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40796107 | The Jet Centre was evacuated briefly after a stage speaker in the cinema screen apparently short-circuited.
One filmgoer said he "noticed a glowing light behind the screen".
"I paid more attention to it and I realised it was the speaker and that it was on fire," Portadown teenager Andrew said.
"I pointed it to my dad and he didn't understand what it was - he thought it was part of the movie."
The centre was forced to close early on Tuesday night, but said it would reopen as normal on Wednesday.
Four fire engines were dispatched, but the fire was already out when they arrived.
"Following health and safety procedure, staff evacuated all areas of the complex just after 8pm," a cinema spokesperson told BBC News NI.
No-one was hurt and there was no damage to the building, said a centre manager.
Customers whose entertainment was disrupted should contact the centre, added a statement.
"This turned out not to be a serious incident but we are delighted by the quick response of our staff and the care taken to ensure the safety of our customers," said Jet Centre owner Michael McAdam.
"Our procedures were followed to the letter by our staff and by the time the fire brigade arrived, everyone was out of the building."
Christopher Nolan's World War Two film, Dunkirk, tells the story of the mass evacuation of Allied troops from the northern coast of France in 1940. | A cinema in Coleraine, County Londonderry, has been evacuated after an electrical fire during a screening of the World War Two film Dunkirk. |
39296176 | 17 March 2017 Last updated at 18:32 GMT
Jonathan Anderson - creative director of the JW Anderson and Loewe labels - has put together the Disobedient Bodies exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield gallery.
He has placed fashion items next to sculptures to show how designers and artists have tackled the human body - and how art has influenced what we wear.
The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, includes designs by Anderson himself as well as Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang and Yves Saint Laurent, plus works by sculptors Alberto Giacometti, Sarah Lucas and Louise Bourgeois. | Iconic dresses by Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier rub shoulders with sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth in an exhibition curated by one of Britain's leading fashion designers. |
36121245 | Dave Rihoy gave Guernsey, who had a squad of just 12, a 30th minute lead against the Isthmian League Division One South's bottom-of-the-table club.
But Whitstable levelled six minutes before the break before going in front two minutes after the restart.
The hosts got a third 15 minutes later before Ross Allen saw a free-kick hit the bar for Guernsey with 10 to go.
The loss means Guernsey end their third season in the fourth tier of English non-league football in 13th place. | Guernsey FC ended the season with a ninth successive away defeat as they went down 3-1 at Whitstable Town. |
40601483 | The plan retains key Obamacare taxes on the wealthy, while allowing insurers to offer less coverage and imposing sharp cuts to healthcare for the poor.
The new bill aims to woo Republicans of conservative and moderate factions.
Congress is delaying its summer holiday in a bid to overturn former President Barack Obama's 2010 legislation.
The latest version of the Republican bill would retain two taxes on people earning more than $200,000 (£155,000), which have helped pay for Obamacare.
Plans for hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, a healthcare programme for the poor and disabled, are largely unchanged in the Senate's revised plan.
The Better Care Reconciliation Act would also provide an extra $45bn to tackle the US opioid epidemic that is wreaking havoc in some Republican senators' constituencies.
It includes an additional $70bn to help cover so-called out-of-pocket expenses, which are medical fees not reimbursed by insurers.
Is Obamacare more popular than ever?
The bill also incorporates conservative Senator Ted Cruz's proposal to let insurers offer stripped-down, low-cost healthcare plans by ducking Obamacare rules requiring coverage for "essential" health benefits.
These include maternity and postnatal care, mental health services, addiction treatment, outpatient care, hospitalisation, emergency room visits and prescription drugs.
Insurance companies have warned that Senator Cruz's plan would harm people with pre-existing medical conditions by making their insurance unaffordable.
The Congressional Budget Office found that the previous version of the bill would leave 22 million fewer people insured over a decade.
Senate Republicans are now awaiting a new assessment from the nonpartisan score-keeper.
The Obamacare repeal has been testing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's reputation as a master tactician.
He must conjure a compromise option that will appease both moderates and conservatives among his rank-and-file.
Democrats are united against the bill, which means that just three "no" votes among Republican senators would sink the legislation.
Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the 100-seat Senate, with Vice-President Mike Pence able to cast any tie-breaking vote.
Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky appear firmly opposed to the measure.
Moderate senators such as Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are alarmed by the planned Medicaid cuts.
Ten Republicans said they would not support the previous version of the bill.
Underlining the divisions, minutes before Mr McConnell unveiled his plan, two other Republican senators, Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, offered their own healthcare proposal.
Their plan would steer much of the federal funding for health insurance to the states.
President Donald Trump, who made repeal of Obamacare a core campaign pledge, is monitoring the Senate developments while on a visit to France.
He said in an interview on Wednesday he would be "very angry" if he did not get a bill on his desk, exhorting Mr McConnell to "pull it off".
A vote is planned on the bill, should agreement emerge, next week. | US Senate Republicans have released a revamped health bill in a bid to rally their divided party around its seven-year campaign to repeal Obamacare. |
39886506 | The 87-year-old "still has a substantial amount of recovery to undertake", said a statement on his website, adding Moss said he had "determination and a great pit crew".
Moss was taken ill in Singapore on 22 December with a serious chest infection and had been in hospital ever since.
Moss thanked the medical staff who had assisted him in Singapore and the UK.
The statement added he and his wife "also want to thank, from the bottom of their hearts, all the family, friends and fans for their love and support".
Moss won 16 of the 66 F1 races he competed in from 1951 to 1961.
He became the first British driver to win a home grand prix in 1955 at Aintree, but was regarded as a motor-racing all-rounder and racked up a total of 212 victories in all competitions.
He was an outstanding rally driver and in 1955 set a new course record in winning the famous Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race around Italy.
Moss was effectively forced to retire in 1962 following a crash at Goodwood that put him in a coma, although he continued to race in historic cars and legends events until the age of 81.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss is back home after 134 days in hospital with a chest infection. |
35219059 | The video purportedly shows the killing of five men who IS says were spying for the UK.
The authorities will also be carrying out voice-print analysis to match what is heard against individuals known to have travelled to Iraq and Syria.
The man threatens attacks in the UK, during the 10-minute film.
He also says the footage, which has not been independently verified, is a message for Prime Minister David Cameron.
After the apparent killings the young boy, who seems to be aged about six or seven years old and is wearing military-style clothing, is seen pointing into the distance and talking about killing "unbelievers".
In the video, the masked man who has a British accent and is holding a gun, mocks Mr Cameron for daring to "challenge the might" of the extremist group.
He goes on to say: "We will continue to wage jihad, break borders and one day invade your land where we will rule by the Sharia."
The five men, wearing jumpsuits and kneeling in a desert location, then appear to be shot in the back of the head, after making what is claimed to be their confessions.
One of the men says he had been asked to provide information about the location of IS militants, including two Britons, apparently to help target them with air strikes.
Some of the five say they are from Raqqa in Syria while another says he is from Benghazi, Libya, but none say they are from the UK.
A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the video and are examining its content."
IS, also referred to as Daesh, has previously released videos showing killings, including footage showing the apparent beheading of two US journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and two British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.
Mohammed Emwazi, the Briton who became known as Jihadi John, appeared in the videos. He was killed in a drone strike in Syria in November.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says it would "probably be a fairly short-lived attempt... to take on the mantle of Mohammed Emwazi".
He says the UK government is unlikely to say who they think he is or confirm whether the men killed in the footage were working for Britain.
"IS is absolutely paranoid about [informants]," our correspondent says.
"They are looking over their shoulders, wondering where the next drone strike is coming from and they are wondering who in their midst is informing and reporting on them."
By Gordon Corera, BBC security correspondent
It is less than two months since British IS propagandist Mohammed Emwazi, the man known as Jihadi John, was killed by a drone strike in Syria.
This latest video by IS seems to show another man trying to take up his mantle.
The identity of the masked man is so far unknown but authorities will be trying to identify him and confirm if he is British.
Emwazi was killed after intelligence - most likely from informers - located him in a vehicle in Raqqa, Syria.
The fact that this latest video shows the killing of alleged spies indicates the extent to which IS is trying to track down those who might be providing information.
Children also regularly feature in IS propaganda videos and the brief appearance of a child - apparently with a British accent - at the end of the video will also most likely be of interest to the authorities.
Abu al-Furat, a member of a Raqqa-based group which opposes IS, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme they doubted the killed men were spying for Britain.
"Daesh [IS] has been harmed very much after the death of some British citizens who are fighting with Daesh," he said.
"And in this video, the executor is trying to copy John [Emwazi]. They want to say that if John died, there are others that can do this job."
Margaret Gilmore, senior associate fellow at security think tank the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC Radio 5 live the video had "an air of desperation".
"They are trying to detract from recent setbacks," she said, highlighting recent losses in Iraq.
But Shiraz Maher, senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at Kings College London, told Today the group remained "very powerful".
Jonathan Russell, head of policy at the counter-extremist think tank, the Quilliam Foundation, said it was "shocking" to hear British voices and to see a child in the video, but that both were being used "to reinforce the IS brand".
The IS group, notorious for its brutality, seized large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it formally declared the establishment of a "caliphate" - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law, or Sharia, by God's deputy on Earth, or caliph. | The UK's security and intelligence agencies are examining a video by so-called Islamic State, to identify a man and young boy with British accents. |
38467102 | The dramatic incident was caught on CCTV near Krizma, in Bradford, in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Officers had been called to a disturbance outside the venue in Sackville Street at 04:20 GMT, and the shots were fired as an officer interviewed a victim in the car.
A 21-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody for questioning.
He was held on Friday morning after armed officers carried out a series of operations in the Bradford area.
West Yorkshire Police said the shots were fired from a car, believed to be a black Seat Leon that was later found burnt out in Low Green Terrace in the Great Horton area of the city.
The force wants to trace two more men in connection with the incident.
A 19-year-old man from Bradford has been charged with assault in relation to the disturbance outside the club.
Det Supt Pat Twiggs said: "This was clearly a targeted, highly dangerous act which could have easily resulted in fatal consequences and we are determined to bring those responsible to justice.
"Firearms incidents will not be tolerated and I am appealing to anyone who might have any information."
He said he was especially looking for anyone who had seen the vehicle or the occupants, or anyone who may have seen the disturbance outside the nightclub. | Shots were fired at a police car in a drive-by shooting outside a nightclub. |
39577514 | The think tank's education director Andreas Schleicher explains how much positive impact can come from simple changes such as parents taking time to talk to their children and eating a meal together.
Perhaps the most distressing threat to student well-being is bullying, and it can have serious consequences for the victim, the bully and bystanders.
This international study shows how widespread this can be, across borders and cultures, in schools of many different kinds.
On average, across OECD countries, about 11% of teenagers reported they were frequently mocked, 7% were "left out of things", 8% were the subject of hurtful rumours and about 4% - that is still roughly one per class - were being hit or pushed around.
A substantial number of young people feel isolated, humiliated, feel like an outsider at school or are physically assaulted.
This matters, because schools are not just places where students learn about academic subjects.
It's one of the first places where children experience society and the behaviour of other people. It should be where young people learn about resilience and ambition.
And whether positive or negative, this time in school will have a profound influence on these young people.
The evidence of countries such as Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland shows that it is not a case of choosing between high academic standards and high levels of satisfaction with life - it is possible to have both.
It also shows there is no link between long hours of study and students' sense of satisfaction. The frequency of tests, perhaps counter to expectations, also seems to be unrelated to anxiety about school.
But what does seem to make a difference to well-being are the relationships between students, teachers and parents.
A negative relationship with teachers is a major threat to students' sense of belonging in school. And conversely, "happy" schools are likely to report much more positive relations between staff and students.
On average across countries, students who reported that their teacher is willing to provide help and is interested in their learning are also about 1.3 times more likely to feel that they belong at school.
More stories from the BBC's Global education series looking at education from an international perspective, and how to get in touch.
You can join the debate at the BBC's Family & Education News Facebook page.
Students who reported unfair treatment by teachers were 1.7 times more likely to report feeling isolated.
This is important. Teenagers look for strong social ties and they value acceptance, care and support from others. Adolescents who feel they are part of a school community are more likely to perform better academically and be more motivated in school.
There are also big differences between countries on these measures.
About three quarters of students feel they belong at school, and in some of the highest performing education systems, including Taiwan, Japan, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Finland, South Korea, Estonia and Singapore, that share is even higher.
But in France it is just 41% - and there can be big differences in some countries in this sense of belonging for children from immigrant families.
While the frequency of tests might not affect student well-being, there does seem to be a more negative influence if tests are seen as "threatening".
This anxiety, even among well-prepared students, can also be linked to the relationships with teachers. If teachers are seen as supportive there is likely to be less stress.
Where students feel that teachers do not rate their chances of success fairly, there is even more worry, with 62% of students reporting high levels of exam tension.
And in all countries, girls reported greater schoolwork-related anxiety than boys.
The fear of making mistakes on a test often disrupts the performance of top-performing girls who "choke under pressure".
Another major factor in young people's lives is the time spent online.
Across OECD countries, 26% of students on average spend six hours per day online at weekends and 16% spend a similar time online on weekdays.
Extreme internet use, more than six hours per day, has a negative impact on students' well-being.
Last but not least, parents make a big difference.
Students with high levels of life satisfaction were significantly more likely to have parents who regularly spent time talking to them.
Parents who sat around the table to eat their main meal with their children and talked about how they were getting on at school also made a difference.
"Spending time just talking" is the parental activity most frequently and most strongly associated with students' life satisfaction.
It seems to matter for academic performance too.
Students whose parents regularly talked to them were two-thirds of a school-year ahead in science, and even after accounting for social background, the advantage remains at one-third of a school year.
The results are similar for parents eating meals with children.
The strength of this relationship is well beyond the impact of most school resources and school factors measured by Pisa tests.
Even though this shows the powerful positive effect of parental interest, for many parents, spending time just talking to their child is a rare occurrence.
Some parents find it difficult to participate in their children's school life, maybe because of inflexible work schedules, lack of childcare or language barriers.
But schools could do more to help parents overcome these barriers. If parents cannot leave work to attend school meetings, then perhaps parents could talk by phone or video.
There could also be support from government, such as incentives for employers to improve the work-life balance.
Parents can also help children manage test anxiety by encouraging them to trust in their ability.
Girls whose parents encouraged them to be confident in their abilities were 21% less likely to report feeling tense about schoolwork.
Most parents want their children to be motivated at school and motivated students tend to do better.
On average, students who are among the most motivated score more than a school year higher in Pisa tests than the least motivated students.
Motivation is also related to life satisfaction in a mutually reinforcing way.
Students who are highly satisfied with their life tend to have greater resilience and are more tenacious in the face of academic challenges.
But there can also be downsides when there is too much external pressure.
Countries where students are highly motivated also tend to be where many students feel anxious about tests, even when well prepared.
They need to find a way to encourage achievement without generating an excessive fear of failure.
The challenges to the well-being students are many and there are no simple solutions. But the findings from this study show how teachers, schools and parents can make a real difference. | The OECD has produced an international study of well-being and how young people feel about their lives. |
39516124 | The Harlequins centre, 30, was man of the series in South Africa in 2009 and played against Australia in 2013.
Roberts admits he has to perform well for Quins against Saracens and Exeter before Gatland names his party to tour New Zealand this summer on 19 April.
"I know the next few weeks are probably on a personal note quite big," he said.
"I haven't played too much in the Six Nations so I need to perform well over the next few games for my club and see what happens.
"The two tours I've been on have played a huge part in my life and was a massively enjoyable thing to do.
"It's the pinnacle of rugby for us and it's an absolute privilege to go on tour with the Lions.
"But I suppose that selection first and foremost is out of your hands and it takes care of itself with your performances that season on the pitch."
Roberts has made 91 appearances for Wales, but was on the bench for all of their 2017 Six Nations match.
He played a total of 107 minutes during the tournament, though that includes the extraordinary 20 minutes of additional time in the 20-18 defeat by France in Paris.
Roberts says he is determined to fight his way back into the starting line-up after missing out on starting team selection.
"Collectively, to finish fifth was disappointing," he told BBC Wales Sport.
"We played some great rugby but over the course of five bouts of 80 minutes - or 100 minutes in Paris - we weren't good enough to be at the top of the table.
"It was disappointing being on the bench for Wales for the last Six Nations campaign but, if anything, that's made me hungrier than ever to achieve.
"But I've learned a lot from it and it's important that I learn from that and go again."
That starts with an English Premiership fixture at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, 8 April, when Harlequins play third-placed Saracens.
Roberts was in outstanding form when Quins - currently sixth in the table - beat Sarries 17-10 at The Stoop in October 2016 in front of 14,800 fans.
More than 60,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's meeting, with Roberts relishing the occasion.
"Playing Saracens at Wembley, doesn't get much bigger than that for us in the Premiership," he said.
"We're fighting for a top four slot - I think those top three are quite far ahead of the rest but that fourth place spot is up for grabs between about three or four teams.
"The opportunity to play at Wembley is a huge privilege in itself it's a wonderful stadium obviously and the history of the place speaks for itself - it's a huge game."
Roberts has another season to run on his contract at Harlequins, and says he has no firm plans about his future beyond that deal.
"I know I'm here next year and I've always told myself I'll make that decision in November," he said.
"As a professional rugby player I think it's quite unwise to make these decisions too early because circumstances can change pretty quickly in the game.
"It's not a decision that will even enter my head until next season, whether that's to stay in London or move elsewhere, so I'm just going to enjoy the moment, enjoy the current situation and as I said I'll cross that bridge come November or December." | Jamie Roberts still hopes to impress British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland after failing to start for Wales in the 2017 Six Nations. |
36015219 | Here's what has been released so far:
The prime minister published a summary of his tax returns from 2009 to 2015 in an attempt to defuse a row over his personal finances.
The document showed Mr Cameron's mother had given him a £200,000 gift after his father's death, which could potentially avoid inheritance tax.
Last year, the prime minister paid almost £76,000 in tax on an income of more than £200,000.
Those earnings included almost £47,000 from a share of rent paid on his family home in west London, vacated when the Camerons moved to Downing Street.
Downing Street is providing no details about the £72,000 the Mr Cameron received for selling "other shares" beyond his investment in his father's Blairmore Holdings fund or the £40,000 he received in cash from his own stock-broking account.
The following day, details of the chancellor's income were released on the government's website.
It showed he had paid £72,210 in tax in 2014-15 on a total taxable income of £198,738.
His income included £33,562 in rental income on his London home and £44,647 in dividend income from shares in his father's wallpaper company.
He also received just £3 in bank interest.
Just after Mr Osborne, as Mr Cameron's Commons statement got under way, the Labour leader released his own tax return for 2014-15.
It showed he had declared £1,850 of taxable income on top of his parliamentary salary.
Explaining the delay in releasing the document - he had promised it "very soon" two days earlier - Mr Corbyn's spokesman said he had had to ask HM Revenue & Customs for a copy.
It also emerged Mr Corbyn had been fined £100 for submitting the document after the deadline.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, published his return - showing earnings of £61,575 and tax of £14,253 - in January, during a row over Google's tax settlement.
Scotland's first minister has published her tax return for 2014-15, promising to do so every year.
She followed Scotland's other political leaders in releasing the information. Scottish Labour's Kezia Dugdale released her returns on Saturday, and was followed by Tory Ruth Davidson. SNP leader Ms Sturgeon and Willie Rennie, of the Lib Dems, then published their documents the following day.
Leaders of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have revealed their tax details, with party chiefs in the Welsh Conservatives and Welsh Labour vowing to do the same.
Plaid leader Leanne Wood became the first Welsh political leader to make her tax details public, on Sunday evening.
The self-assessment tax calculation shows she paid £9,043 income tax on taxable income of £38,547.
The London mayor released figures showing he has paid more than £1m in tax in the past four years on his earnings from publishing and journalism, as well as his mayoral salary.
In 2014-15, he recorded £266,667 for his Daily Telegraph column and £224,617 in book royalties, his accounts show.
The two favourites to replace Mr Johnson in City Hall, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan, published their details in February.
Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg has predicted all MPs will be publishing their tax figures within two years, reflecting changes in the "public mood" over tax transparency.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has promised to publish his,
Among those to have already done so are Labour's former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who published a scanned copy of his tax return for 2014-15, and ex-minister Caroline Flint who released figures for her total income and expenditure.
Downing Street said Mr Cameron thought it right for prime ministers, "potential prime ministers", chancellors and shadow chancellors to publish their tax details.
But Mr Cameron said he did not think all MPs should be compelled to routinely publish similar information.
Another Conservative MP, Charles Walker, said there was "a new culture of bullying" in the UK and warned of a situation where public figures could end up having to release a stream of personal information such as medical records.
And UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he wouldn't be divulging any details, since most people regarded tax as a private matter.
"Neighbours would hate the thought that the people at Number 32 knew what their income was," he told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour programme. | In the wake of the Panama Papers revelations, there have been calls for the UK's political leaders to publish details of their own tax affairs. |
13437030 | The prime minister held talks with his Irish counterpart Enda Kenny, afterwards describing the countries as "close friends".
Mr Kenny said he was "very happy" that the relationship was developing.
Mr Cameron will attend a state dinner with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, who are on a four-day visit.
It is the first trip to the Republic of Ireland by a reigning UK monarch since the country gained independence.
After his meeting with Mr Kenny, Mr Cameron said the visit demonstrated that "the relationship can get stronger" between the two countries.
It was a "relationship about trade, investment and the economy" and a "relationship of opportunity between close neighbours and close friends".
He added that the Queen had shown "enormous sensitivity" to the troubled history between the UK and Ireland during her visit.
Mr Cameron met the Taoiseach in Downing Street in April, but this was the pair's first meeting on Irish soil since Mr Kenny came to office in March.
Mr Kenny earlier told the Irish parliament he would speak to Mr Cameron about the release of government files on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
Relatives of those killed in the attacks believe there was British state collusion in the attacks.
No group claimed responsibility for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in which 33 people died, but loyalist paramilitaries were blamed.
However, the Justice for the Forgotten campaign, which represents survivors, believes secret British files could reveal evidence that actions by security forces and police amounted to collusion.
The group wrote an open letter to the Queen, coinciding with her visit, in which it appealed through her to Mr Cameron, asking him to commit to "a genuinely significant gesture of reconciliation" by opening the files.
"Without this move, deeply troublesome questions remain unanswered," the letter said. | David Cameron has hailed a "relationship of opportunity" between the UK and Ireland on his first official visit to Dublin. |
38177492 | The Northern Irishwoman, 24, already had conditional status for next season and should earn several starts.
Meadow's closing two-under-par 70 at Daytona Beach left her on one under par for the five rounds.
That was three strokes outside an automatic qualifying position.
Meadow produced two rounds of 70 and three 73s during the five-day marathon.
Her round on Sunday included three birdies and a solitary bogey.
Meadow's best performance this year was a share of 10th place at the Canadian Open in August and that helped move her up from 419th to her current position of 259th in the world rankings.
The former Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup player finished third at the 2014 US Women's Open but the death of her father a year later was a huge blow to the Northern Irishwoman and she has been battling to re-establish herself in 2016.
"My status will come from (this year's) money list (115th). I should still get into lots of events," said Meadow after Sunday's round. | Stephanie Meadow missed out on a securing a full LPGA tour card for 2017 at the qualifying school in Florida on Sunday after finishing in 27th spot. |
15122427 | The 11-year-old girl's dog was attacked on the King George V playing fields in Brickfields Road, Worcester.
Police appealed for information following the incident between 14:30 and 15:00 BST on 23 September.
They are trying to trace the owner, who is in his 30s, tall, with a large build and bald head. | A girl's pet Chihuahua was attacked and killed by four Staffordshire Bull Terriers which were not thought to have been on leads, police said. |
17370140 | Research commissioned by the BBC from data analysts Experian, suggested export was a key factor in the number of growing companies in the area.
It said 2.8% of south Cambridgeshire businesses were involved in export, well above the 0.6% national average.
Mark Howard, of sensor production company Zettlex, said exporting around the world had ensured its growth.
Experian surveyed business growth and potential growth in 324 areas of the UK.
It placed south Cambridgeshire seventh in terms of the proportion of its businesses considered to be high performers capable of continued growth.
Mr Howard said Zettlex's success overseas had contributed to its £1.5m turnover in the past year.
The eight-year-old Newton-based company employs 10 people, and has filled orders from the UK, USA, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Romania and Belgium since the beginning of 2012.
"We're about to start a major project with the UK Space Agency, putting our sensors onto things like landing vehicles for the Mars rover," Mr Howard said.
"It's a great feather in our cap that a small hi-tech company like us can even be considered for that.
"It's a global market out there, and because of the contracts we've signed up to we will continue growing."
Norman Shires, managing director of 12-man AV Engineering in Melbourn, said his plastic moulding business was growing for similar reasons.
"We work to a very broad spectrum of customers and export all over the world," he said.
"We send bespoke parts to China and we recently got a contract with Triumph Motorcycles, who have a plant just outside Bangkok."
He said the company had weathered four recessions and if it had not been self-financed it would have struggled to survive.
"A lot of plastics companies were mothballed, but we are still here," he said.
"Business is booming at the moment.
"Frankly the supply chain has got indigestion. We just can't get things through quickly enough." | A small business founder says his south Cambridgeshire company is thriving because of its "global outlook". |
19474261 | Alan Ryan, 32, was shot several times at Grange Lodge Avenue in Clongriffin at about 15:30 BST. A second man was also shot and sustained leg injuries.
In 2000, Ryan had been jailed over the discovery of a Real IRA training camp.
RTE's crime correspondent, Paul Reynolds, said he was shot in the head in a "planned, targeted killing".
He said the Dubliner was "very well known in criminal and republican circles both north and south of the border".
Mr Reynolds said the two men were walking along the street in north Dublin city when they were approached by a gunman who opened fire on Ryan first.
"He collapsed and then the gunman walked over and shot him in the head as he lay on the ground. He died instantly," he added.
The man who was with Ryan, believed to be from Sligo, was shot in the leg.
Two men believed to have been involved in the attack escaped in a silver Volvo car which was later found burnt out in a nearby graveyard.
Mr Reynolds said Ryan first came to the attention of Irish police in 1999, when they uncovered a Real IRA training camp in a underground bunker at Stamullen, County Meath.
Ryan was one of 10 people arrested in the raid.
Six months later he pleaded guilty to receiving training in the use of firearms at the camp and was sentenced to four years in prison.
The RTE correspondent said that after Ryan left prison, he became "involved in extortion, extorting money from businesses and from publicans" and "threats on drug dealers".
He said Ryan's faction within the Real IRA in Dublin had been feuding with major gangland criminals for some time.
He added that at the time of his death, Ryan was facing a charge of "demanding money with menaces from a Dublin publican in the north inner city" and had also served time for possession of a firearm in a separate case.
Mr Reynolds said: "Gardai are worried about the fact the republican groups don't tend to forget when members of their organisation have been shot and killed particularly by drug gangs or violent gangland criminals."
Mr Reynolds said there were increased police patrols in the area close to murder scene.
Irish police believe that at least two gunmen were involved in the shooting. | A man who was murdered on a Dublin street on Monday was a convicted Real IRA man who is believed to have been the target of a criminal gang. |
39619415 | World number one Murray last played in Indian Wells on 12 March, and will resume against Gilles Muller or Tommy Robredo on Wednesday.
"I would not be playing if I felt I was taking a risk," said the Scot.
Djokovic, ranked second, said he "feels great" after coming back with a win in the Davis Cup last week.
Like Murray, the Serb missed last month's Miami Masters with an elbow issue and will play his first clay-court match of the year when he takes on Frenchman Gilles Simon.
"It's normal for an athlete to go through [injury] ups and downs," said Djokovic, 29.
"I trust myself and the effort I put into my game. I have to believe I'll get the results I'm hoping for.
"All of my thoughts next week will be on this event. I won it in 2013 and 2015. I'm hoping this is the place to have a new start to the season."
Murray returned to the court in an exhibition match against Roger Federer in Switzerland on 10 April, and has since been preparing on the Monte Carlo clay.
"When I started serving again, I had to progress very slowly, but in the last couple of days I've been serving pretty much close to the speed that I would normally," said Murray, 29.
"My elbow has reacted well, so I feel good about it.
"I will have had pretty much five days before my match of serving at the right speed, so I think it will be fine."
Murray has a lot of points to defend as he looks to extend his time at the top of the rankings - he lost to Rafael Nadal in last year's Monte Carlo semis before reaching the final in Madrid, winning in Rome and finishing runner-up at the French Open.
Stan Wawrinka is seeded third in Monte Carlo, with nine-time champion Nadal seeded fourth.
Roger Federer has chosen to skip the clay-court season until the French Open, which begins on 28 May. | Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will return to the tour at the Monte Carlo Masters this week after recovering from elbow injuries. |
35344933 | The ambulances were diverted to the Mater Hospital from the early hours of Monday morning.
The Belfast Trust said that the new £150m department that opened last August was under pressure with a large number of patients waiting.
The divert ended at 06:00 GMT. | Ambulances were diverted from the new emergency department at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for a number of hours on Sunday night. |
35833472 | The announcement was made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The first minister also committed to retaining the small business bonus scheme until at least 2021.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Scottish Tory Ruth Davidson also addressed the conference in Glasgow.
A study by the FSB prior to the conference has found a majority of Scottish firms expect business conditions to worsen.
But Ms Sturgeon told the conference in Glasgow that she wants to make Scotland the "best place to do business anywhere in the UK".
She said Mr Barclay would lead a review considering how business rates might better support growth and respond to wider economic conditions and changing markets.
The review is expected to be complete by the summer of 2017.
Ms Sturgeon said the review, and any action taken by the Scottish government, would be guided by "three clear principles".
"Firstly the intention of the review will be to make recommendations which, overall, are revenue neutral. This is not an exercise in increasing overall tax revenue, it is about ensuring taxation is fair", she said.
The first minister added: "Secondly the small business bonus scheme will be retained until at least 2021.
"And finally, the business rates system should reflect the ambition that Scotland will be the best place to do business anywhere in the UK."
Mr Barclay, who left RBS in 2015 after almost 40 years with the bank, said he was "delighted" to take part in the "important piece of work".
The FSB welcomed news of the review, but said some action would need to be taken before it was completed in 2017.
Scottish policy convenor Andy Willox said: "On rates, small firms from up and down Scotland will be pleased to hear of the Scottish government's intentions to review the system while retaining their ground-breaking small business bonus scheme.
"But with just of a year until the next revaluation, action may need to be taken now to make the system more user-friendly."
The Scottish Retail Consortium also said news of Mr Barclay's appointment was "welcome and positive".
Director David Lonsdale said: "It is encouraging that ministers have listened to the retail industry and the growing chorus from across commercial life in Scotland who have spoken up in favour of fundamental reform of business rates.
"The review heralds a great opportunity to recast business rates for the decades ahead and we look forward to engaging with Mr Barclay and the review to ensure the reformed system is modern, sustainable and competitive."
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell addressed the conference after Ms Sturgeon, saying Labour wanted to work "closely" with the FSB on a "joint agenda".
Describing small businesses as "the engines of our prosperity", he said it would be them and not politicians who would turn around the country's economic fortunes.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson also made a speech, pledging to be "a voice for small business" at Holyrood, and calling for a business rate freeze across Scotland.
She said rates were "a huge dead weight on the ability of business to prosper", calling on the Scottish government to "go further" on the matter than the UK government.
Before the conference, the FSB released a quarterly survey showing a majority of small Scottish firms expect business conditions to worsen.
It said business owners in Scotland were among the gloomiest in the UK, with a majority pessimistic for the first time since 2013.
Some 64% of respondents saw the state of the domestic economy as a barrier to their business growth. Confidence among firms in the UK also hit its lowest level in three years.
The survey suggested that small business revenues and profits north of the border were down, although firms predicted improvements.
Mr Willox said: "Scottish firms whose prospects are indirectly or directly allied with the state of the oil and gas industry are of course facing gruelling trading conditions.
"But the pressures on the massive services sector are also taking their toll. This could explain why Scottish confidence figures lag behind even the depressed numbers for the UK as a whole." | A former chairman of RBS in Scotland, Ken Barclay, is to lead a Scottish government review of business rates. |
39655039 | UK households spent the equivalent of $5,900 (£4,611) using payment cards online in 2015, the UK Cards Association said.
This was higher than Norway ($5,400), the US ($4,500) and Australia ($4,000).
The association suggested the frequency of debit and credit cards and the ease of delivering items drove online buys.
New figures from the association showed that £154bn was spent on the internet using cards in 2016 - up by a quarter in two years.
Entertainment - such as cinema and concert tickets, takeaway orders and music downloads - accounted for one in four online card purchases in the UK.
Some 67% of concert ticket spending and 61% of cinema, theatre and dance spending was made online, the association's figures showed.
The popularity of renewing contracts such as insurance cover online, and payments into bank accounts over the internet also meant financial services registered considerable activity online. More than a quarter (27%) of what was spent online was in financial services.
However, attempts of online retailers to make a mark in the grocery sector had so far failed in comparison to the use of cards in shops and supermarkets. Some 41% of in-store card purchases were on food and drink, compared with only 7% via the internet.
Pawn shops, laundry and pubs, somewhat unsurprisingly, registered the least online shopping activity, the figures showed.
Traditional retailers have felt a significant impact from the online shopping habits of customers.
Earlier this week, High Street retailer Debenhams announced a change of strategy owing, in part, to fast-growing "mobile interaction".
The plan means up to 10 of its 176 UK stores may be closed over the next five years. A central distribution warehouse and about 10 smaller warehouses could also be shut.
A further cost burden was also felt, particularly by clothes retailers, as a result of online shoppers returning items they did not want during a statutory cooling-off period.
Consumer analysts Savvy Marketing compiled figures for BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme and found that among 1,000 online shoppers questioned, women's clothing had been returned by 63% of them.
Retailers said free returns were an important part of their business, but the costs had to be recovered somewhere or they risked going under.
Many shoppers still fear that online shopping opens the door to cyber-criminals, but Richard Koch, head of policy at the UK Cards Association, argued that security was improving.
"Since the early days of internet shopping there has been a host of innovations, from digital wallets to one click purchases, which bring enhanced security, choice and convenience for customers and which will lead to continued growth in the sector.
"The additional protection provided when using a card also gives consumers extra peace of mind when they are shopping online," he said.
Concerns have also been raised over internet selling fuelling a rise in shopping addiction.
Some mental health problems manifest themselves in compulsive buying, making purchases which are later regretted. This could lead those affected into a spiral of debt.
A report by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute suggested that 24-hour online shopping meant "consumers who struggle to control their spending find themselves at greater risk than ever before".
Retailers send personalised emails to customers, based on previous purchases, which may include short-term discounts and promotions. | Online shoppers in the UK spend more per household than consumers in any other country, a report says, amid a shift from stores to the internet. |
34783108 | Cross-code convert Burgess left Bath after only one year of a three-year deal to re-join Australian rugby league side South Sydney Rabbitohs last week.
Burgess, 26, said his "heart wasn't in" rugby union.
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"For me this was the time to roll his sleeves up and become the player that I thought he could be and he chose not to," said Ford.
"It wasn't until the final talk I had with him that I felt there was nothing more I could do.
"But I did speak to him about that and about what a fantastic player he could be, and about the investment the club and the players had made in him, and that it was time to repay that.
"But he chose differently."
Told about Ford's comments at a Rabbitohs news conference after his arrival in Sydney on Tuesday, Burgess said: "Mike might be a bit upset and that's fine.
"What did he say? That I missed my mum? Who doesn't miss their mum? I'm not afraid to say that.
"Fordy is entitled to what he wants to say. It is more a reflection on him than me."
The former Bradford Bulls player insisted he would be at South Sydney "for a long time now".
He added: "It was never in question really about looking elsewhere at any of the clubs. I would find it very hard to put a different shirt on."
Burgess revealed that Bath captain Stuart Hooper prevented the former England centre from addressing the squad after opting to leave - a decision Ford defended.
Bath and England fly-half George Ford - the head coach's son - said the team did not not want an added distraction before last weekend's Premiership game against London Irish, which they won 45-14.
"A lot of lads would die for this club," George Ford told BBC Points West.
"A lot of lads have been here since they were young, coming up through the academy, and have served this club for as long as they can and for someone to come in and not maybe do the same thing upset a few lads.
"It was a great decision by Stuart as we wanted to focus our energy into putting in a good performance against London Irish."
Bath moved quickly to replace Burgess, who played at flanker for the club and inside centre for England, by signing Scotland back-rower David Denton from Edinburgh.
Head coach Ford said it was a "fair" assessment to say Denton's arrival left Bath in a stronger position.
"Everyone's seen Sam's interview and his heart's not in it any more, so when someone's like that you're better off having someone in who wants to be here," he added.
"I wasn't surprised with what Sam said because he's talked to me along the way." | Sam Burgess "didn't have the stomach" to fight for his future in rugby union, says Bath head coach Mike Ford. |
22763300 | After a brief hearing in Pretoria, the magistrate agreed to a request from the prosecution to postpone the hearing until August.
Mr Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his house in Pretoria on 14 February.
He denies committing murder, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
Mr Pistorius wore a grey suit and appeared composed as he arrived at court to meet a barrage of photographers and journalists. He was surrounded by his family and friends for the hearing.
• Had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months, having been born without a fibula in either leg
• His parents were advised that having the amputation done before he had learned to walk would be less traumatic
• By the age of two, had his first pair of prosthetic legs
• In June 2003, he shattered his knee playing rugby and on the advice of doctors took up track running to aid his rehabilitation
• Made history in London 2012 by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics after winning long legal battle
• Has won six Paralympic gold medals, including three at the Beijing Games
He spoke only once, confirming "Yes, Your Honour" when asked if he understood the magistrate's comments.
The BBC's Andrew Harding, who was in court, said this court appearance was very different to the last time when Mr Pistorius sobbed uncontrollably and was visibly emotional in the days following the killing.
The prosecution asked for the case to be postponed until 19 August so it could continue preparing its ballistics and forensics evidence. The adjournment was not opposed by the defence.
Our correspondent says it is likely that, once the prosecution presents its evidence in August, the defence will seek a delay so it can go through the documentation - meaning a trial is unlikely to start before next year.
On Monday, Mr Pistorius's family said they were "shaken" by leaked, graphic photos published by Sky News, which showed the bathroom where 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp was killed.
Police said they were "disgusted" by the leak.
During Tuesday's hearing, Magistrate Daniel Thulare expressed concern at the media coverage of the case and warned that some of it could be in contempt of court.
Mr Pistorius, 26, is a double amputee who won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed in the Olympics.
His arrest in February stunned many South Africans who saw him as a national sporting hero after his long legal battle to be able to compete in the Olympics.
The prosecution has accused him of premeditated murder, alleging that he killed Ms Steenkamp intentionally after a fight.
Mr Pistorius was freed on a bail of 1 million rand (£74,000; $110,000). A court in March eased his travel restrictions, allowing him to leave South Africa to compete as long as he complied with certain conditions. | South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has appeared in court for the first time since he was freed on bail over the killing of his girlfriend. |
38932210 | Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (Mima) opened on 27 January 2007 since when it has hosted hundreds of artists.
The institution has more than 2,500 artworks in its collection including LS Lowry's 1959 painting The Old Town Hall and St Hilda's Church.
In 2009, then-Top Gear trio Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson staged a motor-related exhibition at Mima.
To celebrate its anniversary, Mima has launched a permanent Middlesbrough Collection featuring work chosen by the public. | An art museum built on a car park is celebrating its 10th birthday. |
36122791 | Andre Ayew's header and a sumptuous Jack Cork goal put the hosts in charge after a vibrant first-half display.
Christian Benteke nodded in to give the visitors hope, but Ayew's second goal swiftly ended those aspirations.
Brad Smith was then sent off for Liverpool, whose hopes of Champions League qualification now rest on winning the Europa League.
It is a victory which moves Swansea, who have two games remaining, to 13th in the table and opens an unassailable 11-point gap between them and third-from-bottom Sunderland.
