.
"We got a bit flat in the second period but we bossed that final period and got the win we wanted."
The Croatians included Vancouver Canucks NHL player Borna Rendulic but after his impressive first period, he was well contained by the hosts for the remainder of the game.
Russell handed British debuts to Brendan Brooks, 18-year-old Sam Duggan and Liam Stewart.
Top seeds Japan opened their campaign with an emphatic 6-1 win over the Netherlands while Estonia and Lithuania are also competing in Belfast.
The competition winners will qualify for next year's Division 1 Group A with the top two from that tournament advancing to the top tier of the 2019 World Championships.
Great Britain have narrowly missed out on promotion following second-place finishes in the third-tier competition in the last two years.
The hosts are back in action against Estonia on Monday evening. | Great Britain made a winning start to their World Championship Division 1B campaign in Belfast as they battled to a 4-2 victory over Croatia. | 39686616 |
The South Korean tech giant had already lowered its third-quarter profit guidance by £1.9bn ($2.3bn).
On Friday, it said it expected an additional hit of about 3.5 trillion won ($3bn, £2.5bn).
The Note 7 was recalled last month after battery fires, but when replacement phones experienced the same problem, Samsung scrapped the device.
The premium phone, launched in August, was meant to compete with Apple's new iPhone 7 at the top of the smartphone market.
Despite the setback, Samsung Electronics still expects to make 5.2 trillion won (£3.7bn) in operating profit during the third quarter after the recall cost.
Samsung cuts profit forecast
Samsung: More than a smartphone fire row
Samsung Note 7 flames out: Experts react
Timeline: Samsung's Note 7 woes
Rory Cellan-Jones: Samsung's burning issue
The firm said that in order to "normalise its mobile business", it would expand sales of its other flagship devices, such as the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
"Additionally, the company will focus on enhancing product safety for consumers by making significant changes in its quality assurance processes," Samsung said.
In September, the company recalled about 2.5 million Note 7 devices after complaints of overheating and exploding batteries.
It later insisted that all replaced devices were safe. However, that was followed by reports that those phones were catching fire too.
On Tuesday, the company said it would permanently cease production of the device and urged owners to turn it off. | The total cost of pulling Galaxy Note 7 smartphones off the market will be at least £4.4bn ($5.4bn), Samsung said. | 37651835 |
West Ham - inspired by the superb Dimitri Payet - and Manchester United could not be separated and still have it all to do with a replay at Upton Park.
In the Premier League, Tottenham trimmed Leicester's lead at the summit with an efficient win at Aston Villa and Bournemouth all but secured safety with a superb victory against Swansea.
But who were the outstanding performers? Here are my selections...
The save by David de Gea to deny West Ham's Michail Antonio in the dying minutes of their FA Cup encounter was enough to keep Manchester United in the tie. It was the sort of save that may prove to be West Ham's undoing come the replay at Upton Park - the last time the competition will take place at the old Boleyn Ground.
The big question at Old Trafford, and arguably the turning point, is did Bastian Schweinsteiger actually impede Darren Randolph for Anthony Martial's equaliser? Former World Cup referee and now analyst Howard Webb thought he did. But would Webb have actually awarded the free-kick against Schweinsteiger had he been in charge?
Irish eyes are certainly smiling on Seamus Coleman at the moment. The Everton full-back is playing some wonderful football again after a number of niggling injuries. During some of the most intense moments of the pulsating game between Everton and Chelsea, Coleman showed a remarkable ability not to panic when deep in his own half, which must please Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill before the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the European Championships this summer.
Everton needed their win against Chelsea. Their Premier League form has been so disappointing and their manager appears to be in denial. However, the cup tie against Chelsea could have gone up in smoke in a heartbeat, such was the nature of the game.
Fortunately Everton had within their ranks Phil Jagielka, who is, by far and away, the coolest, if not the most sensible, footballer around. Whenever there was any danger of the game exploding into a brawl - and there was on a few occasions - Jagielka was there, either pulling the main protagonists away or keeping his team-mates from getting involved. Jagielka is a very valuable asset to have in your team, especially when egos are running wild.
Bournemouth have won back to back home games in the Premier League for the first time, and the financial difference it could make to the club is incalculable. I've no doubt this was the last thing on Steve Cook's mind when he rose above the Swansea defence to nod home the winner to seal three points, but that is the reality. What manager Eddie Howe has achieved during his time at Dean Court with his players, who frankly have surpassed all expectations, has been remarkable and must place him in contention as a front-runner for the England job should it become available after the European Championships in France this summer.
If not Howe, name me another English candidate who is currently worthy of the appointment?
Nathan Ake is starting to fulfil his true potential. Against Arsenal, he displayed such acute defensive awareness I am starting to think that Chelsea should seriously consider bringing the on-loan full-back back to Stamford Bridge. Ake's first-half tackle in his own penalty area on Alexis Sanchez was a game-changer. It's one thing seeing the danger but it's something entirely different when a defender takes the responsibility to alleviate the problem - and Ake did just that. Chelsea are about to start a rebuilding process at Stamford Bridge and Ake should be central to it.
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Whenever West Ham produce a result these days it seems as though Dimitri Payet is at the heart of it. His arrival at Upton Park has got the fans talking about the Frenchman in the same terms as Sir Trevor Brooking and Paolo di Canio. However, I doubt whether either of those West Ham legends could have scored a better free-kick than the one Payet netted against Manchester United.
Quite apart from anything else, Payet was facing one of the best goalkeepers in the world in David de Gea and still made the set-play look routine. The tie now goes to a replay but I wouldn't bet against Payet doing it again.
Watford produced a monumental performance at Arsenal, led by their skipper and talisman Troy Deeney. Arsenal, on course for a third consecutive FA Cup final, were stopped in their tracks by the sting of the Hornets. Not since the days of Graham Taylor with John Barnes in their ranks have I seen a Watford team capable of winning the FA Cup. Arsenal were very lucky and should have taken advantage of still having 11 men on the field after Gabriel escaped a red card for a reckless two-footed lunge into Deeney. Nevertheless the Gunners did not profit from the situation afforded them by referee Andre Marriner and now find themselves out of the competition as a consequence. Barcelona now await, hosting the Gunners in the Champions League in midweek. Good luck with that.
It's official - Bournemouth are staying up! Premier League survival now looks certain after beating Swansea in a terrific game of football to achieve a points tally many thought was impossible for the Cherries. Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski made a mess of the cross which lead to Max Gradel opening his account but if anyone was going to score, Gradel was. The Ivorian was already wreaking havoc in the Swansea ranks before he set up Bournemouth's second goal for Josh King. Those two players also destroyed Newcastle last week at St James' Park, a loss which got Steve McClaren the sack.
I'm told that Spurs fans got upset with me via social media last week when I maintained that Hugo Lloris struggles in big games. Well, true to form, he was outstanding against Aston Villa and I'm not surprised. However, there is one player Spurs can rely on in any game and that's Harry Kane. The striker simply blew Villa away after his side suffered a heavy defeat in the Europa League in Dortmund in midweek.
Nevertheless, with the assistance of Dele Alli, Tottenham have recovered. I noticed that Gary Lineker insists that Kane and Alli are 'musts' for the England starting XI come the European Championships - but at whose expense Gary? That's what Roy Hodgson is going to have to consider.
