document
stringlengths 0
39k
| summary
stringlengths 1
329
| id
stringlengths 8
8
|
|---|---|---|
Here BBC Wales examines how the allegations first came to light and how they were handled by the authorities.
Even before a major police investigation in 1991, there had been growing concern about allegations of abuse in children's homes across north Wales.
Care workers in the former county of Clwyd had been convicted of sex abuse as long ago as 1976.
In 1986, Alison Taylor, head of a children's home in Gwynedd, approached a local councillor about alleged assaults against children in care.
A police investigation followed but the CPS said no criminal proceedings would be justified.
Ms Taylor was sacked but she continued to make a noise, taking her concerns to government and the media.
Over the next few years, she compiled a dossier detailing complaints relating to children in care in Gwynedd and Clwyd. In June 1991, she presented it to Clwyd County Council.
This, coupled with the fact that between 1987 and 1991, three men had been jailed for sex offences against children in care in Clwyd, prompted the council to act.
It wrote to North Wales Police requesting an investigation, which was later extended to children's homes in Gwynedd.
Between 1991 and 1993, North Wales Police took 3,500 statements from about 2,500 potential witnesses.
The police recommended 20 suspects should be prosecuted.
In the end only eight former care workers were charged.
Seven were convicted, including the former deputy head of Bryn Estyn, Peter Howarth, who died three years into a 10-year jail sentence and John Allen, founder of the Bryn Alyn Community of private residential schools, who was sent to prison for six years.
Meanwhile, Ms Taylor campaigned for a public inquiry; questions were asked in the House of Commons and speculation over more widespread abuse continued.
In 1994 Clwyd County Council commissioned former Derbyshire social services chief John Jillings to conduct an internal investigation.
The so-called Jilllings report was completed in 1996 but it was shelved on the advice of lawyers, for fear it might prompt libel actions and a rash of compensation claims.
The 300-page report was eventually published - in a redacted form - in 2013, following a Freedom of Information request by the BBC.
It noted evidence of "extensive" abuse taking place over "a substantial number of years".
There was also criticism of how the authorities had dealt with complaints of abuse, branding their response "too little and too late".
In May 1995, while the ill-fated Jillings report was still being compiled, the Welsh Office appointed Nicola Davies QC to conduct a separate investigation into the abuse allegations and to examine the need for a full judicial inquiry.
Seven months later, she concluded that such an inquiry would not be in the public interest.
But she did recommend that a detailed examination of the practices and procedures of the social services departments in Clwyd and Gwynedd should take place.
The subsequent report - written by former Birmingham social services director Adrienne Jones and published in 1996 - revealed further failures in child protection.
Declaring that the Government was "determined that there should be no cover-up of events in the past" the then Welsh Secretary William Hague announced a full public inquiry.
High Court Judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse was put in charge.
The £13m inquiry took evidence from more than 650 people.
Its report, "Lost In Care" was finally published in 2000, three years after it began.
It contained 700 allegations of abuse involving 170 individuals.
Sir Ronald found there had been "appalling mistreatment" of children over a period of 20 years.
The report found that a paedophile ring did exist in the Wrexham and Chester areas, with adult men targeting boys in their mid-teens, particularly those in care.
But it said the inquiry had had seen no evidence that prominent public figures were involved in the ring.
Sir Ronald also said Alison Taylor's allegations were "substantially vindicated" and noted that without her complaints, there would not have been any inquiry into the alleged abuse of children in care in Gwynedd.
A total of 72 recommendations were made as a result of the inquiry.
These included the creation of Wales's first Children's Commissioner - which took place in 2001, the implementation of whistle-blowing procedures, allowing social workers to visit children in their care every eight weeks and a nationwide review of the needs and costs of children's services.
The Waterhouse report was supposed to draw a line under events which blighted the lives of so many young people.
But even at the time, critics said its remit was too limited.
The major concern lay with an order which banned the identification of 28 alleged abusers.
Clwyd South MP Martyn Jones called the report a "whitewash".
More than a decade later, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, allegations of a cover-up emerged once again, when former Bryn Estyn resident Steve Messham said the full scale of the abuse was not uncovered by the Waterhouse report.
Previously abusers identified by Mr Messham had been convicted for their offences.
In November 2012 a Newsnight programme reported him saying that a Conservative politician from the Thatcher era abused him a number of times.
Although not named by the programme, this led to incorrect speculation on the internet that the man in question was former Tory treasurer Lord McAlpine.
The peer denied the reports describing them "wholly false and seriously defamatory".
Mr Messham later said police at the time had showed him a picture of his abuser but incorrectly told him the man was Lord McAlpine.
The BBC issued an unreserved apology for the Newsnight report which led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly implicated in the alleged abuse.
Director General George Entwistle resigned as a result of the error.
In the wake of these fresh claims and the suggestion of an establishment cover-up, Home Secretary Theresa May announced two new inquiries.
One was the Macur review - its remit was to look at the scope of the Waterhouse Inquiry and determine whether any specific allegations of child abuse falling within the inquiry's terms of reference were not investigated.
The other was Operation Pallial, an independent National Crime Agency investigation charged with looking into new allegations and reviewing the historic police investigations.
To date, Operation Pallial has been contacted by 334 people about child abuse in north Wales.
Seven people have been convicted to date, including Bryn Alyn boss John Allen, who was jailed for life, and five members of a predatory paedophile ring, who received a total of 43 years in jail.
A total 102 complaints are being actively investigated and two more trials have been set for 2016, with further trials expected to follow. | The Macur review is the latest in a long line of inquiries, reports and investigations into sexual and physical abuse at north Wales children's homes in the 1970s and 80s. | 35502574 |
Sonya Macdonald, 25, from Crieff, was originally given a non-custodial sentence for stealing from a TK Maxx store in Perth on 19 November 2014.
She returned to court to ask for a jail term after relapsing into drug use.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: "In light of the position stated, I will grant your wish and revoke the order."
Macdonald's solicitor Paul Parker-Smith had told the court: "She is asking the court to revoke the order and impose a custodial sentence instead.
"She has relapsed into drug misuse and much to her credit she contacted my office to say she was finding it hard to cope with the order.
"She is concerned she may, without appropriate assistance, revert to her old ways and she does not want to do that. Her request is to revoke the order and impose the alternative appropriate sentence."
Macdonald was previously placed on a curfew for six months after stealing wallets from men while she kissed them in a nightclub.
She was also jailed for five months in January 2015 after mugging a woman at a cash machine 10 minutes after being freed on bail. | A shoplifter has been jailed for 75 days after she asked a sheriff to scrap her community service order and send her to prison instead. | 37306596 |
Robinson's side trailed 19-0 at half-time on Saturday but scored 14 points without reply after the break.
It was not enough to avoid a sixth loss from six games since returning to the top flight, but gave Robinson hope.
"In that second half, you saw us really get into the fight. We attacked really well," he told BBC Radio Bristol.
"What it highlights is that we do have the ability to compete.
"We need to really get in the fight straight away in games, and then stay in the fight.
"It looks like we're sitting back first, waiting to see what the opposition are going to do, and then it's too late."
Bristol - who won promotion back to the Premiership last season - are the only side still yet to win this term, but have played four of the teams currently in the top six.
Their losing bonus point at Falcons took their tally for the season up to two points but they remain bottom of the table.
"That is quite pleasing, that we got something out of it," former England and Scotland coach Robinson added. "This tournament is about points accumulation." | Bristol director of rugby Andy Robinson felt their second-half fight-back in a 19-14 loss at Newcastle Falcons showed they can compete in the Premiership. | 37598536 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, who rode for Team Sky until he was sacked for a doping violation in 2014, says the matter has tainted the outfit's image.
Wiggins was granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to take triamcinolone before his 2012 Tour de France win.
TUEs let athletes take prohibited substances if there is a medical need.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, Tiernan-Locke - once tipped as a possible heir to Wiggins - claims Sky have been less than transparent about the use of TUEs.
Tiernan-Locke, now 31, also discusses his own troubles, insisting he is "100%" innocent of doping despite being handed a two-year ban for irregularities in his blood passport.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Tiernan-Locke said the matter of Wiggins' TUEs - he also took anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 Tour and the 2013 Giro d'Italia - "definitely looks odd".
He added: "I don't want to insinuate anything, but the timing doesn't look great. You assume if you had a need for such a thing it would be consistent throughout his career, that you'd use it year in year out, so from that point of view it looks suspicious.
"But from the other perspective, we've got a guy who's favourite for the general classification in these big races, so for a team like Sky who are so thorough, they don't want to leave anything to chance so why risk these allergies derailing their best-laid plans, so I understand it."
Tiernan-Locke is the first former Team Sky insider to speak out about the controversy.
Wiggins' use of the substance has come under scrutiny following revelations made by computer hackers known as the Fancy Bears, who are thought to be from Russia.
The cyber-espionage group accessed the private medical data of some of the world's leading athletes from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Wiggins' TUEs were approved by British authorities, and cycling's world governing body the UCI. There is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or Team Sky, his former team, have broken any rules.
Questions have been raised over why Wiggins apparently did not need the drug before 2011, or after 2013.
But Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford has defended his former rider, saying the medication was recommended by a specialist and that Team Sky "do not cross the line" over performance-enhancing drugs.
Media playback is not supported on this device
When asked if Team Sky has been tainted, Tiernan-Locke said: "That's a difficult one. For me, not personally. What Bradley won in the run up to that 2012 Tour de France win I personally believe it's a case of preventing anything that might have derailed their plans, but I do think they have become tainted.
"People I have spoken to, out of training, it has kind of tainted their image somewhat. I think their modus operandi was to put things out in the public domain and look transparent and not have anything to hide. It's somewhat less than transparent."
Tiernan-Lock continues to insist he is innocent after he became the first British athlete to be sanctioned on the basis of abnormal blood values in his biological passport.
He insisted the discrepancy was not related to doping but was because he was dehydrated after getting drunk with his girlfriend to celebrate his move to Team Sky.
But a UK Anti-Doping panel found him guilty of using the banned blood-booster EPO and he was sacked by Team Sky.
Tiernan-Locke, who rose to prominence in 2012 when he won the Tour of Britain when riding for the Endura team, also claimed that when competing for Great Britain in 2012, he was offered a legal but controversial painkiller.
"There was a time I rode the World Championships and we were offered a painkiller called Tramadol. I wasn't in any pain so I didn't need to take it, and that was offered freely around. It just didn't sit well with me at the time. I thought, 'I'm not in any pain', why would I want a painkiller?'"
Tramadol has been on Wada's 'monitoring list' for several years, and concerns have been raised about possible side-effects, such as drowsiness potentially contributing to crashes.
Cycling's world governing body the UCI has pushed for it to be banned by Wada.
British Cycling says the doctor concerned denies Tiernan-Locke's claim.
Speaking at his parents' home in Cornwall where he now lives, Tiernan-Locke said he aims to return to racing early next year.
"I'm not someone who is just going to cancel life and not move on. It's just about picking up the pieces and rebuilding," he said.
"It's such a lifestyle shift, I haven't been used to over the last couple of years. Disowning cycling, kind of being bitter about it to just embracing.
"In 2014 when the decision was made [to ban him], that was really difficult. I just wanted to go to bed and not get back out.
"I'd put so much hope in the result that I'd get cleared and be racing again, so that that was a bitter pill to swallow. But time has kind of healed that. I didn't touch a bike for ages, I thought I was done with it. Now I'm trying to put something back into the sport again." | Team Sky's stance in allowing Sir Bradley Wiggins to take a banned drug to treat his asthma has been questioned by one of their former riders. | 37577688 |
Trevor Gibbon stabbed Alison Morrison 33 times before fleeing the scene in Harrow, north-west London.
She named him as she lay dying in the street in December.
Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Timothy Pontius said the murder "robbed a close-knit family of a devoted and caring wife, mother, sister and aunt."
The judge, who described the killing as "brutal", added: "This was not a frenzied loss of control on the defendant's part but a merciless act of vengeance indubitably with the intent to kill Alison Morrison in the forefront of his mind."
He said victim impact statements made clear how devastating her death had been for her husband Cedric and their son.
Mr Morrison had told the court: "A bright light has been extinguished forever."
Gibbon, from Windsor Crescent, Harrow, denied murder but admitted the killing on the basis that he was "suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning".
The jury rejected his defence and he was convicted of murder.
The court heard that the day before the killing Gibbon, 48, admitted harassing the family and was given a restraining order.
He had armed himself with two knives and ambushed Mrs Morrison from behind as she made her way to work as a senior manager at Which? the jury was told.
As she lay dying in the street near her home, Mrs Morrison, 45, told residents who went to help her: "Trevor Gibbon did this to me."
Gibbon fled the scene in his car but was picked up in Lincolnshire.
The court heard the trouble dated back to 2011 when Mrs Morrison, her husband Cedric and their teenage son moved next door to Gibbon and his partner.
Gibbon complained about the noise from her son's skateboard before embarking upon a long campaign of harassment.
Mrs Morrison reported the harassment to the council and police and, in the days before she was killed, described in a written statement shown to the jury how "it got so bad" that she could not sleep properly and "felt it would never end".
Ch Supt Simon Ovens, who worked with Mrs Morrison when she volunteered with the local police, said: "Nothing can bring back Alison Morrison or make up for her loss, but I am pleased today that the man responsible for her death has been brought to justice.
"We all continue to miss Alison a great deal but her many friends and colleagues in the police and our partners will take solace from today's decision by the jury." | A man who murdered his neighbour in "a merciless act of vengeance" after a campaign of harassment has been jailed for 28 years. | 33324781 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Shane McGuigan fired in the opening two goals at the Athletic Grounds before Francis Kearney and Paddy Quigg netted.
St Pat's led 4-4 to 0-5 at the break and St Paul's improved in the second half with Shea Loye hitting the net.
The gap was reduced to six points but St Pat's sealed victory with a late Conal Darragh penalty.
It was a third MacRory triumph for the Derry school in the four years and 15th in total.
McGuigan and Kearney produced a superb spell early in the match with the St Paul's defence unable to stop the big St Pat's duo.
St Paul's slotted over the opening two points of the second half followed by Loye's goal, but the Armagh teenagers failed to mount a serious fightback.
St Pat's forward and man-of-the match Patrick Kearney said: "At the start of the campaign we we written off but we knew we could go far.
"We moved the ball quickly at the start and they couldn't handle Shane McGuigan and Francis Kearney.
"We can definitely go on to win the Hogan Cup but we just want to want to enjoy this first." | A four-goal blitz in the first 18 minutes helped St Pat's Maghera to a 5-7 to 1-9 win over St Paul's Bessbrook in the MacRory Cup final. | 35834683 |
The six-mile march from central Belfast to Stormont marked the 100th anniversary of the Ulster Covenant, to oppose Home Rule for Ireland in 1912.
There was no trouble at a contentious feeder parade past a north Belfast Catholic church on Saturday morning.
It was the biggest policing operation in the city in 20 years.
A century ago, the signing of the document laid the foundations for the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland a decade later.
Northern Ireland's Parades Commission, which makes determinations on contentious marches, had placed restrictions on the part of the route past St Patrick's Church on Donegall Street.
By Mark SimpsonBBC Ireland Correspondent
The huge security operation surrounding the Ulster Covenant parade went better than anyone dared to hope.
Yes, there were some unsavoury incidents, but no-one was injured and the vast majority of the 30,000-strong marchers behaved impeccably.
The nationalist protesters had their say. The unionist marchers enjoyed their big day.
Much of the credit must go to the police. For the 10-year-old Police Service of Northern Ireland, this was their finest hour.
Parade bodes well for centenaries
Mark Simpson on Twitter
What was the Ulster Covenant?
A representative of a nationalist residents group which had contested the ruling said he was glad it had passed off without incident, but claimed the Parades Commission's determination had been breached.
"With one band in particular, the bass drummer danced outside St Patrick's and nobody can work out what type of hymn that was," said Frank Dempsey of the Carrick Hill Residents Association.
"The minute they passed the church, a number of bands reverted to playing (Orange Order song) the Sash and clearly broke the restriction."
The commission also placed the sacred music restriction on bands passing St Matthew's Catholic Church on the Newtownards Road, in the east of the city.
However, this was breached by some bands who played the Sash as they passed the church.
A Parades Commission spokesman said: "Any breach of a determination is a matter for the police to investigate and those involved could be liable to prosecution.
"The commission will take previous behaviour and any breaches into account in reaching future decisions."
The police said evidence had been gathered on Saturday during the parade and said if people had breached the law then they would be reported to the Public Prosecution Service.
The senior officer in charge of the police operation, Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr, said the aim had been "primarily to ensure the safety of everyone involved".
"The day passed off in relative peace and calm," he said.
"I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of those involved in the hard work behind the scenes over recent weeks, and right up to this evening, to make this possible.
"These very real efforts, made by community representatives and Loyal Orders, supported by their political representatives, show a real willingness to achieve local resolutions.
"Hopefully this will create a more positive platform for dealing with sensitive parades in 2013."
He said a "significant police presence" would remain on duty throughout the weekend to provide "reassurance and support" to local communities.
Up to 30,000 people from eight loyal orders were taking part in the events, including a religious service and celebration at Stormont.
Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said: "Just as back in 1912, people set aside any differences that they might have within the unionist community, today we're not here as Ulster Unionists or TUV or DUP, we're here simply as unionists."
The DUP leader added: "It's good to get a sense of the occasion that there must have been 100 years ago, and we have a real expectation that this will be an enjoyable day for all who are taking part in it."
Earlier on Saturday, thousands paraded through Sandy Row in south Belfast, many wearing traditional dress, reminiscent of 1912.
The leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Billy Hutchinson, addressed the crowd. He told them to "march with pride, march with the wind of history at their back and the spirit of the Ulster Covenant at their core".
Among those at the Stormont event was BNP leader Nick Griffin, who was handing out leaflets.
The feeder parade from Carlisle Circus in north Belfast included 14 bands and six lodges, amounting to around 2,000 people in total.
Part of their route was past St Patrick's Catholic Church on Donegall Street where there has been controversy and violence associated with parades during the summer.
The Parades Commission has ruled that only hymn music is to be played as bands pass the church and has limited any nationalist protest to 150 people.
Last month, seven police officers were injured when trouble broke out after several loyalist bands defied a Parades Commission ruling by playing music as they marched past the church.
The Royal Black Institution, which had organised the 25 August parade, later apologised "for any offence caused" to clergy and parishioners at St Patrick's.
In an open letter, it said its anger was not directed at the Catholic church.
On the Stormont estate, there were a number of covenant exhibitions and displays, and events included performances from the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra, the Bright Lights Highland Dancers and the County Antrim Fife and Drum.
Ahead of Saturday's events, the Orange Order said it was expecting a "fun-filled" day.
Dr David Hume, the Order's director of services, said: "This will be a major event and a family day for enjoyment and celebration. We look forward to welcoming people from across Northern Ireland and beyond."
The main parade included members of the loyal orders from England, Scotland and the Irish Republic. | Thousands of people have taken part in commemorations in Belfast to mark one of the most significant dates in unionist history. | 19769191 |
Davies, 34, and midfielder Hollands, 30, are out of contract this summer and talks have started to re-sign the pair.
"It has to be the right deal for both the players and the club," Catlin told BBC Radio Solent. "We'll only get that deal when it suits both parties.
"They're both great lads who've had great seasons for us."
Pompey missed out on promotion from League Two following a play-off semi-final defeat by Plymouth.
Catlin said any new deals for Davies and Hollands would have to fit within the football budget.
"You can't be sentimental in football," he said. "You have to move forward and look to improve next season.
"I'm not saying that signing Ben and Danny wouldn't improve us but, financially, we've got a strict budget and it's whether or not we can accommodate them." | Portsmouth will not "break the bank" in their attempts to keep defender Ben Davies and midfielder Danny Hollands, says chief executive Mark Catlin. | 36367676 |
High winds have been causing travel problems around the region and tidal surges have led to flooding.
Morning rush hour traffic was disrupted when a lorry was blown over on to a car on Newcastle's Redheugh Bridge.
A plane, diverted to Newcastle because of strong winds, was struck by lightning as it approached the airport.
Easyjet said the Bristol to Edinburgh flight was "equipped to safely withstand lightning and at no point was the safety of the flight compromised".
BBC Weather presenters said 106mph winds were recorded on the North Pennines and 75mph gusts at Boulmer, Northumberland.
The National Glass Centre in Sunderland and adjacent university buildings were evacuated amid fears the River Wear was about to burst its banks.
People have been warned to stay away from coastal promenades and quayside areas.
Earlier about 11,000 properties in Seaham, County Durham, lost power for a time, and there were many reports of trees down across the area.
During the morning, train operator East Coast suspended services north of Newcastle and said no alternative road transport was possible.
It said high winds had left fallen trees and other debris on the track.
A number of roads were also totally or partially closed, the Highways Agency said.
DFDS Seaways said one of its ferries had been unable to dock because of the wind and had to be held off the coast at North Shields for two hours. | Newcastle Crown Court had to be evacuated after the River Tyne burst its banks, leaving stretches of the city's quayside under water. | 25231342 |
After becoming the new leader of the SNP in October last year, Nicola Sturgeon predicted that her party would hold the "balance of power".
Polls have suggested Scottish Labour will lose seats to the Nationalists.
Mr Murphy told BBC Radio Scotland that his party was not planning for a Labour/SNP deal.
However, UK Labour leader Ed Miliband has not directly ruled out post-election talks with the SNP.
During an appearance on the Andrew Marr show he was asked repeatedly if he would enter into an agreement with Ms Sturgeon.
Mr Miliband said a majority government was "what was needed" for the country but he did not reject the suggestion there could be a vote-sharing deal with the pro-Scottish independence party.
Separately, Scottish Labour deputy leader Kezia Dugdale has said she would have "no qualms whatsoever" about working with the SNP, prompting Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Ms Davidson to claim the SNP and Labour were "already halfway down the aisle" to forming a new government.
Mr Murphy was asked about the future role of the SNP in Westminster politics in the latest of a series of pre-election interviews with Scottish party leaders on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme.
The MP said: "We are planning for a Labour majority. We are going to go out and try to hold all the seats we have in Scotland and ensure that we get rid of David Cameron.
"The fact is that nothing in life do you plan to lose, or come second. Even when my football team is plating Barcelona I don't always accept that coming second - and David Cameron aint no Lionel Messi, so I think we can beat him.
"I am confident that we can win and as I said we are not planning, expecting or wanting a coalition - we want to win that election."
Scotland's party leaders have been setting out their UK election prospects in a series of BBC interviews.
Mr Murphy has set his sights on winning the votes of Scottish independence supporters at the general election, insisting Labour's temporary alignment with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats under the "Better Together" banner during the referendum campaign was over.