With Liverpool playing their first league game since an inquest concluded the 96 fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, the pre-match tributes at the Liberty Stadium made for a moving atmosphere.
On the pitch, Swansea were as impressive against Liverpool as they were abject in their 4-0 capitulation at Leicester in their previous outing.
With this match bookended by the two legs of their Europa League semi-final against Villarreal, Liverpool made eight changes as they named their youngest side of the Premier League era with an average age of 23.
This was not the first time Jurgen Klopp had selected an experimental team with European commitments in mind, as a similarly inexperienced line-up won comfortably at Bournemouth in April.
However, against Swansea, Klopp's side unravelled as their youngsters were overwhelmed.
Midfielder Pedro Chirivella endured a torrid first league start, and the 18-year-old was replaced by the seasoned Lucas Leiva at half-time.
Chirivella's midfield colleague Kevin Stewart did not fare much better, while young left-back Smith was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
Swansea were already all but guaranteed a sixth successive season in the Premier League, but knew a point against Liverpool would officially secure survival.
Soundly beaten by Leicester and Newcastle in their last two games, there was an onus on Francesco Guidolin's side to produce an improved performance - and they did so in style.
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Cork embodied their dynamism with a thrusting display in midfield, crowned by his arcing shot from the edge of the penalty area which gave his side their second goal.
The Swans were given a fright when substitute Benteke headed in from a corner to halve Liverpool's deficit.
But the home side were never genuinely troubled and, two minutes later, Ayew fired into the bottom corner as Swansea scored three goals for the first time in the Premier League this season.
Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin: "It is an important result for me, for the players, for the club, because this was a complicated season. I'm happy for my players because today they've shown they're not on the beach but very focused on the job. I know my players and I'm proud of them.
"At Leicester, we played well in the first 30 minutes and they were a bit worried, but today we played well and we scored two times. At Leicester we conceded two goals and this is the difference.
"Today we are happy because we won and the table is very good. I played in my career many games in the Europa League and it's difficult to play Thursday and Sunday. This is not right and this is the reason Liverpool, I think, lost the match because it's impossible to be fresh and ready for another important match but we deserved to win."
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: "We changed the line-up and with this line-up we can play much better football. We could explain a few things and it would sound like an excuse.
"This performance was not enough. We cannot be sure but if we don't concede the third one it's an open game. You can see there was not the body language you need for a comeback, though.
"We deserved to lose, they deserved to win, that's how football is on a bad day. I thought we lost a lot of easy balls, we weren't compact, there were a lot of things we could've done better. If we'd played a normal game, we could have won."
Swansea can rest a little easier knowing their Premier League safety has been secured before next weekend's tough trip to West Ham and a home game with Manchester City on the final day of the season.
Liverpool must wipe out a 1-0 first-leg deficit in the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal at Anfield on Thursday to maintain their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Match ends, Swansea City 3, Liverpool 1.
Second Half ends, Swansea City 3, Liverpool 1.
Sheyi Ojo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jay Fulton (Swansea City).
Substitution, Swansea City. Jay Fulton replaces Leon Britton.
Attempt missed. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Kyle Naughton.
Foul by Dejan Lovren (Liverpool).
André Ayew (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jack Cork.
Foul by Christian Benteke (Liverpool).
Wayne Routledge (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Wayne Routledge.
Lucas Leiva (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Neil Taylor (Swansea City).
Substitution, Liverpool. Cameron Brannagan replaces Jordon Ibe.
Attempt missed. Angel Rangel (Swansea City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Martin Skrtel.
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Martin Skrtel (Liverpool).
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Second yellow card to Brad Smith (Liverpool) for a bad foul.
Foul by Brad Smith (Liverpool).
Kyle Naughton (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Leon Britton.
Attempt blocked. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Angel Rangel.
Angel Rangel (Swansea City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sheyi Ojo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Angel Rangel (Swansea City).
Substitution, Swansea City. Kyle Naughton replaces Jefferson Montero.
Attempt blocked. Jefferson Montero (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jack Cork.
Goal! Swansea City 3, Liverpool 1. André Ayew (Swansea City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
Attempt missed. Jack Cork (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Goal! Swansea City 2, Liverpool 1. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sheyi Ojo with a cross following a corner.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City) because of an injury.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Neil Taylor.
Attempt blocked. Kevin Stewart (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne.
Attempt blocked. Sheyi Ojo (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin Stewart.
Sheyi Ojo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Swansea City dismantled a much-changed Liverpool side to make sure of their Premier League survival. |
35917720 | It suggested that lenders should be much stricter when deciding whether or not to grant landlords a mortgage.
Instead of just taking their rental income into account, the Bank wants lenders to look at their wider financial situation as well.
If adopted, the new rules could reduce lending to landlords by up to 20% over the next three years.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) - an arm of the Bank - has recommended that banks and building societies take account of:
The PRA said the new standards would "curtail inappropriate lending, and the potential for excessive credit losses."
The Bank's Governor, Mark Carney, warned in December that mass-selling by landlords could destabilise the economy.
The PRA has also suggested that lenders should apply a stricter interest rate "stress test", to measure affordability in the event of a rise in interest rates.
It said lenders should look at potential rate rises over a five year period from the start of a mortgage.
They should also consider whether a landlord could afford repayments in the event of a 2% rise in interest rates.
The PRA said that 75% of lenders already meet these stricter criteria. However it is thought that some of the major lenders do not.
Landlords already face a series of tax changes, which it is thought will limit the growth in the buy-to-let market.
These include a 3% stamp duty surcharge from next month. From 2017, landlords will only be able to claim tax relief on their mortgage payments at the basic rate of 20%.
From 2019 they will also have to pay any Capital Gains tax due within 30 days, rather than simply by the end of the tax year.
As a result some experts accused the Bank of acting too late to control the buy-to-let market.
"This is a classic case of slamming the stable door after the horse has bolted," said Jeremy Leaf, a former chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
"The changes the Chancellor has made to mortgage interest tax relief and higher stamp duty for landlords will have enough of an impact on buy-to-let without the need for further interference from the Bank of England."
Before the PRA announcement lenders had expected the buy-to-let market to expand by 20% a year over the next few years, in spite of the tax changes.
If the measures are adopted, the PRA believes such growth will slow to 17% a year.
The PRA consultation will last until 29 June 2016. | Buy-to-let landlords should face new limits on the amount they can borrow, the Bank of England has proposed. |
36434040 | Scientists say that is vital to partially drain Lake Imja to stop it from bursting its banks with potentially devastating consequences.
Imja is one of thousands of lakes in the Himalayas formed by the melting of glaciers. But last year's earthquake may further have destabilised it.
It is the highest drainage project of its kind, the military says.
The altitude at which the work is being completed has posed logistical challenges for the army.
Rising temperatures are accelerating glacial meltdown and rapidly filling such lakes, threatening communities and infrastructure downstream.
With UN funding, Nepalese army personnel and villagers are working to reduce Lake Imja's level by three metres (9.8ft) in the next few months. Weather conditions are harsh, with workers facing the added risk of altitude sickness.
Lt Col Bharat Lal Shrestha of the Nepalese Army told the BBC that about 40 army staff were working alongside Sherpa and other highland community members.
The plan is to construct an outlet through a diversion channel and gradually release water over 45 days.
"We can work for only two to three hours in a day as most of the time it snows making it very cold in addition to the fog and wind," Col Shrestha said.
"Our personnel get headaches and altitude sickness from time to time and we make them descend to our lower camp where they can recover and eventually come back to work."
While troops were acclimatising, heavy equipment was airlifted to the site by helicopter.
Officials say the army was called in after two rounds of international bidding to complete the work failed to produce a contractor.
"This is the highest altitude disaster risk mitigation work ever performed by any army in the world," Col Shrestha said.
The draining of the lake is a part of a UN project to help Nepal deal with the impact of climate change.
Glacial lakes have broken their banks in Nepal more than 20 times in recent decades. Three of those incidents have been in and around the Everest region.
Nepal lowered the level of another dangerous glacial lake, the Tsho Rolpa, in the Rolwaling valley west of the Everest region, in 2000.
Many lakes in parts of the Himalayas are feared to have been weakened by a powerful earthquake which killed 18 climbers, as well as thousands of Nepalis, in 2015. | Nepal's army has started work to drain rising waters in a lake near Everest at nearly 5,000m (16,400ft). |
40554093 | The operations are among businesses being offloaded by conglomerate Dalian Wanda in one of China's biggest ever property deals.
Developer Sunac is paying $9.3bn (£7.2bn) for the assets, including the theme parks and 76 hotels.
Dalian Wanda has not explained its thinking behind the sale, but the firm is heavily in debt.
Some analysts believe that, having delisted from the Hong Kong market last year, a smaller debt pile will strengthen the argument for relisting in mainland China.
Dalian Wanda said it was selling 91% of 13 tourism projects, which are typically made up of theme parks and leisure complexes.
The sale, which is China's second biggest property deal ever according to Reuters data, also includes at least nine other theme parks and tourist attractions which are yet to be built.
Sunac's shares were suspended from trading ahead of what it said would be a "very substantial acquisition" announcement. It did not comment further on the deal.
Last year Disney opened a theme park in Shanghai, its fourth outside the United States after Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
To compete, Dalian Wanda had adopted a strategy of going for a smaller, cheaper parks in many more places.
When its first venture opened last May, owner Wang Jianlin, said he wanted to move away from western imports and to establish a global brand based on Chinese culture
He told local media that "this craze for Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is over, the period when we would blindly follow where Disney led has been gone for years".
The sale represents a sharp pull back from the theme park business for the conglomerate, which has also invested heavily in the film and cinema industries.
It controls the AMC cinema chain, as well as Legendary Entertainment, co-producer of hit films including Godzilla and The Dark Knight Rises. | Three Chinese theme parks, intended to compete with US giant Disney's ventures in the country, are being sold. |
34759177 | The light was spotted travelling quickly over Orange County and neighbouring areas late on Saturday, leading to fevered speculation online over its origin.
The Orange County sheriff said the light was from a naval test fire made off the California coastline.
Aviation officials had warned of possible US military activity.
Videos posted online show a bright flare rising high, before a wide, bright blue flash emerges in a cone shape. Many videos continue to track the light for several minutes.
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said night-time flights to and from Los Angeles International (LAX) would avoid flying over the Pacific Ocean to the west of the airport, the second busiest in the US.
The FAA did not disclose the reason for the change, but indicated that military activity in the area would take place between Friday and Thursday.
Media in California confirmed that the light came from an unarmed Trident missile fired from the USS Kentucky navy submarine.
The platinum-selling singer Josh Groban was one of those who tweeted his shock at the light:
The San Diego Union-Tribune said police were inundated with calls "reporting everything from a flare to a comet to a nuclear bomb".
The newspaper said the light was seen as far away as the states of Nevada and Arizona. CBS-LA reported sightings in San Francisco, 380 miles (600km ) to the north. | A mysterious bright light in the sky has sent Californians into panic - only for it to be explained soon afterwards. |
39232648 | Petyo Hristanov fell from a partially-constructed farm shed in Portadown along with workmate Millen Dimov in January 2015.
Mr Dimov suffered minor injuries.
Norman McKenzie pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Craigavon Crown Court. His 15-month sentence was suspended for three years. He was also fined £3,000.
Ivan Reilly, the farmer who hired McKenzie, was fined £1,500.
Mr Reilly, of Derrycarne Road, Portadown, hired the contractor to assist him in building a shed at his farm.
Mr Hristanov, who was originally from Bulgaria, and Mr Dimov were employed by McKenzie, who was on site at the time of the accident.
The court heard that Mr Hristanov and Mr Dimov were given no safety precautions to protect themselves while on the roof, such as scaffolding, a safety net, an elevated platform or harnesses.
The court also heard that McKenzie, of Drumgose Road, Dungannon, did not carry out a risk assessment or briefing.
The situation was made more dangerous by the rainy conditions at the time.
The court was told that Mr Hristanov began to slide feet first from the roof and screamed for help. Mr Dimov grabbed his arm but could not stop him and both men fell to the ground.
Zoya Lewis, the daughter of Mr Hristranov, travelled from Bulgaria to hear the verdict and spoke tearfully outside the court.
"We have lost a father and a grandfather," she said. "He just went to work and never came back."
"I don't wish that to happen to any other family, so please do what you had to do and get everything safe for people who work out there."
The court judgement followed a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) and PSNI.
Linda Murphy, an inspector with the HSENI, said: "The tragic accident was completely preventable.
"Mr Reilly, the farm owner, was previously advised by HSENI regarding safety work at heights and should have been well aware of the risks.
"As the person commissioning the work, he was required to take reasonable steps to ensure that arrangements were in place to allow work at heights to be carried out safely."
The HSENI also said that McKenzie had "completely failed to assess the risks associated with this job". | A building contractor has been given a suspended sentence for health and safety failings that led to the death of a worker who fell from a shed roof. |
37365371 | Andrew Coulter, 35, told a jury at the High Court in Glasgow the alleged confession never happened.
He was giving evidence at the trial of his uncle Ronnie Coulter, who denies murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998.
Ronnie Coulter, 48, is on trial for a second time after being acquitted of the murder in 1999.
He has lodged a special defence blaming his nephew Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery, who is known by his nickname Chez.
Mr Chhokar died in Overtown, North Lanarkshire, on 4 November 1998.
Andrew Coulter was giving evidence for a third day in the trial of his uncle, who is from Wishaw.
Defence QC Donald Findlay said: "After Ronnie was acquitted of murdering Chhokar, at some time the two of you were out of prison you had a conversation about the events involving Mr Chhokar. Do you remember a conversation?"
Andrew Coulter replied: "I never spoke to Ronnie when I got out of prison."
Mr Findlay went on: "You had a conversation about what happened that night. It was a short conversation. You weren't speaking and Ronnie said: 'Was it Chez?' and you said: 'No.'
"And he said: 'Was it you?' and you said: 'Yes.'"
Andrew Coulter responded: "No that's lies. That never happened."
Mr Finlay told Andrew Coulter that he was a liar and had murdered Chhokar, but the witness replied: "I didn't. You're doing your best for your client and I respect that.
"If you're believing everything he says then he's taking you for a mug, just like he's taken everyone else for a mug all these years."
The jury has already heard Andrew Coulter was convicted of killing Patrick Kelly in 1999 by stabbing him in the leg, and had been sentenced to six years' detention.
David Montgomery, 39, from Motherwell, previously told the jury that he drove Andrew and Ronnie Coulter to Mr Chhokar's home in Garrion Street, Overtown, on the day he died.
He said a meeting had been arranged between Andrew Coulter and 32-year-old Mr Chhokar over a stolen Giro cheque.
Ronnie Coulter denies all the charges against him. The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues. | A convicted killer has denied confessing to his uncle that he had murdered restaurant worker Surjit Singh Chhokar by stabbing him. |
41021223 | DNA from the torso matched that from Ms Wall's hairbrush and toothbrush.
Chief investigator Jens Moller Jensen said that the torso had been weighted down with metal in an apparent attempt to stop it floating.
Ms Wall was last seen alive on 10 August as she departed on a submarine trip with inventor Peter Madsen.
The submarine sank hours after the search for Ms Wall began, after her partner reported that she had not returned from the trip. Mr Madsen, who designed and built the submarine, was charged with negligent manslaughter.
He initially said he had dropped her off safely near Copenhagen, but has since said she died in an accident and that he had "buried" her at sea.
Danish police believe the 40-tonne submarine was deliberately sunk by Mr Madsen.
Traces of blood have been found inside the submarine, and they also match Ms Wall.
The remains were found on a beach south of Copenhagen on Monday.
Mr Jensen would not comment on the cause of death but said a post mortem examination was being carried out and police were still looking for the rest of her body.
As well as the metal attached to the torso, Mr Jensen said the remains were mutilated in what appeared to be an attempt to ensure that decomposition gases passed out of the body, to make it less likely to float.
Kim Wall's mother Ingrid wrote of the family's "boundless sorrow" at the news that her daughter's remains had been found.
"During the horrendous days since Kim disappeared, we have received countless examples of how loved and appreciated she was, as a person and as a friend, as well as a professional journalist," Ingrid Wall said in a family statement released on Facebook.
"From all corners of the world we have received testimony to how she was able to be a person who made a difference."
Ms Wall, 30, was reported missing by her boyfriend in the early hours of 11 August, after she failed to return from the trip on Peter Madsen's homemade submarine, the Nautilus.
A freelance journalist who had written for the Guardian, New York Times and South China Morning Post, she was researching a feature about the inventor and the Nautilus, which he built in 2008 with crowdfunding.
Emergency services scoured the area of sea to the east of Copenhagen and the submarine was eventually spotted from a lighthouse south of the Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Within 30 minutes the vessel had sunk and Mr Madsen was rescued.
For 10 days, the search for the journalist continued. A torso was found by a passing cyclist on a beach near Koge Bay on Monday.
Police said the next day that the arms, legs and head had been deliberately cut off. They finally confirmed it was Kim Wall in a tweet early on Wednesday.
Mr Madsen's lawyer, Betina Hald Engmark, said the news that the torso is Ms Wall does not change her client's position, which is that the journalist died in an accident. He pleaded not guilty in a closed-door judicial hearing earlier this month. | A headless torso found in waters off Denmark has been identified as missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Danish police say. |
40738853 | The firm said first-quarter revenue fell 10% to $5.05bn (£3.84bn).
It also reported a major setback in trials of a new lung cancer drug therapy.
The company was by far the biggest loser on the benchmark FTSE 100 share index, which was down 9.31 points, or 0.12%, to 7,443.01 at close on Thursday.
Top gainer on the index was drinks giant Diageo, which rose nearly 6% after reporting higher full-year sales and profits.
The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka reported sales of £12.05bn for the year ending 30 June, a rise of 4% on an organic basis, while operating profit rose to £3.6bn.
Mining firm Anglo American also made strong gains, adding 3.22% after saying it was resuming dividend payments six months early on the back of healthy interim results.
In the currency market, the pound edged lower against the dollar, down 0.40% at $1.3069. Against the euro, the pound was 0.29% higher at 1.12040 euros. | Drugmaker AstraZeneca has seen its share price plummet more than 15% after announcing disappointing results. |
29996048 | Entropic produces chips for set-top boxes for cable and satellite TV providers.
The company is undertaking a restructuring that will see 40% of its global workforce lose their jobs.
The Belfast operation, which has its offices on Malone Road, acts as its European design and sales centre.
The company has been in the city since 2012 when it acquired the Belfast operation as part of a takeover of Trident Microsystems. | A US technology company is set to close its Belfast office with the loss of 17 jobs. |
39336974 | Philipp Schindler, the firm's chief business officer, said Google would also tighten advertising safeguards.
He added that as well as removing content, its YouTube team would revisit the guidelines on allowable videos.
The move came after several firms withdrew their ads when some appeared next to extremist content on YouTube.
Several high profile companies, including Marks and Spencer, Audi, RBS and L'Oreal, have pulled online advertising from YouTube, which is owned by Google.
In a blog post, Mr Schindler said: "Anyone with a smartphone can be a content creator, app developer or entrepreneur.
"Google has enabled millions of content creators and publishers to be heard, find an audience, earn a living or even build a business.
"We have a responsibility to protect this vibrant, creative world - from emerging creators to established publishers - even when we don't always agree with the views being expressed.
"But we also have a responsibility to our advertisers who help these publishers and creators thrive."
Google apologises as M&S pulls ads
Rory Cellan Jones: Google's crisis of confidence
He added: "We have strict policies that define where Google ads should appear and in the vast majority of cases, our policies and tools work as intended. But at times we don't get it right.
"Recently, we had a number of cases where brands' ads appeared on content that was not aligned with their values.
"For this, we deeply apologise. We know that this is unacceptable to the advertisers and agencies who put their trust in us. "
A recent investigation by the Times found adverts from a range of well-known firms and organisations had appeared alongside content from supporters of extremist groups on YouTube.
Last week, ministers summoned Google for talks at the Cabinet Office after imposing a temporary restriction on the government's own adverts, including for military recruitment and blood donation campaigns.