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What a performance by Romelu Lukaku against his old team. In fact it was the former Chelsea striker's all-round display that made the performance and sending off of his striking counterpart Diego Costa look so tasteless. Lukaku does not possess the aggression or ruthless instincts of Costa and yet still has the ability to terrorise defences without being utterly obnoxious.
I didn't think that Lukaku was capable of scoring his first goal which was, without doubt, the best finish I have ever seen him produce in arguably his best performance in an Everton shirt. In the meantime I suggest Chelsea Football Club make it abundantly clear to Costa that he needs to grow up and start behaving like an adult instead of a spoilt child who throws his toys out of the pram the moment he doesn't get what he wants.
Pelle had a blinder at Stoke. He hadn't scored in the Premier League for 12 games and suddenly netted two of the most well-taken goals he has scored all season. His first, a glancing header from a corner, would have struck at the heart of some Stoke fans and evoked memories of a legendary former Potters centre-forward and legend John Ritchie, who scored similar goals for the Potters throughout the early '70s and strangely enough had a remarkable likeness to the Italy international.
However, it was the performance of referee Lee Mason that caught my attention. It has been a long time since I have seen such incompetence from a referee. Not to award Southampton a penalty for Jack Butland's tackle on Dusan Tadic was bad enough but sending off Sadio Mane for his perfectly acceptable challenge on Erik Pieters was a shocking verdict by any standards. Granted, we all make mistakes, but errors of this nature and at this level are totally unacceptable. | Watford, Everton and Crystal Palace all booked their places at Wembley after a typically captivating and combustible FA Cup quarter-final weekend. | 35799862 |
This image from Bangladesh, taken by Shoeb Faruquee and entitled Food for God, has been named overall winner of the 2017 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition.
"For many people, food is not simply for physical nourishment, it is religious or spiritual too," says one of the judges, Michael Pritchard, who is chief executive of the Royal Photographic Society.
"And in this image the photographer has combined these two elements, showing the cook as he prepares food for worshippers on the right."
The photo won the competition's Food for Celebration category. The following images show all of the other category winners - and a selection of judges' comments.
Caramel!
Hein Van Tonder (South Africa)
Oua Look at This One!
Kyriacos Arkatities (Cyprus)
"There's a real sense of discovery about this picture - the wonder on the boys' faces, the strange fish, the dynamic angle."
Xanthe Clay, president, Guild of Food Writers and Daily Telegraph food columnist
"This is a shot at the perfect moment. These children are utterly captivated by the weird and wonderful seafood in front of them, the reflection of both children and the produce is magical."
Caroline Kenyon, founder, Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year
Swiss Chard Forest
Sally Ann Stone (UK)
"This wittily angled shot of an ordinary domestic garden vegetable crop transforms it into a magical, exotic and seductive landscape."
Caroline Kenyon, founder, Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year
Pheasants at Sunset
Matthew Thomas (UK)
Mac and Cheese
Jean Cazals (UK)
Villefranche Market
Azalea Dalton (UK)
The Grandmother
Francesa Brambilla and Serena Serrani (Italy)
"The food is steaming hot and freshly prepared and the concentration on the grandmother's face is very engaging. The viewer can immediately understand that she is the expert in this kitchen even though the other chefs are in their professional whites whilst she is wearing a T-shirt and pearls."
Helen Lewis, creative director, Quadrille Publishing
"This is a very familiar image, the black and white behind the scenes restaurant shot. But right in the middle is the most unexpected element. The elderly lady, so short she has her elbows raised high to reach into the pot, intense concentration showing on her face."
Elizabeth Galbraith, freelance creative director
Breaktime
Leonardo Salomao (Brazil)
Smoked Mackerel
Wesley Dombrecht (Belgium)
"This image is simply beautiful with a colour palette that reminds me of an old master painting which, at the same time, like those paintings, tells a story about the smoking of fish."
Michael Pritchard, chief executive, The Royal Photographic Society
Crouch End
Robin Stewart (UK)
"The interactions of the four people in the foreground are engaging for us as observers and tell us immediately about the relationships between those people over shared street food. Look more deeply behind and the wider context becomes apparent."
Michael Pritchard, chief executive, The Royal Photographic Society
"This has the look of a Renaissance painting, a stage of actors telling the story of their meal. I like the idea that you don't have to have a table to eat together and interact over food."
Xanthe Clay, president, Guild of Food Writers and Daily Telegraph food columnist
Rose Wine Tank
Patrick Desgraupes (France)
"This image of wine made me stop. It's like a scene from a Tarantino movie. There's a macabre feel - the white tiles, the spanner, hose and viewing window. It's almost medical.
"And just when you think it's the slaughter of the innocents you realise it's rose wine production. I think it's innovative, challenging and beautifully photographed."
Paul Sanders, FujiFilm ambassador and photographer
Hunters and Kill
Tom Parker (UK)
"As a straightforward portrait it's engaging and tells an immediate story - we understand there has been a shoot. The spoils are behind the shoot and it looks like they had a successful outing. But this image goes beyond that - using a portrait, vertical format to compress the visual elements into classic horizontal strips. The men, the birds, the landscape beyond. Each strip is an integral part of the narrative."
Elizabeth Galbraith, freelance creative director
Salad Plate
Darren Hickson (UK)
"Our food is so much about colour and in this portrait of salad the photographer has produced a great, vibrant, colourful, image of salad leaves and vegetables, complimented by the paint-spattered table top. I just want to drizzle the oil and start eating!"
Michael Pritchard, chief executive, The Royal Photographic Society
Collecting Egg Rations
Emma Brown (UK)
"I love the expressiveness of the girls' eyes and it moves me to see their vivacity and spirit behind their veils - despite the fact they are forced to be dependent on food aid for survival."
Caroline Kenyon, founder, Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year
Vegetables
Jonathan Gregson (UK)
Waiting for Stew
Laura Cook (UK)
Related:
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year (external site) | All images subject to copyright. | 39578189 |
The average Australian employee is stressed and overweight - about half the 30,000 employees surveyed were physically inactive, the report found.
The study, by the University of Wollongong in partnership with Workplace Health Association Australia (WHAA), spans 10 years of data.
Workers also showed other risk factors.
The report found that 65.1% of the employees had reported "moderate to high stress levels" and that 41% had psychological distress levels considered to be "at risk".
The WHAA said that trends around employee health had been examined over a 5-to-10-year period and that the industries covered included banking and finance, legal, transport and storage, in both metropolitan and rural areas.
The study said its objectives were to present an analysis of employee health data from the five organisations, all members of the WHAA, who participated in the project.
Dr John Lang, WHAA's chief executive, told the BBC that the average employee "was seeing a 2.4% reduction in productivity, on average, per risk factor".
Risk factors listed in the study include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, psychological distress, smoking and obesity.
"So if the average employee has four risk factors - that's four times a 2.4% reduction in productivity," Dr Lang said.
"And this means our workforce is being impacted in a major way by their poor lifestyle and physical health. It's a global problem in the Western world, but the US is probably a bit worse that we are."
"People will tell you, when they're not exercising, that the biggest worry they face is a lack of time," Dr Lang explained.
But he said employees were working longer hours, commuting for longer periods and generally not making enough time for hobbies and sport, or so-called displacement activities.
"And that, of course, is a major driver of weight gain, because lack of activity, quick and easy food choices and the availability of fast food just makes the whole thing, what we call, an obesogenic environment," he told the BBC.