He told the BBC that he had "never been" a unionist.
Mr Murphy explained: "There are different political traditions in Scotland.
"There is a tradition which immigrants bring to the country. There is tradition based upon class, on geography.
"And the fact is that in September last year different political traditions found a common purpose. I respect traditional unionism - it's just not my political background."
He went on: "What we had was the Conservative and Unionist Party and the Labour and trade union movement and the majority of people in those two organisations from a different political history came together in one day in September."
He added: "That was last year's alliance - last year was about Scotland's constitutional future, this year is whether we want David Cameron to stay in Downing Street."
Elsewhere, the MP would not be drawn on whether he would stand again for his Westminster constituency seat of East Renfrewshire at May's election.
Mr Murphy, who will need to become an MSP in the 2016 Scottish election, said the first people to find out about his intentions to stand again would be his constituents.
The SNP's Sandra White said she was not surprised that Mr Murphy was "desperate" to rewrite history and try to "distance himself" from the Tories.
She added that "if it walks like a unionist and talks like a unionist, it is a unionist - and Jim Murphy will never sound like anything else". | Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said his party "does not want" a coalition with the SNP if it fails to win a majority at the general election. | 30810359 |
The famine has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the Lower Shabelle and Bakool regions in search of food.
Many are escaping to the capital, Mogadishu, where over the weekend the group made what it called a tactical withdrawal of its forces from the northern suburbs that were under its control.
Others are walking for days to reach camps in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia, arch-foes of al-Shabab.
"It is not a good picture for al-Shabab," says US-based Somali journalist Abdirahman Aynte, who is writing a book on the movement.
"Nearly 500,000 people have left. Al-Shabab cannot do anything about it. They have become bystanders."
He says al-Shabab - formed as the youth wing of the now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts in 2006 - had genuine support when it took power in most of south and central Somalia, as people longed for an end to the lawlessness that has gripped the country since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.
"Even though al-Shabab had draconian laws, they were somewhat popular because of the stability they provided," says Mr Aynte.
"Government areas were not safe - even soldiers were involved in robbing and looting. In al-Shabab areas, you will have your hands amputated if you steal. It was a deterrent. "
Kenya-based Somali journalist Fatuma Noor, who travelled through al-Shabab territory last year, says the famine has damaged the group's credibility.
"Al-Shabab are losing support. People are saying that the drought in the region was caused by a lack of rains, but the famine was man-made. They are asking - why has it been only in al-Shabab's areas?" Ms Noor says.
She says many Somalis are blaming al-Shabab for the severity of the crisis because of the ban it imposed on the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and some other Western agencies in 2009.
"There have been warnings of a famine since last year, but there was no proper planning to prevent it," says Ms Noor.
But a London-based al-Shabab observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argues that the UN blundered by declaring a famine.
He points out that al-Shabab lifted the ban on charities last month; only to reimpose it after the UN's declaration.
"Al-Shabab felt the UN was undermining it; that it wanted to move in and take over. The UN should have concentrated on building trust with al-Shabab and getting aid in to save lives. It didn't matter whether you called it a drought or a famine," he says.
But Mr Aynte accuses al-Shabab of refusing to take responsibility for the crisis.
"It says there is a drought, caused by Allah and people should pray for rain."
He says it is difficult for charities to work with al-Shabab because it demands money from them.
"Al-Shabab are suspicious of aid agencies but 10%-15% of their revenue comes from them.
"Al-Shabab has a humanitarian co-ordination office, which charges a registration fee of $4,000 to $10,000 (£2,400 to £6,000). They also charge a project fee - 20% of the overall cost of digging a borehole or setting up a feeding centre," Mr Aynte says.
The al-Shabab observer who preferred anonymity says the group's leadership is heavily divided over the food crisis - something the UN could have exploited to gain access to starving people.
Al-Shabab's southern leaders - especially Muktar Ali Robow, who comes from famine-hit Lower Shabelle, and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is seen as the elder statesman of Somali Islamists - favour accepting Western aid.
However, they were overruled by the overall leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, who has led al-Shabab into forging close ties with al-Qaeda.
"Robow's people are directly affected by this famine. So he wants aid agencies to come in. But Godane is suspicious of the UN and doesn't want them in Somalia. So he blocked it," the observer says.
"Robow is now accusing Godane [who hails from the breakaway region of Somaliland] of letting people starve."
The Somali observer says the famine has worsened divisions between Mr Godane and his rivals.
In June, a top Godane ally, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who was al-Qaeda's military operations chief in East Africa, was killed at a government roadblock in Mogadishu.
"Fazul was from Comoros and did not know Mogadishu well. Godane is suspicious that his enemies in al-Shabab duped him into going to the checkpoint. At first, government forces did not even know it was Fazul - until they did DNA tests with American help," the observer says.
"It was a big blow to Godane and he became more paranoid. He feels he needs to keep tight control - not open up Somalia to the West."
The crisis over the famine comes at a time when al-Shabab - which has between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters - has lost Mogadishu following an offensive by government forces, who are backed by about 9,000 African Union troops.
"Al-Shabab is under pressure. Its moral police [who do not usually fight] are now also on the front line," Mr Aynte says.
The al-Shabab observer said the group announced its retreat from Mogadishu after launching an attack on seven fronts.
"It was a show of unity and force to counter reports that they are weak and divided," the observer says.
He says al-Shabab was unlikely to withdraw completely from Mogadishu. Instead, it would switch to the guerrilla tactics it employed against Ethiopian forces when they invaded the country in 2006 in a failed attempt to defeat the group.
"Al-Shabab never controlled territory at the time. They waged guerrilla war and drove the Ethiopians out."
But the loss of Mogadishu will be a huge financial blow to al-Shabab, as it can no longer extort money out of the businesses in the main Bakara market - the city's commercial hub.
"Al-Shabab was collecting taxes from about 4,000 shops - from $50 a month from the small trader to thousands of dollars from telecoms companies," Mr Aynte says.
He argues that the famine - along with the military setbacks and financial losses - means that al-Shabab is at its weakest since its formation.
"But it is too early to write it off. Organisationally, it is still intact," Mr Aynte says.
However, UN al-Shabab investigator Matt Bryden believes the group is still financially strong.
"Al-Shabab has evolved from a small, clandestine network into an authority that generates tens of millions of dollars a year," he says.
He also argues that deforestation in al-Shabab-held areas has probably contributed to the famine, as some environmental experts say that cutting down trees can reduce rainfall.
The trees are used to make charcoal, which is exported to Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, Mr Bryden says.
He points out that al-Shabab controls several port cities - including Kismayo, Somalia's second city.
"Charcoal through Kismayo alone is estimated to be worth $15m a year in direct revenue for al-Shabab," Mr Bryden says.
"I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the scale at which it is taking place is almost industrial."
Mr Bryden says al-Shabab is no longer dependent on foreign funding and has enough money to finance its war chest.
But for many observers the key question is: Will al-Shabab rally to the aid of starving Somalis - or will they continue to flee Islamist areas in search of food?
"I do not think al-Shabab really cares about the famine," says Mr Aynte. "It is more interested in fighting the government and the AU force." | Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab is in crisis, as it battles to cope with the famine that is far worse in areas under its control than other parts of the country, leading to reports of splits in the leadership of the al-Qaeda-linked group. | 14373264 |
While the Dow Jones industrial average did not fall as steeply as Wednesday, when it lost 111 points, it ended the day 13.83 points lower at 19,819.85.
Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan were among the biggest fallers.
The technology-focused Nasdaq fell 6.47 points to 5,432.09 while the broader S&P 500 edged down to was up 4.12 points at 2,249.92. | Wall Street closed down for a second day on Thursday, dragged lower by the banking sector. | 38458431 |
Although violations continue to be reported by all sides, these last nine days have been the quietest that most Syrians have seen in years. | Five years after the conflict in Syria began with protests against Bashar al-Assad in southern city of Deraa, a fragile truce that came into effect on 27 February is holding in many areas of the country. | 35743573 |
At stake was a place in the men's 100m freestyle at Rio 2016. But all attention was on Robel Kiros Habte, the Ethiopian swimmer who came last.
He was cheered in the pool but Robel Kiros Habte has since been dubbed "Robel the Whale" - shamed for the shape of his body.
Meanwhile, over in the gymnastics arena, Alexa Moreno of Mexico tumbled and flipped, and soared over the uneven bars - only to suffer abuse for her size on social media.
Press coverage of Robel Kiros Habte was brutal when he came 59th out of 59 in the men's freestyle heats.
He had an "unathletic paunch," said one newspaper. "He was really tum-ting", "who's the flabby?" and "generously rounded" were other choice phrases.
At home in Ethiopia, reaction was also less than flattering, as his father ranks high up in the national swimming federation and there have been cries of nepotism.
But just as the crowd in the swimming pool cheered him on as he fell farther and farther behind, the twitterati stuck by him too, seeing him as an inspirational figure.
"I wanted to do something different for my country, that's why I chose swimming," Robel told Reuters news agency.
"Everybody, every day you wake up in Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn't want to run, I wanted to be a swimmer. It didn't matter where I finished."
The swimmer admitted finding the unflattering language upsetting.
"They have used dirty language against me and called me fat and a big man and a whale. I would not say these things about others," he told the Daily Mail.
Mexico's only gymnast missed out on qualifying in her disciplines but came 31st out of 59 in the women's individual all-round.
Unlike Robel, the fat-shaming she got came mainly from Twitter users, not news sources. And comments directed at her focused on her looks rather than her ability.
But soon, people started to tweet messages of support. | Standing by the pool, he pulled his cap over the sides of his goggle straps, took his place, and waited for the signal. | 37045705 |
Working parents would receive 10 hours of free childcare a week from the end of paid parental leave, as would all families with two to three-year-olds.
Childcare for three to four-year-olds would increase from 10 to 15 hours and also apply to all families.
Other parties have also focused on more free care for three to four-year-olds.
Families with children of this age are currently allowed 570 hours of free early education or childcare per year, usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks.
Free childcare for two to three-year-olds is only available in poorer areas that are part of the Welsh Government's Flying Start programme at the moment and is not provided for children under two.
Lib Dem education spokesman Aled Roberts said: "There is a black hole in government support for families from the end of parental leave to when their child gets a subsidised place.
"Our offer is unique; we are the only party offering free childcare to help parents when their parental leave ends."
The Lib Dem childcare plans would apply for 38 weeks a year, although the party said it wanted to expand it to 48 weeks "in the longer term".
Labour and the Conservatives have said they would increase free childcare for three to four-year-olds from 10 to 30 hours a week for working parents.
Labour's proposals cover 48 weeks of the year, while the Conservatives have not yet specified how much of the year their pledge applies to.
Plaid Cymru would raise the number of hours for three to four-year-olds to 30 hours a week for all families, for 39 weeks a year.
UKIP has said the main problem is the limited supply of childcare, something it would tackle by allowing child minders to work without needing to get regulatory approval. | The Liberal Democrats have announced plans for free childcare for children from nine months old, if the party wins power in May's assembly election. | 35785825 |
Ventura, 25, helped the Royals win the World Series in 2015 and was renowned for his fastball, which he regularly threw at speeds in excess of 100mph.
"He was young and talented and always brought a smile to everyone," said Royals general manager Dayton Moore.
In a separate incident, former Major League player Andy Marte, 33, also died in a car crash in Dominican Republic.
Marte played for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians and the Arizona Diamondbacks during his Major League career, before spending the last two seasons in South Korea. | Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura has been killed in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic. | 38713066 |
"You've got to get up in the morning and be ready to go," his dad, Samuel, would say.
But when Samuel reached his 80s and was recovering from a quintuple bypass, Joe urged him to rest.
His father had other ideas - deciding his next project would be to try to rejuvenate their home city of Trenton, New Jersey by, of all things, buying a baseball team.
Fearing the project would damage his dad's health, Joe tried to put him off.
But Samuel persevered, persuading the city to build a $16m (£9.5m) stadium and then calling baseball team owners across the US until he found a team and persuaded his son to help him buy it.
Joe is now a co-owner of the Trenton Thunder team, and the stadium's presence has attracted further development including restaurants and offices, delivering his dad's dream.
"My father believed anything was possible so I believe anything is possible," he says.
Joe's career, he is currently vice chairman of global payments firm First Data, has been driven by this philosophy. The former chief executive and chairman of global insurance broker Willis, he successfully returned it from private to public ownership and led its $2.1bn purchase of Hilb Rogal & Hobbs - one of the largest insurance brokerage deals of the last decade.
And he is not alone in business in taking on board the pearls of parental wisdom. Chief executives of some of the world's biggest firms credit their success to their upbringing.
Sir Martin Sorrell is the founder and chief executive of the world's largest advertising firm WPP. He says his father had to leave school at 13 and was particularly ambitious for his son after his other son - born a year before Sir Martin - died at birth.
And it was his dad's advice that persuaded Sir Martin to choose one firm as the path to growth, buying a stake in the British firm that initially made wire shopping baskets, and, via acquisitions, building it into a company now worth an estimated £16.4bn.
"He always said, 'Build a reputation in an industry that you enjoy. Then if you want to get involved in running a company that's already established, make it your life's work. Don't flit from opportunity to opportunity.'"
Sir Martin, now in his late 60s, says the hands on approach he takes to running the firm, for example signing off on all senior employees who are hired, stems from his father's advice.
He warned him: "If you... withdraw yourself from the detail, you lose touch."
Leadership expert Steve Tappin says chief executives' success is often down to their parents' influence.
"The drive and values that came from their upbringing and their parents is what sets many chief executives apart," he says.
Walter Robb, co-chief executive of natural foods supermarket chain Whole Foods, says he still calls his dad to ask for his advice about work issues, and says his father has had an "incredible influence" on him, particularly on how he treats his staff.
"He just continues to be a real mentor to me in terms of thinking about how I show up and how I speak and I think probably ultimately ethics and integrity, like do the right thing by people and that sort of basic value system."
Similarly, Guo Guangchang, the founder and chairman of one of China's most powerful companies Fosun, believes his business would not exist at all if it were not for his parents.
When he decided to set up the Hong Kong-listed conglomerate after graduating from university, his sole motivation was to earn money so he could provide a better standard of living for his parents.
"The priority was to have the money to support my parents, so that they could have a better life," he says.
Despite his success, his parents urged him to use his wealth to contribute to society rather than their comfort. Thanks to them, he says he has learnt to focus not just on the financial side of growing his firm, but also on its philosophy and long-term culture.
His parents' main concern, he says, would be that he treats his staff well.
And John Donahoe, chief executive of online auction site eBay, says that after each quarterly results, whether good or bad, his dad sends him an email telling him he's done a good job and that he's proud of him.
Mr Donahoe says he currently depends most on the advice his father gave him growing up.
"'Ask questions, probe, listen, learn.' I got that advice from my father 50 years ago when I was growing up," he says, "and that's still probably the advice I apply the most each and every day."
This feature is based on interviews by leadership expert Steve Tappin for the BBC's CEO Guru series, produced by Neil Koenig and Evy Barry. | As a child Joe Plumeri watched each night as his father carefully hung up his suit and shirt ready for the next day's work. | 27484599 |
The review, for Welsh ministers, estimates between £17m and £22m raised by the 5p charge has been donated to good causes by retailers.
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said the levy had produced a significant shift in consumer habits.
Carrier bag charges begin in England next month, for large retailers only.
The report said 74% of shoppers backed the charge and found the use of "bags for life" and other re-useable bags had resulted in an overall reduction in all bags of 57%.
Mr Sargeant said: "We wanted the people of Wales to get into the habit of reusing their bags when shopping.
"I am pleased that almost four years on from the introduction of the charge in Wales consumer habits appear to be changing which is having a positive knock on effect on the environment as well as raising a significant amount of money for good causes."
Wales was the first UK nation to introduce the bag charges, followed by Northern Ireland and then Scotland. | The number of single-use carrier bags handed out by shops in Wales has fallen by 71% since charges were introduced in 2011, according to a report. | 34138414 |
Jalal Uddin, 64, died from a head injury on 18 February after being found in South Street, a few streets away from the Jalalia Jaamé Mosque where he worshipped.
His son said he was a "selfless man of principle", who was "kind and caring".
A 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy are being held on suspicion of murder.
It is understood Mr Uddin was a qari, or Koran reader, at the mosque and he was believed to have been on his way home from a friend's house when he was assaulted.
Mr Uddin's son said he was a "soft-spoken gentle soul, who wouldn't hesitate to help those in need" and "was a loved and integral part of the community".
"He was a simple man, but respected by all for his kind and caring nature... who always strived to do the right thing," he said.
He added the "events" which led to his father's death "were completely unexpected and incredibly inhumane". | A prominent member of a Rochdale mosque who died after being found injured in a play area was a "soft-spoken gentle soul", his son has said. | 35642897 |
El Comercio made the decision after it was disclosed that Cardinal Cipriani had used the writings of former popes without attributing them.
The newspaper said it had been proven that he had plagiarised Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI.
The prelate apologised to his followers for not having mentioned his sources.
"All my teachings come from the pontiffs of the Church," he said. "I would constantly have to say: as Pope so and so said..."
Cardinal Cipriani added that popes had no property rights over their words, as they were part of the heritage of the faith.
Last week a Peruvian website, Utero.pe, accused Lima's archbishop of including six paragraphs from the book Communio by Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) and parts of the Ecclesiam suam, an encyclical by Pope Paul VI, in his editorials for El Comercio.
Following the revelation, the newspaper deleted two articles by the cardinal and said it would not publish him again. | One of Peru's main newspapers says it will not publish any more articles by Lima's Roman Catholic archbishop, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani. | 33966717 |
The charity co-founder was accused of human trafficking and sexually abusing children, but human rights groups called the charges bogus.
Supporters cheered as Ms Hijazi, 30, her husband and six others were found not guilty.
The high-profile case caused concern in Washington at the highest levels of the Obama and Trump administrations.
Activists who have been campaigning for the group's release said the arrests were symptomatic of Egypt's crackdown on civil society.
The prosecution claimed Ms Hijazi and her colleagues had abused their positions while working with Cairo street children.
During the trial, the defence argued that evidence had been tampered with.
The defendants sang as they left the courthouse for a prison vehicle, which was waiting to take them to their final days in detention, according to news agency AFP.
The verdict came less than two weeks after Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi met US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Ms Hijazi's relatives said senior US officials told them the case had been raised during the visit, according to the New York Times.
It is not known if it was discussed in the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.
Ms Hijazi grew up in Virginia in the US, but held dual citizenship and moved to Cairo to work with street children when she left university.
She was arrested, alongside her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, and colleagues from the Beladi Foundation, in May 2014. | US-Egyptian charity worker Aya Hijazi has been acquitted by a court in Egypt after almost three years in prison. | 39614870 |
The Gallan Head Trust plans to build a space observatory and a marine research centre at Aird Uig.
The radio and radar station was set up at Aird Uig 60 years ago and was part of Nato's early warning system against Soviet submarines and aircraft.
More than £250,000 of funding has been secured from various organisations for the trust's project.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Land Fund and Western Isles Council - Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - have awarded grants. | A community in Lewis has been given the go-ahead and the funding to buy a former Cold War surveillance station. | 34996509 |
Extra revenue is expected to be made by holding events all year round through conferences and exhibitions.
Council leader Roy Perry said it was "high time" permanent buildings were built, which could go up by 2018.
The decision was made at the authority's policy and resources decision meeting earlier.
Mr Perry said the aerospace and defence sectors were worth £1.5bn each year to Hampshire and employed 16,500 people.
"The airshow is reported to bring in £35m to the local economy.
"The county would be in a position to showcase the UK aerospace industry to global markets - and benefit from the additional events which could be hosted all year round, as a result of having a permanent conference and exhibition facility in Hampshire," he said.
In 2014 about £22bn of UK orders were announced at the airshow.
Its organisers are aiming to raise £29m towards the cost of developing new facilities.
A council report recommends its loan be repaid by 2028. | Farnborough International Airshow is to receive a loan of £4.5m from Hampshire County Council towards building permanent facilities for the event. | 33644863 |
On 7 July 2005, 52 people died when four bombs were detonated in London.
The Met's Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the plots had been different, but all could have resulted in fatalities.
He also accused the so-called Islamic State (IS) of trying to create a "wicked" cult.
Mr Rowley said: "Fifty is the order of the number of plots that have been confronted over the past decade.
"The plots are of different scales and sizes. You get the grand, complex plans that are organized often from overseas down to the lone actor."
The international terror threat level in the UK has been "severe" - meaning an attack is "highly likely" - since last August after IS made big gains in parts of Syria and Iraq.
Mr Rowley said the profile of would-be attackers was changing because IS was creating a "wicked" cult to appeal to younger and vulnerable members of society, often grooming them over the internet.
He said: "Rather than running a secret organisation which is what terrorist groups have done before, they're trying to create a cult.
"They're trying to create a wicked following of people who will act in their name. And some of that is about them reaching out to the vulnerable.
"We're seeing more young people being drawn into it; we're seeing people with mental health issues."
Mr Rowley said the extent of the threat facing the UK was "significant" and Londoners would find the daily intelligence he views to be "concerning".
But he insisted the authorities had the resources and skills to combat the threats.
"I think anyone seeing the intelligence we're seeing on a daily basis would be concerned," he said.
"I think if you look at it alongside the capabilities we've got today there's no cause to be frightened, but people would be concerned.
"The number of arrests we've been making has escalated quite dramatically - an arrest [for suspected terrorism offences] one-a-day pretty much, which is much higher than ever before."
Asked if he thought London was now facing an "unprecedented" terror threat, he said: "Terrorist threats have gone up and down over the years.
"If we look at some of the challenges we faced from Irish threats, I think unprecedented might be the wrong word.
"We're facing a threat of a significant proportion that presents some real challenges to us and it's of a type and a nature we haven't seen before."
Mr Rowley has called on communities to help spot signs of radicalisation so that police can intercept them before they develop. | The UK's most senior counter-terrorism police officer has said up to 50 deadly terror attacks have been stopped since the 7 July bombings 10 years ago. | 33417300 |
The Lothians MSP and former deputy leader of the party said she would "stand up to vested interests".
She is going up against Eastwood MSP Ken Macintosh, who launched his campaign on Friday.
Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and MSPs Alex Rowley and Richard Baker are standing as deputy.
Ms Dugdale said: "Now more than ever, Scotland needs a voice that will stand up to the vested interests.
"Scotland needs a strong opposition that asks tough questions, not a one-party state where every institution and every cause is linked to just one political party.
"That wouldn't be good for Scotland. People need a champion against the cosy consensus in Scottish politics."
Ms Dugdale also argued that there was a need to "think outside the box" when it came to reforming Scotland's state schools.