Mr Schindler added that Google would be "hiring significant numbers of people and developing new tools....to increase our capacity to review questionable content for advertising". | Google has responded to major companies withdrawing online adverts by promising to take "a tougher stance on hateful, offensive and derogatory content". |
40484365 | Muldoon, 28, made 66 appearances and scored 12 goals for the Imps over the past two years at Sincil Bank.
After helping his former club secure promotion to the Football League last season, he turned down the offer of a new contract.
Meanwhile, striker Danny Rowe has signed a new two-year contract at the club with the option of a further year.
The 28-year-old scored 50 goals in all competitions last season as Fylde won the National League North title by six points. | AFC Fylde have signed striker Jack Muldoon from National League champions Lincoln City on a one-year contract. |
40219258 | Martin crashed out of Sunday's Superbike race at more than 100 mph at Doran's Bend on lap one on the Fireblade SP2.
Martin said: "We need more time to set up the bike and doing six laps will not achieve what we set out to do."
The truck mechanic and TV personality will still compete in the TT Zero race for the Mugen team.
Honda Racing team manager Jonny Twelvetrees said the team will now continue its preparation for the Southern 100 and Ulster Grand Prix.
He said: "We're disappointed not to be taking part in today's Senior TT, a decision that is ultimately due to a lack of track time for Guy on the Fireblade.
"Guy informed me that he wouldn't race in the Senior, which is a tough decision to make but one I can understand given the lack of practice we've had."
Martin added: "I came back to the TT this year to race and try to win with Honda Racing.
"I've always reckoned this is not the place to be out riding just to make up the numbers, so as a team we agreed it wasn't right competing in the Senior TT."
Martin has yet to fulfil his long-time ambition of winning a race on the 37.73-mile Isle of Man Mountain Course but has achieved 16 podium finishes since making his TT debut in 2004. | Guy Martin will not compete in this year's Senior TT in the Isle of Man, Honda Racing has announced. |
36933860 | Speaking at the gala opening at the Palace Theatre in London, the best-selling author said fans had been "amazing" at avoiding spoilers.
"It's the most extraordinary fandom so I'm kind of not surprised, because they didn't want to spoil it for each other."
She added: "I'm so happy we got here without ruining everything."
Rowling said that she'd like the new Harry Potter play to be seen widely around the world.
Asked if the show would head to Broadway, she told the BBC: "I'd love it to go wider than that. I'd like as many Potter fans to see it as possible."
The story, by Rowling, writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series, the Deathly Hallows.
It portrays the stars of the Rowling's wizarding saga as adults with their own children heading off to school.
Audiences had been urged to "keep the secrets" since the play - presented in two parts over five hours - began previews in early June.
It won a number of five-star reviews earlier this week, with one critic describing it as "a game-changing production".
Tiffany said the play had "not massively changed" during the preview period.
"We've crystallized and evolved some of the illusions and costumes - all of the actors are still in it, I'm glad to say. It's been great to see it develop in front of an audience."
The script book of the play, billed as the eighth Harry Potter story, is published at midnight after play's gala opening.
Book shops around the world are planning late-night openings to allow fans to pick up their copies.
Waterstones said 140 of its shops would host Potter parties on Saturday night, with the largest events in Edinburgh, Manchester Deansgate and London Piccadilly.
A spokeswoman said: "Our pre-orders have exceeded six figures - numbers we haven't seen since the last Harry Potter book and we fully expect Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be our best-selling book of the year."
It's a similar story in the US where booksellers Barnes and Noble say it's broken the pre-order record Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Speaking on the red carpet on Saturday, Friedman said Cursed Child was set to be the biggest-selling play of all time.
"What we think is beautiful about that is that we are imagining children and families creating the play themselves in their living rooms and bedrooms."
The Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.
Potter are also preparing themselves for spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by Rowling, which opens in November. | JK Rowling has praised fans for keeping the secrets of stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. |
38184429 | 2 December 2016 Last updated at 13:16 GMT
So we couldn't resist showing you this newborn polar bear cub and his sleeping mum, Giovannia.
The healthy cub was born at Munich Zoo in Germany but mother and bear baby will be staying snuggled up until after winter.
Then they will emerge and members of the public will be able to see the new arrival.
Watch the video to catch a sneak peak of the sleepy bears. | Everyone loves a cute baby animal and here at Newsround we are no exception. |
37045624 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Dropped on nine and 15, Moeen made 108, Jonny Bairstow 55 and Chris Woakes 45 as England rallied from 110-5.
Sohail Khan claimed 5-68 and Wahab Riaz 3-93 for Pakistan, who must win to draw the four-match series 2-2.
They lost Sami Aslam in reaching 3-1 in the three overs possible before the close, trailing by 325.
Stuart Broad's late strike, allied to a last-wicket stand of 32 between Moeen and James Anderson, gave England the edge after a day that saw 331 runs scored at a rate of more than four an over.
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If Bairstow initiated England's recovery from 70-4 and Woakes supplied impetus in a partnership of 73 for the sixth wicket, Moeen combined the best elements of both innings en route to a third Test century.
His place in the side has been questioned this summer, but the all-rounder underlined his worth with a 140-ball century high on class and no little character.
Struck on the helmet first ball by a Wahab bouncer, he capitalised on his early reprieves to hit 13 fours, scoring freely through and over the leg side as he used his feet to good effect against the spinners.
Debutant Iftikhar Ahmed was hoisted over mid-wicket for six and, with number 11 Anderson for company, Moeen repeated the feat off Yasir Shah to reach three figures and bring team-mates and spectators to their feet.
Even the timing of Moeen's dismissal - caught off a top-edged pull off Sohail in the final half-hour of play - worked in the favour of England's bowlers.
A glance at the scorecard suggests Pakistan, having lost the toss, could be pleased with bowling England out in a day on a "600 pitch", in the words of former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott.
However, they will rue the mistakes in the field which cost them 142 runs:
"Again, at a vital time, we dropped vital catches," said Pakistan spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed. "It would have been a different ball game."
The figures of Wahab - recalled to the side after being dropped for the third-Test defeat at Edgbaston - were therefore even more impressive, while Sohail was rewarded for his aggressive line with a five-wicket haul for the second successive Test.
Wahab was the chief architect in England's top-order collapse, having Joe Root and James Vince caught behind playing off the back foot in the space of three balls before locating Gary Ballance's edge after lunch.
Opener Alex Hales had earlier fallen to a controversial catch by Yasir at square-leg, given out by the third umpire despite an apparent lack of conclusive evidence that the ball had carried, while captain Alastair Cook played on for 35 attempting to pull Sohail.
Hales, Vince and Ballance managed 15 runs between them, doing little to settle the debate over their long-term England future.
Of the nine hundreds England have scored in 2016, four have been made from number seven, two from number six and only three from the top five combined.
Bairstow batted with typical energy as he and Moeen led the England counter-attack, before Woakes struck eight fours in his 57-ball 45.
Although Sohail had Woakes caught behind despite a review, and trapped Broad lbw in the same over, Moeen and Anderson's last-wicket alliance lifted England even before their success with the ball.
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England centurion Moeen Ali: "From where we were, we've done well. It was a massive bonus from being 110-5.
"It makes a big difference batting deep. The 30 runs that me and Jimmy put on makes a difference. We took the momentum into our bowling and getting that wicket was perfect."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special: "It's like the game has been played at 150mph today. It's been a fascinating day - frantic but wonderfully entertaining."
Ex-England spinner Phil Tufnell: "That was a brilliant day's cricket: early wickets in the morning, England fighting back in the afternoon, England just on top at the close."
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott: "Cook, Hales and Root played poor shots, but Moeen Ali took the game away from Pakistan - he had a lovely range of shots.
"There's nothing in the world as strong as England's middle order when they've got Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen playing." | Moeen Ali's fine century helped England recover to post 328 on an entertaining opening day in the final Test against Pakistan at The Oval. |
39418207 | Theresa May has said her goal was for the UK to build a "deep and special partnership" after Brexit.
Talks on the terms of exit and future relations are expected to take two years.
There has been a lot of speculation and debate about the prospect of a so-called hard border since last June's EU Referendum vote.
But what else should Northern lreland look out for during this process? BBC News NI specialist correspondents take a look at the key issues that will impact us.
Business and economy - Julian O'Neill
Northern Ireland's biggest export market remains its nearest neighbour.
Just under one third of its total manufactured goods - £2.4bn - were sold across its land border in 2016. But increasingly the region has been broadening its horizons.
Many companies will not want cross-border trade to be damaged by Brexit and whatever border arrangements follow.
Selling beyond Ireland and outside the European Union is becoming more of a priority. To this end, Invest NI, the jobs promotion agency, is opening up to 10 new offices worldwide.
Chile and Singapore are among its latest outposts. After the Irish Republic, Northern Ireland's largest customer is the United States.
Around £1.6bn worth of goods were sent stateside in 2016, up 41% off the back of a weaker pound.
It would be wrong, however, to understate the importance of EU markets.
Of Northern Ireland's £7.7bn export total, the majority of sales (£4.2bn) were to the EU.
But growth in non-EU export markets has been accelerating at a quicker rate in recent years.
The business community probably desires the best of both worlds - a negotiated free trade arrangement involving the EU, with the UK cutting deals with other big economies like the US and China.
But that could be a huge ask - especially within a two-year time frame.
Farmers in Northern Ireland had hoped to maintain their farm subsidies post-Brexit. The EU contributes about £250m a year to farmers.
But all the indications from government are that the annual cheque is a thing of the past.
Instead it looks increasingly like support will be much more targeted through things like agri-environment schemes - in which farmers are rewarded for environmental services such as flood prevention work and biodiversity schemes.
And there's a suggestion that there'll be a greater reliance on things like insurance and futures markets to help manage volatility in prices paid for what they produce.
In November, the Assembly was told farmers and the agri-food industry need a post-Brexit strategy to stop them "falling off the edge of a cliff" once the UK leaves the EU.
The call was made during a debate on the future funding of farming.
The Assembly heard claims that funding agriculture was not a priority for the UK government.
Northern Ireland currently gets 10% of the UK's European subsidy payments.
Speakers, including the SDLP's Patsy McGlone, said it would not do as well under a domestic agricultural policy.
If the Barnett funding formula - used to calculate Northern Ireland's share of UK budgets - was applied the equivalent share would be 3%, he said.
But the DUP's Edwin Poots said farmers had voted "overwhelmingly" for Brexit, adding that it offered them opportunities.
These included displacing agricultural produce currently imported to the UK.
He said farmers did not want "handouts", but a fair return for their work.
Queen's University and Ulster University have warned that leaving the EU risks their ability to attract international staff, students and EU research funding.
Both universities have carried out their own internal studies analysing the possible implications of Brexit.
The number of EU students applying to Queen's dropped by 6% this year, while one-fifth of its staff are from the EU but not the UK.
Meanwhile, Ulster has warned that Brexit puts 20m euros (£17.5m) of EU funding and tuition fees in doubt.
Both have asked for reassurances about the immigration status of international staff and students, and continued access to European research funds.
Concerns have also been expressed that Northern Ireland students wanting to study in the Republic of Ireland would have to pay much higher tuition fees in future if they are classed as non-EU students.
While uncertainty is most acute in higher education, a number of schools here also participate in the EU funded Erasmus+ programme which sees them partner with, and send pupils to, schools in other European countries.
Like the universities, they too will hope the forthcoming negotiations provide guarantees that there will still be some access to EU money and projects in future.
One of the areas of concern will be the continued ability of EU nationals to work in Northern Ireland's health and social care system.
At the moment there are 1,000 nursing vacancies: The acute shortage of nurses led to four separate international recruitment drives in the past two years.
In 2016 around 50 job offers were made to nurses from Italy and Romania, although the bulk of the jobs - around 490 - were offered to nurses from further afield in the Philippines.
The health unions are urging the government to clarify its intentions - there is concern that some foreign nationals may feel it necessary and safer to return home.
Cross-border services are another issue where the implications of Brexit are yet to unfold.
After years of negotiation, a new cancer centre in the north-west has finally opened and is offering treatments to people on both sides of the border.
For some patients this can mean travelling a distance of 10 miles in order to cross the border. The cancer centre, radiotherapy services and paediatric cardiac surgery are all cross-border services that politicians and the public have campaigned to get for decades - services they will not want to give up easily.
Some of these services are provided by cross border workers. They may live in one area such as Donegal but work in Northern Ireland.
Those people can get a medical card in Northern Ireland and be seen as "free workers".
One of the most contentious pieces of EU law affecting the health service in NI is the working time directive: If the Westminster government decides to repeal or amend it, this could have implications for local employment contracts, as well as pay and conditions.
EU law has also provided a harmonised approach to medicines regulation.
The European Medicines Agency is currently based in London, but Health Minister Jeremy Hunt said in January this was "likely" to move outside the UK.
Could a beneficiary be the Republic of Ireland? The Republic's health minister is currently compiling what he argues is a heavyweight case for Dublin to host the medicines regulator.
Finally, Queen's University is among those that have built up reputations as centres of excellence for cancer research.
Academics have called for the Brexit negotiations to consider how these centres can continue to play a role in cross-continental projects, while attracting top international staff and funding.
The triggering of Article 50 looks likely to further exacerbate the divide between the Stormont parties, who are already unable to form a power-sharing executive.
The DUP and Sinn Fein campaigned on different sides before last June's EU referendum.
But their leaders were able to patch up their differences and sign a joint letter to Theresa May last August.
That letter set out shared concerns about the border, trading costs, the energy market, EU funding and treatment of the agri-food sector.
Since then, though, relations between Stormont's two main parties have nose dived.
Now the DUP continues to emphasise the opportunities presented by Brexit, whilst Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance have all backed Northern Ireland retaining some kind of special status within the EU.
With no power-sharing executive in place, Stormont politicians currently have little, if any, influence over the Brexit negotiations.
However, London and Dublin are both committed to maintaining as open a border as possible, whilst the EU's Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier says the EU will not stand for anything that weakens dialogue and peace in Northern Ireland. | The Prime Minister has signed the letter notifying the European Union that the UK is leaving and will trigger Article 50. |
32809972 | Scientists at Washington State University used speech recognition software to analyse differences in parents' speech patterns.
Mothers' "baby talk" is believed to promote bonding.
But fathers, who use a more adult tone with babies, may provide a "bridge" to the outside world, the researchers say.
The researchers analysed hundreds of hours of family speech, including mothers, fathers and their pre-school children.
Families wore microphones, and their interactions were recorded over the course of a normal day.
The research detected distinct differences between the ways mothers and fathers spoke to their pre-school children.
Mothers used a voice that was higher and more varied in pitch than the tone they used when addressing other adults.
"Baby talk", sometimes referred to as "Motherese", has exaggerated, attention-catching cadences, which are attractive to babies and young children.
Fathers, by contrast, used intonation patterns more similar to those they used when speaking to adult friends and colleagues.
But this did not imply fathers were failing to engage with their children, said lead researcher Mark VanDam, professor of speech and hearing sciences at Washington State University.
"This isn't a bad thing at all. It's not a failing of the fathers," said Prof VanDam.
He suggested the different approach could help children deal with unfamiliar speech patterns and acquire language as they grew up.
"We think that maybe fathers are doing things that are conducive to their children's learning but in a different way," said Prof VanDam.
"The parents are complementary to their children's language learning."
He added that although fathers were less likely to use "baby talk", this did not prevent them modifying their speech in other ways, for example by using simplified vocabulary or changing the volume or duration of what they were saying.
The research included only families with a mother and father who both lived full-time with the child, so it did not look at how the results might differ in single-parent families or those headed by same-sex couples.
The university says this is the first study to examine fathers' verbal interactions with their children in a real-world setting - most research has so far focused on mothers.
It is part of a larger programme to examine how fathers support children's language development in infancy and early childhood.
The findings have been presented to the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | Mothers are more likely to coo at their babies, while fathers address them more like small adults - but both approaches help children learn, a study suggests. |
34498585 | The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said a shortage of midwives was having a major impact and mistakes would "almost certainly be made".
Some 42% of units shut down temporarily in the past year, its survey found.
The government said it was determined to ensure "every mother and baby gets the highest quality care".
A poll of 83 heads of midwifery at NHS trusts found there had been a rise in the number of units that had closed their doors, with 33% having closed the previous year.
The RCM said budget cuts were also affecting services, with midwives struggling to cope with a rising birth rate and increasingly complex births.
Its chief executive Cathy Warwick said: "All of this shows a system that is creaking at the seams and only able to deliver high quality care through the efforts and dedication of its staff.
"When services are operating at or beyond their capacity, safety is compromised and mistakes can, and almost certainly will be made, through no fault of the dedicated staff delivering the service."
She said the government was responsible and was "letting down women, babies and their families", along with "the staff they purport to value".
On average, each unit closed its doors on 4.8 separate occasions in 2015, with the most a single unit shut temporarily being 23 times.
More than 90% of the midwives polled said their unit was dealing with more complex cases than the previous year and 30% said they did not have enough midwives.
And 11% had to reduce services in the last year such as bereavement support and help with breastfeeding.
The RCM says there is a shortage of 2,600 full-time midwives.
A spokesman said England was suffering from shortages the most, as well as the resulting pressure on services.
But he added that rising numbers of complex pregnancies were also putting pressure on other UK countries.
Dr Clare McKenzie, vice-president for education at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the results of the survey were "extremely worrying".
She said: "Stretched and understaffed maternity services affect the quality and safety of care provided to mothers and babies, and restricts the choices available to women.
"On the whole the UK is a safe place for women to give birth but pressure on maternity services is growing, placing stress on doctors, midwives, managers and patients."
She added that there was an increase in complicated pregnancies due to rising levels of obesity and an increase in multiple pregnancies and the number of older first-time mothers.
Labour's shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said: "David Cameron promised to recruit 3,000 more midwives but has failed to do so.
"If mums are to feel comfortable with midwives they know and trust, this staffing issue must be addressed."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We're determined to make sure every mother and baby gets the highest quality care no matter where they live.
"We've invested in 1,900 more midwives and 3,600 more health visitors since 2010 and NHS England has commissioned a major independent review of maternity services for women and babies across the country." | More maternity units are shutting their doors to patients as the NHS comes under increasing pressure, the midwives' union has warned. |
20819462 | Under the agreement, the Somalis will be repatriated voluntarily over the next three years.
The Somalis have sought refuge in Kenya from war and poverty.
Two of the camps they live in, Dadaab and Kakuma, are now so large they are more like towns, correspondents say.
There is also a suburb of the capital, Nairobi - Eastleigh - that is known as "Little Mogadishu" because so many Somalis live there.
The refugees fled Somalia after the collapse of the central government in 1991.
By Richard HamiltonBBC World Service Africa editor
It sounds eminently reasonable that people who have been living as exiles in a vast, dusty, tented city in a foreign country should be reintegrated to their homeland, as long as it safe to do so.
But there's one problem: Somalia is still not safe. Most of the refugees know that and probably would not want to return. They also think that the Somali government could not provide them with the food, healthcare and education they currently receive in the refugee camps.
Although the Kenyan government and the UNHCR have signed up to the agreement they are not acting entirely altruistically. Since the attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in September, the Kenyan government fears that the Somali community poses an even greater security threat and is shielding potential perpetrators of similar atrocities. The UN in turn has had to scale down rations in the Dadaab refugee camp because of a lack of resources.
Many of them were born in camps and have never set foot inside their home country.
The two governments and the UN hope to introduce a reintegration programme to help the refugees start new lives in Somalia and take part in the reconstruction of the country.
Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Fowsia Yusuf Adam said her country was preparing for the safe return of its refugees.
"Terrorism is still a major threat to our region. The federal republic of Somalia is committed to creating conditions that will allow for the safe and dignified voluntary repatriation of the Somali refugees in Kenya and other neighbouring countries."
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said refugees would decide whether they wanted to return.
"No-one wants to see refugees go home and have to flee again, or become displaced inside Somalia," said Alessandra Morelli, the UNHCR representative for Somalia.
Somalia's ambassador to Kenya, Mohammed Ali Nur, told the BBC the agreement would be implemented over three years.
It gave refugees the chance to rebuild their lives, he said.