"When you're thinking about things that are not related to work and family, and those high-level things in your life, that is a wonderful balance.
"But we don't' seem to be getting as much of that anymore."
Dr Lang said the answer was in a better work-life balance.
"Companies are trying hard to get a bit of life balance in there - and they preach the gospel about the balance that we should have.
"But at the end of the day, they do tend to propagate long working hours, and now Australia has one of the longest - if not the longest - working hours in the world."
The study concluded by saying some positive trends in health outcomes had been found over the 10-year period, but that overall, organisations needed to continue efforts to create workplaces conducive to better mental health. | Australia's workforce is affected "in a major way" by poor mental health, stress and obesity, a new study has found. | 33105560 |
Situated over 22 acres, the complex resembles a gated community that wouldn't be out of place in Florida.
While the resort typically plays host to corporate functions, weddings, and the odd family holiday, recently it entertained an altogether different type of crowd.
Over the course of a weekend, 400 Mormons from all over India gathered to participate in their Church's All India Young Single Adults (YSA) Conference.
To the uninitiated, the event appears to be a series of workshops centred around this year's rather loosely termed theme, Decisions Determine Destiny.
A quick chat with the event's participants makes things a bit clearer.
"It's no secret that we all come here to find spouses," says Venella, 18.
The auditorium on the far side of the resort is filled with 100 or so bleary eyed 20-somethings.
Having whiled away the previous evening listening to Roll Rida, Hyderabad's resident Mormon Rapper, they are exhausted.
But Elder Natarajan, the exuberant emcee of a seminar titled Eternal Marriage: Logic vs the Lord's Way is having none of this.
"Please pay attention - if you're sleepy, don't sleep," he says, before going on to gleefully expound upon the pitfalls of modern romance.
"It's a dating class," my host, Sister Hubbard, explains.
Like a seasoned televangelist, Mr Natarajan paces up and down the room telling us the dos and don'ts of the Mormon dating scene.
"Hi, what's your name? Will you marry me?" he says, parodying your average, somewhat-over-enthusiastic Mormon suitor.
He then goes on to warn of the perils of social media where budding romance is concerned. A lesson in selfie etiquette is followed by one on social networking.
"Whatever you do, don't propose over Facebook!" we are implored.
While Mr Natarajan's talk is inevitably humorous, it is also tempered by more serious concerns.
"Every year, in the southern Chennai district [in Tamil Nadu state], there are only four to five Mormon marriages. This is simply not enough."
Events organised by the YSA, and paid for by the church, hope to address this.
For Mormons, marriage involves a process known as "sealing", where the souls of partners are bound to one another through eternity.
Familial structures remain intact in the afterlife, so while the conference's participants are encouraged to be discerning, they are also advised to be realistic: there are only 12,700 Mormons in India.
"Look past the looks," Mr Natarajan says.
But this low marriage rate poses more than just theological issues - it also presents certain logistical constraints. The Mormon Church doesn't have enough missionaries.
A large part of its Indian congregations is composed of first-generation converts.
In fact, this was the case with the vast majority of the event's participants, largely hailing from Baptist, Protestant and Catholic backgrounds.
With Indians joining later in life, they miss out on the opportunity to do missionary work. And the Mormon Church needs an Indian born missionary force.
Not only is the experience of missionary activity itself a Mormon rite of passage, but India is also seen as a site in which the Mormon Church has made relatively few inroads.
This largely has to do with the Indian government's aversion to Christian missionary activity.
The Mormon Church first arrived in India in the 1850s, but it was only able to establish a permanent presence in the country by the 1980s.
With their missions elsewhere, the Mormon Church often brings in personnel from abroad to spread the word of the gospel.
But given the difficulty of securing missionary visas, they have had to rely largely on Indian nationals.
A video leak, titled Mormon Leaks, helps shed some light on the extent of this problem.
The clip features a US senator in talks with the Mormon Church hierarchy, detailing how he applied pressure on the former Indian ambassador, Ronen Sen, to provide more visas for the church's missionary activities in India, with some limited success.
In the past, these activities have at times proven dangerous.
One of the conference organisers, Vasantha Prabhakar, 29, told me of how missionaries working in Bangalore no longer wear the ubiquitously Mormon black and white name tags during work, for fear of reprisals.
Still, it's also hard to feel too embattled with Roll Rida pumping through the air, as everyone leaps about the place playing an assortment of games.
"This is what happens when you don't have alcohol," Sister Hubbard joked.
Alcohol or not, romance is in the air.
Deepanshu Yadav and Preeti Jhadav met at a YSA conference last year, and decided to start dating at this one in Hyderabad.
"That's the main purpose of the event," Deepanshu says, bursting into laughter.
As for Venella Vakapalli, well, she is taking her time.
After regaling me with the history of the Mormon Church in India, I ask her if she has found a potential suitor.
"Everyone keeps asking me that," she said.
"Someone came up to me earlier and said, 'Have you met your husband yet? I said no, I am only 18-years-old.'
"They told me, 'He's somewhere around here. Go search'." | Summer Green Resort lies some 25km (15 miles) north of India's southern city of Hyderabad. | 38314831 |
Michael Maguire is taking the PSNI to court in an attempt to force it to hand over sensitive intelligence material.
A judge has delayed the legal hearing for two weeks to allow both parties to come to an agreement.
The High Court heard that investigators for the ombudsman were turned away from PSNI buildings.
It was also claimed that requests for information on the cases had been turned down on more than 100 occasions.
The action centres on investigations into recent and historic cases involving allegations of police criminality and misconduct by failing to properly probe murders.
Claims of collusion between some police officers and the killers feature in many.
One of the cases in which the PSNI stands accused of obstructing Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire's staff is the loyalist murders of six people in Loughinisland, County Down.
The men were shot dead as they watched the 1994 World Cup in the Heights bar.
The High Court also heard that access to material is being sought in up to 19 ongoing investigations.
Barrister Stephen McQuitty, for the ombudsman, told Mr Justice Treacy proceedings had not been issued lightly.
Arguing that the PSNI was under an obligation to hand over information, he claimed: "The refusal to provide that material is irrational."
It was contended that the police reasoning was misconceived and mistaken.
"There's been an unjustified departure from a memorandum of understanding that exists between the police and the ombudsman," he said.
Although the document came into operation last September, the court heard that the breakdown in relationships was confirmed in April.
Referring to an affidavit from Adrian McAllister, chief executive in the police ombudsman's office, Mr McQuitty claimed the PSNI began to express concerns about sharing information.
"It was not raised formally but manifested itself in police ombudsman staff being turned away from PSNI buildings when they had arranged to view sensitive material," he said.
"It became apparent to the police ombudsman that a different approach had been taken."
Senior counsel for the police Tony McGleenan QC said that the ombudsman has been requesting and receiving sensitive material for years.
But in certain cases the chief constable has asked what function is being pursued, he said.
Mr McGleenan said: "This is a case that would have benefited from, and could still benefit from, engagement between the parties outside hostile, adversarial litigation."
Concerns were also raised over how any information would be handled and shared after being handed over.
An undertaking given by the police ombudsman about procedures for ensuring material is stored securely has still to be fully implemented, the court heard.
Urging the judge to adjourn the case to allow further attempts to reach an agreement, Mr McGleenan said: "A very large volume of requests by the police ombudsman have been responded to by police."