She also said she would end the charitable status of private schools, saying it was a "question of fairness".
She told BBC Scotland: "Twenty-four per cent of people here in Edinburgh go to private schools and I don't begrudge any parent that wants the best for their children.
"But the reality is that private schools get charitable status, they get tax relief because of that status, and at a time when state schools are really struggling for resources, when teachers are at their wit's end, I think this is fundamentally a question of fairness."
On state education, she said: "Education is everything. It can lift people out of poverty, help them live a healthy lifestyle and open up doors that would otherwise remain shut.
"If we are to compete with the big economies around the world in future then we need people finishing school with the skills they need to get on."
She added: "There can be no sacred cows in Scottish state education. The inequality is too ingrained, the problems too deep to tip-toe around vested interests. It's time to be bold and radical."
The leadership contest was sparked by the resignation of Jim Murphy after Labour lost all but one of its 41 seats in Scotland in May's general election.
In a change from previous leadership contests, it will be a one member one vote ballot, while non-members can also register as supporters for £3, allowing them to take part.
Ms Dugdale is the favourite to win, despite only entering the Scottish Parliament in 2011.
At his launch, Mr Macintosh promised to shake up the party organisation, including moving the headquarters from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
He said Scotland must be more accountable and responsive to the needs and wants of Scottish people.
And he said he would begin negotiations with the new national Labour leadership to establish a formal relationship with Scottish Labour that recognised its autonomous role within the UK party.
Three candidates are standing for the deputy leadership role: Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and MSPs Alex Rowley and Richard Baker.
The hustings period begins on 22 June and the result will be announced on 15 August.
Following changes pushed through by Mr Murphy before his departure as leader, the election for both the leader and deputy leader will be based on one-member-one-vote.
All the contestants will take part in a series of hustings at four venues:
The results of the two contests will be announced at a special gathering on Saturday 15 August.
15 June - Nominations open for leader and deputy leader
19 June (12 noon) - Nominations close
19 June (17:00) - Supporting nominations open
22 June - Hustings period opens
13 July - Last date to join as member, affiliated supporter, or registered supporter in order to vote in the leadership ballot
10 July (12 noon) - Supporting nominations close
20 July - Ballot opens
14 August - Ballot closes
15 August - Result announced | Kezia Dugdale has launched her campaign to become the new leader of Scottish Labour with a pledge to "shake things up". | 33202107 |
Tyrone Clarke, 16, was attacked by a 20-strong gang in Beeston on 22 April 2004.
Although four people were later convicted of murder, police said a "large number" of people were involved and the case remains active.
Lorraine Fraser, Tyrone's mother, said they had "got away with murder".
Speaking on the anniversary of his death, she said her "nightmare" can only end when the people involved come forward.
"I don't know who stabbed my son. There was over 20 people there that day, but somebody did," she said.
"There were more involved than the four who were prosecuted. People got away with murder that day."
Read live updates on this story and more from across Leeds and West Yorkshire
Tyrone Clarke was stabbed in the suburb's Brett Gardens after he had been chased by the gang.
He was attacked with weapons including metal poles, planks of wood and CS spray.
Three men and a 17-year-old boy were convicted of murder in 2005 and jailed for life.
A fifth suspect, Qasim Majid, fled to Pakistan and remains wanted by police.
Ms Fraser said: "It is a nightmare, its hell. It never goes away.
"The images I saw that day of my own son laid out dying in the street. They never leave me. I have to live with that every day.
"I need some closure. I want to grieve properly, but I can't because I know there are people out there who have evaded justice."
West Yorkshire Police said the force remained committed to finding the remaining suspects. | The mother of a teenager who was stabbed to death in Leeds 12 years ago has challenged those involved in the killing to finally come forward. | 36109458 |
31 March 2017 Last updated at 15:37 BST
But what about those fighting on the other side? How should those fighters be treated when they return?
Emma Vardy reports. | Hundreds of British Muslims have travelled to join so-called Islamic State. | 39459260 |
Britton, 32, had been linked with a move to the United States having fallen down the pecking order at the Liberty Stadium.
But the former West Ham United player wants to stay and fight for his place.
"I spoke to the manager about two weeks ago and it was decided that the best thing for me was to stay here," he said.
"I've always said the first place I want to play is here at Swansea. Maybe things will change a bit and I can be involved a bit more, which would be great."
Britton came off the bench to make his first appearance of the season in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United but his opportunities in recent seasons have been limited.
Jack Cork, Ki Sung Yueng and Jonjo Shelvey are ahead of him in the midfield pecking order with Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton coming up through the ranks.
Merton-born Britton revealed in July that a number of Major League Soccer teams had shown an interest in signing him but no firm offers had been made.
Britton, in his second spell at Swansea, has played in all the top four divisions since 2002 but made only nine appearances last season.
He helped Swansea avoid relegation from the Football League and rise up the divisions to become a top-eight club in the Premier League.
In 2010 he left for Sheffield United but returned to Swansea just months later, playing almost 500 games for the club during his two spells. | Midfielder Leon Britton says he is staying at Swansea City following talks with manager Garry Monk. | 33985349 |
Leslie Binns was about 500m from the summit in May when he saved Sunita Hazra, an Indian woman who was slipping down the mountain.
The 42-year-old, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, helped her down to a camp where her frostbite was treated.
Mr Binns said he would return to Nepal in April to raise money for charity.
The mountaineer, who was in the Army for 13 years, lost vision in his left eye after he was hit by an improvised explosive device in 2009.
Talking to BBC Radio Sheffield, Mr Binns said he encountered Mrs Hazra on his final summit push.
"She came flying down the mountain - I basically rugby tackled her to stop her going any further down, maybe to her death," he said.
"She was out of oxygen, her gloves were off, she had frostbite; that's when I decided to cancel my summit bid and take her down to the relative safety of camp four."
After using a hot flask of tea to increase her body temperature, she eventually received hospital treatment and made "just about a full recovery", Mr Binns said.
He will fly out on 5 April for a second ascent, while raising money for a charity which helped him to retrain after he was medically discharged from the Army.
He described it as another go at "the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life".
"It's a lifelong dream to get to the summit of this mountain - you spend a lot of money and the mental and physical effort is unbelievable," he said.
"Of course I was gutted, but on the other hand I've managed to save a woman's life and get her back to her family, so that more than makes up for it." | A British ex-serviceman who abandoned his Mount Everest ascent to save a fellow mountaineer will return to the peak for a second attempt to scale it. | 38496674 |
Zoe Gregory, 26, sent a message claiming an explosive device had been left at Ormiston Victory Academy in Costessey, Norfolk, on 9 February.
Gregory appeared before Norwich magistrates and was committed to Norwich Crown Court for sentencing.
The pupil's home was raided and she was questioned over the threat by police.
Gregory, of Blackhill Wood Lane, Costessey, has been dismissed from her role, a school spokeswoman said.
Students Holly Littlefield, 16, and Vicky Francis, 15, were arrested and held in police custody for 10 hours after the scare, the court heard.
But it later emerged Gregory had accessed Miss Littlefield's email account without her knowledge.
Mother-of-two Gregory pleaded guilty at Norwich Magistrates' Court to carrying out a bomb hoax and unauthorised access of an email account.
Prosecutor Lisa Britton said both girls had been left distressed by the ordeal and had been teased at school.
Fellow pupils called them "terrorists" and dubbed Ms Littlefield "Holly Bin Laden", the court heard.
Chris Brown, mitigating, said Gregory had been "plagued by post-natal depression" and acted out of "sheer desperation".
A spokeswoman for Victory Academy said: "We have been co-operating fully with the police.
"Appropriate processes have been followed throughout.
"We continue to do everything we can to support the children involved." | A teaching assistant has admitted using a pupil's email account to make a bomb threat against the school where she worked. | 32304979 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Jo Hunter opened the scoring and Giselle Ansley struck on her 100th appearance with a drag-flick from a penalty corner in Amsterdam.
England finished runners-up in Pool B and will meet the hosts, who thrashed Czech Republic 10-0, on Thursday.
England's men must beat Ireland on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals.
Germany beat Ireland 5-1 on Tuesday to top Pool B and set up a semi-final tie against Belgium, who qualified by beating Spain 2-1.
England women's semi-final against the Netherlands will be a repeat of the gold-medal match in 2015.
Scotland and Ireland will join Czech Republic and Spain in Pool C, with the bottom side relegated to the second division of EuroHockey. | Defending champions England will face the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Championships following a 2-0 victory over Scotland. | 41014426 |
Steam Dreams, which will operate the excursion, said the late notice cancellation - at 16:40 on Friday - was "an absolute disgrace".
The Flying Scotsman will operate between York and Edinburgh, before a diesel engine is expected to take over.
Steam Dreams said the trip has taken two years of planning.
It said Network Rail's explanation was that it did not have the right data to "gauge" the Flying Scotsman - a process which involves checking if the locomotive fits within structures such as platforms and bridges on the line.
A planned journey across the Forth Bridge has also been cancelled.
Steam Dreams chairman Marcus Robertson said: "For the passengers but also for all the people who've put in months and years of planning work to get the engine in the state it's in... they haven't put a foot wrong."
He added: "All that work, all that effort, all the dreams of the passengers, has been wasted by a bit of bureaucratic inefficiency or, as it's being described apparently by somebody at Network Rail, an 'administrative error'.
"Well that's a pretty mealy-mouthed way of putting it."
A letter from the company to intending passengers said: "During the next 24 hours we will be doing our utmost to get this situation sorted out, but if we can't then we very much regret that we will have to run this trip with vintage diesel locomotive.
"If this is the case than we will do our utmost to make it a highly memorable day on a vintage train."
Network Rail said it had not been able to carry out assessment work on the route in time.
A spokesman said: "The routes the Scotsman had planned to cover this weekend are new ones for the locomotive and have to be individually assessed by our engineers in advance.
"Unfortunately we have been unable to carry out the work in time and cannot allow the engine to run when we are unsure if the unique design of the Flying Scotsman is compatible with the current railway infrastructure across the Fife and Borders routes.
"We understand the disappointment this will cause all those who had been looking forward to the iconic engine returning to these parts of Scotland and a full investigation will be undertaken into why these issues were not identified sooner."
A number of events had been planned along the route to mark the Flying Scotsman' return to Scotland.
A decision is now expected on Saturday about which of them will go ahead.
Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker said: "It is extremely disappointing that the Flying Scotsman's visit to the Scottish Borders cannot go ahead as planned on Sunday.
"A huge amount of work has gone into the planning of this event, and we know this news will leave thousands of people very unhappy and let down.
"Network Rail's failure to complete the necessary work is quite frankly unbelievable and unacceptable. Only discovering the position this evening makes the news even more shocking." | Plans to run the newly-rebuilt Flying Scotsman steam locomotive on the Borders rail line have been stopped at the last minute by Network Rail. | 36290690 |
The celebration of food, music and culture - among the oldest events of its kind in Europe - took over Potternewton Park for the bank holiday weekend.
The highlight was Monday's carnival parade on the streets of Chapeltown and Harehills.
Organisers estimated 120,000 had attended this year's celebrations.
The parade left Potternewton Park at 14:00 BST, turned left down Harehills Avenue before heading towards the city centre. It then looped back on itself and returned to the park.
An early-morning 'pyjama party' kicked-off the day's festivities at 06:30.
Arthur France, who helped to start the the carnival in 1967, said he was feeling "overwhelmingly great".
"We have some great costumes, great weather and Leeds is bustling - we upstage London and the rest of Europe," he said. | Thousands of people have turned out on the streets of Leeds for the 49th West Indian Carnival. | 37212917 |
Mr Livingstone's comments feature in Total Politics magazine.
Croydon Tory MP Gavin Barwell said: "Comparing rival politicians to Hitler is in incredibly poor taste."
But Mr Livingstone's aides said his comments were "light-hearted". City Hall declined to comment.
In comments, reported in the latest issue of the magazine, the former London Labour mayor said next year's mayoral race was "a simple choice between good and evil - I don't think it's been so clear since the great struggle between Churchill and Hitler."
"The people that don't vote for me will be weighed in the balance, come Judgment Day," he continued.
"The Archangel Gabriel will say 'You didn't vote for Ken Livingstone in 2012.
"Oh dear, burn forever. Your skin flayed for all eternity.'"
Mr Livingstone added he would "come round with a serious pitch nearer the time".
However, Mr Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, said: "After the events of the last week, Londoners need a mayor who will unite our city, not one who regards people who don't share his views, as evil.
"To joke that Londoners who don't vote for him will 'burn forever' after everything we have been through in the past two weeks is crass even by Ken Livingstone's standards." | London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone has compared his battle to regain City Hall from Boris Johnson with the "great struggle between Churchill and Hitler". | 14578227 |
Lost in London was filmed in multiple locations in the capital in the early hours of Friday.
In a cinematic first, the film was shot in a 100-minute single take and broadcast live to 550 US cinemas - and one in the UK.
But the project was almost derailed by the discovery of a suspected World War Two bomb just hours before the shoot.
Waterloo Bridge - where the closing scene of the film takes place - was closed for a few hours but reopened just in time for the live shoot to go ahead as planned.
Speaking after the filming ended around 03:40 GMT, Harrelson was incredulous at the timing of the "bomb" discovery.
"That thing has been there for 70 years and they discover it tonight? That's impossible!"
Lost In London was shot on a single camera, involved a crew of 325 and more than 300 extras who had been rehearsing for four weeks.
"I would never do this again. No way. It felt like walking on a high wire," said Harrelson afterwards.
There were no major gaffes - although one actor walked out of a scene, forcing Harrelson to ad lib during a phone call until the character returned.
"It felt like five minutes," Harrelson said. "It was only a matter of seconds. But, boy, those were some painful seconds."
The film was screened in just one cinema in the UK, London's Picturehouse Central, where it received an enthusiastic reception.
The comedy plot was loosely based on a real-life night out that Harrelson had in the capital in 2002 in which he ended up getting arrested and spending time in a police cell.
The film opens with the words: "Too much of this is true."
Harrelson, playing a version of himself, is seen coming off stage in the West End to discover he's the subject of a tabloid sex scandal just before he goes to meet his wife in a restaurant.
The film includes a fight in a nightclub and chase sequences on foot and by car.
Much of the comedy comes from the scenes with co-star Owen Wilson - and the script is sprinkled with references to Harrelson's past projects, including Natural Born Killers and Cheers.
"It was pretty thrilling," Wilson said after the filming.
"I had a lot of anxiety about doing it a couple of weeks ago but we practised... and I was really happy to be a part of it. Maybe I should start doing theatre."
Musician Willie Nelson turned up in a cameo role as did U2's Bono, as a voice on the end of a phone.
"I felt like we took some risks. It was scary - the whole process," Harrelson said.
Harrelson's next project will see him join the Star Wars franchise with a role in the spin-off movie about the young Han Solo.
Did he think Hollywood would ever adopt the as-it-happens style of Lost in London?
Harrelson laughed: "If someone was thinking of doing it all they'd need to do is talk to me and I would talk them out of it."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Woody Harrelson said directing his ground-breaking live film project was like "walking on a high wire". | 38686697 |
In fact, the epidemic killed five times more than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined.
More than 21 months on from the first confirmed case recorded on 23 March 2014, 11,315 people have been reported as having died from the disease in six countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the US and Mali.
The total number of reported cases is about 28,637.
But on 13 January, 2016, the World Health Organisation declared the last of the countries affected, Liberia, to be Ebola-free.
11,315
Deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected
(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)
4,809 Liberia
3,955 Sierra Leone
2,536 Guinea
8 Nigeria
The World Health Organization (WHO) admits the figures are underestimates, given the difficulty collecting the data.
There needs to be 42 days without any new cases for a country to be declared Ebola-free.
The outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal were declared officially over by the WHO in October 2014. Sierra Leone and Guinea both had much larger outbreaks and it took a little longer. Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free on 7 November 2015, Guinea followed in December.
Liberia has been the worst-hit, with more than 4,800 dead and 10,672 becoming infected. The WHO said that at the peak of transmission, during August and September 2014, Liberia was reporting between 300 and 400 new cases every week.
The epidemic seemed to abate and the outbreak in Liberia was declared over on 9 May 2015 - only to re-emerge seven weeks later when a 17-year-old man died from the disease and more cases were reported. The same happened in September, which is why the latest declaration of Liberia being Ebola-free, while welcome, should be treated with caution, say correspondents.
The WHO has warned that West Africa may see flare-ups of the virus.
Researchers from the New England Journal of Medicine traced the outbreak to a two-year-old toddler, who died in December 2013 in Meliandou, a small village in south-eastern Guinea.
In March, hospital staff alerted Guinea's Ministry of Health and then medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). They reported a mysterious disease in the south-eastern regions of Gueckedou, Macenta, Nzerekore, and Kissidougou.
It caused fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. It also had a high death rate. Of the first 86 cases, 59 people died.
The WHO later confirmed the disease as Ebola.
"Biggest health challenge since Aids"
How not to catch Ebola
Why is Ebola so dangerous?
Ebola diary
Tracing the outbreak
Full special report
The Gueckedou prefecture in Guinea, where the outbreak started, is a major regional trading centre and, by the end of March, Ebola had crossed the border into Liberia. It was confirmed in Sierra Leone in May.
In June, MSF described the Ebola outbreak as out of control.
Nigeria had its first case of the disease in July and, in the same month, two leading doctors died from Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In August, the United Nations health agency declared an "international public health emergency", saying that a co-ordinated response was essential to halt the spread of the virus.
Senegal reported its first case of Ebola on 29 August. A young man from Guinea had travelled to Senegal despite having been infected with the virus, officials said.
By September, WHO director general Margaret Chan said the number of patients was "moving far faster than the capacity to manage them".
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, Thomas Frieden, said in October that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was unlike anything since the emergence of HIV/Aids. But Senegal managed to halt transmissions by mid October.
Authorities in Mali confirmed the death of the country's first Ebola patient, a two-year-old girl, on 25 October. The girl had travelled hundreds of kilometres by bus from Guinea through Mali showing symptoms of the disease, the WHO said.
An infected Islamic preacher from Guinea, who was initially diagnosed with a kidney problem, was treated at a clinic in Bamako. The preacher died a few days after entering the country.
Two health workers who cared for the preacher also died after contracting the virus. In total, Mali recorded six deaths from Ebola. By January 2015 however, the country was declared ebola-free.
*In all but three cases the patient was infected with Ebola while in West Africa. Infection outside Africa has been restricted to health workers in Madrid and in Dallas. DR Congo also reported a separate outbreak of an unrelated strain of Ebola.
The first case of the deadly virus diagnosed on US soil was announced on 1 October. Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, who contracted the virus in Liberia before travelling to the US, died on 8 October.
He had not displayed symptoms of the disease until 24 September, five days after his arrival. Other people with whom he came into contact are being monitored for symptoms.
Two medical workers in Dallas, Texas, who treated Duncan tested positive for Ebola since his death but have both recovered. The second death on US soil was surgeon Martin Salia, from Sierra Leone. He was flown back to the United States in November and treated for Ebola at a hospital in Nebraska. But Dr Salia, who had US residency and was married to an American, died a short time later.
Spanish nurse Teresa Romero was the first person to contract the virus outside West Africa. She was part of a team of about 30 staff at the Carlos II hospital in Madrid looking after two missionaries who returned from Liberia and Sierra Leone after becoming infected.
Germany, Norway, France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK have all treated patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 and occurs in regions of sub-Saharan Africa. There are normally fewer than 500 cases reported each year, and no cases were reported at all between 1979 and 1994.
In August 2014, the WHO confirmed a separate outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By the beginning of October there had been 70 cases reported and 43 deaths.
However, the outbreak in DR Congo was a different strain of the virus and unrelated to the epidemic in West Africa, which now dwarfs all previous outbreaks. | The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March 2014, and rapidly became the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976. | 28755033 |
On Tuesday, seven primary schools in Northern Ireland received the threats.
It follows similar hoaxes in England on Monday.
The Northern Ireland schools received calls between 09:00 and 10:00 BST, claiming explosives had been left at their premises.
A number of schools were evacuated and the PSNI said they were "investigating a series of malicious communications".
Ch Supt Garry Eaton said police responded immediately and worked with the schools "to establish what the circumstances of the calls were and to put appropriate procedures in place to ensure the safety of both pupils and staff".
"What I can say is that we believe all seven schools received hoax calls - we've checked all the schools and we don't believe there were any devices left at the schools," Ch Supt Eaton said.
"But nevertheless, it's a very serious and worrying situation."
He added: "Some of the schools took the decision to move pupils out, others didn't. Obviously that's a matter for the schools."
Ch Supt Eaton said the PSNI "will be working closely with our colleagues in GB to establish if there is a definite connection and how we take the investigation forward".
He said a link is "a strong line of enquiry", adding that it was "very coincidental that following those calls yesterday in GB, we receive similar calls today".
Earlier, police said there was nothing to indicate the calls were terrorist-related.
One of the schools threatened was Bloomfield Primary in Bangor, County Down.
DUP MLA Peter Weir, who is on the school's board of governors, said: "The school received malicious calls this morning, they were extremely threatening and violent in their nature.
"The staff then reacted very swiftly and professionally and evacuated the school, but this must be still extremely traumatising for the children concerned."
Dawn Walsh, whose daughter is in P5 at the school, said: "I think it's absolutely disgraceful, at the end of the day these kids are just trying to get an education.
"Anybody who can do this to kids is, in my eyes, disgusting."
In a statement, the Education Authority said it had been "made aware of malicious communications to a number of schools today".
"Schools have in place policies and procedures for dealing with such incidents," it added.
"They have been working closely with their local PSNI officers and taking the relevant precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all children."
Police in Scotland have said that a telephone threat to schools there "does not appear to be credible" but is "being taken seriously". | Police are investigating a possible connection between hoax bomb threats made to schools in Northern Ireland and England. | 36366332 |
Carwyn Jones said the draft Wales Bill would "fan the flames of nationalism", requiring UK ministers to back much legislation before it became law.
But the UK government accused Mr Jones of "playing a dangerous game" and "peddling nationalist rhetoric".
A Wales Office spokesman said the claim there would be an English veto over Welsh laws was "complete nonsense".
The spokesman added: "Notwithstanding the fact that the UK government represents all four nations in our United Kingdom, the Welsh government will still be able to legislate in all the devolved areas it currently can as well as in the important new policy areas being devolved to it."
Publishing the draft bill, earlier on Tuesday, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said new controls over energy, transport and running the assembly were on offer and the legislation would meet the "appetite" for devolution and build a "stronger Wales within a strong UK".
The bill follows a promise of further devolution by David Cameron and Nick Clegg when they presented the so-called St David's Day Agreement at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in February.
More powers over large energy projects - including decisions over fracking - are being offered to Wales.