"They can't be begging... for food all their lives," he told the BBC's Newsday programme.
The BBC World Service's Africa editor, Richard Hamilton, says the main problem with the agreement is that most of the refugees know that Somalia is still not safe and probably would not want to return.
Our correspondent says that, while Kenya has been praised for offering help to a neighbour in need, the country is becoming disgruntled with having to bear the burden of the refugee population.
Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto says refugees have become a shield for those who pose a security threat to Kenya.
Kenya has been concerned about further threats of terrorism following the attack by suspected Somali militants on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in September.
The Somali Islamist al-Shabab group - which is linked to al-Qaeda - said it was behind the attack.
It said it was taking revenge after Kenya sent troops into Somalia to help the UN-backed government seize territory from militants. | More than 500,000 Somali refugees in Kenya are to be given the opportunity to return home after the UN refugee agency signed a tripartite agreement with the two countries' governments. |
29932019 | Williams scored 58 tries in 91 appearances for Wales before quitting international rugby in 2011.
The 37-year-old was planning to retire after leaving the Ospreys in 2012 but prolonged his career in Japan with Mitsubishi Dynaboars.
He tweeted: "My 3 years in Japan with Mitsubishi have been amazing but after this season it's time to come home!"
Williams started his junior career as a scrum-half at Amman United RFC, but after going professional with Neath was converted to play on the wing under then-coach Lyn Jones.
When Wales adopted regional rugby in 2003 it was natural that Williams became an Osprey, with the new side created by a merger between Neath and local rivals Swansea.
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Williams earned his first cap off the bench against France in Wales' opening game of the 2000 Six Nations, then scored his first Test try in his first full start against Italy.
During his time playing for his country Williams enjoyed two Grand Slams, the first in 2005 that ended Wales' 27-year wait for a championship clean sweep, and then again in 2008.
In 2008 he was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year.
After playing for Wales at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Wales' record try scorer bowed out of the international stage after scoring a try in his final game against Australia.
Williams was also called up for two Lions tours, the first in 2005 to New Zealand and then to South Africa in 2009.
He was a surprise call-up into Warren Gatland's Lions squad of 2013 during the tour of Australia and played in a warm-up match against ACT Brumbies.
Williams left the Ospreys at the end of the 2011-12 season after scoring a late try in his final game to secure the Pro12 title against Leinster.
A lucrative offer from Japanese side Dynaboars persuaded Williams to continue, where he combined playing with coaching duties.
Reports have linked him with a coaching role at Neath, but Williams denied this to be the case.
"It's the first I've heard about it to be honest," said Williams.
"I'd love to get back involved with rugby in Wales whether it's going to be straight away I don't think so." | Former Wales wing Shane Williams has confirmed his retirement from rugby to focus on a coaching career. |
36664612 | The Czech, winner in 2011 and 2014, broke Cirstea four times during a 6-0 6-4 victory on Court 18.
World number 10 Kvitova, 26, will face the winner of the match between Ekaterina Makarova and Johanna Larsson.
The match was delayed to the afternoon session after wet weather meant play was only possible on Centre Court.
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Agnieszka Radwanska played one of the few matches of the morning, and came through in straight sets on Centre Court against Kateryna Kozlova.
The 27-year-old third seed beat Ukrainian Kozlova 6-2 6-1 under the roof despite being broken once in the first set.
The 2012 runner-up now faces Croatia's Ana Konjuh, who beat Italy's Karin Knapp 6-3 6-3.
"Of course, a one-hour match is always good. I'm very happy with that win," world number three Radwanska told BBC Sport.
It was the first meeting between Radwanska and 22-year-old Kozlova, who was making her main-draw debut at SW19.
"It's just like an indoor tournament," Radwanska said. "We have to get used to it. It's good we could play today."
German 32nd seed Andrea Petkovic set up a second-round match with Russia's Elena Vesnina by beating Nao Hibino 3-6 7-5 6-2.
Petkovic has reached the semi-finals of the French Open, as well as the last eight of the Australian and US Open, but has never progressed beyond round three at Wimbledon.
"I've had a strange love affair with grass because it wasn't love at first sight," she said.
"It's been a growing love, maybe like when you have an old school friend that you meet again after 10 years and suddenly you realise - 'Ah that's the one, I actually kind of like him'.
"I really want to do well here and I'm trying my all."
Meanwhile, Swiss seventh seed Belinda Bencic progressed to round two by beating Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2 6-3.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 23 in the world, beat Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh 7-5 1-6 6-1 for a second-round meeting with Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. | Two-time champion Petra Kvitova needed less than an hour to beat Romania's Sorana Cirstea and seal a Wimbledon second-round spot. |
40696476 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Russia's athletics federation is banned from the event in London, having been suspended by the sport's global governing body in 2015 amid allegations of state-sponsored doping.
"It's a very utopian view, people will always seek to cheat," said Coe, speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show.
Coe, however, added the system for detecting cheats "is a lot safer".
"We have the technology that allows us to be very much more specific about what we are looking for," he said.
"I would love to tell you that we will have a drug-free sport in future. Everything we are doing is engaged in trying to achieve that but we know a few people will cheat.
"What we do have in place now is an independent athlete integrity unit, we have independent sanctioning and discipline and we will be able to be a lot tougher and speed up the process."
Russia was barred from international athletics after last year's McLaren report claimed more than 1,000 athletes benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015.
Coe said in April he was "disappointed" by the lack of progress made by Russia in anti-doping reforms.
Coe was also asked about Eugene, Oregon being awarded the 2021 World Athletics Championships.
The decision is being investigated by the FBI and the Criminal Division of America's Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the BBC learned.
The US city was awarded the event in 2015 with the IAAF bypassing the usual formal bidding process.
"First of all, 23 people voted for Eugene, Oregon," said Coe.
"Every sport wants to get into the United States. It has been a very clear intent from the IAAF to have a World Championships in the United States.
"I would have loved other cities in the United States to have bid for it. Eugene wasn't our choice, it was the choice of United States Track and Field Association.
"Eugene and Qatar came within three votes of each other and the council made a judgment that we needed to have a presence in the United States.
"If anything subsequently comes out of that that gives us any reason for concern we will look at that." | IAAF president Lord Coe says he cannot guarantee next month's World Athletics Championships will be drug free. |
35160675 | Greybull Capital has signed a letter of intent to try to reach a deal to buy the business, including mills in Teesside and Northern France.
Tata Steel said it was "too early to give any certainty about the potential outcome of these discussions".
But unions welcomed the announcement following steel industry job losses.
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community steelworkers' union, said: "We welcome the interest from Greybull in giving Long Products a future outside Tata Steel.
"Of course, the devil will be in the detail of the deal and we will be seeking further discussions with both Tata Steel and Greybull to fully understand their intentions and the implications for steelworkers.
"We welcome any credible investor who has a vision for a sustainable business and is prepared to invest for the future."
There have been waves of job losses in the steel industry in the UK, which the sector has blamed on cheap Chinese imports and a collapse in prices.
In October, Tata Steel announced nearly 1,200 roles to be axed in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire.
The negotiations will centre on Tata Steel UK's Scunthorpe steelworks, mills in Teesside and Northern France, Scottish mills in Dalzell and Clydebridge, an engineering workshop in Workington, a design consultancy in York, and "associated distribution facilities".
The firm has about 4,700 employees in Long Products Europe, while Tata Steel Europe has some 30,000 employees, including about 17,000 in the UK.
Greybull Capital, which says it makes long-term investments in firms, bought a majority stake in low-cost airline Monarch in October 2014.
Staff agreed to 700 redundancies and pay cuts of up to 30% as part of a deal to save the Luton-based firm. Greybull Capital pumped ??125m into Monarch as part of the deal.
The BBC understands that the firm would probably not go ahead with a Tata Steel deal that did not have the backing of unions and the UK government.
Negotiations, which will begin in earnest after the Christmas period, are expected to take about three months. | Tata Steel is in talks with an investment firm to sell its Long Products business, which includes plants in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire. |
32711676 | Vienna has changed the signal images at 120 pedestrian crossings - also showing heterosexual couples - in preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Officials said the signals were a sign of Vienna's open-mindedness.
Toni Mahdalik of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria called the initiative gender politics "gone mad".
He said the money would have been better spent on reducing poverty and improving unemployment figures.
It is hoped the signals, which show couples holding hands and with love hearts above them instead of a gender-neutral figure, will also improve safety.
The unusual symbols are attracting the attention of drivers and pedestrians, a spokeswoman for Vienna's city lighting department said.
Many of the millions who watch Eurovision include a huge gay fan base and last year's winner, bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst, became a global gay icon with the song Rise like a Phoenix.
About 40 countries are taking part in the 2015 Eurovision contest. The final will be held on May 23. | Dozens of traffic lights in the Austrian capital have been changed to show gay couples crossing the road instead of the traditional lone figure. |
21197513 | The force has already had to save £43m due to government budget cuts, which resulted in the loss of about 500 police officers.
That figure has now been increased to £60m, but Chief Constable Steve Finnegan said changes can be made that will not affect frontline policing.
His proposals include losing one of three Assistant Chief Constable posts and four Chief Superintendent roles.
The force has already made £40m of the initial £43m it was asked to save, so now has to save a further £20m. About £10.5m of that needs to be saved by April 2014.
Mr Finnegan's scheme to restructure the constabulary is planned to be implemented by April next year.
The plans also include reducing the number of regional divisions from six to three, with the new divisions being Western and Northern, Southern and Central and Eastern and Pennine.
By Chris RiderBBC Lancashire political reporter
There was a time when the government was keen to promote what they were doing to help the police. How things have changed.
Lancashire Police face a difficult task in finding a further £20m of savings. The plan to merge the various divisions might not cause too much upset but there might be further concerns if there is an impact on the frontline.
It's no surprise the Police Federation is worried about any review of the units which deal with specialist crimes. The force has a decent track record but now in 2013 it faces its biggest challenge.
The force's G Division, which includes the Force Major Investigation Team and the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, will be reviewed with a view to cutting costs.
The H Division, which includes the operational side such as the road policing units and armed response, will have some resources split across the divisions.
Mr Finnigan said these further savings pose a huge challenge and will mean the biggest change in the running of the force since 1996.
He said: "Changing our senior management structure in this way means that we can recognise significant savings without impacting on frontline policing or the services we provide to the public.
"As I have said many times, we will do all that we can to protect the frontline during these difficult and challenging financial times and this option allows us to do that."
The Chair of the Lancashire Police Federation Rachel Baines said she was concerned at the impact of the cuts.
"It really is quite shocking," she said.
"It will see a total reconstruction of the design of the police force that we have had for many years.
"There is no doubt that you cannot take £10.5m out of a budget of our size without seeing a further reduction in the number of police officers, and a further reduction in the number of police staff that support us in what we do."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Clive Grunshaw, said: "Lancashire is a high-performing force and I want to see the continuation of high-quality policing services that are flexible and responsive to local people's needs.
"I will be monitoring the process closely." | Plans to save a further £20m have been revealed by Lancashire police. |
35990137 | The man was spotted on traffic cameras between junctions 11 and 14 on the clockwise carriageway.
Surrey Police said he was trying to reach the airport at about 06:00 BST on Thursday.
Highways England said the cyclist was "irresponsible and could have caused a serious incident".
At one point he is seen riding the wrong way along the busy motorway, before crossing the carriageway.
Surrey Police's road policing unit described in a tweet how traffic slowed as distracted motorists turned to look at the cyclist, who is believed to be from Feltham, West London.
Martin Crosswell, a manager at Highways England, said: "It is important all road users follow the Highway Code and listen to advice from traffic officers. The actions of this man were irresponsible and could have caused a serious incident." | An "irresponsible" cyclist caught riding his bike on the M25 motorway in a bid to reach Heathrow Airport has been fined £50. |
40224512 | Jacee Dellapena was upset during her mother's labour because, she said, she was too short to see her brother born.
So the doctor suggested she suit up and take part - delivering her baby brother under the doctor's supervision, and even cutting the umbilical cord.
She later told US media: "I was nervous I was going to mess up... but it was the best moment of my life."
"I started crying because I thought I wasn't going to get to see him be born, because I was too short," Jacee told WBTV.
"He let me actually push down and pull the baby out... I was like, wow, like I've played fake doctor before, but this is, like, the real thing, this is is the real deal," she said.
Cayson Carraway was born safely at 7lb 6oz (3.3kg).
Mother Dede Carraway said the emotions on her daughter's face brought her to tears. "It was just a good moment for me," she said.
Family friend Nikki Smith shared the photos of Jaycee's emotional experience on Facebook, where they were shared more than 170,000 times.
Some Facebook comments questioned the doctor's decision, or suggested Jacee may have been distressed, despite the teen's own words about the experience.
"This beautiful moment will always be remembered by both her mother and herself," Nikki said in response.
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with allowing her daughter to witness this beautiful moment. It's not for everyone but jacee was a rockstar and helped deliver a newborn!"
The increasing popularity of having siblings attend the delivery room became a subject of debate last year, when TV chef Jamie Oliver revealed his two eldest daughters had watched his new son be born.
At the time, one family psychologist told the BBC that if all goes well, "it can be a fantastic experience".
But, given the potential for pain or complications, the National Childbirth Trust recommended that preparation is essential. | A 12-year-old girl in Mississippi had a rare bonding experience with her new baby brother - delivering him herself. |
40582312 | Police Scotland were called out at 13:50 following reports of a man getting into difficulty while swimming about three miles north of Luss.
The man's body was recovered from the water, near Culag, at 15:45.
A boat that had been in the area assisted before emergency services attended. | The body of a 20-year-old man has been recovered after a search and rescue operation on Loch Lomond. |
34195983 | Devon and Cornwall Police received calls from Nigel McGuire's girlfriend that she was concerned about him.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that an inspector and a call handler had "cases to answer".
An inquest found that Mr McGuire's death was an accident, the IPCC said.
Mr McGuire's girlfriend first called police at 00:50 BST on 14 May 2013 and officers visited at 01:10 and spoke to him through his closed front door, after he refused to open it.
Officers then visited him at 09:00, 10:53 and 15:11 and on each occasion knocked on Mr McGuire's front door but they did not get a response. They also spoke to a neighbour, rang Mr McGuire and left messages on his mobile.
The IPCC said at 21:15 his girlfriend called police and told them he had said "he could not go on like this", which led to officers forcing entry into the property in Plymouth at 23:20 where Mr McGuire was found unconscious and later died in hospital.
Tom Milsom, IPCC associate commissioner, said: "The force held misconduct meetings for an inspector and member of control room staff and we recommended awareness should be raised within Devon and Cornwall Police about methadone poisoning and levels of dosages that give cause for concern."
Following misconduct meetings held by Devon & Cornwall Police a police inspector has received management advice and a police staff radio operator a written warning.
The force said that since his death, "significant changes" in the way it managed incidents involving vulnerable people had been introduced.
"We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Nigel McGuire who have handled themselves with dignity throughout this difficult process." | A police force has been criticised for the way it responded to a distressed Plymouth man who had taken 600ml of methadone and later died in hospital. |
39642082 | North Wales Police said the pair were waiting for the businessman after he left the Fusion club on Rhyl's West Parade on Saturday.
They demanded money from their victim after confronting him at Violet Grove in the town at about 04:30 BST.
The nightclub owner needed hospital treatment as a result of the assault.
"This was a cowardly attack on a local businessman. It is fortunate that he has not sustained more serious injuries," said Det Insp Chris Bell.
Officers said they want to speak to anyone who may have any information about the attack, or who saw people acting suspiciously outside the nightclub or Violet Grove at the time. | Police are hunting for two men who carried out a "cowardly attack" on a Denbighshire nightclub owner as he arrived home for the evening. |
34552053 | The fire broke out in Churchill Drive, Weybridge on Wednesday, but the only person in the house was the nanny who spoke no English.
The ambulance crew suggested using the mobile app to establish if anyone else was in the house.
However, the nanny had left her glasses inside, which then had to be retrieved.
Tony Pascall, from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It was a kitchen fire and the whole cooker was ablaze, but the lady in the house, a nanny, did not speak a word of English.
"We were rushing around trying to find out if anyone was in the house and we were trying to ask how she was feeling and where were the house owners."
He said two paramedics came up with the idea of using Google Translate on their mobile devices.
"The nanny could not read the screen and had left her glasses in the kitchen, we had to go back in to get them.
"It was quite amusing in the end."
There was limited damage to the house, the fire service said. | Firefighters and ambulance crews had to resort to using Google Translate to communicate with a Russian nanny after being called to a house fire in Surrey. |
39965107 | Speaking at a news conference in Washington, he denied any collusion with Russia during his election campaign last year.
"The entire thing has been a witch hunt and there is no collusion," he said.
Former FBI chief Robert Mueller has been selected to lead the inquiry.
Mr Mueller's appointment was welcomed by politicians from both sides.
Calls for a special investigation had mounted after Mr Trump fired FBI Director James Comey last week.
On Thursday, Mr Trump denied trying to influence the investigation by sacking Mr Comey.
"Director Comey was very unpopular with most people," he suggested.
"I actually thought when I made that decision... that it would be a bipartisan decision because you look at all of the people on the Democratic side, not only the Republican side, that were saying such terrible things about Director Comey."
On Wednesday, Mr Trump had said no politician in history "has been treated worse or more unfairly" than himself.
The announcement of a special counsel apparently took the White House by surprise, with Mr Trump only being informed of it after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had signed the order.
The FBI and Congress are looking into potential links between Mr Trump's campaign team and Russia. Mr Mueller will take over the FBI investigation.
US intelligence agencies believe Moscow tried to tip November's presidential election in favour of Mr Trump.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that former Trump aide Michael Flynn told his transition team at the beginning of January - earlier than was previously thought - that he was under federal investigation for working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the election campaign.
Mr Trump appointed Mr Flynn as his national security adviser weeks later despite the warning, but he was sacked after just 24 days.
In his statement announcing Mr Mueller's appointment, Mr Rosenstein said: "The public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command."
Mr Mueller, who will have wide-ranging powers, said simply: "I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability."
In announcing the appointment of a special counsel, Mr Rosenstein cited the "unusual circumstances" of the ongoing FBI Russia investigation. That's an understatement.
The circumstances are not just unusual, they are unprecedented. The nation has never had an administration so embattled so early in its term. There have never been such grave allegations of electoral meddling by a foreign power in a US presidential election.
Then again there has never been a president quite like Donald Trump.
Now the Russia story enters a new, more serious phase. Robert Mueller has a sterling reputation in Washington, DC. He worked with Mr Comey when the latter served as deputy attorney general in George W Bush's administration. He understands pressure-cooker politics and knows how to navigate the corridors of power.
He has wide latitude to conduct his investigation and bring criminal charges, if necessary.
While Mr Mueller is technically still part of the justice department and ultimately reports to Mr Trump, his stature is such that he is unlikely to be cowed by the president.
Independent investigations often take on a life of their own and can reach unexpected conclusions. With Mr Mueller in the game, the stakes just went up. | President Donald Trump has said the decision to appoint a special counsel to oversee the inquiry into Russian influence on his election is hurting America "terribly". |
38755318 | Victoria Prentis said that former armed forces inmates and women had "particularly low reoffending rates".
The Justice Select Committee member made the comments in a debate on the prison population, which has nearly doubled since the 1980s to 85,000.
But she admitted the proposal was just "tinkering around the edges".
The Banbury MP member added Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners - who remain in prison for public safety - could also be released.
In the Commons debate on Wednesday, she said: "Women prisoners and veterans have very low reoffending rates. But this is tinkering around the edges of the large prison population at the moment."
In November last year Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled a White Paper detailing £1.3bn investment in new prisons over the next five years, and plans for 2,100 extra officers.
But some high-profile prison riots in HMP Birmingham, Bedford and Lewes towards the end of 2016 led the National Council of Independent Monitoring Boards to claim low staffing levels had contributed to the disruption.
Ms Prentis added: "If we can't recruit, as I accept the department is trying desperately hard to do, would the minister commit today to at least considering whether we should have a shift in the sentencing framework, a shift... to community-based alternatives?"