However, Mr Justice Treacy ruled that leave to seek a judicial review should be granted on the basis that the ombudsman had established an arguable case.
But rather than fixing a date for a full hearing of the challenge, he decided to adjourn for two weeks.
He said: "So far as possible for the court to read the runes that arise from the submissions that have been made, it's quite possible this matter might be resolved between the parties and won't proceed to a substantive hearing.
"One would hope that will happen." | The police ombudsman has been granted leave for a judicial review of the chief constable's decision to withhold information about 60 murders. | 27834041 |
England took a 10-0 lead through Dylan Hartley's try and an Owen Farrell conversion and penalty but Australia hit back via Stephen Moore's try.
Farrell's second penalty gave England a six-point lead in the second half.
They then had to survive relentless Australian attacks before Farrell crossed to wrap up victory late on.
England, who won the first Test 39-28, will head to Sydney for the third and final Test with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
This was a victory built on one of the great defensive displays in the history of Test rugby.
After Farrell had kicked his second penalty soon after the restart, Australia took total control, and in the end England secured just 29% of possession and 26% of territory during the game.
For half an hour the Wallabies hammered away relentlessly at the English defence, but the tourists refused to let their line be breached and, with James Haskell and Dylan Hartley leading the way, made 200 tackles - nearly four times as many as Australia - to set up a famous rearguard victory.
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In the first half it looked as though the poor quality of the pitch at AAMI Park would provide the main talking point.
The ground was churned up at the very first scrum and both sides struggled to keep their footing on the sandy surface - negating the advantage England hoped to earn at first phase.
Eddie Jones' men also struggled at the line-out, with George Kruis replaced after 55 minutes, but had enough power up front to take what proved to be a vital 10-0 lead in the first half.
England took the lead from a line-out after kicking a penalty to the corner, with an unstoppable driving maul ending with captain Hartley emerging with the ball.
Farrell, who had raced to join the maul, added the conversion and when a mighty England scrum - the ground for once not giving away - earned a penalty, Farrell made it 10-0.
Any thoughts the visitors had of pulling away were quickly dashed, though, as they failed to win the restart and Australia replied with a score that was a mirror image of the visitors', Wallaby captain Moore driven over from a line-out for a converted try.
Farrell edged England into a six-point lead early in the second half, but that only served to spark a relentless assault by Australia.
Australia came in waves, their powerful backs combining with their forwards to hammer away at England, but no matter what they tried they could not break through.
Chris Robshaw came up with a vital turnover a metre from the line to halt one assault and a blur of white-clad bodies flew in to tackle Wallaby attackers every time they approached, forcing the hosts into errors.
England's discipline was remarkable and on the two occasions they did give away penalties, Australia elected to kick for the corner and go for attacking line-outs, rather than kick for the posts.
It seemed inevitable England would be breached, but entering the closing stages they finally lifted the siege.
Farrell won the race for the ball after Courtney Lawes and Jamie George had led an England charge, and the Saracens man, playing at inside centre, landed the conversion and added a last-gasp penalty to secure a historic win for England.
Try scorer, defensive machine, leader from the front... captain Hartley, the man reborn under the new England regime, turned in a huge performance on Saturday.
England captain Dylan Hartley: "The key thing we took from last week was defence - Australia are one of the best in the world with the ball in hand. It was important we got some good shots in - we took the onus on ourselves to defend better."
England boss Eddie Jones: "We had to defend and play off scraps. That's how we executed the game. But we're not going to be satisfied unless we win 3-0. I thought we'd get a bit more out of the set-piece, but with the scrum collapsing all the time it was difficult to get an advantage."
Australia: Folau; Haylett-Petty, Kuridrani, Kerevi, Horne; Foley, Phipps; Slipper, Moore, Kepu, Arnold, Carter, Fardy, Hooper, McMahon.
Replacements: Morahan for Haylett-Petty (70), Lealiifano for Kerevi (61), Frisby for Phipps (70), Smith for Slipper (47), Polota-Nau for Moore (55), Holmes for Kepu (47).
England: Brown; Watson, Joseph, Farrell, Nowell; Ford, Youngs; M Vunipola, Hartley, Cole, Itoje, Kruis, Robshaw, Haskell, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Daly for Watson (77), Care for Youngs (66), Mullan for M. Vunipola (66), George for Hartley (72), Hill for Cole (66), Lawes for Kruis (56), Launchbury for Robshaw (72), Clifford for Haskell (72).
Ref: Craig Joubert (South Africa). | England produced a heroic defensive display to earn their first series win in Australia with victory in the second Test in Melbourne. | 36557956 |
The 23-year-old left-back has agreed a three-year deal with the R's.
Bidwell scored three goals in 211 appearances in almost five years at Griffin Park, which included two spells on loan from Everton.
"Jake's a player we've been tracking for a while," Rangers manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said.
"This is a real statement for us in terms of attracting a really solid, dependable Championship player who had his pick of other clubs at this level."
Bidwell captained the Bees last season as Dean Smith's side finished ninth in the Championship, three places above QPR.
The defender becomes QPR manager Hasselbaink's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of midfielder Ariel Borysiuk and centre-back Joel Lynch at Loftus Road.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Championship club Queens Park Rangers have signed defender Jake Bidwell from west London rivals Brentford for an undisclosed fee. | 36677673 |
At dawn on April 25th 1915, Allied troops invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula in Ottoman Turkey. The ultimate aim was to force the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The invasion failed. A bloody stalemate lasted until Allied troops evacuated the peninsula in January 1916.
"It was a humiliating defeat," said Paul Cornish, a senior curator at Imperial War Museums.
Conditions were dreadful. Over the course of the campaign the weather swung from stiflingly hot to bitterly cold.
"There were flies and disease," said Mr Cornish. "There were terrible problems with dysentery and things like jaundice. Eventually there were blizzards and ice that were causing a lot of frostbite. It wasn't a very nice place to be at all."
Some 57,000 Allied troops lost their lives during the campaign. One of them was L/Cpl Archibald Macleod from 7th Battalion, Manchester Regiment. He died aged 27 and is buried at Lancashire Landing Cemetery in Turkey.
L/Cpl MacLeod's great-grandson Dean Emsley, from Battersea, is one of the descendants who will attend April's commemoration at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
"He wrote a letter to my granddad in April 1915," said Mr Emsley. "He deployed to Gallipoli on the 6th of May… he died of wounds on 27 May."
My Dear Ronnie,
We are not fighting the Germans here, we are just seeing that the Germans do not
get the people here to fight against King George.
Be a good lad. Do what your mother and your teacher at school tell you to do.
Always help your mother.
Never cry even if your hands are cold.
I'm going to bring you home a little CROCODILE.
Your loving Dad.
"My assumption is that he knew he was deploying to a war-zone," said Mr Emsley. "This was probably his last chance to write a letter to his little boy who was seven years old. It was actually his seventh birthday when the letter was written."
Mr Emsley is a former serviceman himself.
"I was involved in the war in Bosnia first of all and a little bit later in Gulf War number one, so I have an idea how he was feeling," he said.
British troops made up the majority of Allied casualties at Gallipoli but the campaign has become synonymous with Australia and New Zealand.
"It was their first taste of action in the war," said Mr Cornish. "They lost over 11,000 killed at Gallipoli, which is a shocking figure in the context of the relatively small populations of Australia and New Zealand at the time."