Some transport issues - such as the setting of road speed limits - are also set to be devolved.
The assembly is also being offered more power over the running of its own affairs, including the voting age for its elections, and the right to call itself a parliament.
Mr Crabb called the current devolution arrangement "unstable and unclear".
"It's time we had a robust devolution settlement that works for the people of Wales," he said.
But Mr Jones said the draft bill amounted to an "English veto on Welsh laws".
"It means the assembly not having a free hand in laws that have been devolved, without the consent of a minister in Whitehall," he said.
The first minister also claimed the bill "re-writes" previous Supreme Court rulings that came down on the side of the assembly and was therefore "rolling back devolution".
According to the Welsh government, 14 of the 19 bills passed since 2011 would not have been possible under the proposed new system.
They include plans to move to a so-called "presumed consent" system for organ donation, which comes into force in December.
Mr Jones said: "We're a long way from having a bill that has the clarity and respect for the people of Wales that we expect.
"I'm not sure the secretary of state [for Wales] fully understands the issues."
He said all correspondence between the Welsh and UK governments on the issue would now be made public.
Assembly Presiding Officer Dame Rosemary Butler warned that, in its current form, the proposed legislation "would amount to a backwards step for the national assembly and would not deliver the lasting constitutional settlement for Wales, and the UK as a whole".
"If the UK government proceed as presently proposed, I would anticipate almost immediate calls for yet another Wales Bill, something that none of us wishes to see," she added.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood dismissed the draft law as an "insult to our country".
"It only implements a fraction of the issues already agreed by all parties years ago through the Silk Commission report," she said.
"Effectively, the bill as it stands enshrines Wales' status as a second-class nation in the UK."
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said the proposed law "cannot be acceptable to the people of Wales" in its current form.
She told AMs: "What is before us today potentially takes us back to a situation where the democratically elected members of this chamber, on behalf of the people of Wales, will have their actions thwarted by a UK government who may or may not decide they like what we are doing."
The draft bill is open to consultation before a final version is due to be published in February. | New powers being offered to Wales amount to an "English veto on Welsh laws", the first minister has said. | 34571146 |
Craig Jones, 27, fell about five floors down the shaft after the lift broke down in Marsden House in Bolton town centre in August 2014.
He had "lost his footing" after an item of clothing caught on something while he tried to climb out, a court heard.
Warwick Estates Property Management admitted breaching health and safety regulations at Bolton Crown Court.
The court was told the lift had broken down on several previous occasions.
There was also an intermittent problem with the emergency call system meaning it did not always connect and there was no mobile phone signal.
On 30 August 2014, Mr Jones and his friend had pressed the alarm button after becoming stuck between floor four and five but the emergency call out had not been activated.
Other people who lived in the apartment block reported they had also sought "self rescue" after being stuck in the lift previously, the court heard.
Judge Clayton said the problems were "unaddressed for a substantial period of time" and this meant it was a "serious accident waiting to happen".
The firm had, the judge said, failed to ensure lift systems were maintained adequately and failed to ensure it received maintenance reports.
The company admitted it had failed to query the absence of reports relating to the lifts on five occasions.
If it had done so, "serious faults" would have been identified, the judge said.
'Avoidable'
Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Jones' mother Samantha said she felt "comforted" as the judge had made clear "Craig's death was completely unnecessary and avoidable and should not have happened and that Craig was in no way at fault or to blame".
"He had no choice and that has been shown clearly now."
Ms Jones added: "[My son] had his whole life in front of him and it was taken away by incompetence."
Warwick Estates Property Management was also ordered to pay £45,000 costs. | A building management company has been fined £120,000 after the death of a man who fell down a lift shaft. | 38407855 |
Impersonators of soldiers from ancient Rome have been a common sight at the Colosseum, Forum and other major sites, posing for photos in return for cash.
But from Thursday, the Centurions are outlaws - along with bicycle-drawn rickshaw drivers and ticket touts.
City commissioner Francesco Paolo Tronca issued the decree ahead of the Catholic Jubilee year, an important tourist event starting on 8 December.
He is in charge of the city pending the election of a new mayor and cited security issues as well as protecting tourists from scams as the reasons for the decree.
It spoke of the "inappropriate, insistent and sometimes aggressive" behaviour of Centurions, who charge between €5 and €10 ($5.3-$10.6) for a photo. They can also get tips from tour organisers for persuading tourists to go on guided trips.
Many of the impersonators commute in from poorer districts of the capital. There have been incidents of "gladiators" attacking each other to defend their pitches at lucrative sites.
Offering a ride in a rickshaw is also banned in some areas, as are touts offering bus and museum tickets.
This year Pope Francis declared an Extraordinary Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, beginning on 8 December, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council.
It will end on 20 November 2016, the Feast of Christ the King.
Parks and piazzas are being spruced up for the event, which is expected to boost the numbers of visitors to Rome significantly.
Millions of pilgrims attended the last event in 2000. | Rome has banished the Centurions from its ancient sites. | 34936679 |
The same type of Beko dryer that led to Mishell Moloney's death was responsible for 20 other fires, Birmingham Coroner's Court heard.
But none had the same defect thought to have caused the blaze that killed the 49-year-old in Rubery in February.
Beko said the "risk of injury was low" in other incidents. Coroner Emma Brown recorded a narrative verdict.
The company's director of quality, Andrew Mullen, was asked by the coroner why Beko had not decided to recall the 8kg DCS 85W model.
He said: "We looked at the number of incidents against sales, the severity of the incidents and circumstances, and in all those assessments they were all incidents that happened within 10 or 20 minutes of the tumble dryer being used.
"Nearly all those were when the tumble dryer was in unheated buildings such as a shed or outhouse. In those cases the risk of injury was low."
He added the model was discontinued last year "as part of a range change".
Ms Moloney was discovered at her home in Coriander Close, Rubery, after relatives found window blinds blackened with soot and forced their way in.
An investigation found the fire started in or around the area where the dryer's printed circuit board (PCB) was.
The coroner said it was her conclusion the death was due to smoke inhalation from a fire caused by the tumble dryer in her kitchen and the source within the dryer was the PCB.
But she said it was "not possible to identify the nature of the defect which caused the fire".
Beko said "in virtually all cases" the identified cause of blazes traced to the model had been "the run capacitor" and never the PCB.
Mr Mullen said a decision not to recall the model was taken after a risk assessment and consultation with trading standards.
He revealed two smaller models (the 6kg and 7kg) had been recalled because of 100 incidents of reported faults with the capacitor, "within the first three months".
After the hearing, Ms Moloney's daughter Jodie said: "My mum was quite simply the best mum my brother Joshua and I could have asked for."
The family's lawyer Paul Tapner, of Slater and Gordon, said the family "needs answers from the manufacturer".
After the inquest, Mr Mullen said safety was its "highest priority" and the product involved "remains completely safe for use, meeting and exceeding all European standards". | A defective model of tumble dryer caused a house fire which killed a mother of two, a coroner has ruled. | 37013779 |
The police are trying to establish who entered the animal's enclosure at night and brutally assaulted him.
Gustavito, 15, died from his injuries late on Sunday.
Officials have described it as a cowardly and inhumane attack on one of the most iconic animals at the city's zoo.
BBC Central America reporter Will Grant says that in a country where murder has long lost the capacity to shock, the extreme animal cruelty that claimed Gustavito's life has angered and upset all of El Salvador.
Unknown assailants entered the national zoo in San Salvador over the weekend and subjected the hippo to a sustained beating with what appears to have been sharp weapons and blunt tools.
The following morning, the zookeepers noticed Gustavito acting strangely, refusing to eat and unwilling to come out of the pool in his enclosure.
The zoo's veterinarians then found lacerations on the hippo's neck and face, and the animal clearly in great distress.
The world's deadliest large land mammal
Hippo calf takes to the water for the first time
His condition worsened on Sunday and he died late that night despite the efforts of the staff to save him.
The culture ministry in El Salvador has said an investigation is under way to find the attackers.
Meanwhile many Salvadorans have taken to social media to express their sadness and disgust at the case.
Many are calling for investigation into conditions at the zoo to determine how an attack of this nature could happen so easily, while on Twitter others have simply been posting: "Forgive us Gustavito".
The country has one of the highest murder rates in the world, the United Nations said last month. About 10 people a day have been murdered so far this year, with most of the violence caused by criminal gangs, known locally as maras, which operate across Central America.
El Salvador's criminal groups were formed initially in the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s by children of Salvadoran migrants escaping the country's brutal civil war.
When the war ended in 1992 many of them returned home, taking the LA gang culture with them. | A much-loved hippopotamus called Gustavito has died after an unexplained attack over the weekend in the National Zoo of El Salvador. | 39106482 |
The show, provisionally called Grey Mates, will also feature June Whitfield and Stephanie Beacham in a group of pensioners living on the Norfolk coast.
Forming a trio of recently retired couples, they face their twilight years from very different perspectives.
Filming on the show is due to begin in the Spring and it will be screened later in 2014.
Alison Steadman, Philip Jackson, Paula Wilcox and James Smith complete the principal cast of the new serial.
Whitfield, famed for her roles in sitcoms Terry and June and Absolutely Fabulous, is the senior member of the cast, at 88, and plays the mother of Maureen (Stephanie Beacham).
Abbot, best known for his self-titled sketch show, which ran from 1986-91, with a brief return later in the 90s, also had a role in evergreen sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.
He played Luther "Hobbo" Hobdyke from 2008-10 before the series came to an end after 37 years on the screen.
Controller of BBC One Charlotte Moore said: "Comedy has a unique ability to make the ordinary extraordinary and Grey Mates delivers that with a big hit of characters."
She added that the onset of retirement is "hilariously brought to life by a stellar cast whose relationships are tested in a multitude of ways".
BBC One also announced a five-part run of Our Girl, starring former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, following its success as a single drama earlier this year.
Turner plays Molly Dawes, who serves in Afghanistan as part of the Royal Army Medical Corps.
A three-part documentary about the inner workings of fast food giant KFC was also announced, taking a boardroom-to-restaurant look at the business.
Moore said: "The series will gain unprecedented and surprising access to a global super brand that, despite being on almost every high street up and down the country, we seemingly know very little about." | Russ Abbott is among the stars set to appear in a new BBC One retirement comedy, it has been announced. | 25187712 |
After struggling to survive in the Sinjar mountains for five days without water and food, these refugees were taken by Kurdish fighters to Newroz camp in Derik city, in an area of north-eastern Syria under Kurdish control.
"Hundreds of people were killed and beheaded by IS fighters and hundreds of women have been taken by them. We are dying - the Yazidi minority has seen genocide," said 65-year-old refugee Khidier Shamo.
Two sisters and their families were found by Kurdish forces in the mountains, two hours before this photo was taken. One sister had jumped from a truck because she was thirsty and desperate for water, spraining her ankle.
One sister said: "All of my family walked 12km in the mountains, my children are dehydrated and got diarrhoea. We lost a lot of relatives." Meanwhile, Farman Jendi (right), a 65-year-old refugee, said it was "a religious war; it's not a political or an economic war".
"We will never convert to Islam as IS want, we prefer to die," said 18-year-old Amina Kalo from Sinjar.
Refugees travelled from the Sinjar mountain via a safe corridor, by truck. Only large trucks can cross the bumpy roads leaving the mountains.
Photographs by Jewan Abdi (Twitter: @abdijewan)
Who are the Yazidis?
Struggle for Iraq: In maps | Pictures from a BBC reporting trip from northern Iraq into Syria, as Iraqi refugees fled Mount Sinjar after days of fighting. | 28839343 |
This is hard to fathom in a country where religious leaders condemn gay unions as "un-African" - and those who dare to declare their partnerships openly often receive a hostile public reaction.
But these cases involving women are not regarded in the same light.
If a woman has never had any children, she takes on what is regarded as the male role in a marriage, providing a home for the younger woman, who is then encouraged to take a male sexual partner from her partner's clan to become pregnant.
Her offspring will be regarded as the fruit of the marriage.
"I married according to our age-old tradition, where if a woman was not lucky enough to have her own children, she got another woman to honour her with children," says 67-year-old Juliana Soi.
Sitting on armchairs placed in the shade outside her grass thatched home in Rift Valley's Elburgon area, she tells me she married Esther in the early 1990s.
Esther, who remained demure during the visit and too shy to speak to me, is 20 years her junior and together they nominally have five children.
"You know children are like blankets," says Juliana.
"And one needs to have their own blanket so that you do not have to go to your neighbours' house at night to ask for a blanket since he will definitely be using his at that time."
This customary arrangement - practised among Kenya's Kalenjin (encompassing the Nandi, Kipsigis, and Keiyo), Kuria and Akamba communities - has come under the legal spotlight recently because of an inheritance case currently before the courts in the coastal city of Mombasa.
In a landmark ruling, the high court last year recognised that, in accordance with Nandi customary law on woman-to-woman marriages, Monica Jesang Katam could inherit her late wife's property.
However, the relatives of the dead woman - who was the older partner in the marriage - are challenging the verdict. A large house in Mombasa is at stake.
If the appeal fails, Franklin Chepkwony Soi should have no difficulty in claiming his inheritance rights when he is older.
"I was born here at Juliana's house and Esther here is my mother," the 20 year old explains.
"This lady Juliana married my mother because she wanted some sons to inherit her property."
He says he does not know who his biological father is - and is not interested to find out.
He adds that he has never experienced any social stigma and the small community in Elburgon accepts their family.
But his parents are at pains to point out that they do not have a sexual relationship.
"No! No! Nothing sexual takes place," says Juliana, adding that the two women sleep in separate huts.
Pointing at Esther, she goes on: "By the time a woman like me decides to marry a young woman like this one, I must have reached menopause.
"At that stage any love activities are for the young woman."
The couple laugh as she adds: "A woman my age is like an aged cockerel - too old to do anything."
This mainly rural practice of a barren woman marrying another woman for the purposes of having children is slowly fading away.
In some communities in western Kenya, where modern fertility treatments are not accessible, polygamy is the preferred way of dealing with infertility.
A wife who is unable to have children will often encourage her husband to remarry so the family can have children.
But the Mombasa ruling could challenge this patriarchal approach and give woman-to-woman marriages a stronger footing in the modern world. | Homosexual acts may be outlawed in Kenya but there is a long tradition among some communities of women marrying each other. | 16871435 |
It followed US President Donald Trump's comment, as part of his broad-ranging New York Times interview, that the wife of the Japanese prime minister, Akie Abe, cannot speak any English.
When netizens discovered the YouTube video of her giving a speech in English, however, they went on to speculate that she must have pretended to not know the language to avoid having a conversation with Mr Trump.
His critics treated her as their hero and American media have taken an intense interest in the story. But the truth may not be as black and white.
While the president's remark that she cannot even say "hello" may be an exaggeration, being able to read a scripted English speech does not mean that one is capable of having a spontaneous conversation over dinner.
Her previous diplomatic encounters have almost always been through an interpreter and when the BBC requested an interview with her in the past, they said she would only accept if it is conducted in Japanese.
Responding to the uproar over Mr Trump's re-telling of his encounter with Akie Abe at the G20 summit, Japan's foreign ministry spokesman told the BBC there would be no official comment, as it was a private conversation.
"In the meantime, we acknowledge in that interview that President Trump stated that he enjoyed the evening with her [Mrs Abe], and she is really a lovely woman," the ministry added.
But Japanese people have been weighing into the debate, and they divide broadly into three camps.
The editor of the Huffington Post Japan, Tomoko Nagano, asked if Mr Trump could say hello in Japanese while one Twitter user, @cevicherohack, said he finds it annoying that English speakers assume everyone should be able to speak their language.
@hidezumi thought the president was impolite not to have led the conversation while New York Times reporter Hiroko Tabuchi said the issue may be Mr Trump's conversational skills, not Mrs Abe's.
As a non-native English speaker myself, it took me years before feeling comfortable enough to start a conversation at a dinner party.
@Riepyan agreed that it is a mistake to assume everyone would be friendly and speak to you in simple English.
Japanese media have so far been neutral on the topic and just reported what has been said in American media. It may be partly because she remains a controversial figure, being in the spotlight for her role in the ongoing scandal over nationalistic schools.
Whatever the truth may be, it is fair to say that no-one in Japan expected Mrs Abe to make it into the top highlights from Mr Trump's interview. | Japan woke up with surprise on Friday morning to see the intense scrutiny of its First Lady's proficiency in English. | 40678881 |
The Miami Dolphins will play the New Orleans Saints in one of those contests as part of the NFL's International Series.
There will be two games staged at Wembley and two at Twickenham Stadium.
London hosts four games in 2017, one more than in 2016 and the most it has ever hosted.
The New York Giants became the first side to win at Twickenham in October when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 17-10.
Meanwhile, at Wembley, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts 30-27 and the Washington Redskins tied 27-27 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
London hosted its first NFL game in 2007 and the NFL says there has been "accelerated growth" in audience figures since then. It says the UK has a fan base of more than 13 million people. | The NFL has announced the full set of fixtures to be played in London in 2017. | 38266125 |
Tony Little, who is leaving the school, said most parents had been "supportive" but there were now "more pressures on young people than ever before".
And if his pupils failed to conform to parents' "outcome template", it could "add to the stresses" in their life.
Eton employs a full-time psychologist to promote "good mental health".
"For some it feels like a bereavement when something goes unexpectedly wrong, and others recalibrate and pretend things just don't happen as they have," Mr Little told the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference's Insight magazine.
Sarah Welch, who will chair the Independent Schools Association, said the parents at Gosfield School, in Essex, where she is principal, were worried about the amount of stress their children were under from exams, social networking and peer pressure.
"Children don't learn unless they are happy," she said.
More independent schools were employing counsellors and using techniques such as mindfulness, she said.
"Pastoral care is a focus for us, and we are looking a lot more at how we support our young people at school."
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Little also said he was "exasperated" by England's exam system and that learning subjects in "silos" prevented pupils from thinking laterally.
"It's like an egg timer," he said.
"There is is a wealth of experience at the top, then it all has to get squeezed through this narrow bottleneck of exams and pushed out the other side."
He said he was not against "rigour" or exams, but the way they were designed.
"We are controlled by university admissions, with no-one wanting to prejudice students' chances - we are locked in to the system," he said.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "It is essential that students develop a deep understanding of subjects, and our new GCSE and A-level courses recognise that learning is wider than preparing pupils for exams."
Mr Little also raised concerns about teacher training, saying: "We have made a big mess of teacher training in this country.
"I would like to see teaching as a highly trained profession, but not as it is now."
He said at Eton he had preferred to take on unqualified teachers and then train them in the post. | There has been a rise in the number of parents "living their lives through their ambitions for their children", the head teacher of Eton has said. | 32779506 |
"It was an epiphany," Harry says of the first time he set eyes on John Lennon at college.
"I remember the particular moment exactly as it happened. I was sitting in the canteen, suddenly I looked up and this guy was striding by and he was like a teddy boy. He was quite striking.
"I saw all the other art students in the canteen and virtually every one of them was in a duffle coat and turtle-neck sweater. I thought blimey, they're supposed to be non-conformists and yet they all look the same. That guy is the one who looks different, he's the rebel, he's the one I'd like to meet.
"So I got to know him and took him to our local pub and introduced him to Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray.
"He was a Jekyll and Hyde character. With me, Stuart and Rod, the four of us called ourselves The Dissenters. We used to talk about art and literature and read books by the San Francisco poets and the Olympia press in Paris.
"Then on the other hand, John went with this other bunch from the art college and used to get drunk and steal and get up to all sorts of mischief. With them he'd be rough, aggressive, wild, and with us he was talking about creative ideas and inspiration.
"When The Dissenters got together, we made a vow to make Liverpool famous. John would do it with his music, Stuart and Rod with their painting and I'd do it with my writing. That was the aim. But we didn't know how big things would get.
"There was great creativity, particularly in the Liverpool 8 area where we lived. We had the Mersey poets, country music groups, folk groups, sculptors, comedians, and we knew them. We used to drink together. We felt we were right in the middle of something that was mushrooming. We really made an effort to change things and create things.
"I booked The Beatles for the art college dances. We used to do dances on a Saturday night. Paul and George were next door to us in the Institute [The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys] and they used to come into the canteen.
"I was there when John and Stuart came up with the name Beatles. I just called them the college band because they weren't using The Quarrymen any more and couldn't seem to think of a decent name.
"They were sitting talking in Gambier Terrace [where Lennon and Sutcliffe shared a flat] trying to think of a decent name - they'd come up with silly names like The Moondogs.
"Stuart was saying 'We play a lot of Buddy Holly numbers, how about a name like Buddy Holly's backing band The Crickets?' And John said 'Yeah, let's think of insects'. So they tried The Beetles. It was in August 1960 that they finally decided on The Beatles.
"When I took the first edition of Mersey Beat to all the music shops, I went into [Brian Epstein's shop] Nems and asked to see the manager. Brian came down, I told him about the paper and he took a dozen. In the afternoon, he phoned me and couldn't believe that the dozen had sold straight away. For issue two, he ordered 12 dozen copies.
"The entire front cover was 'The Beatles record in Germany' with a photo of the leather-clad Beatles. He called me into his office and asked if he could be my record reviewer. I said OK, so his reviews appeared in issue three.
"He took me to lunch twice to ask about The Beatles and then asked if I could arrange for him to go down to the Cavern. He didn't want to stand in a queue with kids. So I phoned and Brian went down with his assistant and that's how it happened.
"It was with Love Me Do when they realised it was going to take off - they suddenly felt, this is it, we've made it. That was the turning point."
Bill Harry's new e-book titled Love Me Do, about the story of the song, is out now. | Bill Harry went to art college with John Lennon, ran the Mersey Beat newspaper and arranged for the band's future manager Brian Epstein to see them at the Cavern Club for the first time. | 19800060 |
Maria L was 19 when she was murdered in October.
The circumstances of her death are horrifying enough.
But Germans have been sickened by revelations that a teenage Afghan asylum seeker may have been responsible for the rape and drowning of the young medical student, who volunteered for a charity that helped refugees.
The news has reignited a harrowing national debate over whether Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to open Germany's doors to hundreds of thousands of refugees has put her citizens in danger.
Mrs Merkel, MPs of almost every political hue and the head of one of Germany's police unions have all warned against an over-simplified response.
Germans urged not to scapegoat migrants after Freiburg murder
They emphasised the danger implicit in taking one isolated case as evidence that all migrants posed a risk.
But their voices carry only faintly into the fearful, furious clamour of those who believe that the establishment may be covering up a wave of migrant crime and that the press is colluding by turning a blind eye, or even lying about it.