Prisons minister Sam Gyimah, responding to a range of points at the end of the debate, said: "It is incredibly simplistic to say that the problems in our prisons are simply due to staffing. There is the rise of new psychoactive substances and old taboos in prisons have been broken.
"It used to be the case that prisoners never attacked a female prison officer. Now, we see that routinely on our wings. Our prisons have changed and to deal with that complex problem, we need a multifaceted set of answers. That is what this Government are delivering." | Women and army veteran prisoners should be considered for early release to ease pressure on the prison population, according to a Conservative MP. |
40479645 | The hosts and defending regional champions lost despite dominating the game with 65 per cent possession.
Baxter was forced to choose a makeshift side scratched together from clubs willing to release players and members of the under-20 squad.
"It was very disappointing, I think the game was poor," Baxter said.
"There was not a lot of quality shown by either side but we had a few chances and built a bit of pressure but failed to take them. A very disappointing evening."
Tanzania took their only real chance in the 18th minute when Elias Maguri was put through by a superb ball over the top of the home defence.
The win means Tanzania will now take on Zambia in the last four on Wednesday.
Zambia qualified for the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Botswana on Saturday.
Unlike their seeded opponents in both Tanzania and Zambia came through a gruelling first round of group matches to reach the quarter-final stage.
Ovidy Karuru's goal scoring exploits continued on Sunday as he notched his sixth goal in four games as Zimbabwe advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 over Swaziland.
Karuru is now the second highest scorer in competition history with six - all netted in the last four games as Zimbabwe took their total goal tally to 12.
He scored in the 16th minute for Zimbabwe but they then faded in second half to allow Swaziland to fight back and equalise through Felix Badenhorst.
Zimbabwe dug into their energy reserves to launch a comeback in the last quarter-hour and secured the win when substitute Knox Mutizwa headed from a corner.
The victory means Zimbabwe now meet Lesotho in Wednesday's other semi-final.
Lesotho booked their place in the last four after beating Namibia on penalties on Saturday after the match ended goalless.
The four losing quarter-finalists now take part in the second-tier plate semi-finals on Tuesday as Botswana play South Africa and Namibia take on Swaziland. | South Africa coach Stuart Baxter was left frustrated after his side were knocked out of the Cosafa Cup in the quarter-finals losing 1-0 to Tanzania. |
21999628 | The Hartlebury Castle Preservation Trust has agreed to pay Church Commissioners £2.45m for the freehold of the castle and grounds.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) turned down a bid for £478,000 from the trust in 2011 over concerns about the original asking price.
The trust wants to keep the castle, museum and library open to the public.
It houses the county museum and the Hurd Library, a collection of 5,000 volumes dating from 1476.
Robert Greenwood, from the trust, said the award was "a very significant first step to securing the future of this magnificent heritage site".
The trust plans to raise the money to buy the castle using contributions from private donors, and has raised £50,000 from donations made by members of the public.
Iain Rutherford, from Museums Worcestershire, said: "We look forward to working in partnership with the trust to deliver one of the best tourist attractions in the Midlands, indeed in England, and to re-establishing Hartlebury as an important centre of learning and culture."
The castle was the residence of the Bishop of Worcester until 2007. | A group hoping to buy the former home of the Bishop of Worcester has been awarded £413,700 of lottery money. |
25533339 | The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children if either parent is an only child.
A proposal to abolish re-education through labour camps was also approved.
The changes in policy were announced following a meeting of top Communist Party officials in November.
The reforms, which came at the end of a six-day meeting of the congress, have already been tested in parts of the country.
A world of no siblings
They needed formal legislative approval to be put into effect.
It is expected that reforms will be rolled out gradually and incrementally around the country, with provincial authorities entrusted to make their own decisions on implementation according to the local demographic situation.
Factors other than the one-child policy, such as a lack of social security support, have also encouraged couples to limit their offspring.
China is now believed to have a birth rate of just over 1.5 children per woman of child-bearing age - which is, in fact, higher than many of its regional neighbours, including Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
Niger has the world's highest birth rate per woman, with over seven, India has 2.55 and the US has 2.06.
China introduced its one-child policy at the end of the 1970s to curb rapid population growth.
But correspondents say the policy has become increasingly unpopular and that leaders fear the country's ageing population will both reduce the labour pool and exacerbate elderly care issues.
By 2050, more than a quarter of the population will be over 65.
The one-child policy has on the whole been strictly enforced, though some exceptions already exist, including for ethnic minorities.
Previous reforms also permitted couples to have a second child where both were only children or, in the case of rural couples, where their first-born child was a girl.
The traditional preference for boys has created a gender imbalance as some couples opt for sex-selective abortions.
By the end of the decade, demographers say China will have 24 million "leftover men" who, because of China's gender imbalance, will not be able to find a wife.
The decision to close the labour camps puts an end to a controversial punishment system long criticised for its human rights abuses.
State media said the development of China's legal system had made the camps "superfluous" and signalled the end of their "historic mission".
Final goodbye to 're-education' camps?
Secret diary from a labour camp
Chinese leaders had previously said they wanted to reform the system.
The network, which was created in the 1950s based on the Soviet Gulag, allowed the Chinese police to send anyone to prison for up to four years without a trial.
A labour camp sentence was almost impossible to appeal.
China had 260 labour camps holding 160,000 inmates at the start of this year, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Watch.
Correspondents say most of the detainees were arrested for drug offences - either selling or buying small quantities of illegal narcotics.
Some of the labour camps are expected to be transformed into drug rehabilitation centres. | China's top legislature has formally adopted a resolution easing the country's one-child policy, the state news agency Xinhua reports. |
28463941 | The US firm has revealed that it believes several Chinese manufacturers are misrepresenting the number of devices they have made to reduce the patent royalty fees they owe.
In addition, a state-run newspaper has reported that a Chinese regulator has decided the company's patents have given it a monopoly position.
That could lead to a huge fine.
Qualcomm has been under investigation by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) over claims that it had overcharged for the right to use its standard-essential patents and had abused its market position.
Standard-essential patents refer to innovations that are critical to a specification adopted as an industry-shared technology.
Qualcomm owns many inventions that lie at the heart of 3G, 4G and other wireless data technologies.
As a result, device manufacturers must pay it a fee to ensure their products can communicate with others devices even if they do not include any of the various chips that Qualcomm manufactures itself.
The NDRC said in February that one of the complaints it was looking into was a claim that Qualcomm was charging higher prices in China than elsewhere.
If it finds the company guilty, it can fine it up to 10% of its local revenue for the past financial year.
Nearly half of Qualcomm's sales came from China last year, meaning its penalty could total $1.2bn (£723m).
The state-run Securities Times newspaper has reported that the watchdog has indeed decided the company has a monopoly.
However, the NDRC would first have to rule the company had abused its position to impose a penalty - simply having a monopoly is not prohibited in China.
"We have met with and are continuing to fully co-operate with the NDRC, as it conducts its investigation, but the timing and outcome of any resolution remains uncertain, as does the impact on our future business in China," Qualcomm's president, Derek Aberle, said during a conference call following the firm's latest earnings release on Wednesday.
He added that his firm expected it would have to make some kind of payment, but was not able to estimate its size at this time.
While the probe continues, Qualcomm revealed that it was experiencing problems obtaining the fees it believed were due.
Mr Aberle told bank analysts that he believed some of the company's Chinese licensees were under-reporting the number of 3G and 4G devices they had made for local and international sale, and had ordered its own investigation as a consequence.
"We believe we will find that they are only reporting something less than 100% of their sales, and hoping they are going to be able to get away with it," he explained.
Although the firm reported net income of $2.24bn for its past quarter - a 42% rise on the previous year - and higher sales than Wall Street had forecast, its shares still fell as a consequence of the revelations.
Its stock dropped more than 7% after the Nasdaq opened.
Perhaps in a bid to build up goodwill, Qualcomm also announced a pledge to invest up to a further $150m in Chinese start-ups alongside its results.
It also noted that it had recently taken stakes in a local education software firm, Cambridge Wowo, and a health app maker, Bohee.
The firm's previous investments include a stake in China's hugely popular smartphone maker Xiaomi, which uses its processor chips. | Smartphone chip giant Qualcomm is facing several setbacks in China, causing its share price to fall. |
38896476 | The couple discovered the mistake two days later, when the husband asked his wife where the money was as he wanted to deposit it at a bank.
The pair rushed to Bracknell Recycling Centre, where staff spent two hours picking through waste to retrieve the money "note by note".
The centre said more than £1,300 of the lost cash was recovered.
A spokeswoman for waste partnership re3 said the error was made last month while the husband, who does not want to be named, was doing a "January tidy up".
She said the couple had written a thank you letter to the team, praising them for "stopping at nothing". | A couple who hid £1,500 of savings in a slow cooker disposed of it at a dump by accident. |
34955190 | Mahmoud Ablehamid Soliman opened the scoring for the Egyptians, before Oussama Chita equalised for Algeria.
The tournament, which features eight African countries, also serves as a qualifying tournament for next year's Olympic Games with the top three finishers booking a place in Rio.
Nigeria survived a second-half onslaught to beat Mali 3-2 in the other Group B match to complete a joyful weekend for coach Samson Siasia .
The mother of former national team star Siasia was released Saturday 12 days after being kidnapped from a southern Nigerian village by gunmen.
Siasia, who was in the Gambia preparing the Olympic hopefuls when the abduction occurred, said he had spoken to his "happy" 72-year-old mother before the Mali match.
Mali hit the woodwork after just 35 seconds before Junior Ajayi Oluwafemi scored twice and Muhammed Usman once to build a 3-0 half-time lead for Nigeria.
A resurgent Mali scored twice within 11 minutes to trail by only one goal with a quarter of the game left, and missed several chances to equalise against the constantly back-pedalling Nigerians.
Adama Niane converted a penalty to offer the Malians a glimmer of hope and Soulyemane Sissoko claimed a second goal on 65 minutes from close range.
Meanwhile, hosts Senegal opened the tournament on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over South Africa in the first match of Group A in Dakar.
Two goals from Ibrahima Keita and a late Sidy Sarr strike helped the hosts secure their win on Saturday, with South Africa's goal coming from Phumlani Ntshangase.
After a bright opening spell from South Africa, it was Senegal who took the lead after 16 minutes, with Ibrahima Keita scoring from the penalty spot.
Just four minutes later, Senegal made it 2-0 with Keita grabbing his second, this time from open play.
In an eventful first half, South Africa hauled themselves back into the game just before the half-hour mark.
Phumlani Ntshangase made it 2-1 with another penalty in the 28th minute to give South Africa hope going into the second half.
But Senegal increased their lead three minutes from time as substitute Sidy Sarr struck to make it 3-1 to the hosts.
Later on Saturday, Tunisia defeated Zambia 2-1 in the second Group A fixture.
Haithem Jouini put Tunisia ahead after just four minutes.
Zambia equalised in the 15th minute through Ronaldo Kampamba.
It was 1-1 at the break, and the match looked to be heading for a draw until Jouini struck for a second time six minutes from time to hand the Tunisians the victory.
It means that Senegal lead the Group A standings. | North African rivals Egypt and Algeria drew 1-1 in their opening Under-23 Africa Cup Of Nations Group B match in Mbour on Sunday. |
13800521 | The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been considering bids from Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire and Herefordshire.
But the group, which aims to encourage investment in the counties, said it has chosen the Rotherwas Business Park to develop private sector employment.
LEP chairman Geoffrey Davies said that it was a very competitive process.
"If Hereford is chosen to become an Enterprise Zone, and we'll have to wait and see because this is a very, very, competitive process, then that Enterprise Zone will benefit the whole of the Marches LEP area, not just Hereford."
The LEP is made up of councils, businesses and agencies.
The zones mean taxes can be cut and a relaxation of some planning rules in small areas to attract new businesses and create new jobs.
In Hereford, the LEP said there would be a business rate discount worth up to ??275,000 per eligible business over a five-year period.
The bids covered Telford Technology Park and existing business parks in Shrewsbury, the LEP said.
If the Hereford bid is successful, up to 6,500 jobs could be created, they added. The jobs estimate is based on site capacity.
Earlier this year, the government confirmed that the first Enterprise Zones would be based within 11 LEPs led by Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Solihull, Sheffield, Leeds, London, the Bristol area, the Black Country, Derby and Nottingham, Teesside and the North East.
The Hereford bid will now be submitted to the government and it is thought a decision will be made in the summer about where the next zones will be, a spokesman said. | A bid to create an Enterprise Zone in Hereford is to be submitted to the government. |
39896919 | The force carried out the first investigation into South Yorkshire officers' conduct during the 1989 tragedy.
It has been claimed both colluded in a "systematic cover-up" to pin the blame on fans.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has requested more time to investigate.
However, it said it was still on track to announce whether there will be criminal charges relating to South Yorkshire Police by the end of June.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) handed its files to the CPS in January.
It is still investigating more than 170 allegations of police misconduct.
A jury concluded in April last year the 96 victims of the tragedy were unlawfully killed.
They found fans were fatally crushed at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest amid a "dangerous situation" created by police errors.
Read profiles of all those who died in the disaster | More time is needed to decide if anyone connected to West Midlands Police will face charges over the Hillsborough disaster, prosecutors have said. |
35409917 | The announcement was made at an emergency meeting on Monday night.
Supporters of the Magpies, who play in Southern League Division One South and West, have been asked to help save the 138-year-old club.
It has recently been taken over by a consortium, with former Bournemouth and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp joining as a director.
He is expected to attend matches, give after-dinner speeches and help to raise the team's profile.
Club chair Paula Henley said following the meeting some of the debts were written off, bringing the overall figure down to about £70,000.
She said: "The extent of the debt [was a surprise]. During the due diligence it became more and more evident there was more out there.
"There is a danger of the club folding, but that's not what we want.
"I was stunned by the initial reaction last night... there were people in the room that have been supporters for 30 years.
"They were coming up with £20, £10; someone gave me a cheque for £100; someone gave me £250."
Manager Simon Browne made a plea to his players to stick with the club in the short-term despite the playing budget likely to be axed within a couple of weeks. | Non-league football club Wimborne Town has warned it "could fold" after revealing debts of more than £100,000. |
34431258 | Rio de Janeiro is all of the above.
Perhaps it's the physical nature of the "Marvelous City" that everything seems to be so close together - the ugly and the serene, rich and poor, violent and peaceful.
The death of 17-year-old Eduardo Felipe Victor dos Santos might have gone down as one more barely noticed statistic in the long-running war between Rio's military police and the city's many drugs gangs.
At Eduardo's funeral in the sprawling Sao Joao Batisita cemetery, just a stone's throw from the upmarket air-conditioned shopping centres and tourist hotspots, mourners had arrived on buses from Providencia favela - or shanty town - where Eduardo lived and died.
The air was heavy with emotion, the dead youth's mother and grandmother inconsolable as they watched his coffin being slid into a small space in the cemetery wall.
A family friend made a brief but impassioned speech, saying that had it not been for images taken furtively on a mobile phone, by someone who witnessed Eduardo's death, the shocking truth might never have come out.
The widely shared footage clearly shows a group of armed policemen standing over the youth's heavily bloodstained body.
One of the officers calmly places a gun on the floor and then into Eduardo's hand. The officer then fires the pistol into the air twice, presumably to give the impression that Eduardo had shot at police before being killed.
The five-man police team has since been arrested and Rio's high profile chief of security, Jose Mariano Beltrame, has vowed that any rogue officers will be dismissed and prosecuted.
When I recently asked Mr Beltrame if Rio had a problem with officers who "shoot first and ask questions later", his denial was emphatic.
"That's not true. If you look, we have figures that show the number of police killings, and those are falling," the secretary told me in his downtown Rio office.
But he added: "Yes, we used to have 'cops who kill', but today you can only say that in a few cases."
Human rights groups like Amnesty International dispute the official explanation. In a recent report, Amnesty accused Rio's military police of being "trigger happy" and said that more than 1,500 murders in the city over the last five years were committed by on-duty police officers.
Whether deliberately targeted or killed in crossfire, the fact that hundreds of people die every year at the hands of Rio's police is arguably another sign that the so called "pacification" policy in the city's favelas is fast unravelling.
With more than 50,000 violent deaths every year, Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
About half of those killed are young black men and, according to the Institute of Public Security, many cities including Rio have seen a big increase this year in the number of people killed "as a result of policy activity".
Many Brazilians say you can't look at what is happening in a huge, diverse country through the prism of one city alone.
That is a fair point, but it's a matter of fact that there's huge international focus on Rio these days because of its international reputation, last year's World Cup and the forthcoming Olympic Games.
So, given the recent figures, does Mr Beltrame envisage serious security problems in Rio between now and the Games?
"I obviously don't have a crystal ball, so I can't guess what's going to happen," is his first answer, but then he expands.
"Actually, I think it's the opposite. We're going to have a very peaceful Olympics Games, like many of the events we organised before. But the Olympics are not my main worry. My main concern is the people of Rio that don't want and can't carry on with this amount of guns around."
That last point is significant. Mr Beltrame occupies a powerful and high-profile position, but says he has no political ambitions and so feels free to speak his mind.
He clearly thinks there are too many guns in circulation in the city, fuelling the drugs wars between the numerous gangs (three distinctive "big" gangs identified by him) and police.
"It can't go on like this," says the secretary, who advocates much tougher gun control and a serious debate about the legalisation of drugs.
The focus this week may have been on another troubled young man who died at the hands of police, arguably when he could and should have been detained alive, whether or not he was involved in selling drugs in his favela.
But Rio's security forces, too, are frequently the victims of violent crime, retribution and murder.
Earlier this week, a policeman on the outskirts of the city was tortured to death, his body dragged through the streets behind a horse.
There have been numerous kidnappings of officers from their cars and homes, and living in the communities where they work is often not an option for policemen and women concerned about their families' safety.
Rio de Janeiro is still one of the world's great cities and, as was the case with the World Cup, it will probably get its act together in time to put on a great Olympic Games.
But with less than a year to go before those Games arrive, these stories - of police violence and impunity, of murder committed against the police, and of heavily armed gangs controlling favelas - are not images of a city at peace with itself. | Beguiling, beautiful and brutal. |
40558934 | The diners had enjoyed 14 house specials, as well as 15 shots, at a restaurant in Pamplona on Friday night.
But when it came time to pay the €620 (£549; $706) owed, they appear to have taken inspiration from the town's most famous event - only, instead of the bulls, they ran from the bill.
Police, however, weren't far behind.
According to the local police force's official twitter account, @policiaforal_na, they were soon caught and forced to return to the restaurant, in the northern Spanish region of Navarra.
And, the tweet proudly announced, not only settled in full, but also left a tip.
It is not known whether the group were in town for the week-long festival, which sees men sprint 875m (2,871ft) through Pamplona's narrow streets, pursued by angry bulls.
The diners are far from the only group to try to get out of paying their bill in Spain's restaurants this year.
Back in March, more than 100 people were reported to have fled at least two restaurants, leaving behind bills amounting to around €12,000 in total.
It is not confined to Spain, however. An Australian tried to swim away from his bill in Queensland in April. | A group of Italians who attempted to flee a Spanish restaurant without paying the bill were forced by police to return - and even pay a tip. |
21326829 | By now almost everybody has heard about the latest edict from His Excellency, The President, Sheikh, Professor, Dr, Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, the ruler of The Gambia.
He has decreed that the public sector should embark on a four-day week work regimen, with schools the exception.
In praise of the dead
According to him, a shorter working week will allow Gambians to devote more time to prayers, social activities and agriculture.
Government employees will still work a 40-hour week, made up of four 10-hour working days starting at 0800 and ending at 1800.
I have been wondering if this was something we could adopt in Ghana.
The truth is that over here, public sector workers have always found ways to have four-day weeks if they want.
It is not official but many people end up doing four-day weeks.
I probably need to point out that we in Ghana take funerals seriously and these are time-consuming ceremonies.
Most of us spend weekends attending funerals around various parts of the country; that is how internal tourism works here.
Funerals are not one-day events.
I shall not get into all the rituals and arrangements that have to be done from the moment of death.
Nor am I talking about keeping bodies in mortuaries for months on end.