Approximately 90,000 Ottoman Empire troops were also killed during the campaign. With a significant Turkish population in London that is something now being acknowledged in classrooms.
"It was a great victory for the Turks," said Mr Cornish. "From what I've noticed in schools in London, Turkish children are well aware of it because it was where the leader of their national reinvention, Ataturk, made his first impact. It is very important."
The National Commemoration of Gallipoli will take place at the Cenotaph on 25 April. The event will follow the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial and New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park corner.
Helen Grant MP is the minister responsible for the government's World War One commemorations. "Gallipoli is a very important campaign," she said. "We want to commemorate it and we want to do it very well."
The event will comprise a service, the laying of wreaths by senior members of the military and international governments and a march past the Cenotaph.
Registration for the event finished on Thursday.
For L/Cpl MacLeod's great-grandson it will be a unique experience.
"It's 100 years since it happened," Mr Emsley said.
"It will probably be the largest remembrance opportunity… I've never been to one of the November Remembrance Day parades.
"I've got my great-granddad's medals and I'll dig out my own medals. There will be a sense of pride, but more a sense of loss. Here was a young guy who could have had a full life." | As the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1's Gallipoli campaign approaches, descendants of those who fought are being urged to join the official commemorations in London. | 31502030 |
Map Maker allowed users to draw features, adding roads, rivers, green spaces and local businesses.
But some edits, such as an image of its Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo, were not as welcome.
Google said that the shutdown is "temporary" but admitted that it will take more than a few days to fix.
Last month, it was forced to apologise for the Android graffiti but since then, several other Map Maker hacks have been spotted.
The service had relied on a mixture of Google reviewers and trusted users to moderate Map Maker contributions, a system which, the search giant now admits, has not been adequate.
Map Maker team member Pavirthra Kanakarajan explained the decision to suspend the service in a post, linked to from the Map Maker page.
"We have been experiencing escalated attacks to spam Google Maps over the past few months... As a consequence, we suspended auto-approval and user moderation across the globe," she said.
"The most recent incident was particularly troubling and unfortunate - a strong user in our community chose to go and create a large scale prank on the map," she added.
Following the Android graffiti, Google decided that all its edits would go through a manual review process but that quickly led to a large backlog.
"Given the current state of the system, we have come to the conclusion that it is not fair to any of our users to let them continue to spend time editing. Every edit you make is essentially going to a backlog that is growing very fast," said Ms Kanakarajan.
"We believe that it is more fair to only say that if we do not have the capacity to review edits at roughly the rate they come in, we have to take a pause."
Google introduced Map Maker in 2008 as a tool to allow users to edit the information on the service, similar to the way Wikipedia allows users to edit its pages.
Another high profile recent hack saw ex-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden placed in the White House, via a new business called Edward's Snow Den.
"That wasn't a Map Maker issue but rather a problem with how Google deals with local listings," explained Ms Kanakarajan. | Google is suspending a service that allowed members of the public to contribute to its maps, following vandalism. | 32704566 |
Njie, 22, had surgery after sustaining the injury in the Europa League win over Monaco earlier this month.
"I don't know [how long he will be out] but we expect maybe two months or two and a half," manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
Cameroon international Njie joined from Lyon in the summer but is yet to start or score in the Premier League.
The news leaves Tottenham short of attacking options, with Harry Kane the sole recognised centre forward and Son Heung-min and Nacer Chadli now the only other available players who can play up front.
However, midfielder Ryan Mason and defender Danny Rose are back in contention for the home game against Norwich on 26 December after injury and illness respectively. | Tottenham striker Clinton Njie has been ruled out for two to three months with a knee injury. | 35171601 |
There has been a huge focus on the psychiatric history of the pilot and calls for greater screening for psychiatric disorders at work.
But what is screening, can psychiatric disorders be screened for, and is this the best response to the tragedy of Flight 9525?
Screening is the assessment for a disorder in an individual who has no symptoms and who does not know they are ill. For example, in the UK screening for certain types of cancer, such as breast or cervical cancer is now mainstream.
There are a number of well-established principles in medical screening, including that there should be a "latent" or hidden stage where the disorder is present but not apparent to the individual.
It is easy to see how the early stages of some cancers fulfil these criteria but what about psychiatric disorders like depression?
Mental health problems at work are certainly important - mental ill health at work costs the UK economy £70bn-£100bn per year and impacts negatively on the lives of patients, their families, their colleagues and employers.
However, just as patients with psychiatric disorders are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of violence, psychiatric illness at work impacts most on individual sufferers.
Nevertheless "something must be done" is an understandable response to the events of 24 March 2015 and there have been calls for greater levels of screening for mental health problems in certain professional groups.
Psychiatric disorders can't really be "screened" for. There is no recognised "latent" phase. Moreover, psychiatric diagnoses are based largely on symptoms, so the concept of "symptom-free" depression, for example, is difficult to sustain.
There are more practical problems too, impacting on wider public mental health.
Psychiatric disorders are among the most stigmatised of all, even in the 21st Century, and any large-scale efforts to "flush out" employees with mental disorders are likely to result in a reduced rather than a greater willingness to seek help.
There are no scans or blood tests for mental disorders, so making a diagnosis can be difficult, subjective and at times prone to error.
A screening programme will produce many "false-positives" - people labelled with a psychiatric disorder who do not in fact have one. This may have significant adverse impacts for them, and may cause greater harm than not identifying the small number of "true-positives".
It is not "screening" for mental ill health at work that is needed but earlier recognition and better access to treatment.
At present, many people with a mental disorder are never diagnosed as such, and very few of those with more common disorders such as depression and anxiety receive any treatment. This would be a scandal in any other area of medicine.
There is good evidence on what aspects of the workplace can lead to mental ill health.
High demands, low control over your work, an imbalance between what you feel you put in and what you feel you get out, low levels of support - these have all been shown to lead to higher levels of mental illness at work.
A range of approaches to creating mentally healthy workplaces has been suggested both in the UK and Australia.
These workplace issues are in addition to the well-recognised individual risk factors for psychiatric illness, such as a difficult early life, low educational attainment and chronic physical ill health.
We should also remind ourselves that the workless population, especially those recently made unemployed, are at greater risk of psychiatric illness than those in work - psychiatric disorders cluster with other social factors to keep people at the bottom of society.
Although the clamour for greater screening for mental illness at work is understandable, in my opinion it is unlikely that screening per se would have prevented the terrible loss of life on board Flight 9525.
There are better and more cost-effective ways to reduce the impact of mental illness at work.
Greater focus on using our current knowledge to make workplaces healthier, establishing clear confidential pathways for employees to be referred or self-refer if there are concerns about their mental health (such as the Practitioner Health Programme for doctors and dentists), and increasing the proportion of patients able to benefit from both antidepressant medication and talking therapies, all have the potential to improve mental health.
And it shouldn't really take an issue like Germanwings Flight 9525 to remind us how important mental health is for us all.
Dr Max Henderson is a senior lecturer and consultant psychiatrist at King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. | The deaths of 150 people aboard Germanwings flight 9525 was tragic enough, but the possibility that the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane brought a new level of disbelief. | 32735801 |
The Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders also said they would work to boost Scottish Parliament responsibility for social security.
Johann Lamont, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie made the joint declaration.
Scottish ministers argue the nation needs full independence to realise its potential.