Without waiting for a court to decide whether the 17-year-old accused was guilty or innocent, Rainer Wendt of Germany's DPolG Police Federation controversially told the Bild tabloid newspaper that Maria and many others would not have been victims "had our country been prepared for the dangers that always occur in connection with mass immigration".
This is an emotionally charged debate, fuelled further this week by the arrest of an Iraqi asylum seeker on suspicion of the rape and attempted rape of two students in the town of Bochum.
And the shadow of the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne looms over it.
Initially the police and local government, and then the national press were slow to report the sexual assault of hundreds of women on New Year's Eve at the hands of gangs of men with migrant backgrounds.
Apparently they feared triggering a backlash against the recent influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees.
National broadcaster ARD provoked outrage by initially ignoring the story that the Freiburg suspect was an Afghan asylum seeker.
Its editor in chief later defended the decision by pointing out that it rarely reported individual criminal cases, concentrating instead on events of national or international significance.
ARD has now covered the fallout, arguing that the case has become politicised.
But was its original judgement right?
Was the terrible death of a German teenager allegedly at the hands of a young asylum seeker one of a handful of cases or, as one senior policeman believes, evidence of a wider trend?
Sexual assault figures reveal a similar trend
In the first half of 2016, there was a 36% decrease in overall crime committed by immigrants, and there was a fall in the number of arrivals. Most crime involved more minor offences.
Source: German government
Undoubtedly a criminal element entered the country with the influx of migrants entering Europe.
And jihadist group Islamic State (IS) is known to have infiltrated that wave of migration. Two of the first IS-inspired terror attacks on German soil were carried out during the summer by asylum seekers.
But commentators point out these are a tiny proportion of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children seeking asylum in Germany.
Nevertheless, debate will rage in the months leading up to elections in autumn 2017.
Angela Merkel's conservatives, like all of Germany's established parties, are losing votes to the populist, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD).
An AfD leader, Joerg Meuthen, said he was shocked by Maria L's murder, and added that he "has to notice how our warnings against the uncontrolled immigration of hundreds of thousands of young men from patriarchal Islamic cultures are being rejected as populist".
Maria L's parents have reportedly asked for donations to a charity which worked with refugees.
In time her story will fade from the headlines.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that many here will remember her not simply as a bright young woman whose life was cut horribly short but rather as a symbol of the bitter divisions within Germany.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | For days now photographs of a smiling young woman have haunted newspaper headlines and online news sites. | 38252259 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
A Fifa taskforce has recommended switching the event to winter because of hot summer temperatures in Qatar.
That move has provoked plenty of criticism but Neville thinks it could be hugely beneficial to England's hopes of winning the tournament.
He believes players will be fresh and ready to take on the world's best.
"We normally go into a World Cup at the end of a long, hard, nine-month season when our players are absolutely dead on their feet," Neville, who won 59 caps for his country, told BBC Sport.
"For an England team, this might be the best thing that's ever happened."
The former Manchester United and Everton defender added that he would be "licking my lips" if he was England boss Roy Hodgson because "we'll have the freshest ever national team going to a World Cup".
Tuesday's recommendation is expected to be ratified by Fifa's executive committee in Zurich in March.
The proposal has been backed by Uefa president Michel Platini, the Confederation of African Football and Concacaf - the confederation responsible for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Asian Football Confederation president is Sheikh Salman.
Serbian Football Association vice-president Savo Milosevic called it a "good decision" as it would coincide with their winter break.
But it has prompted an angry response from a number of influential football figures, among them Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who has accused Fifa of "damaging" the traditions of the English game by disrupting the Christmas schedule.
Neville, however, believes the positives outweigh the negatives for the English game and the national team, whose one and only World Cup success came in 1966.
"We've cried out for a long time for a mid-winter break," added Neville. "Maybe this will give us a great chance of winning a World Cup."
England striker Wayne Rooney has played an average of 50 matches for club and country in the seasons preceding the last three World Cups.
In 2022, a typical England player at a club competing in the Champions League could expect to have played only 14 matches games between the start and the season and the end of October.
"In this country, we are very traditionalist," added Neville, who played for England between 1996 and 2007 but never made a World Cup squad.
"We like to have our 10 weeks off over the summer, the games over Christmas, but the game is changing now. People don't like change, but they have to get used to it."
Neville also thinks the summer heat in Qatar would have proved prohibitive had the tournament remained in its traditional slot.
Temperatures in the Gulf state can exceed 40C in June and July, while those in November and December drop to around 25C.
"I visit Qatar two to three times a year and to play it in the summer months would be impossible," said BBC pundit Neville, who also works for Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Neville conceded that the process by which Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010 before the timing of the tournament had been agreed was "all wrong".
He is also concerned at how a winter World Cup will impact on the FA Cup, but has challenged English football bosses to come up with a schedule that will suit all parties.
"Maybe FA Cup replays will have to be sacrificed, which would be a shame because it's a fantastic competition," said Neville.
"It's up to the Premier League and the FA to work out the best possible plan so that nobody suffers, so that everybody - clubs, managers and owners - is getting everything they want in terms of the correct amount of fixtures, the correct amount of time with their players and amount of time afterwards so players can recover."
Dr Jones, a lecturer in sports biomechanics and strength and conditioning, believes end-of-season fatigue is mental as well as physical.
"At the tail end of season you've got so many competitions finishing," he said. "Players are often playing twice a week in that time. These are big games that are mentally hard to recover from so it might be easier in November when the games are not so critical.
"Two games a week on top of what's already been played, be it 30 or 40 games, will have a cumulative effect. There are other factors, not just the physical timing of the World Cup. I think a chunk of it can be mental." | Staging the 2022 World Cup in November and December may be the "best thing that's ever happened" to England, says former international Phil Neville. | 31610300 |
The body was found at around 14:00 GMT on Thursday in a property on Anderson Place.
South Wales Police said the body had not been formally identified, but contact had been made with relatives of a woman linked to the address.
The death is being treated as unexplained but is not thought to be suspicious. | A police investigation is under way after the discovery of a woman's body in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff. | 39259729 |
Some 121.8mm of rain has fallen, beating the previous record of 120.3mm which was set in 2000.
Flood warnings are in place with up to 20mm to 30mm of rain forecast for southern England on Monday night.
A 52-year-old man has died after his car became submerged at a ford south of Newbury following heavy rain.
The man and his dog died when a Toyota Yaris was trapped in "5ft of fast-flowing water" as it drove across the ford on Thornford Road, Compton Wood.
The Badminton Horse Trials, in Gloucestershire, have been cancelled for the second time in their history because of a waterlogged course.
The Met Office has issued an
amber warning
with severe weather expected in parts of Devon, Dorst and Somerset.
It says further flooding is possible and driving conditions may be difficult.
There are 37
flood warnings
in place, including 20 in south-west England and a handful each in the Midlands, north-east England and East Anglia. There are also 155 less serious alerts.
The Environment Agency is remaining on high alert for flooding into Tuesday across southern England, but particularly in Somerset, Dorset and Devon, a spokeswoman said.
"River flows are high after this weekend's rainfall and we are keeping a close watch on river levels as well as checking defences and clearing any potential blockages to reduce the risk of flooding," she said.
Tewkesbury, which suffered severe flooding five years ago, is among the areas affected by heavy rain, with flood alerts in place for every river in Somerset.
The figures up to April 29 show the amount of rain which has fallen is almost double the long term average for April of 69.6mm, in records dating back to 1910.
The Met Office said six of its weather stations had seen more than three times their usual monthly average this April.
Liscombe, on Exmoor in Somerset, has seen the most rainfall, with 273.8mm of rain compared with its 86.4mm average.
Much of the rain has been focused on the south of the UK, with England recording more rainfall than Scotland.
Prestwick in Ayrshire has seen just 39.2mm of rain and Skye has had just over half of its monthly rainfall - with 52.0mm of its 99.5mm average.
It is in stark contrast to March, which was the fifth driest on record with 36.4mm of rain compared to the average of 95.9mm.
It has also been cool, with an average temperature of 6.1C (43F), compared with March's 7.7C (46F). No weather station recorded a temperature of 20C (68F), unlike the previous month when temperatures regularly broke the 20C barrier.
Dave Britton from the Met Office said the weather was not set to improve next month.
"Unfortunately it does look like the outlook remains rather unsettled. Further spells of rain to come certainly through May and remaining rather unsettled and temperatures a bit below average as well," he said.
Despite the heavy rain, swathes of England are still in drought, with warnings that the downpours were not enough to counteract the effects of two unusually dry winters.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "While we welcome the rain we have received recently, we cannot be complacent and still need everyone to save water where they can."
New figures are compared with 1971-2000 averages for the whole of April. | It has been the wettest April in the UK for over 100 years, with some areas seeing three times their usual average, figures from the Met Office show. | 17897982 |
The announcement also said that Chinese firms might eventually be allowed to take majority stakes in British nuclear plants.
Mr Osborne made the announcement on the last day of a trade visit to China.
The first China deal could be as early as next week, with the go ahead for a new £14bn plant at the Hinkley C site.
Also on Thursday, a report commissioned for the prime minister warned of a growing risk of power shortages over the next few years.
The Royal Academy of Engineering said the closure of older power plants and the slow progress in building news ones was likely to stretch the system "close to its limits".
Supply is expected to come under strain in the winter of 2014-15.
Most existing coal-fired plants are expected to be closed in 2015 to meet European Union pollution directives, while many gas-fired power plants are not being used at the moment because gas is so expensive.
These would take time and money to bring back on stream.
The Hinkley C project, in Somerset, will be the first new nuclear power station since 1995.
Hinkley C's construction will be led by the French state-controlled giant, EDF, which has been looking for a partner or partners to share the costs.
By Robert PestonBusiness editor
EDF has been negotiating with three Chinese nuclear giants on the Hinkley C project - CGN, CNNC and SNPTC - all of which have been seen by the chancellor this week.
Our business editor, Robert Peston, says he has been told that one or two of these will end up owning perhaps 30% of Hinkley C.
A DECC spokesperson said talks about a contract were underway: "Negotiations remain ongoing between the government and EDF on the potential terms of an investment contract for Hinkley Point C. No agreement has as yet been reached.
"A contract will only be offered if it is value for money, fair and affordable, in line with government policy on no public subsidy for new nuclear and consistent with state-aid rules."
Mr Osborne made the announcement while on a visit to the Taishan nuclear plant in southern China on Thursday which is itself a collaboration between EDF and the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG).
He said: "Today is another demonstration of the next big step in the relationship between Britain and China, the world's oldest civil nuclear power and the world's fastest growing civil nuclear power."
The memorandum of understanding also includes roles for British companies in China's nuclear programme.
China has 17 nuclear reactors in operation, which provide about 1% of its electricity production capacity.
By Damian GrammaticasChina correspondent
In the future, Chinese firms might be allowed more than just minority stakes in UK plants. The government said that "over time, stakes in subsequent new power stations could be majority stakes".
At the weekend, the Energy Minister, Ed Davey, said he believed that a "massive" wave of investment from China, Japan and Korea would secure UK's power supply into the future.
Securing future energy supplies is a major challenge.
A portion of energy bills is being diverted to alternative energy investment in wind farms and solar energy.
But the government believes that renewable energy sources cannot provide enough power for the country's energy needs.
The industry regulator, Ofgem, has also warned of the "unprecedented challenge" to secure power supplies.
It said spare electricity power production capacity could fall to 2% by 2015, increasing the risk of blackouts. | The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced that the UK will allow Chinese companies to take a stake in British nuclear power plants. | 24561325 |
Inverness's Central ward, which includes Merkinch, Dalneigh and parts of Crown, will lose one of its representatives if the changes come into effect next May.
The boundary changes would mean six fewer councillors across the Highlands.
Central councillors said their busy and deprived ward would suffer.
Changes to council ward boundaries are to be made in most of Scotland's local authority areas.
The Scottish government has accepted proposals for changes in 25 council areas which will take effect next year.
There will be some changes in all mainland council areas apart from Argyll and Bute, Dundee and the Borders. | Highland councillors have criticised a shake-up of ward boundaries with some claiming the changes will damage local communities. | 37384616 |
Blatter has been suspended while Fifa's ethics committee investigates corruption claims against him.
The 79-year-old Swiss was suspended on Thursday along with secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini. All three deny wrongdoing.
Fifa will hold an emergency meeting on 20 October in Zurich to discuss February's presidential election.
Platini, the English Football Association's preferred candidate in the election to replace Blatter, will contest the ban "in the appropriate manner at the appropriate time".
Klaus Stohlker, Blatter's friend and adviser, said: "He has appealed already to Fifa's appeal committee. He is defending his position and he is sure that he will be found not guilty." Blatter's lawyers also confirmed they were seeking to overturn his ban.
However, some have questioned Blatter's desire to stay in charge. Former Football Association chairman David Bernstein told the BBC: "Blatter is a fool to himself to stay on for so long."
The FA had pressed Fifa to hold the emergency meeting of the governing body's executive committee to discuss its elections.
David Gill, a Fifa vice-president and the vice-chairman of the FA, had also written to Markus Kattner, Fifa's acting secretary general, with a similar request.
African football confederation chief Issa Hayatou, Fifa's longest-serving vice-president, is heading the organisation in Blatter's enforced absence.
Fifa's ethics committee began its investigation into Blatter after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against him in September.
He is accused of signing a contract "unfavourable" to Fifa and making a "disloyal payment" to Platini.
The ethics committee also opened an inquiry into Platini over the 2m euros (£1.35m) payment, which was made nine years after the 60-year-old Frenchman carried out consultation work for Blatter.
Valcke was already on gardening leave from his Fifa post following newspaper allegations last month which implicated the 55-year-old in a scheme to profit from the sale of World Cup tickets.
Valcke's lawyer said that his client was "confident" he will be fully cleared of the "false allegations" when "all the facts come out".
Media playback is not supported on this device
Blatter won a fifth consecutive presidential election in May, but he announced he would be stepping down just days later following the launch of two investigations into Fifa by United States and Swiss authorities.
He is due to finish his term on 26 February, when a new president will be elected.
Platini, who also heads European football body Uefa, is one of the favourites to replace him and still plans to stand. He has the full backing of Uefa, which is holding an emergency meeting next week.
But FA chairman Greg Dyke says the English game's governing body will withdraw its support for the former France international midfielder if he is found to have "behaved dishonestly".
South Korean Chung Mong-joon, a former Fifa vice-president, is another aiming to succeed Blatter. He has been banned from all football activity for six years by Fifa, but on Friday said he would appeal against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He is also planning legal action against Fifa and Blatter.
"Fifa is like the sinking Titanic," he added.
Meanwhile, the European Club Association, which represents more than 200 clubs, has become the latest group to call for reform at Fifa.
Citing its "concern over the developments at Fifa over the last few months", the ECA said in a statement it wanted more involvement in the running of the organisation. | Fifa president Sepp Blatter is appealing against his 90-day ban from football's world governing body. | 34483711 |
The gap appeared on Pond Street at about 09:00 BST and some 40,000 people have watched it via a live stream on BBC Sheffield's Facebook page.
The road, close to the city's bus station, has been closed and the hole cordoned off.
A heating system in the city had developed a leak, said contractors.
People have been watching the hole via the live stream from as far away as Auckland, New Zealand and Australia.
On BBC Radio Sheffield's Facebook page, Graham Bartley said the live video stream "had gone the hole hog" while David Blythen said "something similar happened last year or maybe the year before" on Pond Street.
Brian Long jokingly tweeted: "Have none of you seen War of the Worlds? Run for your lives."
Meanwhile, a passing cyclist, who gave her name as Elspeth, said she had seen "steam in the air" at the same spot two days ago.
Workmen on the site said the hole would be excavated, leaving one side of the road open while work was carried out.
Sheffield city centre and the surrounding areas are supplied with low-carbon energy generated in a central location, converted to hot water and pumped through a district network of underground pipes and delivered to a heat exchanger in buildings of all sizes and types.
The energy is recovered from burning the city's rubbish that cannot be recycled .
Steam is generated from the incineration process and passed through a turbine to generate electricity for the National Grid and/or converted to hot water for the network.
The Sheffield district energy network's leak meant a steam plume was visible, said contractors Veolia, who confirmed it was "making this safe".
A large hole, estimated to be about 15 ft (4.6m) deep, opened up in Hutcliffe Wood Road, Millhouses, in Sheffield on 24 April.
This was caused by an old lead mine. | A hole has opened up in a road in Sheffield and a whole lot of steam can be seen rising up from it, prompting a surge in social media interest. | 36226076 |
It follows claims broadcast on the BBC's Panorama that grants were made to charities in return for electoral support in Tower Hamlets.
Three files of material were handed to the police by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
The Met said there would be no new investigation into the files.
However the Met said there was an continuing investigation by police into alleged irregularity concerning money awarded by Tower Hamlets Council to an organisation within the borough.
Panorama had alleged the council, run by directly-elected mayor Lutfur Rahman, had diverted £3.6m of grants to Bangladeshi and Somali-run charities in return for political support.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said the files had been reviewed by a team of officers over the past six days.
It said: "In addition, officers have liaised with Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP (PWC) who are conducting a full and wide-ranging audit of financial matters at The London Borough of Tower Hamlets."
Tower Hamlets Council insisted it had "seen no evidence" that its processes had been run inappropriately.
A spokesman for the council said: "The news from the Metropolitan Police is to be welcomed and Tower Hamlets will continue to work with the auditors and DCLG."
Panorama had said it found Bangladeshi-born Mr Rahman had more than doubled funding recommended by officers for Bengali-run charities.
In a statement, it said: "We continue to stand by the programme's findings which uncovered serious concerns about the use of public money, which are still being investigated by the government.
"Our programme did not say there was evidence of criminality."
The inspection by PWC is continuing to look into the authority's payment of grants, the transfer of property, spending decisions in relation to publicity, and other contractual processes, from 25 October 2010.
It has been asked to report back to Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles by 30 June.
The Met Police said before the three files were handed to officers a report concerning irregularity was made to police by Tower Hamlets Council on 20 March.
Tower Hamlets Criminal Investigation Department is currently investigating irregularity concerning money awarded to the Brady Youth Forum in January and April 2013, which was identified in an internal review by the council.
There are elections in London on 22 May, including for the directly-elected Mayor of Tower Hamlets. A list of candidates will be published after the close of nominations next week. | There is "no new credible evidence of criminality" in files from an east London borough, to suspect fraud, the Metropolitan Police has said. | 27050663 |
Could Reddit offer a solution?
At 280 million active monthly users, the link-sharing site is already a phenomenally influential force on the internet.
The site allows you to post links that are then either up or down voted by other users. Upvoted content is given more visibility - and potentially millions of hits - and the downvoted stuff falls away and barely gets seen by anyone.
As well as the "front page" that shows the most popular content, adjusted slightly according to your own tastes, the site also has "subreddits", smaller sections devoted to a particular topic. This system makes it the ideal place to discover views different to your own, said co-founder Alexis Ohanian in an interview with the BBC.
"It's a community that's not defined by social connection," he said following a talk at the South by SouthWest (SXSW) Interactive festival in Austin, Texas.
"What we hope we can do, because these communities are all there, is expose people to those different Zeitgeists.
"This is the first time you can actually go and see how these disparate groups are feeling and thinking about anything, any time of day."
There's perhaps no better example of this than r/The_Donald. The subreddit has become the leading online hub for President Trump's supporters - the man himself held a Q+A session there last year. It's a noisy collection of insider-jargon, conspiracy theories and cries of "fake news" - but it's also the best place to assess what makes Trump's fans tick.
"I think it illustrates well that there are communities on Reddit that maybe I personally don't really agree with," said Mr Ohanian.
"But they're perspectives that, as long as they're within the lines of our content policy, are worth having."
Many Reddit users - not just Trump fans - were outraged last year when it emerged Steve Huffman, the other Reddit co-founder and its current chief executive, had personally edited comments made on the site by Trump supporters.
While apologising, Mr Huffman also announced new measures to curb some of the tactics used by members of r/The_Donald to "game" Reddit - that is, artificially make posts appear more prominently to other users.
Mr Ohanian said such actions were frustrating, but were ultimately helping the site develop.
"A lot of this ends up pressure-testing a lot of the things we're going to need to have built anyway in the years to come as we keep growing. We have a user base that's really keen on pressure testing a lot of this."
He added that he felt the influence of r/The_Donald had been overblown.
"It is not nearly as big as people perceive it to be. Statistically it's actually pretty small, relative to other communities on Reddit."
Looking to the future, Mr Ohanian told the BBC it plans to move into more "traditional" platforms in order to attract the new audiences it needs to grow.
"People are consuming content on one big screen in their home," he said.
"If we can work with partners who reach those big audiences on those big screens, and bringing people back to Reddit, and we on Reddit are pushing people to that content, we want to create this virtuous cycle that brings awareness of Reddit and the rich conversations that happen there to the audience that's just watching the big screens, not paying attention."
He wouldn't say it directly, but the company will soon be announcing partnerships with TV companies - "high-quality" and "traditional" "content partners" - to integrate Reddit chatter into top shows.
This will undoubtedly bring new users to the platform, but for a site that has managed to maintain its distinct tone and sense of humour, some users will be concerned that a flood people could spoil things.
"I hear where you're coming from," he said.
"Reddit has this amazing ability to still feel small. And that's great. But it's really, really big. Sure there maybe concerns - but Reddit has been absorbing tens of millions of new users all the time, and these communities still proliferate, and still feel small."
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook. You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370 | After the referendums and elections of 2016, concern over online echo chambers grew - the idea that we were getting shielded from a wide range of views because of who we chose to be friends with online. | 39241283 |
If forecasts are correct, the gap in productivity between Wales and the UK will widen, analysis from the Bevan Foundation suggests.
It predicts more professional but fewer lower skilled jobs, which make up a significant part of Wales' economy.
But the Wales Office said wages and living standards are both improving.
The foundation urges radical approaches.
The Merthyr Tydfil-based think-tank has brought together economic, education, environment and health forecasts.
It gives three scenarios and if the current forecasts are correct, the outlook for Wales in five years is "far from rosy".
The foundation said the Welsh government and public bodies need to re-think how they do things to tackle the challenge to living standards.
The UK government said Wales has the joint fastest growing economy in the UK.
A Welsh government spokesman said: "We will consider the issues raised in this report but let's be clear, we are a pro-business government.
"We work very closely with companies to create growth and jobs in every part of Wales. Inward investment is at its highest for decades because investors know that they can rely on a supportive, agile government and a skilled workforce."
"It is highly unlikely that the approaches of the last 15 years will manage to buck the trend in the next five," said foundation director and report author Dr Victoria Winckler.
"We need to ask some searching and fundamental questions about the role of the state, third sector and business; about how to target scarce resources and how to engage with people.