I refer only to the time that has been agreed for the burial and funeral rites.
In many parts of the country, Fridays tend to be the days when bodies are taken home from the mortuary to be laid in state.
This is not something that can be done during the lunch-hour break.
If you have a funeral to attend, you need to have Friday off and you are deemed to have a funeral when the dead person is a parent, a sibling, a child, a spouse or partner, an in-law, a grand-parent, a cousin, an aunt, an uncle, a friend, a classmate, a nephew, a niece, a boss, someone you go to church with, a workmate, a neighbour and of course, a president.
In other words, you are likely to have a funeral every weekend.
Even though Fridays are official working days, we have all learnt to accept that if we have any business with anybody in the public sector it is not a good idea to try to go to the office on a Friday.
The unwritten rule is that business is conducted in the public sector from Monday to Thursday.
On Saturdays, we have services and bury the dead and have funeral rites and on Sundays we have thanksgiving services.
So, would it be a good idea to simply declare Fridays non-working days?
I can think of a really smart way of packaging the announcement to make it sound like we are the business-like people that we indeed are.
It would go something like this: As part of innovative efforts to brand Ghana and make us a leading funeral tourist destination, Fridays will be spent organising funerals.
But something tells me if Fridays are sanctioned officially as non-working days in Ghana, Thursdays will become the new Fridays.
We shall thank God it is Thursday instead of thanking God it is Friday.
The impossible traffic in town will move from Fridays to Thursdays and we will spend endless hours stuck in traffic on the roads and officialdom will find reasons to make Thursday afternoons inconvenient for meetings.
I have this horrible feeling that the weekends will end up as stressful as the working days.
Then there is the other little problem of Ghana not having the equivalent of anybody who can simply decree that we change from a five to a four-day working week for whatever reason.
If you would like to comment on Elizabeth Ohene's column, please do so below. | In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Ghanaian Elizabeth Ohene considers whether Ghanaians, like Gambians, should be given longer weekends - to attend funerals. |
39076082 | When asked by BBC Stoke what he was up to, the songwriter said he had been out filming a documentary recently, and was seen speaking with Labour's Jack Dromey, MP for Erdington, at the count.
He said he could not be interviewed - he has a contract with the film makers.
Labour's Gareth Snell won the seat, with UKIP, whose leader Paul Nuttall had stood, coming second.
Pro Green - real name Stephen Manderson - did chat to BBC Stoke's Emma Thomas and stay for a selfie with her, which she said caused a bit of a stir among the press section.
"Of all the things I was expecting from last night's by-election count, meeting a music icon was not one of them," she said.
"He wouldn't give me many details on why he was in the Potteries, but did say he's in town making a documentary.
"He was doing pieces to camera and interviewing people like Jack Dromey. He chatted to some members of the press... He was relaxed."
His team did not let much detail out about the documentary. His cameraman however, had been filming with UKIP leader Paul Nuttall a few weeks ago when it emerged he falsely claimed he lost close friends in the Hillsborough tragedy.
After spending several hours at the count, the rapper, who has previously made documentaries with the BBC looking at homelessness and the murky world of illegal dogs, departed after the result came in at about 02:30 GMT. | Rapper Professor Green caused a stir when he unexpectedly turned up at the Stoke-on-Trent by-election count. |
35675847 | Romelu Lukaku fired Everton into the lead before Kevin Mirallas picked up a second yellow before half-time.
Aaron Lennon prodded home to double the lead and with 20 minutes left Lukaku saw a poor penalty saved by Adrian.
Michail Antonio and Diafro Sakho each scored a header, before Payet pounced for West Ham's third in 12 minutes.
The victory, only West Ham's second in their past 10 away matches, sees Slaven Bilic's side leapfrog Manchester United, who play on Sunday, into fifth in the table.
Everton have now lost three of their past four league games at Goodison and stay 11th.
Re-live West Ham's dramatic win at Goodison
Follow reaction to all of Saturday's games
Recent home defeats by Swansea and West Brom meant the pressure was on Everton to record a home victory, and Roberto Martinez's side started very well.
James McCarthy had a fierce shot tipped over before Lukaku turned Reece Oxford on the edge of the box to fire home off the post, with Ross Barkley's brilliant volley parried out soon after.
Even after having Mirallas sent off - after one yellow card for simulation and another for a late challenge on Aaron Cresswell - Everton continued to impress, and their second goal was excellent, Lennon finishing after a slick exchange with Lukaku.
But the crucial moment was yet to come.
Lukaku's weakly struck penalty, after Alex Song was penalised for a foul on Muhamed Besic, meant the home side failed to seal what would have been a sensational win - and was the trigger for West Ham's dramatic comeback.
Scoring three goals in the last 12 minutes to snatch victory from looming defeat is no mean feat - even against 10 men.
With his side 1-0 down at half-time West Ham manager Bilic committed to setting up his side to attack - despite the obvious danger the Toffees posed on the break through Lukaku.
Striker Andy Carroll was introduced for 17-year-old defender Oxford, and two further changes soon followed but the major driving force of the Hammers' turnaround was Payet.
This season the Frenchman has arguably been West Ham's best player and today his influence was vital, crossing for Sakho's leveller before turning home from Sakho's cool flick inside the box for a late winner.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "The key moment was the penalty. That would have been game over and it is a feeling of missed opportunity.
"Everyone got a bit shocked at that moment. The effort, with a man down, it went to the last 10 minutes we found it difficult to do what we had been doing - the way we had to match 11 men cost us in the final 10 minutes.
"It is a shame we could not win because up until the 78th minute we were well worth winning it."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It feels great. We don't have a great record here - we don't have a record here at all to be fair.
"This is why English football is so attractive and so good basically. If they scored a penalty we could have lost three or four nil.
"However, nobody could say that over 90 minutes we didn't deserve it. We did, and that is what makes me proud of the team. It is a great day for West Ham."
Both Everton's and West Ham's next match comes in the FA Cup sixth round - the Toffees play at home to Chelsea next Saturday, while West Ham play at Manchester United next Sunday. | Dimitri Payet's 90th-minute winner completed a stunning late West Ham comeback against 10-man Everton to maintain their top-four challenge. |
37197701 | The bans were imposed on some French resorts as a measure to protect public order, but one French court has already suspended one, saying it "breached fundamental freedoms".
Many of the most shared cartoons protest not only the ban but the challenges and criticism women across the world face over their choice of clothing.
An anonymous French artist drew a woman half clothed and half topless with notations showing the type of comments women can face. The original drawing was shared almost 10,000 times before another artist translated it into English.
Artist Khalid Cherradi said his work showed how the clash between eastern and western values tends to focus on how women dress.
Illustrator Nawak said the ban amounted to "hypocrisy on the beach". Two police officers are shown asking a nun dressed in a habit: "We are looking for ostentatious religious symbols - have you seen a burkini or a Muslim woman wearing a head scarf?" His cartoon was shared more than 12,000 times on Facebook but was also criticised by those who support the ban.
Another artist Maarten Wolterink, labelled this picture: "We're here to help you."
Artist Khalid Albaih tweeted this image, asking "Laws - to cover or uncover?"
The ban has ignited discussion across the world. Artist Amy Clancy in the UK added her views with the simple phrase "C'est ridicule!" | Artists in France have been protesting against the French burkini ban by drawing cartoons that have been shared widely on social media. |
30767084 | Two houses were badly damaged in the blaze at Tirellan Heights in the city.
The fire broke out at about 05:45 local time and six people escaped from the two houses.
Nearby homes were also evacuated as fire fighters worked to extinguish the flames. There were no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. | Six people have escaped injury in an overnight fire in Galway. |
40740053 | In April it was announced a weekly round-up episode of daily arts show Front Row would replace the programme, prompting consternation and a petition.
But Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams has since confirmed Saturday Review will be retained - "for now".
"After a great deal of consideration I will be keeping the show on air at this time," she said.
"Bearing in mind the challenging financial climate I am glad that, for now, I'm able to have both Front Row and Saturday Review as part of Radio 4's ambitious and wide-ranging arts content."
Tom Sutcliffe, who presents the show, tweeted that he was "delighted" and "very grateful" for the rethink.
Saturday Review is broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday nights, the same time Front Row is aired on weeknights.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The BBC has backtracked on its decision to axe Radio 4's long-running arts programme Saturday Review. |
28885753 | Dr Kent Brantly, 33, thanked supporters for their prayers at a news conference in Atlanta. Nancy Writebol, 59, was discharged on Tuesday.
The two were brought to the US for treatment three weeks ago.
The outbreak has killed more than 1,300 people in West Africa, with many of the deaths occurring in Liberia.
"Today is a miraculous day," said Dr Brantly, who appeared healthy if pallid as he addressed reporters on Thursday at Emory University hospital.
"I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position."
He said Ebola "was not on the radar" when he and his family moved to Liberia in October.
After his family returned to the US as the Ebola outbreak tore through West Africa, he continued to treat Ebola patients and woke up on 23 July feeling "under the weather".
Dr Brantly said he lay in bed for nine days, getting progressively sicker and weaker. On 1 August, he was flown to Atlanta for treatment at Emory.
Emory infectious disease specialist Dr Bruce Ribner said after rigorous treatment and testing officials were confident Dr Brantly had recovered "and he can return to his family, his community and his life without public health concerns".
The group for which he was working in Liberia, Samaritan's Purse, said they were celebrating his recovery.
"Today I join all of our Samaritan's Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr Kent Brantly's recovery from Ebola and release from the hospital," Franklin Graham said in a statement.
Nancy Writebol's husband David said in a statement that she was free of the virus but was significantly weakened.
The family decided to leave the hospital privately in order to allow her to rest and recuperate.
Meanwhile, South Africa on Thursday said non-citizens arriving from Ebola-affected areas of West Africa - the countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - would not be allowed into the country.
And police in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, fired live rounds and tear gas during protests after a quarantine was imposed to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
Residents of the capital's West Point slum area said the barbed wire blockade stops them buying food and working.
There is no cure for Ebola, one of the deadliest diseases known to humans, with a fatality rate in this outbreak of 50-60%.
But both Dr Brantly and Mrs Writebol received an experimental treatment known as ZMapp.
The drug, which has only been made in extremely limited quantities, had never been tested on humans and it remains unclear if it is responsible for their recovery.
ZMapp was also given to a Spanish priest, who died, and three Liberian health workers, who are showing signs of improvement. | One of the US aid workers who recovered from an Ebola infection is "thrilled to be alive" as he and another patient are discharged from hospital. |
37862698 | The 42-year-old replaces Paul Hurst, who left to take over League One club Shrewsbury Town last month.
Bignot guided the Moors to promotion to the National League in 2015-16 and led them for the final time in Saturday's FA Cup first-round draw at Yeovil.
His first game as Mariners boss will be at home to Sheffield United in the EFL Trophy on Wednesday.
Micky Moore, who joined Solihull as assistant manager prior to the start of the current season, will take on the same role with the Mariners.
Bignot, who is married to Arsenal Ladies and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Emma Byrne, started his coaching career in 1998 as manager of Birmingham City Ladies, while still playing for Crewe.
He made more than 400 career league appearances in spells with six clubs before retiring in 2010, combining his playing career with his coaching duties until leaving Birmingham in 2005.
Grimsby are eighth in League Two, having won six of their first 15 games since being promoted from the National League last season.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Media playback is not supported on this device | League Two side Grimsby Town have appointed Solihull Moors boss Marcus Bignot as their new manager. |
36711323 | The pair, who won silver medals at the 2015 World Championships, will be making their Paralympic debuts.
Coutya, 18, and Gilliver, 21, will compete in the men's category A event, which starts on 12 September.
Britain had just one wheelchair fencer at the 2008 Paralympics, but that rose to seven for London 2012.
Coutya and Gilliver take the total number of British Paralympians selected for the Rio Games to 182 from 16 sports. | Great Britain have named Dimitri Coutya and Piers Gilliver as their fencing team for this summer's Paralympic Games in Rio. |
32592449 | When he was elected Conservative leader in 2005, he was seen as the party's answer to Tony Blair, a young, modern leader, who would shake off the party's "nasty" image and turn it back into the election winning machine that had dominated much of 20th century British politics.
But despite big advances at the 2010 election, he was forced to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, handing ammunition to those on the right of the party who hated his brand of "Liberal Conservatism" and yearned for a more traditional Tory programme.
Mr Cameron's presentational skills were never in doubt.
His easy charm and ability to appear "prime ministerial" at news conferences and summits helped ensure his personal poll ratings remained well ahead of the Conservative Party's ratings.
But critics complained that it was difficult to pin down what he actually believed in.
His laid-back, almost patrician style - and tendency to surround himself with advisers from similar backgrounds - led to accusations that he was too remote from the concerns of his party's rank-and-file, some of whom drifted off to the UK Independence Party, with its traditional right-wing messages on Europe and immigration.
Those critics have been silenced - for now.
Mr Cameron is one of the longest serving Conservative leaders in history. Only Stanley Baldwin, Lady Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill remained longer in the top job in the modern era.
And although he has shifted his political position on to more traditional Conservative ground, ditching much of the utopian talk of creating a Big Society in favour of a focus on low taxation and sound financial management, observers have noted how little being in office has changed Mr Cameron personally.
The one fact everyone knows about him is that he comes from a privileged background. He has never made a secret of it.
Not only was he the first former pupil of Eton to hold office since the early 1960s, he can also trace his ancestry back to William IV, making him a distant relative of the Queen.
"I'm a practical person, and pragmatic. I know where I want to get to, but I am not ideologically attached to one particular method," December 2005.
"I'm going to be as radical a social reformer as Mrs Thatcher was an economic reformer," August 2008.
"I don't support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative," July 2013.
"I hope they'd say I'm optimistic, I enjoy life and that I'm fun. But also that I'm quite driven in doing what I believe in," on what his friends would say about him," February 2015.
"We will govern as a party of one nation, one United Kingdom. That means ensuring this recovery reaches all parts of our country, from north to south, to east to west," May 2015.
At 43, he was the youngest prime minister since Robert Banks Jenkinson, the 2nd Earl of Liverpool in 1812. He was six months younger than Tony Blair when he entered Downing Street in 1997.
The third of four children, David William Donald Cameron, was born on 9 October 1966 in London.
He spent the first three years of his life in Kensington and Chelsea before the family moved to an old rectory near Newbury, in Berkshire.
Mr Cameron has said he had a happy childhood, but one where "whingeing was not on the menu".
His stockbroker father Ian, who died in 2010, was born with severely deformed legs, which he eventually had to have amputated. He also lost the sight in one eye, but David's father said he never considered himself "disabled" and rarely complained about anything.
Mr Cameron's mother, Mary, served as a Justice of the Peace for 30 years. During her time on the bench she passed judgement on the Greenham Common protesters, including on one occasion her own sister, Mr Cameron revealed recently, and eco-warrior Swampy, who was protesting against the construction of the Newbury bypass.
At the age of seven, the young Cameron was packed off to Heatherdown, an exclusive preparatory school, which counted Princes Edward and Andrew among its pupils. Then, following in the family tradition, came Eton.
He has described his 12 O-levels as "not very good", but he gained three As at A-level, in history, history of art and economics with politics.
"He's not someone - and most Englishmen aren't - who talks freely and easily in the open-hearted Oprahesque fashion that some do but he's extremely good company," friend and ministerial colleague Michael Gove
"In my experience, Cameron never gave a straight answer when dissemblance was a plausible alternative," business journalist Jeff Randall
"He's always been incredibly strong, and kind, and supportive," Samantha Cameron, wife
"In good times and in bad, he's just the kind of partner that you want at your side. I trust him. He says what he does, and he does what he says," US President Barack Obama.
"If there was an Olympic gold medal for chillaxing he would win it," Cameron ally quoted in Francis Elliott and James Hanning biography.
"Though possessed of a first-class mind, Cameron is not a reflective politician. He rarely agonises over a problem, preferring to resolve dilemmas as quickly and pragmatically as he can, generally with a group of close allies," political journalist Matthew D'Ancona.
His biggest mention in the Eton school magazine came when he sprained his ankle dancing to bagpipes on a school trip to Rome.
Before going up to Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics he took a gap year, working initially for Sussex Conservative MP Tim Rathbone, before spending three months in Hong Kong, working for a shipping agent, and then returning by rail via the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
At Oxford, he avoided student politics because, according to one friend from the time, Steve Rathbone, "he wanted to have a good time".
He was captain of Brasenose College's tennis team and a member of the Bullingdon dining club, famed for its hard drinking and bad behaviour, a period Mr Cameron has always refused to talk about.
He has also consistently dodged the question of whether he took drugs at university.
But he evidently did not let his extra-curricular activities get in the way of his studies.
His tutor at Oxford, Prof Vernon Bogdanor, describes him as "one of the ablest" students he has taught, whose political views were "moderate and sensible Conservative".
After gaining a first-class degree, he briefly considered a career in journalism or banking, before answering an advertisement for a job in the Conservative Research Department.
Conservative Central Office is reported to have received a telephone call on the morning of his interview in June 1988, from an unnamed male at Buckingham Palace, who said: "I understand you are to see David Cameron.
"I've tried everything I can to dissuade him from wasting his time on politics but I have failed. I am ringing to tell you that you are about to meet a truly remarkable young man."
Music: Bob Dylan and indie rock such as The Killers, The Smiths, Radiohead and Pulp.
Books: Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves, Cider With Rosie, by Laurie Lee
Films: Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather
TV: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Killing
Leisure time: Karaoke, playing computer games - he once revealed he was addicted to Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja
Holidays: Turkey, France, Cornwall
Food: Italian, home-grown vegetables, slow-roast lamb, occasional fry-up
Drink: Red wine, real ale. Luxury item on Desert Island Discs was "a case of malt whisky from Jura"
Sport: Playing tennis, snooker, running, watching cricket. Supports Aston Villa football club, although recently got mixed up and said West Ham
Mr Cameron says he did not know the call was being made or who made it, but it is sometimes held up by his opponents as an example of his gilded passage to the top.
As a researcher, Mr Cameron was seen as hard-working and bright. He worked with future shadow home secretary David Davis on the team briefing John Major for Prime Minister's Questions, and also hooked up with George Osborne, who would go on to be his chancellor and closest political ally.
Other colleagues, in what became known as the "brat pack" were Steve Hilton, who was one of Mr Cameron's closest strategy advisers during his early days in Downing Street, and future Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
These young researchers were credited with devising the attack on Labour's tax plans that unexpectedly swung the 1992 general election for John Major.
But the remainder of Mr Cameron's time as a backroom boy in the Conservative government was more turbulent.
He was poached by then Chancellor Norman Lamont as a political adviser, and was at Mr Lamont's side throughout Black Wednesday, which saw the pound crash out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
By the early 1990s, Mr Cameron had decided he wanted to be an MP himself, but he also knew it was vital to gain experience outside of politics.
So after a brief spell as an adviser to then home secretary Michael Howard, he took a job in public relations with ITV television company Carlton.
Mr Cameron spent seven years at Carlton, as head of corporate communications, travelling the world with the firm's boss Michael Green, who has described him as "board material".
Mr Cameron went part-time from his job at Carlton in 1997 to unsuccessfully contest Stafford at that year's general election. Four years later, in 2001, he won the safe Conservative seat of Witney, in Oxfordshire, recently vacated by Shaun Woodward, who had defected to Labour.
Samantha Cameron, who works as the creative director of upmarket stationery firm Smythson of Bond Street, which counts Stella McCartney, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell among its clients, has been credited with transforming her husband's "Tory boy" image.
She has a tattoo on her ankle and went to art school in Bristol, where she says she was taught to play pool by rap star Tricky.
The couple were introduced by Mr Cameron's sister Clare, Samantha's best friend, at a party at the Cameron family home. They were married in 1996.
They have three young children, Nancy, Arthur, and Florence, who was born shortly after the family moved into Downing Street.
Their first child, Ivan, who was born profoundly disabled and needed round-the-clock care, died in February 2009.
The experience of caring for Ivan and witnessing at first hand the dedication of NHS hospital staff, is said by friends to have broadened Mr Cameron's horizons. He had, friends say, led an almost charmed life, to that point.