Each of the parties has already set out proposals to devolve more power to Holyrood and will promise to act on them, whoever wins the next UK general election.
Scottish Labour's devolution commission said MSPs should be able to vary tax by up to 15p, giving them the option of restoring the 50p rate for top earners.
And it said housing benefit should be devolved to Holyrood, allowing MSPs to scrap the UK government's controversial under occupancy charge, branded the "bedroom tax" by Labour and other critics.
The Scottish Conservatives said Scotland should be given full income tax powers and responsibility on welfare issues which relate to devolved areas, such as housing benefits, and attendance allowance.
The Liberal Democrats want Holyrood to be able to raise and spend most of its own taxes and borrow on its own terms.
In their joint statement, the three party leaders, said: "We support a strong Scottish Parliament in a strong United Kingdom and we support the further strengthening of the parliament's powers.
"The three parties delivered more powers for Holyrood through the Calman Commission which resulted in the Scotland Act 2012.
"We now pledge to further strengthen the powers of the Scottish Parliament, in particular in the areas of fiscal responsibility and social security.
"We believe that Scotland should have a stronger Scottish Parliament while retaining full representation for Scotland at Westminster."
SNP MSP Kenny Gibson said of the joint pledge: "We are better off taking decisions for Scotland in Scotland - and by becoming independent we can apply these benefits to the rest of our national life currently controlled by Westminster, including job-creation, getting rid of nuclear weapons, and representing ourselves in Europe.
"That is the real international outlook for young people and everyone in Scotland - instead of having our horizons limited by Westminster, which doesn't represent Scottish votes or our interests.
"We already know that three-times as many people in Scotland trust the Scottish Parliament, rather than Westminster, to make the right decisions for Scotland - and that is the essence of what a 'Yes' vote is all about." | Scotland's main opposition party leaders have jointly pledged to increase Holyrood fiscal powers in the event of a vote against independence. | 27868030 |
Deryk Alex-Sanders, 81, abused the eight-year-old girl when she visited his home, but the assaults were not revealed for more than 30 years.
Alex-Sanders, of Denys Road, Totnes, admitted three charges of indecent assault.
The pensioner, who is said to be in poor health, was jailed for two years at Exeter Crown Court.
Judge Phillip Wassall said: "The impact of assaults on young children when they are growing up can be buried in their subconscious for many years until something triggers the memory.
"Offences like these change the lives of the victims, although it is clear you do not understand how disastrous they can be.
"You have had 30 years living a good and healthy life while the victim has spent that length of time trying to deal with the consequences of this offence."
The victim revealed the assaults during counselling, the court heard.
Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said Alex-Sanders has a previous conviction for similar assaults on another girl at around the same time, for which he received a nine-month suspended sentence in 1997.
Martin Salloway, mitigating, said Alex-Sanders was now in very poor health which meant any jail sentence would be particularly hard for him to cope with. | A pensioner has been jailed for abusing a girl in the 1980s while they played games and he gave her piggy-back rides. | 32756550 |
The League One side's chairman Lee Power will take over on a temporary basis, reports BBC Wiltshire.
Swindon confirmed Cooper's departure after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Millwall - their eighth successive game without victory.
The Robins are 20th in the table, above the relegation zone only on goal difference and without a win since 5 September.
Cooper had been in charge since August 2013, guiding the club to the play-offs last season where they lost 4-0 to Preston in the final. | Swindon Town have parted company with manager Mark Cooper. | 34564609 |
Consumers would need to enter passwords or codes for online transactions above €10 (£8.50), under anti-fraud plans from the European Banking Authority.
The regulator said it was trying to balance security with convenience.
But payment company Visa said the plans could be "catastrophic", and banks and retailers have expressed concerns.
Shoppers would face disruption, particularly during busy periods such as Black Friday - the annual discount day that falls this week.
One-click shopping and automatic app payments would also effectively be blocked for payments of more than €10, experts said.
Visa warned of "serious disruption" from blocking such express checkouts, which it said now accounted for half of European e-commerce sales.
The damage would be worst in the UK, because online shoppers there were the most prolific in Europe and e-commerce was important for economic growth, it said in a statement.
"We do not normally take such a strong position on regulation," Kevin Jenkins, managing director of Visa UK and Ireland, told the BBC.
"It's just that in this particular instance we feel so strongly that the risk of rushing into legislation, which could take you back 10 or 15 years, is catastrophic," he said.
Visa's chief risk officer for Europe, Peter Bayley, also said there was no evidence the inconvenience would reduce fraud.
The changes are under consultation, and if approved, will come into force during 2018, several months before the UK is expected to leave the European Union.
Most of the responses to the consultation focused on the €10 security checks, Tim Richards, a payments expert at Consult Hyperion, said.
"All the UK banks and payment institutions are working on this. They do not think this is something they can ignore," he added.
A MasterCard spokesman said it was concerned the "overly prescriptive approach of how fraud should be reduced" would undermine the regulator's overall goal.
In its consultation response, Paypal said "unfriendly" security checks would affect "almost any digital payment, regardless of the actual risk posed".
Mr Richards said under the plans, payments above €10 would require proof of at least two of the following:
The European Banking Authority said it had to make a "difficult trade-off" between a high degree of security in retail payments and customer convenience.
"We are currently in the process of assessing whether the trade-offs we made achieve the right balance and which, if any, changes we will need to make before finalising the technical standard and publishing it at the beginning of next year," it said in a statement.
The changes are part of the European Commission's forthcoming Payment Services Directive 2. | EU proposals to make consumers go through extra security checks for many online payments have come under fire from Visa and other payment companies. | 38065768 |
The social network said it would no longer notify members who had been added to lists by other users.
But it was hit with a number of complaints from users, saying the change only buried abuse and limited an otherwise useful feature.
Twitter described the change as a "mis-step".
The social network lets members compile lists of people they follow, such as "friends I've met", "celebrities" or "video gamers".
Members are notified when they are added to a list, so some people abuse the feature by adding members to mean-spirited lists.
On Monday, Twitter's safety team tweeted that members would no longer be notified if added to a list.
But users pointed out that the change simply buried abuse, and made it harder for members to know if they had been added to an abusive list.
"Critical for people to know if they've been added to a list intended for targets. This is blinding the vulnerable," tweeted SwiftOnSecurity.
"The correct approach is to allow people to remove themselves from lists or do it upon blocking the owner."
Twitter reversed the decision two hours later, with Ed Ho, the company's vice president of engineering tweeting: "Reconsidered and reversing."
The social network has been heavily criticised for the amount of harassment on its platform.
On 7 February it announced a raft of changes to tackle abuse, including hiding tweets judged to be "low quality". | Twitter has reversed one of the changes it made to tackle bullying on the platform, just two hours after rolling it out. | 38967238 |
The NWA biopic, produced by Dr Dre and Ice Cube, took £2.49m in its opening weekend.
The movie made a surprise opening at the top of the US box office with takings of $56.1m (£35.8m) in it's first weekend two weeks ago.
It had only been expected to make half that figure.
The film tells the story of the band's rise to fame and takes its title from their debut album, released in 1988.
Another new release Hitman: Agent 47, a video game adaptation starring British actor Rupert Friend as an assassin, entered the chart in third place taking £961,411.
Critically acclaimed drama 45 Years starring Charlotte Rampling and Sir Tom Courtney debuted in tenth position, taking £331, 196.