"These are probably the biggest challenges to face Wales in a generation. They are tough individually but, like buses, they're all coming at once."
The report calls for Wales to make use of its environment, history and culture, businesses and institutions and "crucially, the skills and resilience of its people".
WHAT WALES COULD LOOK LIKE
The report said business as usual was not an option and Wales needs to anticipate the future and not just react to the present.
Dr Martin Rhisiart, an economist at the University of South Wales, said it was an interesting and commendable report but there were many uncertainties with economic forecasts.
He said there was a need for more openness when debating the long-term challenges.
"At times we are lacking some self-critique in Wales. We don't have much independence of thought, the state has a disproportionate role in the lives of individuals, we don't have as big a private sector, so very few independent institutions are doing or are commissioning research around the themes of this report.
"That would lead to diversity and alternative ideas."
The Wales Office said Wales was an ambitious nation with a strong future built on solid economic foundations.
"Notwithstanding the fact that many of the issues touched upon in this report are the responsibility of the Welsh government, it completely ignores the dramatic transformation that the Welsh economy has experienced over the last five years," said a spokesman. | More unqualified workers chasing low paid, insecure jobs is the bleak vision of Wales in 2020, according to a think-tank. | 34177740 |
Mr Farron said his party would support Labour's bid to commit the UK to admitting 3,000 unaccompanied minors.
He said the UK should take its "fair share" of children who have already arrived in Europe, in addition to those it plans to resettle from Syria.
The government said it was taking action to help child refugees.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We're putting £10m into being able to being able to provide help and support for children who are in Europe."
On Monday the House of Commons will vote on a Labour amendment to the Immigration Bill to allow 3,000 child refugees into the UK.
The government announced last week it would take in as many as 3,000 refugees, mostly vulnerable children, from the war-torn Syria region by 2020.
This is on top of David Cameron's pledge to take 20,000 refugees by the end of the decade.
But speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Mr Farron said it was not enough, saying there were an estimated 30,000 lone refugee children already in Europe at risk of being trafficked or abused.
It was time for the UK to take its "fair share" and resettle 3,000 of them within its borders, the Lib Dem leader argued.
"I've been to the camps, I've seen families absolutely devastated, people who've fled war and persecution, the threat of death for them and their children and they took an enormously risky decision to cross the water the come to Europe. Why? Because what they left behind was riskier still," he said.
He added: "My question to every Conservative MP, to Theresa May and to David Cameron, is, 'If you were in the situation of these Syrian refugees, if your children were like these unaccompanied children in Europe now, what would you want other countries to do for you?' The answer is obvious," he added.
Some Conservatives MPs are believed to be considering backing Labour's amendment and Mr Farron predicted a government defeat was on the cards.
When asked if he thought they could win the vote, he said: "Yes, of course we can."
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "The question we need to ask ourselves, and we've worked with the UNHCR, is, 'What is in the best interests of these children?'"
Referring to the government's resettlement scheme she said: "That is about children at risk coming from the region, not just unaccompanied children because sometimes they can have a family member or a guardian with them but still be at risk, for example of exploitation or forced marriage."
"And also, we're putting £10m into being able to provide help and support for children who are in Europe," she added.
The five-year Syrian civil war has created more than 4.5 million refugees across the region and the UN has warned that a whole generation of Syrian children is at risk.
The UK government's scheme will target unaccompanied children in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as those considered at risk of abuse and exploitation, such as children threatened with child labour and child marriage.
It will resettle children and their families "where the UNHCR deems resettlement is in the best interests of the child".
Labour peer Lord Dubs - who has tabled the amendment to be debated on Monday - said that, while welcome, it "doesn't deal sufficiently with the substance of my amendment."
He also questioned whether "the use of the 3,000 figure is a deliberate ploy to muddy the debate". | Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has stepped up calls for the UK to take in child refugees who have fled to Europe, ahead of a key vote in Parliament on Monday. | 36123497 |
Metal detectorists found the spoon handle with an engraving of "Wild Man" near Woodbridge in Suffolk.
A leading historian has hailed the discovery as a "rare find".
Some of the earliest writings about The Wild Man come from Spain in the 9th Century and he was described as "barbaric, chaotic and unrestrained".
The 15th Century handle, found two years ago, was declared as treasure at an inquest in Ipswich this week.
Covered in leaves and brandishing a club, the hairy Wild Man was a popular medieval mythical figure mostly found in pictures and literature rather than on objects.
Professor of history Ronald Hutton, from the University of Bristol, said: "It's certainly one of the earliest depictions of the Wild Man.
"There would have been earlier ones on manuscripts and tapestries but not like this."
He said it would have been owned by someone "well-off" and from the "upper to middle class".
People were fascinated by the creature who was "barbaric, chaotic and unrestrained", he said.
"This might have been given to someone as a present to remind them of how not to behave," he added.
"He was a bogey in a world obsessed with religious and social order, an awful warning of the consequences of a lack of either."
The figure is being valued by the British Museum, which will then decide what to do with it. | A 500-year-old artefact is one of the earliest depictions of a mythical figure from medieval Europe, an expert has claimed. | 35050026 |
He had been acquitted in 2012 of taking envelopes stuffed with money from a US-based supporter.
However, a retrial was ordered after the emergence of recordings in which he referred to receiving the money.
Olmert, who served as Israeli PM from 2006 to 2009, is currently appealing a conviction for bribery in 2014 for which he was sentenced to six years.
His lawyers say they are considering appealing the latest conviction. | Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been found guilty of fraud and breach of trust after a retrial. | 32112432 |
The strike is expected to cause disruption to 90,000 passengers.
It is the ninth day this year that drivers have gone on strike.
Luas operator, Transdev, has said it will impose pay cuts of 10% from Friday if drivers continue the industrial action. Drivers have said they will not accept any cuts to wages.
The Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (Siptu) said the threatened wage cuts are provocative and outrageous.
There are more strikes due on 4 May, 13 May, 20 May, 26 and 27 May.
The dispute is over pay rises of between 8% and 53% sought by drivers.
Transdev said these levels of pay rises are not sustainable. | Drivers on the Luas tram system in Dublin have begun a one-day strike in a pay dispute. | 36157227 |
Lord Owen, the former foreign secretary who has advised Russian businesses interests for some time, thinks there may be.
He told me that a settlement could, in his view, involve Russia negotiating with Ukraine a lease on Crimea - which he regarded as analogous to America's lease on Guantanamo in Cuba.
And the background, of course, is that Russia already has a lease till 2042 on its substantial naval base at the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Originally negotiated in 1991, it was extended by 25 years in fraught negotiations in 2010.
Back then, the final pact involved Ukraine receiving substantial subsidies on Russian natural gas.
If that lease was viewed by the world as ethically tolerable, how big a leap would it be to negotiate a lease on all Crimean territory?
There is an argument that via a lease and negotiation of rent, at least the rest of the Ukraine would receive some kind of economic benefit for Russian occupation of Crimea.
That said, it will stick in the craw of many that the exercise of military might by Russia would apparently have its reward.
Lord Owen also argues that the natural parties in such a negotiation would be the UK, US, Ukraine and Russia, since in 1994 they agreed the continuing use of Sevastopol as a base for Russia's Black Sea fleet, as part of a wider agreement on nuclear non-proliferation.
The important point is that whatever the credibility of Russia's claims to wish to protect Russians living in Ukraine, the strategic importance for President Putin of the Sevastopol and Crimean base is huge.
It is vital for President Putin in ensuring all-year-round access for the Russian fleet to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean.
Analysts say there is no possibility of Russia compromising or sacrificing this naval access via Crimea.
Anyway, there is certainly something very "modern Russia" about gas or cash being exchanged for territorial rights.
In some ways it would be redolent of the blunt tactics employed by the Russian government and a troika of oligarchs that eventually saw Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil giant, acquire control of the substantial TNK business from BP and those billionaire plutocrats.
None of which is to argue that the world should be carved up on the basis of who has the deepest pockets and the most bulging military muscles.
Nor is it to say that it would be easy to calculate a fair rent for the whole of Crimea.
But the alternative, a region tottering sine die on the brink of catastrophe, may be worse. | Is there a commercial solution to the crisis in Ukraine? | 26452298 |
Members from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) will not join walk outs on 5 and 7 February.
The RMT union announced the action on Friday after abandoning talks at the conciliation service Acas.
The TSSA said LU's proposals "pave the way for a resolution". It wants further talks with management.
General secretary Manuel Cortes said the offer included the creation of an additional 325 new posts which "goes some way towards restoring adequate safety on our Tube".
But the union's overtime ban will remain in place while TSSA representatives "seek further talks with LU".
Members of the RMT will walk out for 16 hours from 18:00 GMT on 5 February, and then hold a 15-hour strike from 10:00 on 7 February.
A 24-hour strike by the RMT and TSSA earlier this month over the same issues led to much of the Tube network being shut.
BBC London transport correspondent Tom Edwards said the TSSA was the smaller of the two unions so the strike would still have a large impact.
But he said the TSSA's announcement could lead to more talks between the RMT and LU.
A spokesperson for the RMT said "all planned action remains on" but union representatives will return for more talks at Acas on Tuesday.
General secretary Mick cash has accused LU of compromising safety on the Tube because of "cash-led cuts to staffing levels".
Steve Griffiths, LU's chief operating officer, said the proposal had been made "to both unions in order to end this dispute".
"We are available for further discussions this week to provide clarification on the implementation of these proposals," he said.
Transport for London (TfL) has previously said it would address the recommendations of a report which said job cuts had caused "significant issues" for Underground passengers. | One of the unions which was in dispute with London Underground (LU) in a row over staff numbers has suspended two planned strikes. | 38799245 |
The woman's body was found in August 1974 on a heath at Cockley Cley near Swaffham in Norfolk.
Rope and a plastic found at the scene suggested connections with Dundee.
Twelve students in Dundee trawled through local newspaper archives, which police said resulted in "a couple" of new lines of inquiry.
The woman was found wearing a 1969 Marks & Spencer pink nightdress, while post-mortem examinations concluded she was aged 23-35, had given birth and was from central Europe.
The body was wrapped in a plastic cover bearing the National Cash Registers (NCR) logo which links it to Dundee, where the computer firm employed hundreds of people in the 1970s.
Jute rope, used to tie up the plastic, was also believed to have been manufactured in Dundee.
Psychology and forensic biology students at the city's Abertay University spent April looking for stories about the case and reports of other missing people or murders and attacks in the Dundee Courier and Evening Telegraph from January 1973 to January 1975.
Dr Penny Woolnough, course tutor, said: "It's a really valuable way for students to put into practice what they learn on their course.
"They've submitted their findings to the police and now it's in their hands."
A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "The students' work has generated a couple of leads, which detectives from the major investigations team are now following up.
"At this stage of this part of the inquiry, it's too early to say how important these leads will be." | Forensics students have uncovered "new leads" in an investigation to identify a headless corpse found 42 years ago, police have said. | 36276233 |
British Transport Police (BTP) said about eight teenagers caused the disturbance between Larbert and Linlithgow on 23 January.
The men are believed to have been returning from East Stirlingshire's game against East Fife at Ochilview Park.
Officers said their behaviour resulted in the train being delayed.
The men, aged in their mid to late teens, travelled on the 17:28 Dunblane to Edinburgh service and left the train at Linlithgow station.
BTP said CCTV footage from the train and stations will be reviewed and appealed for witnesses to the incident. | Police are hunting a group of men who sang religiously offensive songs on a train following a football match. | 35471447 |
His comments follow newspaper reports the striker was banned after failing an out-of-competition drugs test.
Hughes said the 23-year-old, who joined the Potters for £12m in January, was banned for a "Football Association disciplinary matter".
The Welshman said he saw no reason for Berahino not to face his former club at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Hughes, 53, said the forward had "issues at his previous club for 18 months", adding: "We were aware of that before we signed him.
"As with all players, we did our research on him before we signed him, but that didn't change our thinking at all.
"In terms of more detail, you would probably need to refer back to his former club, West Brom. We are pleased with what he is producing and he is looking forward to the game tomorrow.
"Why wouldn't I play him?" added Hughes. "He is in line to be involved."
West Brom boss Tony Pulis confirmed Berahino served a ban, but would not comment on why.
"He didn't play for me because he wasn't fit enough," added Pulis. "This football club looked after Saido very well while he was here. The club looks after all the players.
"Saido was one of the main reasons this club stayed in the Premier League two seasons ago. In his own mind he wanted to move."
The FA does not comment on its social drugs policy regulations. | Saido Berahino served an eight-week suspension before leaving West Brom, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has said. | 38853137 |
The Ugandan army said it had helped in the operation, while a spokesman for the rebel forces said its troops had made a tactical withdrawal.
Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, has changed hands several times in a month-long conflict that is believed to have left thousands dead.
Meanwhile, talks to try to find a ceasefire are continuing in Ethiopia.
The conflict between rebel and government forces broke out on 15 December. President Salva Kiir has accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup - an accusation he denies.
The dispute has seen killings along ethnic lines - Mr Kiir is a member of the Dinka community, the country's largest, while Mr Machar is from the Nuer ethnic group.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting.
On Thursday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni confirmed his country's troops were now fighting alongside South Sudanese government forces against the rebels. A spokesman for the Ugandan People's Defence Force said its troops had helped retake Bor.
"There was a lot of resistance but our force was overwhelming," the spokesman, Paddy Ankunda, told Reuters news agency.
South Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer said the fight for Bor had left "many dead", without giving figures.
Brig-Gen Lul Ruai Koang, a military spokesperson for the opposition in South Sudan, said its troops had withdrawn to reorganise.
He said Bor was a "ghost town" and no longer important.
But Col Aguer said the victory had eliminated the psychological pressure of a rebel attack on the capital, Juba, 200km (130 miles) south of Bor.
Col Aguer also said the focus would now fall on the town of Malakal, still party controlled by the rebels, with the government forces planning an imminent attack.
But Col Aguer admitted maintaining communication with government forces there was "difficult".
The BBC's Mark Lowen, in Juba, says Bor has changed hands a number of times already - and it is not inconceivable that Riek Machar could mobilise his forces for another assault.
Talks to try to agree a ceasefire are continuing in a hotel in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
There have been conflicting reports about progress in the discussions, but no breakthrough has yet been signalled.
Our correspondent says it is widely believed that the talks have stalled because both sides are aiming for an upper hand in the fighting before real negotiations begin.
The release of political detainees continues to be a key issue that must be resolved.
On Friday, UN Human Rights fact finder Ivan Simonovic said both government soldiers and rebels had committed atrocities.
He told the BBC there had been reports of "mass killings, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, widespread destruction and looting of property and use of the children in conflict". | South Sudan's military says it has recaptured the strategic town of Bor from rebel forces. | 25794699 |
FEP Heatcare Ltd broke rules on phone messages by playing householders a recorded message promoting its products and services without their consent.
The fine was imposed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
A lawyer advising FEP said the firm would lodge an appeal, arguing that the fine seemed "grossly disproportionate".
ICO officers had traced the calls to FEP Heatcare even though the messages did not identify the caller.
Ken Macdonald, ICO assistant commissioner for Scotland, said: "This company was already on our hit list.
"FEP Heatcare thought they could avoid detection by hiding their identity, but we tracked them down and have taken action."
The company came to the attention of ICO in February last year when it appeared on a list compiled by the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) of the top 20 most complained about nuisance call companies.
Despite a warning, it broke the rules again - this time by playing a recorded message.
These types of calls should only be made to people who have given the organisation their permission to receive them.
ICO found that FEP instigated 2,692,217 unwanted automated calls between April and July 2015.
Mr Macdonald said: "We know people hate nuisance calls and what this company did made people angry enough to complain.
"The kind of calls FEP Heatcare was making - recorded and about energy services - generated the most complaints to the ICO in February this year.
"Combined with automated calls about PPI, they made up 66% of our recorded complaints."
One complainer to the ICO, who is disabled, said: "I don't very often get calls on my landline, so it means I have to get up and walk to the phone, which causes me inconvenience and pain - frustrating when it's a nuisance advertising call that I didn't want anyway."
As well as imposing a fine, ICO has issued a notice to the firm demanding it does not make any further nuisance automated marketing calls.
Court action could follow if it fails to comply, it said.
A lawyer advising FEP said the company was "surprised and disappointed" at the level of fine imposed by ICO.
Peter Watson of legal firm PBW Law said: "This fine seems grossly disproportionate in light of the representations made to the Information Commissioner.
"FEP Heatcare Limited co-operated fully with the ICO investigation and had already stopped using automated marketing calls prior to the ICO contacting the company on 25 August 2015 regarding their marketing.
"We will now prepare an appeal to be lodged in due course."
Last September, a Glasgow-based firm was handed a record fine for nuisance calls after making more than six million automated calls in a solar panel marketing campaign.
Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd was fined £200,000 by the Information Commissioner. | A Glasgow-based boiler replacement firm that bombarded the public with more than two million unwanted marketing calls has been fined £180,000. | 35833463 |
Myers, 19, who can also play left-back, began his career at Everton before joining Fleetwood in August 2016.
Goalkeeper Chris Cheetham has also joined from Skelmersdale United, while Southport youth players Ben Fouldes, Matt Lavelle and Sam Grimshaw have moved up to join the first team.
Southport are bottom of the National League, 10 points from safety. | Southport have signed midfielder Spencer Myers on loan from Fleetwood Town for the rest of the season. | 39370537 |
Fe wnaeth ei sylwadau ar ôl teithio i Langennech i gwrdd â rhieni sy'n gwrthwynebu'r cam i droi'r ysgol yn un cyfrwng Gymraeg.
Ym mis Ionawr, pleidleisiodd mwyafrif cynghorwyr Sir Gâr o blaid y newid.
Dywedodd llefarydd ar ran y cyngor bod y camau statudol wedi'u dilyn a'u bod wedi ymgynghori'n eang cyn dod i'r penderfyniad.
Dywedodd Mr Hamilton ei fod yn cefnogi bwriad Llywodraeth Cymru i gael miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050, ond bod y penderfyniad ar Ysgol Llangennech yn mynd yn erbyn "dymuniadau rhieni".
"Y bobl anoddefgar yn fan hyn yw'r aelodau Plaid Cymru sy'n gorfodi hyn ar bentref sydd ddim am ei weld," meddai Mr Hamilton.
"Fel arweinydd UKIP yn y Senedd dwi wedi bod yn flaenllaw wrth gefnogi camau i hyrwyddo diddordebau'r iaith Gymraeg."
Mynnodd hefyd ei fod yn amddiffyn diddordebau rhieni oedd wedi gweld polisi addysg yn cael ei "osod" arnyn nhw gan gynghorwyr, er bod ymgynghoriad wedi derbyn tua'r un nifer o sylwadau o blaid ac yn erbyn y syniad.
"Os ydyn ni'n ceisio gorfodi'r iaith Gymraeg lawr cyrn gwddf pobl fyddai fel arall am ei gwarchod, ond dydyn nhw ddim ei eisiau ar gyfer eu plant, fyddwn ni ddim yn ennill y frwydr dros feddyliau pobl er mwyn sicrhau bod Cymru'n dod yn wlad ddwyieithog o fewn fy mywyd i," meddai.
Wrth ymateb i sylwadau Mr Hamilton, dywedodd Aelod Cynulliad Plaid Cymru Simon Thomas fod y penderfyniad wedi bod yn un democrataidd.
"Dwi'n meddwl ei bod hi'n anffodus iawn bod UKIP yn trio achosi cynnen rhwng pobl sy'n siarad Cymraeg a Saesneg - mae'r penderfyniad yn Llangennech yn un i'r gymuned leol, yr ysgol, y llywodraethwyr, ac yn y pen draw, i'r cyngor sir," meddai.
"Mae'r broses sydd wedi bod yn digwydd dros y tair blynedd diwethaf wedi bod yn glir a thryloyw i bawb, ac mewn ffordd ddemocrataidd."
Dywedodd y cynghorydd Gareth Jones, aelod cabinet Cyngor Sir Gâr ar addysg: "Mae'r penderfyniad ar y cynnig i newid darpariaeth ysgol gynradd yn Llangennech wedi dilyn proses hir, ac rydyn ni'n fodlon bod y camau statudol wedi eu dilyn a'n bod ni wedi ymgynghori'n eang."
Dywedodd cadeirydd rhanbarth Caerfyrddin Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Sioned Elin: "Mae newid ysgol Llangennech i fod yn ysgol Gymraeg yn bwysig i'r sir gyfan yn ogystal â Llangennech.
"Dim ond addysg Gymraeg fydd yn sicrhau bod plant yn rhugl yn y Gymraeg a'r Saesneg ac yn sicrhau cyfleoedd gwaith a chymdeithasol iddynt yn y dyfodol.
"Roedd yn rhagweladwy y byddai Neil Hamilton yn achub ar y cyfle i wneud safiad gwrth-Gymraeg fel hyn, fyddai'n amddifadu cenhedlaeth arall o blant o'r gallu i fyw a gweithio yn Gymraeg.
"Beth sydd i'w ddisgwyl gan rywun nad yw'n trafferthu byw yn yr etholaeth na'r wlad y mae'n gwasanaethu?" | Mae arweinydd UKIP yn y Cynulliad, Neil Hamilton yn mynnu na fydd "gorfodi'r iaith Gymraeg i lawr cyrn gwddf plant" yn help i sicrhau Cymru ddwyieithog. | 38918631 |
Captain Asghar Stanikzai's 62 from 47 balls had fired the underdogs to 153-7, having been 51-4 with nine overs left.
But Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 83 after a solid opening with Dinesh Chandimal, while some poor fielding helped Sri Lanka reach their target in Kolkata.
The 2014 winners have struggled of late but won with seven balls to spare.
Afghanistan, coached by former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, reached the Super 10s with three wins out of three in the first round, including a 59-run victory over closest competitors Zimbabwe.
The Central Asian side only began playing Twenty20 internationals against ICC members in 2010, and are ranked ninth in the world, one behind Sri Lanka.
One of their most impressive performers in qualification was Mohammad Shahzad, but here the opening batsman was out cheaply, top-edging an Angelo Mathews delivery to Dushmantha Chameera having made eight runs from 12 balls.
From there it looked as though Sri Lanka would go on to force a critical advantage, with Rangana Herath claiming two wickets as three batsmen fell for just 15 runs and Afghanistan slumped to 51-4.
But then stepped forward Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari, who scored five sixes between them to move Afghanistan forward at an impressive rate in a vital partnership of 61.
Even with Shenwari out for 31 from 14 balls, Stanikzai continued to bat superbly, the highlight of his highest T20 international total a soaring six off Thisara Perera as Afghanistan scored 106 off their last 10 overs.