The film about a couple in the days leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary has won awards at the Berlin Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Disney Pixar's Inside Out remains at the number two spot in the UK box office, taking £1.19m. It is in its sixth week in the top ten.
Last week's top film Pixels has fallen to fifth place taking £664,728. | Rap movie Straight Outta Compton has followed its US success and opened at number one at the UK box office. | 34128928 |
Paterson, 59, who was found guilty in April, carried out "completely unnecessary" operations.
Since then, a legal firm is considering 103 more cases on top of 350 due to be heard at the High Court.
Spire Healthcare, which runs two of the hospitals, said it was supporting affected patients.
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Paterson was employed by the NHS at the Heart of England Trust, based in and around Birmingham, as well as doing operations at the Spire's Little Aston and Parkway hospitals in the West Midlands.
The NHS trust has paid out £17.8m in damages and legal costs after Paterson was found to have carried out hundreds of unnecessary operations.
He was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent, relating to nine women and one man and is due to be sentenced later this month.
In October, 350 private patients who had unnecessary operations will seek compensation at the High Court.
Linda Millband, medical negligence specialist at Thompsons Solicitors who is leading on the civil claims said: "Over the weeks we have received more and more calls from ex-private patients of Paterson."
The firm said the majority of the 103 new cases would be pursued if the lead case in October is successful.
Spire Healthcare said independent medical consultants had reviewed Mr Paterson's patient notes.
"Where there was potential concern, patients were invited to attend a recall appointment with a consultant to review their treatment and where further treatment or surveillance was advised this was arranged.
"Whenever a patient contacted us with concerns about treatment from Mr Paterson, they were offered this face-to-face consultation, regardless of the outcome of the medical records review.
"We have also provided counselling services for patients in order to offer appropriate psychological support." | More than 100 people treated by shamed breast surgeon Ian Paterson have come forward since he was convicted of intentionally wounding patients. | 39977269 |
Doug Richard, 57, allegedly paid for the girl and her 15-year-old friend to travel from Norwich in January 2015.
The jury was told he took them to a Bishopsgate flat, where he spanked the younger girl and had sex with her.
He denies sexual activity with a minor and paying a child for sex.
Mr Richard, a US citizen who lives in Islington, north London, says the sex was consensual and that he "reasonably believed" the girl was over 16.
He gave a total of £480 to the teenager and her friend, which he says was for "travel expenses".
Prosecutor Gino Connor told the jury how Mr Richard met the girl through a US website where he listed his profile as a "sugar daddy", while 13-year-old called herself a "sugar baby".
During an iChat exchange retrieved from his laptop, the defendant asked her for a "revealing" photograph on her hands and knees.
"You are my new daddy I will do anything to keep you happy," the girl replied.
They arranged to meet and Mr Richard made a payment of £120 through PayPal, the court heard.
The girls travelled to Liverpool Street station on the morning of 2 January, where they met Mr Richard in a nearby cafe.
He asked their ages and they told him they were 16 and 17, the court heard.
Police were alerted after the mother of the older girl noticed a PayPal deposit in her bank account.
An examination of the 13-year-old on 4 January indicted she had suffered an injury that could have been caused by sex.
Mr Richard was arrested the following day at the Lord Milner Hotel in Belgravia.
The court heard he reacted by saying: "As you can see I am in a lot of trouble."
The trial continues. | A former Dragons' Den star paid a 13-year-old girl for sex in a rented London apartment after meeting her on a "sugar daddy" website, the Old Bailey has heard. | 35403375 |
The fund was a government project to develop Malaysia's economy, but the Department of Justice (DoJ) has alleged that vast amounts of the fund's money was actually spent by a few individuals on luxury assets around the world. Officials at 1MDB have denied any wrongdoing.
Here are some of the ways the US says the money was spent.
The DoJ alleged that $380m was spent on a stake in the Park Lane, a luxury hotel overlooking Central Park in New York.
Another property, Park Laurel Condo, also in New York, cost $33.5m at purchase, the US claims.
Walker Tower Penthouse and Time Warner Penthouse were purchased for $50.9m and $30.5m respectively.
The Viceroy L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles was also on the list, purchased for $44.8m, the US alleges.
A mansion in Beverly Hills with a pool curved around and it and tiered gardens was valued at $31m at purchase.
And the DoJ says $41.8m was spent on a secluded townhouse in the London's upmarket Belgravia area.
The US says 1MDB spent $100m on Red Granite Pictures, the studio backing the The Wolf of Wall Street - a film about corruption and greed. The production company was co-founded by Riza Aziz, stepson of the Mr Najib.
A Bombardier Global 5000 private jet was purchased for a reported $35.4m.
Vincent Van Gogh's La Maison de Vincent à Arles, a pen and ink drawing by the Dutch post-impressionist, was picked up for $5.5m, the DoJ said.
Oscar-Claude Monet's Nymphéas Avec Reflets de Hautes Herbes, an oil painting was worth $57.5m at purchase.
Monet's Saint-Georges Majeur au Crépuscule was bought for $35m.
Source: US Department of Justice | US authorities have said they plan to seize more than $1bn (£761m) in assets allegedly bought with funds diverted from Malaysia's government investment fund, 1MDB. | 36852762 |
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said it was too risky, and claims of up to 6,000 jobs were "overstated".
Michael Carrick said none of the government's reasons for rejecting the racetrack were raised during 28 meetings with civil servants.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said the matter had been handled "by the book".
The developers of Circuit of Wales wanted a guarantee to underwrite the cost of the £433m motor racing track and leisure scheme in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent. But Welsh Government said there was a risk ministers would end up with taking on £373m in debt.
The scheme received £9m in public money from the Welsh Government before ministers decided on Tuesday not to offer further support.
Instead, Mr Skates set out plans to invest £100m in a new business park close to the site of the proposed circuit which it believes could attract 1,500 jobs.
Mr Carrick said of the Welsh Government: "They have not shared their concerns with us. After 28 meetings [in the last year], none of these points were communicated to us."
He claimed that without the construction of a racetrack with testing facilities, the government would struggle to attract companies to Blaenau Gwent.
"They have picked these job figures on the back of a fag packet. It is nonsense," he said of the business park idea.
"We have had seven years of due diligence and evidence. If they think companies are simply going to come without any other reason then they are wrong.
"The question on the automotive park is what diligence has the government done?
"What feasibilities studies have they undertaken before committing £100m?"
Mr Carrick said no final decision had been made about whether to continue to pursue the project without government support.
He said a number of senior members of the team at the Heads of the Valleys Development Company were due to lose their houses in the wake of the decision, and more than £50m committed to the project by dozens of companies had been put at risk.
Meanwhile First Minister Carwyn Jones has defended the Welsh Government's handling of the Circuit of Wales project.
"I wanted to see it work," he told BBC TV's The Wales Report programme.
"What I wanted to do was to give every single opportunity for the Circuit of Wales to come up with scheme that would work as far as the taxpayer was concerned.
"If we are going to be accused of anything, then perhaps it's being too open to giving them that opportunity but I wanted that opportunity to be there and unfortunately it didn't work out."
The Welsh Labour leader claimed the government had handled Circuit of Wales "by the book" and had "properly protected the tax-payer".
"The circuit itself would have provided only around 100 full-time jobs," he said.
"The thousands of jobs would have been created in the technology park which we are now going ahead with."
"We are confident that we can create most of the jobs that the circuit would have created in any event."
Ian Price, director of business organisation CBI Wales, said he supported the "very, very difficult decision" and denied suggestions that it would damage Wales' reputation as a place to do business.
The Wales Report, BBC One Wales, Wednesday 22:40 BST | The founder of the Circuit of Wales project has criticised the Welsh Government's refusal to back the scheme, claiming it misled his company. | 40434233 |
Javed Hotak said he was sent death threats by the Taliban and feared for his life if the Home Office sent him back to Afghanistan.
He has been living illegally in Birmingham while he makes a third claim to stay.
The Home Office said all asylum cases were considered on individual merits.
Latest reaction plus more Birmingham stories
Documents seen by the BBC relating to one of Mr Hotak's failed asylum claims show the Home Office disputes the threats to his life are genuine.
Mr Hotak said he was a soldier and interpreter for two years with the SBS (Special Boat Service) and the SAS, operating as a "quick reaction force" attacking Taliban compounds, including in Helmand and Kandahar.
But three years after British troops withdrew from the country, he said he now "feels ashamed" and regretted working with them.
Lord Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, who has campaigned on behalf of Afghan interpreters, said it would be "shameful" if the British government deported him.
"That will be an appalling act by our government and... it will be ministers of the Crown and the government [to blame], and what is, I think, an act which is as shameful as any I can remember of the British government."
He said they were relied upon by troops and it was just "common sense" and an "honourable act" by the UK to give the interpreters refuge if they had been threatened by the Taliban.
Mr Hotak's first claim for asylum was rejected by the Home Office in 2011 after he arrived in the UK - via the Jungle in Calais - in a lorry two years earlier.
After the Iraq war, the British government gave Iraqi interpreters either one-off financial assistance or exceptional indefinite leave to remain in the UK with help to relocate, or the opportunity to resettle.
Mr Hotak said he was angry his military service had not helped him.
Relying on friends for accommodation, he said he was suffering, not able to live a life.
He said: "You call them heroes. We saved your heroes.
"We interpreted for them. They just used us and leave us.
"If you cannot take the responsibility, don't send your troops.
"Maybe we work for somebody else, now we would be safe."
The Ministry of Defence said 360 former staff, mostly interpreters and their families, had so far been relocated to the UK.
It added: "We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave locally-employed civilians who played such a pivotal role in helping our troops build a more secure Afghanistan."
A UK government spokesperson said: "All asylum cases are carefully considered on their individual merits and based on evidence provided by the applicant.
"While we cannot comment on this specific case, all asylum claims are carefully considered on their individual merits and based on evidence provided by the applicant."
The government said its Locally Employed Civilian (LEC) Assurance Committee was now working with one former Afghan interpreter in the UK to ensure that any Afghan staff who feel threatened after being employed by the British military get support in the UK and Kabul. | An Afghan who says he was an interpreter with British forces says the government has committed a great injustice by not granting him asylum. | 38957928 |
Women in England will be able to get Kadcyla through the Cancer Drugs Fund, but the price tag per patient - £90,000 at full cost - is too high to widen access, say the draft NICE guidelines.
NICE criticised manufacturer Roche for not making it more affordable.
Roche says discussions are continuing, meaning a resolution is still possible.
Kadcyla can add about six months of life to women with incurable disease.
It is used to treat people with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and cannot be surgically removed.
Roche, recently agreed a significant price discount with NHS England to stop the drug being taken off the Cancer Drugs Fund - a special fund set up by the government to help people in England access costly cancer drugs that are not routinely available on the NHS.
But the Swiss pharmaceutical company offered a different, smaller discount to NICE for regular NHS use of Kadcyla (Trastuzumab Emtansine) in England and Wales.
NICE says this undisclosed figure is still too high to justify against the drug's clinical merits.
Any person currently receiving the treatment can continue until they and their doctor consider it appropriate to stop, however.
Kadcyla is not available on the NHS in Scotland either.
Sir Andrew Dillon, NICE chief executive, said: "We recognise that Kadcyla has a place in treating some patients with advanced breast cancer, and we have been as flexible as we can in making our recommendation. However, the price that the manufacturer is asking the NHS to pay in the long term is too high."
Roche and other consultees now have until November 17 to challenge the draft guidance.
Roche said: "We need a unified approach, and, moving forward, it is imperative that we work together to build a pragmatic, flexible and sustainable system for assessing medicines that prioritises clinical value. Only then will we be able to ensure the best outcomes for people with cancer in the UK.
"This announcement comes less than two weeks after Kadcyla was retained on the Cancer Drugs Fund. Roche has demonstrated that, when given the opportunity to come to the table with all parties, we can come to an agreement and do the right thing for patients."
Dr Caitlin Barrand, from the charity Breast Cancer Now, said the news was hugely disappointing.
"It's time that the prime minister showed real leadership on this issue," she said.
"People living with incurable cancer don't have time to lose, and a fairer, more flexible system that enables access to the best treatments available on a routine, UK-wide basis is long overdue."
The Cancer Drugs Fund is due to end in March 2016. The government says a replacement is likely to be brought in from April 2016, although there are no details yet. | A life-extending breast cancer drug will not be routinely offered on the NHS in England and Wales because it is still too expensive, says a watchdog. | 34831197 |
Maisie had been in a neighbouring field when she got through a gate in Heyshott, West Sussex, and wandered onto the green plastic cover.
She fell in to the water, and fire crews arrived to find her "well and truly stuck" in the pool.
Specialist equipment was used to lift bedraggled Maisie out.
Once safely back on firm ground, she was left in the care of her owners and a vet.
She had wandered onto the green plastic cover thinking it was grass, crew commander Adrian Kirkpatrick said.
Mr Kirkpatrick, of the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said Maisie was taken to a stable, where hay was placed under horse blankets to warm her up.
He said it was one of the first times the specialist all-terrain vehicle used to rescue her had been deployed. | A horse which fell into a swimming pool after mistaking its protective cover for a patch of grass has been winched to safety. | 32167970 |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also held 16 private bank workers for the "mega scam".
The suspects stole "tonnes of defaced naira notes", which were meant to be destroyed, it said on its website.
Newly-installed Nigerian President Muhammudu Buhari has pledged to make tackling corruption a priority.
The arrests were made last week, before the president's official swearing-in ceremony, and so should not be seen as part of Mr Buhari's promised clampdown on corruption, reports the BBC's Will Ross from Lagos.
The move is more likely to be a show of strength from the EFCC, in an attempt to prove its relevance, our correspondent adds.
The Central Bank says it uncovered the problem during an internal audit and handed over the staff to the EFCC.
The suspects allegedly filled boxes supposed to contain damaged currency with bits of newspaper cut into the shape of naira notes, before sending them to branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria for destruction, according to the EFCC.
The actual banknotes were held back so that they could be reused, it adds.
The EFCC suspects the scam of incinerating newspaper instead of old notes has been going on for years and has been on such a scale it has put inflationary pressure on the economy.
Many analysts say the EFCC has been extremely weak when it comes to fighting corruption as low-ranking officials tend to be investigated rather than so-called big fish who appear untouchable, our correspondent says.
The suspects are to make their first appearances at the federal court in the city of Ibadan on Tuesday. | Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has arrested six senior central bank officials over an alleged $33m (£21m) currency fraud. | 32958635 |
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