Sri Lanka were crowned champions in Bangladesh in 2014 but have since had to rebuild their Twenty20 squad following the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
They won just one of four matches at the Asia Cup in the build-up to the tournament - against the United Arab Emirates - but remain the best-performing team at the World Twenty20 since its inception in 2007, now with 22 wins from 32 matches.
Here they were also missing Lasith Malinga, the fourth most prolific wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals, who was not fit to play, and their best performances came with the bat.
Openers Dilshan and Chandimal steamed ahead with a partnership of 41, the former delighting the crowd with his trademark scoop shot before the latter was out cheaply, caught at mid-wicket.
After Thirimanne fell to 17-year-old Rashid Khan - the second youngest player to appear at a World T20 after Pakistan's Mohammad Amir - Thisara was moved up the order and made 12 before being run out for 85-3.
At that stage the Afghans might well have believed they were still in with a fighting chance, but Dilshan continued to score and several errors in the field allowed boundaries to creep through and relieve any pressure.
And fittingly it was 39-year-old Dilshan who secured the win with a boundary to square leg, the final flourish in his third highest international Twenty20 total.
Man of the match Tillakaratne Dilshan: "I needed runs because I got two ducks in the warm-ups. I'm really happy with how I batted.
"150 was a good total. We still had to bat smart because they have quality bowlers. When you come to these tournaments, I always think the first match is important. Our senior guys have to stand up and do it for the team."
Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai: "We felt we were 10-15 short but Dilshan took the responsibility and played very well.
"We also missed a few in the field and made some big mistakes, we need to improve that."
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: "It was a much-needed victory, we haven't played that well in the recent past. The bowlers bowled pretty well but credit should go to the Afghan batters.
"We're not looking too far ahead, if we click we can do wonders as a team, but we're just taking one game at a time."
Afghanistan face South Africa on Sunday (09:30 GMT) while Sri Lanka play West Indies later the same day (14:00). | Defending champions Sri Lanka produced a strong batting display to see off a spirited Afghanistan side and claim victory in their World Twenty20 opener. | 35834188 |
The proposal expected in Wednesday's Budget could give elected mayors and councils powers to relax laws locally if it might boost economic activity.
Current laws allows smaller shops to open all day, but restrict those over 280 sq m (3,000 sq ft) to six hours.
The Association of Convenience Stores said some small shops could struggle.
The Treasury pointed to research by the New West End Company - which represents more than 600 businesses in London - that suggested two extra hours of Sunday trading could create nearly 3,000 jobs in the capital.
It said such a move would also generate more than £200m a year in additional sales in London.
The proposal comes after larger stores and supermarkets were allowed to open for longer on Sundays during the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Mr Osborne said decisions on similar relaxations of the law should be taken at a local level - if officials think longer opening hours would boost economies.
The chancellor said there was a "growing appetite" for shopping on a Sunday.
"There is some evidence that transactions for Sunday shopping are actually growing faster than those for Saturday.
"The rise of online shopping, which people can do round the clock, also means more retailers want to be able to compete by opening for longer at the weekend.
"But this won't be right for every area, so I want to devolve the power to make this decision to mayors and local authorities," he added.
High Street shops have been coming under growing pressure from online retailers, which now account for 11% of retail sales overall - rising to 17% in the month before Christmas of last year.
A review of the 1994 Sunday Trading Act by the then Labour government in 2006 resulted in no change to the law, despite protests.
Welcoming the chancellor's proposal, Adrian Pepper, from the Open Sundays campaign group, said restricting Sunday opening hours "makes no sense".
"The current Sunday trading laws do not preserve any valuable cultural aspects of our way of life. They just make life more inconvenient.
"If you want to go out early on a Sunday morning looking for a wide range of fresh produce to cook for a family Sunday lunch, you cannot.
"If you want to go to church on a Sunday morning, there is even less time to get the shopping done," he said.
But chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, James Lowman, said giving local authorities responsibility for setting Sunday trading hours could lead to "inconsistency and confusion" for businesses and shoppers.
He said the same amount of trade would be spread over more hours and would shift from small shops to larger stores.
"The short period of time that small stores are open while large stores are shut is a crucial advantage for convenience stores, most of which are owned by small businesses.
"Liberalising Sunday trading hours would make some small stores unviable," he added. | Shops in England and Wales could be allowed to open for longer on Sundays, under plans to be unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne. | 33421315 |
The site says the move was in response to new Mozilla chief executive Brendan Eich's previous opposition to gay marriage in the US state of California.
Users are directed to use other internet browsers, such as Chrome.
Mozilla said OKCupid had not contacted it to confirm facts, and that: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples."
Visitors to OKCupid's website using Mozilla's free Firefox browser see a message that reads: "Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples.
"We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OKCupid."
However, it is still possible to access OKCupid's site via Firefox, if users click through the message.
Ok Cupid is owned by media conglomerate IAC/InterActive Corp, which owns 50 brands across 40 countries.
These include other major dating sites, like Match.com, as well as news website the Daily Beast and web properties like Dictionary.com.
Mr Eich, who is the inventor of JavaScript, was appointed to lead the open-source browser firm on 24 March.
He is listed publicly as having donated to a campaign in support of California's Proposition 8 campaign in 2008, which had sought to ban gay marriage in the western US state.
Although it was initially passed, it was later overturned by a district court judge in 2010.
After Mr Eich's appointment was announced, supporters of same-sex marriage in the US, including many Mozilla employees, expressed unease at the decision.
Mozilla's head of education, Christie Koehler, who is gay, wrote on her blog: "It's hard for me to think of a scenario where someone could donate to that campaign without feeling that queer folks are less deserving of basic rights."
However, she added that while she was personally disappointed, she said she did not think it would affect her work at Mozilla.
Mr Eich responded in a post, saying that he remained committed to openness in the work place and offering assurances that Mozilla would not change certain policies, like health insurance for the partners of gay employees.
"I am committed to ensuring that Mozilla is, and will remain, a place that includes and supports everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, economic status, or religion," he wrote. | Dating website OKCupid has sought to deter users from accessing its site via browser Mozilla Firefox. | 26830383 |
23 January 2017 Last updated at 13:17 GMT
With five tonnes of explosives that's how!
The demolition happened in Wuhan, China and was to make way for a new 700m tall skyscraper and business park.
Officials said “The demolition effect was quite ideal." And also that the massive explosion "didn't affect the light rail and public facilities around the blasted buildings."
Which is a good job as right next to the demolition site are a number of busy roads and also a railway line! | How do you solve a problem like demolishing 19 blocks of flats? | 38721136 |
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, the Welsh Tories have unveiled a five-point plan to boost the tourism industry.
Plaid Cymru has proposed a smartcard to help people to claim entitlements such as free prescriptions, bus travel and museum entry.
And the Liberal Democrats have promised a £20m scheme to support hill farmers. | First Minister Carwyn Jones has been visiting steel plants in Llanelli and Newport as the future of Tata's UK plants remains in the balance. | 36017703 |
Staff at Claythorpe Watermill, near Alford, Lincolnshire, said Stan the cockerel had a reputation for chasing toddlers and pecking ankles.
They said with the busy summer season approaching it might be better if Stan found somewhere else to live.
Owner Rebecca Agate said she wanted people to enjoy a trouble-free visit to the watermill.
She said: "We get a lot of small children visiting the park and if he is chasing you, or pecking, he can be a bit intimidating.
"So, rather than people going away remembering their visit for the wrong reasons, we thought someone might be able to offer him a nice home."
She said Stan, who is thought to be at least part Dutch bantam, has "lots of personality and likes being around people".
However, she added: "He has a bit of a grumpy side as well."
There have been numerous other cases of birds attacking either people, animals, or other objects.
Last year in Cambridgeshire, a "terrorist" pheasant attacked vehicles and chased cats and dogs at a farm in Hail Weston.
One delivery driver was trapped for 20 minutes after the bird blocked his way, flew at the bonnet then chased his van.
Another pheasant, named Phil, started attacking members of a Shropshire family, forcing one of them to carry a badminton racket for self-defence.
Claythorpe Watermill and Wildfowl Gardens is home to numerous animals, including waterfowl, wallabies, chipmunks and peacocks, as well as a family of otters. | A "grumpy" cockerel is facing eviction from a tourist attraction in order to prevent visitors from being attacked. | 33440809 |
Neil McEvoy, leader of the party's group on the city council, said co-operation with the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents would result in a "clear majority".
The Lib Dems said they were "prepared to have a discussion" with Plaid.
But Labour said Mr McEvoy was "carving up our city behind closed doors".
Labour currently controls Cardiff council after winning 46 of the 75 seats at the 2012 council election but it lost two recent by-elections - Plasnewydd to the Lib Dems and Grangetown to Plaid.
Mr McEvoy, who is also AM for South Wales Central, said the by-elections were an example of Plaid and Lib Dem co-operation working.
He wants the parties to agree common policies including revoking the Local Development Plan, re-opening recycling centres and investing in youth services.
"It's about where best to focus resources in the city. There's no point in the opposition cutting each other's throats," he said.
"Cardiff has experienced the most disastrous mismanagement in its history over the last four years. Labour's defeats in Plasnewydd and now Grangetown show people want change."
"I would like to see an anti-blue and anti-red Tory alliance across the city made up of parties and independents willing to sign up to basic policies to deliver.
"We could win a clear majority. The only question would be who would be the biggest party.
"A coalition would be the logical conclusion."
Mr McEvoy said he was not advocating similar alliances in other council areas, saying he can only speak about the situation in Cardiff.
At the assembly last month, Plaid agreed to support the Labour government's budget in return for commitments to various Plaid priorities, a decision Mr McEvoy opposed.
The leader of the Lib Dem group on Cardiff council, Judith Woodman, said: "We're prepared to have a discussion but our policy is to stand candidates everywhere we possibly can to enable people to vote Lib Dem.
"It's not just for me to discuss it. We need the discussion and we'll then decide if it will work for the Lib Dems or not."
The Cardiff Green Party said it has had "informal discussions" with other parties but there were no "definitive agreements".
Its campaigns co-ordinator Anthony Slaughter said the party recognises "the growing need to work across traditional party lines".
A Cardiff Labour group spokesman said: "Neil claims to be a campaigner for transparency in politics, yet is happily carving up our city behind closed doors.
"It's bizarre that opposition parties are fielding candidates with no intention of actively seeking support."
The spokesman added that the public are "entitled to know" if Plaid and the Lib Dems co-operated in the recent by-elections and called for details of any discussions between the two parties to be published. | Calls have been made for Plaid Cymru to form an alliance with other parties at next year's Cardiff election to remove Labour from power in the city. | 37994615 |
Alistair Love had a header cleared off the line for Rovers and the same player forced a superb save from Graeme Smith.
There was little further sign of a breakthrough until a slack back-pass by the visitors allowed Gemmell in to round Smith and score.
Kevin Dzierzawski had a late chance to draw the sides level, but goalkeeper Ross Stewart saved superbly.
Match ends, Albion Rovers 1, Peterhead 0.
Second Half ends, Albion Rovers 1, Peterhead 0.
Attempt saved. Kevin Dzierzawski (Peterhead) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Goal! Albion Rovers 1, Peterhead 0. John Gemmell (Albion Rovers) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the centre of the goal.
Ricardo Talu (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rory McAllister (Peterhead).
Attempt missed. Rory McAllister (Peterhead) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Substitution, Peterhead. Andy Rodgers replaces Jordon Brown.
Substitution, Albion Rovers. Mark Ferry replaces Ally Love.
Attempt missed. Josh Mullin (Albion Rovers) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left.
Cameron Kerr (Peterhead) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ally Love (Albion Rovers).
Substitution, Albion Rovers. John Gemmell replaces Andrew Barrowman.
Foul by Gary Fisher (Albion Rovers).
Jordon Brown (Peterhead) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jamie Redman (Peterhead) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Gary Fisher (Albion Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gary Fisher (Albion Rovers).
Jamie Stevenson (Peterhead) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andrew Barrowman (Albion Rovers).
Ally Gilchrist (Peterhead) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Ross Dunlop (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordon Brown (Peterhead).
Substitution, Albion Rovers. Scott McBride replaces Ross Davidson.
Attempt missed. Cameron Kerr (Peterhead) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Gary Fisher (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jamie Redman (Peterhead).
Corner, Peterhead. Conceded by Ally Love.
Substitution, Peterhead. Nicky Riley replaces Shane Sutherland.
Foul by Gary Fisher (Albion Rovers).
Scott Ross (Peterhead) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Albion Rovers. Conceded by Cameron Kerr.
Attempt saved. Paul Willis (Albion Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Ally Gilchrist (Peterhead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Paul Willis (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ally Gilchrist (Peterhead).
Michael Dunlop (Albion Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rory McAllister (Peterhead).
Corner, Peterhead. Conceded by Ross Stewart.
Attempt saved. Rory McAllister (Peterhead) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner. | Albion Rovers left it late with John Gemmell scoring the only goal as they defeated Peterhead in Coatbridge. | 34493993 |
Chat: Should homework be scrapped?
Inverlochy Primary in Fort William made the decision after the children, parents and teachers all voted on the issue.
About 80% of pupils and more than 60% of their parents voted in favour of an end to homework. Teachers were split 50/50.
Instead of homework, the children say they will read more books and comics that interest them.
Meanwhile, in Spain a homework rebellion has started! Pupils from 12,000 schools are refusing to do any at weekends for the whole of this month.
Campaigners say time with the family is being neglected because kids are being given too much school work to do.
But what about YOU? Do you think you get too much homework? Or maybe not enough? Let us know what you think...
Thanks for your comments. This page is now closed.
You must ask your parent, teacher or guardian for permission before you send us a comment.
We may show your comment on our website or in our TV bulletins. We'll show your first name and which town you're from - but we won't use your details for anything else.
I get too much homework and I hate it!
Haifa, London
I feel I don't get enough time to socialise. We spend 6-7 hours at school, surely we've studied all we need to in that time?
Leah, Hertfordshire
My idea would be to do everything in lessons, but anything you don't finish, you have to do as homework.
Josh, Lowestoft
I think homework is fine at the weekends but not in the holidays, it's a break from work for a reason.
Eve
I have just started secondary school and think homework should be banned as it puts too much stress on pupils like me when we could be doing other activities like sport or our hobbies. It would help us relax more and feel refreshed to do our lessons at school better.
Peter, Sheffield
I do get too much homework but once I get it done I am happy.
Jessica, London
Homework takes up all the time we could use to socialise and spend with our family. The weekend is supposed to be a break from work, it certainly isn't fair to be sitting there studying during your free time at the end of the week.
Dayna, Newcastle
I do get quite a lot of homework, but I (and all my class) grumble about it, but I feel like it will pay off and if we do the work now later we will feel proud of ourselves and we'd most likely get good marks.
Anna, London
I feel we are getting too much homework from school, which means we have less time to spend with our families. Especially during the holidays. What is the point of holidays if we still have to do work. The government should either decrease the amount of homework we get or ban it.
Nina, London
I do not think the teachers are giving us enough homework because I always hand it in on Monday. However I think they are being too harsh on spellings.
Rida, Seaford
I think it is fair that school children have homework because if you just do work at school you're not expanding your knowledge in to different situations which can become very important in your future. Children do get the right amount of homework people just need to be aware on how to spread homework out so as not to do it all in one go.
Noah, Rugby
I agree, we get too much homework!
Meera, 10, London | A primary school in Scotland has voted to stop setting homework for its pupils. | 37860394 |
"We were listening to the Patriots radio broadcast for the majority of the first half," Coach Mike Tomlin said.
Other teams have reported problems with headsets at the Patriots' home field.
The Patriots have been repeatedly accused of bending the rules to gain an advantage over rivals.
A league spokesman initially said the interference at Thursday's game, which opened the league's season, was "caused by a stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather".
But Mr Tomlin told reporters that he and his staff "always" have issues with the communication systems at the Boston-area stadium.
The Patriots said they had problems with their headsets as well. The Patriots defeated the Steelers, 28-21.
Sports bloggers have started calling the dispute "Headsetgate", an allusion to previous Patriots scandals dubbed "Deflategate" and "Spygate".
Last season, the NFL found that the Patriots purposely deflated footballs during a playoff game to gain an advantage. Deflated footballs are easier to throw and catch.
The team's quarterback Tom Brady was implicated in the scandal. However he successful appealed against a four-game suspension, which would have began on Thursday.
The Patriot's organisation has also been accused of spying on rival teams in 2007. | The National Football League (NFL) has said it will investigate claims that Pittsburgh Steelers staff were unable use their headsets in a game against the New England Patriots. | 34227772 |
Mr Morales accused the agency of seeking to "conspire against" the Bolivian people and his government.
US state department spokesman Patrick Ventrell rejected the allegations as "baseless and unfounded".
USAID has been working in Bolivia for almost five decades, and had a budget of $52.1m (??33.4m) for the country in 2010, according to its website.
The agency said it deeply regretted Mr Morales' decision.
On previous May Days, Mr Morales had announced the nationalisation of key industries, such as hydroelectric power and the electricity grid.
But on Wednesday he said he "would only nationalise the dignity of the Bolivian people".
Speaking at a rally in La Paz, the president said there was "no lack of US institutions which continue to conspire against our people and especially the national government, which is why we're going to take the opportunity to announce on this May Day that we've decided to expel USAID".
He then turned to his Foreign Minister, David Choquehuanca, and asked him to inform the US embassy of his decision.
The president said the expulsion was in protest at a recent remark by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who referred to Latin America as "the backyard of the United States".
Mr Kerry made the remark as he tried to persuade US Congressmen of the importance of the region.
Mr Morales has threatened USAID with expulsion in the past, saying that its programmes have "political rather than social" ends. He has also accused it of "manipulating" and "using" union leaders.
Mr Ventrell said Mr Morales' decision "harms the Bolivian people".
"We think the programmes have been positive for the Bolivian people, and fully co-ordinated with the Bolivian government and appropriate agencies under their own national development plan," he said.
In a statement USAID said: "Those who will be most hurt by the Bolivian government's decision are the Bolivian citizens who have benefited from our collaborative work on education, agriculture, health, alternative development, and the environment."
Mr Morales, who heads his country's union of coca growers, has also been critical in the past of US counter-narcotic programmes in Bolivia, repeatedly stating that the fight against drugs is driven by geopolitical interests.
In 2008, Mr Morales expelled the US ambassador and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for allegedly conspiring against his government.
Bolivia is among the top three producers of coca in the world, according to the United Nations World Drug report. Coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine, has been used in the Andes for thousands of years as a mild stimulant and sacred herbal medicine.
USAID cites as its main aims the strengthening of Bolivia's health system and the provision of "equal access to health care by eliminating social exclusion", as well as improving "the livelihoods of economically and socially disadvantaged people by increasing income and managing natural resources".
The agency also supports programmes to help Bolivian farmers to replace coca with other crops.
The US government had a separate budget of $20.3m (??13m) for its counter-narcotics and military programme in 2010, but it is not clear which agency distributes that money in Bolivia.
Evo Morales became Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2005.
He was re-elected by a landslide in 2009, but has since faced protests from indigenous communities angered by the construction of a major road through their territory, and by police and army officers demanding better pay. | Bolivian President Evo Morales has said he will expel the US Agency for International Development (USAID). | 22371275 |
Alison McGovern told the BBC the shadow chancellor had suggested the group she chairs, Progress, co-ordinated the resignation of three shadow ministers.
John McDonnell also accused Progress of having a "hard-right agenda", Ms McGovern said.
Labour has not commented on the resignation.
Ms McGovern's resignation comes after junior shadow ministers Jonathan Reynolds, Stephen Doughty, and Kevan Jones quit on Wednesday in protest at Labour's reshuffle this week.
The resignation of Mr Doughty on BBC Two's Daily Politics led to an official complaint from Labour, who accused the BBC of orchestrating the resignation for maximum "political impact" - something the BBC denies.
Ms McGovern, the Wirrall South MP, said Mr McDonnell had asked her to take part in the Labour's policy review on child poverty and combating inequality.
The pair were due to meet for the second time to discuss the subject on Wednesday, but Ms McGovern claims Mr McDonnell was late because he was making media appearances.
She told BBC's Sunday Politics: "So I'm there waiting to meet him to talk about it and all the while he'd gone to the TV studio to call the organisation that I am chair of 'hard-right Conservative', of having a hard-right Conservative agenda. That's not OK."
"We are all Labour members and we believe in having a Labour government - that's what we are, nothing more nothing less.
"And, as I say, I don't want to be on the telly talking about this but I have been backed into a corner and I have got no other choice now but to stand up and say 'this is who we are' and we should just get on with the business of getting a Labour government."
Progress is broadly seen as the Blairite wing of the party.
On Wednesday Mr McDonnell told BBC Radio Two's Jeremy Vine programme: "We've had a few junior members resign today and of course that's their right.
"But they do all come from a narrow right-wing clique within the Labour Party based around the organisation Progress.
"I don't believe they have ever accepted Jeremy's mandate."
Sunday Politics is on BBC One on Sunday at 11:00 GMT. | The chairwoman of a Labour pressure group has resigned from a party policy review group because she feels it is impossible to work with the leadership. | 35273156 |
The announcement on who will replace actor Matt Smith will be made during a special live show on BBC One.
Zoe Ball will host the programme, which will feature an interview with the new 12th Doctor as well as contributions from stars who have played previous incarnations of the Time Lord.
Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor will be on at 19:00 BST.
Smith and executive producer Steven Moffat will be among those appearing on the live show to give the new recruit advice, as well as Peter Davison, who played the fifth Doctor.
There will also be a video message from sixth Doctor Colin Baker and former companions Katy Manning, Anneke Wills, Janet Fielding and Bonnie Langford.
Speculation on who would take over the role has been rife since Smith announced in June that he would be leaving the sci-fi series later this year.
It has been reported that only 10 people know the new Doctor's identity, as bosses attempt to keep it a secret.
Bookmakers suspended betting on The Thick Of It star Peter Capaldi taking the role after his odds fell to 5/6 favourite.
Other stars named as possible contenders include Ben Daniels, Rory Kinnear, Idris Elba and Daniel Rigby, although some female stars have also been touted.
However celebrity photographer Rankin appeared to confirm a male actor had been cast in the role after tweeting: "Just photographed the next Dr Who for tonight's announcement. Let me know what you think of the photo? He's going to be an ace Dr."
On Friday, BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson said: "We can't wait to unveil the next Doctor with everyone live on BBC One.
"Amongst all the speculation and betting, there has been lots of fun and intrigue at work as we've been using the codename Houdini as a decoy.
"It's the biggest secret in showbiz, even those working with the new Doctor on other projects at the moment have no idea they are in the presence of the 12th incarnation." | Fans are eagerly awaiting the news of who will be unveiled as the new star of Doctor Who later. | 23567602 |
Doyle was sent off against Sheffield Wednesday last month for fighting with team-mate Jermaine Beckford.
The 28-year-old has made 11 Championship appearances for Preston this season, scoring once.
Simpson, 19, has not made a first-team appearance for Wolves but was part of this season's EFL Trophy squad.
Ex-Chesterfield forward Doyle previously played under Pompey manger Paul Cook at Sligo Rovers and the Spireites, before joining Cardiff City in February 2015.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Portsmouth have signed Preston North End striker Eoin Doyle, and Wolves defender Aaron Simpson on loan until the end of the season. | 38815960 |
The NSPCC says last summer its helpline received 453 calls and emails from adults concerned about youngsters being left unattended during the holidays.
More than three-quarters - 366 - were serious enough for information to be passed to police or social services.
The law does not specify an age at which children can be left unattended.
However, laws in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland say children must not be neglected or abandoned "in a manner likely to cause [them] unnecessary suffering or injury to health".
The NSPCC says leaving children at home without adult supervision puts them at greater risk of accident or injury.
The charity offers the following advice for parents deciding whether it is appropriate to leave a child alone:
One woman who called the NSPCC 24-hour helpline said: "I'm really worried about a young girl who's been in the house by herself for a whole day now.
"This has been going on for months but I felt as if I couldn't say anything as I'm related to them and I didn't want to compromise our relationship. But I just can't keep quiet anymore."
Another said: "I'm worried about some children who live nearby and are left alone all day. I feel sorry for the mum because she's working full-time. She used to have a babysitter for them but even she's stopped coming around.
"Sometimes I pop over to check up on the children but they don't always open the door to me even though I can hear them inside. I'm worried something dangerous could happen to them while their mum's at work. It makes me really sad."
Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC said: "Summer holidays can be a fun time for children but it's also when they are more likely to be left home alone as parents face increasing childcare pressures.
"Leaving your child home alone can be a difficult decision as children mature at different ages - there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
"But it could put them at greater risk of accident or injury. So I would urge parents to use their common sense when deciding if their child could cope.
"They should also ask them how they feel about being left alone and talk to them about what to do in an emergency. Parents are best placed to know what is right for their child so it vital there is flexibility for them to decide."
The NSPCC's warning comes as a survey by the Family and Childcare Trust finds that parents in Britain pay an average of £120 per child a week for holiday childcare.
The Trust's annual Holiday Childcare Survey also found there are not enough places to meet demand, with 88% of local authorities in England, 78% in Scotland and all in Wales reporting that they do not have enough holiday childcare places.
The NSPCC's 24-hour helpline offers adults advice and support if they have concerns about a child on 0808 800 5000 or by texting 88858. Its separate 24-hour ChildLine service provides a safe, confidential place for children to talk on 0800 1111. | As schools break up for the holidays, a children's charity is urging parents to think carefully before leaving children home alone over the summer. | 36834807 |
Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were removed for "gross indiscipline and anti-party activities", the party said in a statement.
The party also expelled senior members Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha.
The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) staged a spectacular victory in the Delhi assembly in February.
Led by Arvind Kejriwal, a former tax inspector who reinvented himself as a corruption buster, the party won 67 of the 70 assembly seats in India's capital in what was a huge setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Kejriwal promised to bring in good governance, end corruption and make Delhi safe for women.
But the party has since suffered from infighting, reportedly between Kejriwal supporters and more left-leaning factions.
The decision to sack the rebels was taken late on Monday night after the party said it was not satisfied with the explanations they had given about their "anti-party activities".
A statement by the party said it had "carefully considered" their responses but found them "unsatisfactory", accusing them of "gross indiscipline and anti-party activities".
Mr Yadav said he was upset by the decision.
"I am not surprised as from the past few days the matter was moving in such direction. Though I also cannot deny the fact that I am hurt by it. How would you feel if someone drags and throws you out of your own house?" he told reporters.
It is not clear whether the rebels will now form a new party.
Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan had been earlier dropped from the party's main decision-making committee after criticising Mr Kejriwal.
The pair, who are seen as leftists, had been at loggerheads with Mr Kejriwal over his leadership style.
Mr Bhushan had said that the party was at risk of becoming a "one-man show" and admitted there had been a "breakdown of communication" with Mr Kejriwal.
The AAP - whose party symbol is a broom - was born out of a strong anti-corruption movement that swept India two years ago. | Indian anti-corruption party AAP has expelled two of its founder members after feuding and infighting following its victory in Delhi's state election. | 32391142 |
The Briton has lost four finals in Melbourne - three to Serbia's Djokovic.
"You just have to keep trying to learn, watch his matches, see if there are any weaknesses you can capitalise on," said Murray, second in the ATP rankings.
"Maybe he has a drop-off. It's very difficult to maintain that level for such a long period."
Murray, 28, lost the 2010 final to Roger Federer, before suffering defeat by Djokovic in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
The Serb, also 28, holds three of the four Grand Slam titles, having won Wimbledon and the US Open in addition to the Australian Open.
He prepared for the first major of the season, which runs from January 18 to 31, by beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Qatar Open last week.
Murray has indicated he will leave Melbourne to return home if his wife Kim goes into labour early with their first baby, who is due in mid-February.
He said, though, that his priorities on the court are to win the Australian Open and to defend his Olympic title in Rio later this year.
"I've been close many times and that's my number one goal," he said.
"I won the gold in London four years ago so to try to defend that is another big goal for me. They would be the two main ones for me." | Andy Murray says he may need number one Novak Djokovic's form to dip to have a chance of victory in the Australian Open, which starts next week. | 35279772 |
To find out what this new generation cares about most, BBC Pop Up partnered with the smartphone app Yik Yak, whose audience is 98% millennial.
Before the election we asked: "How will Canada's election affect you?" Below is a selection of the most "upvoted" responses.
We also posted a poll: "What's the number one issue that will decide your vote?"
Thousands of "Yakkers" responded and the result - shown here - was the economy, followed by energy and the environment.
Finally, on election day, we asked: "Who would be the best leader for young people?
Outgoing Conservative leader Stephen Harper was the least-preferred candidate.
The NDP's Tom Mulcair was 1.07 times more popular, and the new PM Justin Trudeau won 2.7 times more "upvotes". But he was not the winner of this poll.
So just who was the favourite choice of millennial voters? "None of the above".
Are you a young Canadian who voted for the first time at this election? Tell us what influenced how you voted?
Contact us via Twitter @bbcpopup, Facebook BBC Pop Up, or email: [email protected]. | As Canada elects one of its youngest ever prime ministers, Justin Trudeau, what are the hopes and dreams of young voters for this new era? | 34578079 |
For years the Pakistani military has been accused by the Afghans, the Americans and Nato of playing a double game - helping the Nato-US coalition in Afghanistan on the one hand, but at the same time allowing al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban to seek refuge and garner logistical support in Pakistan.
Even the killing of Osama Bin Laden by US special forces in Abbottabad, a military garrison town in Pakistan, did not push the military into changing its tune, which was always one of denial that it supported the Afghan Taliban. Many leaders of the Afghan Taliban have lived in Pakistan since 2001.
These accusations dogged Pakistan's new army chief General Raheel Sharif when he visited Washington for 10 days last month - particularly that in the past six months of a military offensive in North Waziristan the Pakistan army had failed to capture or kill a single prominent militant leader.
But now those assumptions may be changing and the complex three-way relationship between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan could be on the cusp of undergoing a dramatic improvement.
For the first time in nearly 10 years the Pakistan army has killed a high-level leader of al-Qaeda. Adnan el Shukrijumah, a naturalised American citizen, was killed during a raid by Pakistani forces at a compound in the South Waziristan tribal agency close to the Afghan border on 6 December. He was accused of involvement in planning several failed attacks in the US and Britain nearly a decade ago and had been hiding in the tribal belt along the border ever since.
The following day, reports said a US drone had killed Umer Farooq, another top al-Qaeda leader in the North Waziristan tribal agency. A Pakistani national, he was allegedly al-Qaeda's operational commander in charge of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Suddenly both Pakistan and the US appear to be collaborating to root out al-Qaeda in a manner not seen since 2002-2004 when the Pakistan army killed or captured many al-Qaeda operatives.
The US has begun obliging Pakistan too. For the first time the US is targeting Pakistani Taliban insurgents who had earlier taken refuge in Afghanistan from where they carried out strikes into Pakistan.
According to senior Afghan sources, they were clandestinely being supported by the government of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a tit-for-tat revenge game for Pakistan's support for the Afghan Taliban.
The US has now begun targeting those Pakistani Taliban for the first time and significantly the Afghan authorities are not objecting. A US drone strike on 7 December killed nine suspected Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan's Kunar province. The dead included a senior Pakistani Taliban commander, police said
An earlier US drone strike had tried to target Mullah Fazlullah, the current head of the Pakistani Taliban, who is also thought to be living in Kunar province. Pakistan has been asking the US and the Afghans to carry out such attacks for more than a year, but only now - after gaining Pakistani co-operation on other fronts - is Washington obliging Islamabad.
Clearly, Washington is pleased the way the Pakistan army is reacting. Pakistan has been further rewarded by the US. On 7 December the US military confirmed that it had handed over three Pakistani Taliban, including Latif Mehsud to the Pakistani authorities. Latif Mehsud had been the second-in-command of the Pakistani Taliban under its previous leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike last year.
Latif Mehsud was seized by US forces in October 2013 in eastern Afghanistan as he tried to broker deals between the Afghan authorities and the Pakistani Taliban living on Afghan territory. The Pakistani authorities view him as a danger to the country and have been insisting on his prompt return. His sudden repatriation - again with no objections from Kabul - is a signal of improved relations.
So far, there is a change of direction and much greater co-operation on the ground in military terms between the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But will this bring about a real change in political attitudes?
The Afghan government will now be waiting to see how the Pakistani military obliges Kabul. The Afghans will also be looking to see if the Pakistanis use their clout to try to rein in Taliban attacks in Kabul. The most important thing Islamabad can do is to allow Afghan negotiators to meet the Afghan Taliban leaders who are living in Pakistan.
That could be the most significant move of all and start the long process of ending the war in Afghanistan. | After years of false starts, are we on the brink of a breakthrough in improving relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the Taliban and al-Qaeda on both sides of the border suffering an array of defeats and deaths? | 30383761 |
Westminster City Council registrar Alison Cathcart travelled to Kensington Palace, where Prince William signed the birth register entry.
The Duke and Duchess gave their occupation as prince and princess of the United Kingdom in the register entry from which the birth certificate is produced.
Prince George was born on 22 July.
His full name of George Alexander Louis was announced two days later. He is third in line to the throne, behind his grandfather Prince Charles and his father, Prince William.
In a statement issued on Friday, Kensington Palace said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have formally registered the birth of Prince George.
"The Duke of Cambridge signed the birth register at Kensington Palace this morning, witnessed by a Registrar from Westminster Register Office."
The couple's "usual address" was listed as Kensington Palace, and the duchess's place of birth was listed as Reading.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said royal birth certificates conventionally featured the words prince and princess of the United Kingdom, or comparable formulations, as the parents' occupations.
Although Catherine uses the title Duchess of Cambridge, bestowed upon her by the Queen, she is also a princess by marriage and can be called Princess William of Wales. | The Duke and and Duchess of Cambridge have formally registered the birth of their son, Prince George. | 23552087 |
Kinghorn, 19, has made 13 appearances for the club this season, scoring 24 points, and follows team-mate Magnus Bradbury in agreeing a new deal.
"I'm really looking forward to the next couple of years and contributing to the team," said Kinghorn.
"This club is a great place with a good bunch of guys involved and a great squad."
A product of Edinburgh Academy, the full-back - who can also play at stand-off - has made 28 appearances in black and red, and has scored 46 points, including three tries.
"I was delighted when I was offered a new deal, so I'm happy that I'm staying here and looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead," he said.
"The young lads are getting a good shot here and we're all coming up through the team.
"There's great depth in the squad and we're a close-knit group which adds to the enjoyment of it all - it's great to play with your mates.
"I'm looking forward to getting out there and kicking-on for another couple of seasons."
Acting head coach Duncan Hodge added: "We're delighted to have secured Blair - a young, Scottish talent - at the club for another two seasons.
"Blair is maturing and fully understands the work ethic needed on and off the field to succeed.
"There are many areas for Blair to keep progressing, but he is striving to better himself and we look forward to him benefitting the club in years to come." | Full-back Blair Kinghorn has signed a new two-year contract with Edinburgh until 2019. | 38421241 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
The Briton, 26, won seven matches before losing to Swiss great Roger Federer in the second round last year.
The world number 374 could not repeat the feat 12 months later, going down 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7-4) to Marchenko.
Derby's Jay Clarke, 18, earlier lost 2-6 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 6-4 6-1 to Austrian Sebastian Ofner.
Katy Dunne, the last British woman left in qualifying, lost 7-5 3-6 6-2 to Belgian second seed Alison van Uytvanck in round two.
Willis had used all his grass-court ability to see off fellow Briton Liam Broady on Wednesday, but struggled physically when back in action less than 24 hours later.
"I would have needed not a miracle, but him to not be how he was or to be hurt himself," said Willis.
"I still went out and fought and did everything I could, but on his service games I didn't really have a sniff."
Marchenko, 29, was the first to require treatment for a neck issue after seven games, but he recovered sufficiently to break serve and clinch the first set.
It was Willis who then began to suffer, calling for the trainer before playing on with his knee strapped.
Marchenko, ranked 117th after a high of 49th in the world last year, raced through the second set and saved a break point early in the third.
Urged on by a packed crowd on the new televised show court at the Bank of England Sports Centre, Willis forced a tie-break but could not keep pace with the stronger Marchenko.
Willis and Clarke must content themselves with a wildcard into the doubles at the All England Club.
Clarke, ranked 360th in the world, suffered an agonising defeat from two sets up in his first five-set match.
"Physically I didn't feel too bad, it was more mentally," he said. "I wasn't close to cramping but fatigue was starting to set in." | Marcus Willis' hopes of another surprise Wimbledon run were ended by Ukrainian ninth seed Illya Marchenko in the final round of qualifying. | 40447550 |
Bathurst, New Brunswick forbids teens from trick-or-treating on 31 October.
Those that break these rules could be subject to a fine up to CA$200 ($149; £122)
"No person(s) over the age of 14 yrs. shall take part in door-to-door soliciting (trick-or-treating)," the town bylaw states.
The bylaw also says that once the clock strikes 19:00, frivolities like "door-to-door soliciting" and "facial disguises" are also banned.
The rules have been on the books since 2005 but have only recently received widespread attention, ever since local parent Calvin Sisk complained to the mayor that his older teenage daughter couldn't celebrate All Hallows Eve with her younger sister.
"There are some kids that are old, but they're really young at heart. That's what my daughter is. She's 16 years old and she can't go out with her sister anymore trick-or-treating," Sisk told the Toronto Star. "She missed Halloween last year because of the bylaw."
Sweets to eat on Mexico's Day of the Dead
China's Alibaba in 'flying pig' controversy
Record-breaking laksa thrown away
Mr Sisk brought the issue up with the mayor, Paolo Fongemie, who discussed it during October's council meeting in the presence of media.
Over the next week, dozens of news outlets reported on the Halloween-ruining bylaw, and Mr Fongemie's phone has been ringing off the hook.
"It's divided a little bit our community right now," Mr Fongemie, who was elected early this spring, told the BBC.
Some say the laws were enacted to prevent common hooliganism, but others, including the mayor, say it also kills joy.
Deputy Mayor Lee Stever told the Canadian Press that he believes the law was enacted because some senior citizens had complained about older kids bothering them late at night.
"I've noticed that after 7 pm, most kids are off the street so I think most people are aware of it," Mr Stever said. "So, I'm not in favour of changing it."
Mr Fongemie says he was initially "surprised" to find out they even had such a bylaw, and can't remember the last time it was enforced.
"I think we can achieve the same goal in order to have public safety and still have kids have fun," he said.
Mr Fongemie said the town of 12,000 has one of the oldest populations in the province of New Brunswick, with an average age of 50, and all this publicity isn't helping them attract a younger demographic.
"I'm not sure with the reaction it's getting, we're achieving that goal," he said.
Mr Fongemie said it is too late to do anything about the bylaw this year, but he hopes council will agree to amend it for 2017.
"I think it's more of a type of a guideline, a community thing, and I think it allows an opportunity for the community to say 'look this is how we want to celebrate Halloween,'" he said. | If you're old enough to see Blair Witch in theatres this Halloween, you are too old for trick-or-treating in one Canadian town. | 37767690 |
The Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications will be based at Strathclyde University in Glasgow.
It is being developed by Satellite Applications Catapult, a firm promoting economic growth in the space industry.
The centre will allow businesses to tap into satellite data that could improve their products and services.
According to Strathclyde University, the space industries in the UK produce 40% of the world's small satellites and contribute about £8.2bn to the economy.
The hub will be based at the university's new £89m Technology and Innovation Centre. It is one of three centres of excellence set up by Satellite Applications Catapult - with the other two in Durham and Leicester.
The centre aims to establish links between the scientists behind space and satellite technology and the business community.
It will encourage firms to use satellite data in new ways, from supporting the energy industry to planning future cities.
Prof Sir Jim McDonald, the principal of Strathclyde University, said: "Scotland's space sector is already driving the development of new technologies through leading-edge research and technology-driven companies.
"The challenge now is to bring universities, businesses and space agencies together to enable the sector to reach its full potential.
"The new centre of excellence will play an important role in helping companies to identify where satellite data can assist them in new and exciting ways, from measuring wind speeds from space to determine optimum locations for offshore wind farms, to using satellite navigation for integrated transport systems in future 'smart cities'."
The new centre will bring together expertise from other Scottish institutions including the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee and commercial companies such as Clyde Space Ltd, along with Scottish Enterprise.
The centre of excellence will be part of Strathclyde University's wider Space Institute.
The institute is made-up of a number of different facilities including the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory, which carries out research on space systems, and the Scottish Space School, which aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. | A Scottish university is to host one of three hubs being developed to bring together key players in the UK's multi-billion pound space sector. | 26583436 |
The media regulator told Newsbeat it's looking at whether "repeated use of sexual references in this comedy series met generally accepted standards".
Last week Daniel O'Reilly, the comedian behind Dapper Laughs, said he was killing off the character.
It was after his jokes about rape and homeless people caused offence and ITV said there would be no second series.
Earlier this month Cardiff University students successfully petitioned for the cancellation of his show at their student union.
The union said Dapper Laughs was banned after students complained that he "trivialised rape, unprotected sex and dehumanising of women."
Vine star O'Reilly, whose full 12 date 2015 UK tour has now been scrapped, told BBC Newsnight that the controversy had "wrecked my life" adding it was a type of comedy he "shouldn't have been doing".
Ahead of his Newsnight appearance, the comedian posted an online statement which read: "I would like to say sorry to those people who I may have upset with my recent comments.
"I assure them that was not my intention."
Ofcom also said it has received a total of 99 complaints "in a similar vein" to their investigation about the show since it first aired.
A spokesperson referred to rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code which states: "In applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context.
"Such material may include, but is not limited to, offensive language, violence, sex, sexual violence, humiliation, distress, violation of human dignity, discriminatory treatment or language.
"Appropriate information should also be broadcast where it would assist in avoiding or minimising offence."
Following the original online criticism ahead of Ofcom's investigation, an ITV spokesperson told Newsbeat: "Dapper Laughs: On The Pull features an established internet comedy character created by Daniel O'Reilly.
"ITV2 commissioned a show in which this character is placed within a recognisable TV format, a dating advice show.
"Comedy is subjective and we realise the content of the show might not be to everyone's taste.
"We regret that any of our viewers were offended. However, as with all of our shows, the series content was carefully considered, complied and deemed suitable for broadcast."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Ofcom has launched an investigation into ITV2's show Dapper Laughs: On The Pull. | 30084014 |
Australia won the first Test by an innings and 52 runs and the second by seven wickets to win the series 2-0.
Vice-captain Warner, who was punished for sledging in a game against India in 2015, said some of the abuse was "vulgar" and "pretty derogatory".
"When they're talking about families, it takes it a bit too far," he added.
"You get your odd banter here or there, but we don't expect to wake up and be hounded for six or seven hours."
While the series between the local rivals was largely played in a good spirit, Australia captain Steve Smith and pace bowler Josh Hazlewood were fined for dissent after angry exchanges with umpire Ranmore Martinesz on day four of the second Test.
Opening batsman Warner defended the forthright approach to the game from his side, who went top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings with their series win.
The 29-year-old, who was suspended after punching England's Joe Root in 2013, said: "We have a passionate brand. If you look back at the history of Australian cricket, we have an aggressive style.
"We've got keep playing our brand of cricket and not stepping over that line."
Meanwhile, Australia seamer Peter Siddle is facing a long lay-off after scans revealed stress fractures in his back.
Siddle, 31, took three wickets in the first Test in Wellington but was ruled out of the second in Christchurch after he suffered back spasms.
The Victorian has been dogged by injuries in recent years and will also have exploratory ankle surgery.
He was set to play for Nottinghamshire in County Championship and 50-over cricket this year but has had to cancel that arrangement. | Australia's David Warner has accused New Zealand fans of going "too far" in their abuse of his team-mates during February's two-Test series. | 35657340 |
The 56-year-old was taken to hospital with head and hip injuries after part of the building collapsed in Portugal Street, Holborn at about 16:15 BST.
About 200 people from the building site and nearby properties were evacuated from the area and hazard response teams attended the scene.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the building was being demolished at the time of its collapse.
Station Manager John Snelgrove, who was at the scene, said: "When the first crews arrived they found the building, which was under refurbishment, had collapsed between the fifth and second floors."
About 31 firefighters attended the scene.
Eyewitness Murat Akkulak, a research co-ordinator at the Royal College of Surgeons, said the building was being demolished "layer by layer".
He said: "There was a lot of dust but I could see there was a digger down amongst the rubble and one or two builders were running around trying to get someone out of the digger.
"The operator seemed to be trapped in the digger.
"When I checked the photos I had taken I saw there were two people standing on the upper layer looking down.
"They seem to have had a really lucky escape to me, because everything else had just collapsed around them."
Jade Harrison, who works opposite, said: "There was a big crash and everyone was wondering what was going on.
"The first thing that went through everyone's head was that it was a terrorist attack. Then we saw there had been a mishap with the construction. It was so unexpected."
A cabbie, who only gave his name as Ed, was parked nearby and said: "It sounded like a plane to begin with, then it kept rumbling on.
"Then it sounded like a train and then there was a massive amount of dust coming round the corner from Portugal Street."
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed. | A building has collapsed in central London, injuring a man. | 32378719 |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.