On entering Parliament in 2001, Mr Cameron rose rapidly through the ranks, serving first on the Home Affairs Select Committee, which recommended the liberalisation of drug laws.
He was taken under the wing of Michael Howard, who put him in charge of policy co-ordination and then made him shadow education secretary. He also had the key role of drafting the 2005 Conservative election manifesto.
But when he entered the race to succeed Mr Howard as party leader in 2005 few initially gave him a chance. He was a distant fourth at the bookmakers behind Ken Clarke, Liam Fox and frontrunner David Davis.
It took an eye-catching conference speech, delivered without notes, in what would become his trademark style, to change the minds of the party faithful.
A few may have had second thoughts, when in the early months of his leadership he spoke about how some young offenders just needed love (caricatured by his opponents as his "hug a hoodie" speech) and was pictured with huskies in the Arctic Circle on a trip to investigate climate change.
At the start of his leadership, Mr Cameron was all about sunny optimism and "sharing the proceeds of growth". He told activists in his first party conference speech to "let sunshine win the day" and managed to get a round of applause for a mention of civil partnerships.
The media, eager for a new story after years of Tory failure and with an increasingly unpopular Labour government, gave him the glowing coverage he craved, helping him to "decontaminate" the Tory brand and move the party back towards the centre ground, where, the conventional wisdom has it, British elections are won and lost.
He ordered the party to end its obsession with Europe and tried to reposition it as the party of the environment and the NHS, as well as recruiting more women and candidates from ethnic minorities to winnable seats.
He also cannily used the expenses scandal that rocked Westminster to portray himself as a radical reformer bent on cleaning up politics.
He was rewarded with big poll leads - but the financial crisis forced Mr Cameron to ditch much of his upbeat rhetoric, in favour of a more sober, even gloomy, approach, warning voters they face tough times and spending cuts ahead.
But during the course of the 2010 general election campaign, he watched much of his poll lead evaporate, with the rise of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, a man with a similar background and smooth, telegenic manner.
What's more, his big idea, the Big Society, the fruit of detailed policy work stretching back to the early days of his leadership, which envisaged parents setting up their own schools and groups of public sector workers forming co-operatives, failed to capture voters' imagination in the way he had hoped.
Mr Clegg was the surprise victor in the first televised prime ministerial debate ever held in Britain - an innovation Mr Cameron had pushed hard for - and although the Lib Dem leader's advantage had largely evaporated by polling day, the election ended without a clear winner.
Despite gaining 97 seats, the Conservatives' biggest increase in decades, Mr Cameron fell just short of the majority he needed to form a government and was forced into coalition talks with Mr Clegg's Liberal Democrats.
Before he was elected Conservative leader in 2005, David Cameron famously described himself as the "heir to Blair".
There are certainly similarities with the way he has used a small group of modernisers to force change on a reluctant party, even if it did not, in the end, produce the same seismic effect at the ballot box.
The coalition he formed with Mr Clegg functioned better than anyone expected, managing to complete a full five-year term and introduce sweeping changes to the education system, the NHS, the benefits system, pensions and much else besides.
Mr Clegg took a big hit in the opinion polls over unpopular coalition policies such as the massive cuts to public spending aimed at paying off the deficit, while Mr Cameron earned praise for his statesmanlike handling of set-piece events, such as his Commons statement on the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
To the surprise of many, possibly including himself, the greatest difficulties he encountered were not in managing the coalition with the Lib Dems but with keeping control of the increasingly vocal and rebellious right-wing of his own party.
His decision to promise a referendum on Britain's membership was seen as an attempt to placate right-wingers and stem the rise of UKIP.
But there was still a sizeable minority on the Tory backbenches who did not trust Mr Cameron and hated their party's alliance with the Lib Dems.
In August 2013, he suffered a major blow to his authority when he became the first prime minister in more than 100 years to lose a foreign policy vote, after dozens of Conservative MPs joined forces with Labour to block his plans for military intervention in Syria.
But perhaps the biggest crisis of his premiership came in the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014, when he cancelled Prime Minister's Questions to rush north of the border in an effort to save the Union, after a poll suggested the Yes campaign would win.
He was later forced to issue an apology to the Queen, after he was overheard telling New York mayor Michael Bloomberg Her Majesty had "purred down the line" when he informed her that Scotland had rejected independence.
For some, his handling of the referendum issue, by offering last-minute concessions to the nationalists, added to the idea of Mr Cameron as an "essay crisis" prime minister, who only gets fully engaged with an issue when all seems lost.
It was a criticism that came back to haunt him during the 2015 election campaign, which began with him musing about his desire not to serve a third term.
Only when the polls refused to budge, said the critics, did he roll up his sleeves and begin to display the passion some said had been lacking from his early performances.
But the late swing to the Conservatives that confounded the opinion pollsters and allowed him to form the first Tory government since John Major's in 1992 will be seen as a vindication of his risk-averse campaign strategy - his refusal to debate Labour leader Ed Miliband head-to-head and relentless focus on a handful of simple messages, in particular his "long-term economic plan".
Mr Cameron has always insisted that he works as hard as any of the previous residents of Number 10 and retains his zeal for social reform and the NHS, recently describing improving the health service as his "life's work".
He has always defended the coalition too - paying tribute to Nick Clegg in his victory speech on the steps of Downing Street - even though he increasingly spoke of his frustration at not being able to govern as a true Conservative prime minister.
All those who have wondered what he might have done had he been given a free hand, what sort of prime minister he might have been, will find out in the weeks and months ahead. | David Cameron has proved the doubters in his own party and beyond wrong by winning a majority of his own at the 2015 general election. |
35589959 | The tech giant is expected to sell up to $12bn (£8.3bn) worth of bonds with both fixed and floating interest rates.
The bonds are expected to do well because many investors currently have cash amid general market turmoil.
Apple's offer is the largest of several corporate bonds issued on Tuesday after a quiet couple of weeks for the market.
Issuing bonds, which pay an interest rate to investors, is currently relatively cheap with interest rates all but non-existent.
Investors may find Apple's bonds particularly appealing in comparison to the dividend yield from the company. This is the fifth time since 2013 that Apple has made a multi-billion dollar corporate bond offering.
IBM, Toyota, Comcast and BNY Mellon all made bond offerings on Tuesday. | Apple jumpstarted the US bond market on Tuesday with the announcement that it would sell up to ten tranches of corporate bonds. |
35671935 | 26 February 2016 Last updated at 20:50 GMT
He beat stiff competition from other canine-hopefuls to secure the role in the play 'Of Mice and Men' at the Everyman Theatre.
Steve Knibbs went along to the canine auditions. | A 12-year-old dog called Bentley has won the chance to appear on stage in Cheltenham. |
14159897 | The UN says 34 people were killed in the raid at Camp Ashraf, in Diyala province, in April 2011.
Judge Fernando Andreu has summoned Gen Ali Ghaidan Majid, the head of army, and two other officers to appear.
He is investigating allegations that crimes against humanity were committed during the raid on the camp.
The investigation is an enlargement of an existing probe on a separate raid which took place at the camp in July 2009, in which 11 people were killed.
Universal justice
Under Spain's universal justice doctrine, grave crimes committed in other countries can be prosecuted.
Judge Andreu said that the Geneva Convention applied to the case, as it addresses the protection of civilians in wartime and all those killed and injured in the attack were considered "protected persons" under the terms of the Convention.
According to documents released by Madrid's investigative court, a total of 377 "protected persons" were injured in the 8 April 2011 raid, 154 with bullet wounds.
More than 3,000 members of the banned opposition group, the People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI), have been confined by the US military at the camp since the invasion in 2003.
The group, considered a terrorist group by the US and Iran, were given permission to shelter in Iraq by former President Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 war between the two countries and they have lived at the camp ever since.
In January, the judge had said he would close the dossier into the July 2009 attack if the Iraqi authorities opened their own investigation.
Iraq responded by saying it had carried out its own legal inquiry but this was not judged sufficient by Spanish authorities.
The three Iraqi officers have been summoned to appear before the Madrid court on 3 October 2011. | A Spanish judge has summoned three Iraqi officers over a raid by Iraqi security forces on a camp housing an Iranian exile group. |
37315544 | Brexit will mean a cut in public spending unless funding is increased, the First Division Association says.
A Conservative MP who voted to leave the EU warned the work could take two decades to complete without more support from ministers.
The government said it would deliver Brexit.
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA, which represents senior civil servants, said the government could not demand that civil servants deliver public services, cuts to budgets and Brexit at the same time within current budgets.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the success of exit from the EU was threatened if it was not adequately resourced.
He said: "If you take those resources from elsewhere within government spending, it threatens the delivery of public services.
"That's the reality: you can't have your cake and eat it."
Departments whose budgets are not protected are set to have saved almost a third of their day-to-day spending by the end of this decade, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Cuts for the next four years were made at the Spending Review in November, before the EU referendum.
Mr Penman says the funding settlement should be reconsidered in the light of the Brexit vote.
He said staff at the Department for Exiting the European Union had been told it was not expected to exist in two-and-a-half years, once the UK has left the EU.
And he argued there would be a huge new task for the rest of Whitehall to then decide which EU regulations should be retained in British law and which rewritten or rejected.
He said without more resources, "Brexit will simply mean a further cut in public spending - because departments will have to cut other work to deliver the resources that are required to support the new policy areas or support the negotiating process itself."
The Conservative MP Stephen Phillips, who voted to leave the EU, said: "Rather than being the work of two years, I fear it may actually be the work of two decades unless we devote considerably more resources than the government appears to be doing at the moment to the task."
He said ministers were doing good work to deliver new trade deals, but said "there may not be an appreciation in government of quite how large this task is going to be".
A government spokeswoman said: "We have put the machinery of government behind leaving the European Union and making a success of it.
"This includes a dedicated Department for Exiting the European Union, and a Department for International Trade.
"This government is going to deliver on the national mandate for Brexit and we will deliver it in the national interest." | A lack of resources in Whitehall threatens the UK's successful exit from the EU, the head of the senior civil servants' union has warned. |
34606878 | Nicola Jones, who has learning difficulties, sustained full thickness burns to 40% of her body and was left without any flesh on her ankles.
The 32-year old was being cared for at the Real Life Options centre in Bathgate, West Lothian, in August 2013.
The company admitted breaching health and safety laws.
Support worker Sharon Dunlop, 41, from West Lothian, who had failed to check the water temperature, pleaded guilty last month at Livingstone Sheriff Court to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
During sentencing on Thursday she was made the subject of a community payback order and told to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.
Sheriff Peter Hammond told her: "Unknown to you because of a technical fault in the water system the water flowing into the bath was scalding hot, but you failed to check the temperature of the water and when Nicola Jones stepped into the bath she was unable to communicate the nature of the emergency."
The sheriff said it had appeared to have been an "isolated error" but said it was a "serious and reprehensible" breach of duty of care.
Solicitor advocate Raymond McMenamin, defending, said his client, who has no previous convictions, had found the consequences "deeply upsetting".
"This was a single error, albeit a tragic one, there was no malice or intent to injure," he added.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found no risk assessment was in place at the venue at the time for the risk of exposure to scalding water.
It issued two improvement notices following the incident addressing this and the company has since complied, the court heard.
Solicitor advocate John McGovern, defending, said there was nothing he could say to detract from the "terrible and tragic nature of this incident", but said the company has apologised to Ms Jones and her family.
The sheriff said it had been a "serious failing" on the company's part but in determining sentence he said he took into account its "exemplary" record and the fact it was a not-for-profit organisation.
Speaking outside court after sentencing, HSE inspector Hazel Dobb said: "The injuries sustained by Nicola Jones were easily preventable by the simple act of checking the water temperature before she entered.
"Employers should ensure that their staff are provided with a thermometer and training in the safety aspects of bathing or showering people for whom they provide personal care.
"Thermostatic mixing valves that reduce the maximum temperature of the water at the tap have reduced the number of accidents such as this and are a requirement in registered care homes.
"However, they are no replacement for a physical check of the water temperature. I would also urge anyone with an immersion heater to check that it has a secondary thermostatic cut-out to prevent the hot tank boiling if it fails." | A care home provider has been fined £20,000 after a woman was burned so badly by scalding bath water, she needed to have all her toes amputated. |
32698484 | Number 10 made the announcement late on Monday.
It had become clear earlier in the day that a new individual would take the helm when the previous incumbent, Greg Clark, was put in charge of Communities and Local Government.
Jo Johnson studied modern history at Balliol College, Oxford, and was first elected to parliament in 2010.
The Orpington MP went into the election as head of the Downing Street Policy Unit.
His pre-parliament career was spent as an investment banker and a journalist.
He had 13 years on the Financial Times, including stints as a foreign correspondent.
As science and universities minister, Mr Johnson will report to the new business secretary, Sajid Javid.
Mr Johnson has made few statements of record on the topic of science and research.
Some topics he has touched will however chime with the concerns expressed by the scientific community.
For one, he has spoken out on the importance of allowing students to come to the UK. In a recent FT article, he wrote: "Britain's universities are a globally competitive export sector and well-placed to make a greater contribution to growth. With economic growth at a premium, the UK should be wary of artificially hobbling it."
He is also considered to be supportive of the European Union, which has become an increasingly important source of funding for UK-based scientists.
For example, a fifth of all the money from the European Research Council, the EU's blue riband funding agency, now goes to grantees in Britain. The prospect of losing this funding source will weigh heavy on the research community as the country moves towards the in-out referendum promised by the prime minister.
Commenting on Mr Johnson's appointment, Naomi Weir, the acting director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, said: "There is enormous opportunity for science and engineering to drive economic prosperity and public wellbeing.
"In his new role, Jo Johnson is in a strong position to ensure science and engineering is a central feature of the government's long-term economic plan.
"I look forward to working with him to ensure the UK has the people, the funding and the policies for science and engineering to thrive."
For the duration of the previous parliament, the public science budget was held flat at £4.6bn per annum, and its value was consequently eroded by inflation. Case says the investment as it now stands, below 0.5% of GDP, is the lowest in the G8.
The Society of Biology, which held a debate with the various science spokespeople from the main parties during the election, issued a statement on Monday from its chief executive, Mark Downs.
He said: "The new government can no longer simply be positive about science. With over £1bn wiped off the research budget as a result of inflation over the last five years there needs to be a real commitment to see research as an investment and grow expenditure well above the levels of inflation."
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Jo Johnson, the brother of London Mayor Boris Johnson, is to be the new Minister for Universities and Science. |
38506323 | The charity said it spends about £15,000 per year cleaning up after illegal fly-tippers and litterers.
It said it had seen "significant" fly-tipping in rural Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Borders and East Lothian.
The trust said urban sites in the central belt, including Dundee and Irvine, were the worst affected.
Other items dumped on the reserves included tyres, carpets, mattresses and building and plumbing waste.
The trust said the total cost included staff time and hiring contractors to remove large items and hazardous substances.
Further costs were incurred by putting preventative measures in place, including installing height barriers to the trust's car parks.
Head of reserves Alan Anderson said: "Fly-tipping is illegal and it poses a danger to both people and wildlife.
"It's sad that some thoughtless individuals are dumping their waste on our reserves, forcing us as a charity to use our supporters' money to clear up after them.
"Unfortunately the actions of a few people mean that many of our staff and volunteers have to spend a great deal of time clearing up rubbish when they could be working on more important projects such as creating and restoring wildlife habitats." | Fridges, burned-out vehicles and asbestos were among the items dumped in Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserves last year. |
39998669 | These cooking methods significantly increase levels of antioxidants which protect cells against diseases, but boiling or frying reduces them.
A study, from Spain, looked at the properties of four different types of mushrooms before and after cooking.
Adding a little oil when grilling can even improve the nutritional value of the mushrooms.
Plenty, it turns out. They contain protein, including essential amino acids, fibre and lots of vitamins - such as B, C , D and E.
They are also low in calories and fat.
In this study, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, researchers analysed how cooking methods altered white button, shiitake, oyster and king oyster mushrooms.
Frying resulted in protein and carbohydrates being lost from the mushrooms, as well as antioxidant compounds.
Antioxidants are vitamins and chemicals that play a key role in protecting the body against free radicals, which are linked to heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
What happens is that they disappear into the oil in the frying pan, reducing the goodness of the mushrooms.
So losing them isn't great news.
But, on the other hand, fried mushrooms do taste great with onions and garlic.
Boiling mushrooms also led to high levels of proteins and antioxidants being lost from the fungi.
The researchers put this down to the good stuff leaking out of the mushrooms into the water in the pan.
As a result, their nutritional value was reduced.
However, boiling did improve the glucans content of the mushrooms. They are found in fungi and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
The best way to retain vitamins and nutrients when cooking vegetables is to use short cooking times.
It's also best to use as little liquid as possible.
This means using a microwave is a good method of cooking because fewer of the good things are lost - unlike boiling where they end up in the cooking water.
In this study, the researcher Irene Roncero-Ramos, from the Mushroom Technological Research Center of La Rioja, said: "When mushrooms were cooked by microwave or grill, the content of polyphenol and antioxidant activity increased significantly and there are no significant issues in nutritional value of the cooked mushrooms."
Even though cooking in oil can cause nutrients to be lost, mushrooms grilled in a small amount of oil increased their antioxidant properties.
And when olive oil was used, fatty acids increased without any rise in calorie content, the researchers said.
Research from the past 10 years or so shows that eating antioxidant-rich foods can benefit our general health.
They are vitamins, minerals and other chemicals that help protect our cells - and are found in lots of different types of food, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses and fish.
But they aren't the answer to everything.
A healthy, balanced diet containing a wide variety of foods in the right proportions is recommended.
According to NHS Choices, fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals and should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day.
That's because fruit and vegetables can help lower the risk of health issues such as high blood pressure, obesity and some cancers. | The healthiest way to cook mushrooms is to microwave or grill them to preserve their goodness, researchers say. |
37764138 | The 29-year-old has scored 19 tries in 39 Tests but has not featured for the national side since Eddie Jones was appointed head coach in November 2015.
Ashton joined Sarries in 2012 and has won two Premiership titles and the European Champions Cup at Allianz Park.
"It will be a real wrench for me to leave," he said.
Ashton is serving a 13-week ban for biting and can play for Saracens again on 19 December.
The former Northampton player served a 10-week suspension earlier this year for making contact with the eye area of an opponent, which resulted in him missing England's Six Nations campaign.
After being overlooked for the summer tour of Australia by Jones, Ashton chose not to tour with the England Saxons in South Africa.
Ashton had said he intended to win back his England place on his return from his current ban, but a move to France would end any hopes of an international recall with the Rugby Football Union not picking players based outside the Premiership.
Former England fly-half Paul Grayson, who as Northampton coach recruited Ashton from rugby league side Wigan Warriors in 2007, told BBC Radio 5 live last week that a switch to Toulon would be "cathartic" for Ashton following his disciplinary issues.
"I'd like to put on record my thanks to [director of rugby] Mark McCall, our chairman Nigel Wray and the whole team at Saracens for the manner in which they have dealt with my request to join Toulon," Ashton added.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Allianz Park but I'm looking forward to a new challenge at Toulon next year."
Saracens have released Ashton from the final year of his contract to allow him to move to Toulon, and boss Mark McCall hopes he can make a "big contribution" for the north London club when he returns from suspension in December.
"We understand his reasons for wanting to go," McCall told BBC Radio 5 live.
"In our opinion the best place for him to be as a rugby player is here, but obviously he doesn't believe that.
"Chris made the decision that he was going to call time on his time at Saracens and seek a new challenge. It's disappointing for us but we will move on quickly.
"Chris has done a great job for this club over four and a half seasons and hopefully he can be part of something good again this year."
BBC Radio 5 live rugby reporter Chris Jones
This draws a line under Ashton's international career - but in reality he was highly unlikely to play under Eddie Jones.
Ashton is serving his second long suspension of 2016 and, having pulled out of the Saxons tour in the summer, he has slipped way down the pecking order. This move is about him seeking a fresh start overseas.
Even though his England career has ended in an unsatisfactory way, at his best he was one of the top wingers in the world with a fine strike-rate.
His form for Saracens over the past couple of seasons indicates he will be a big hit at Toulon. | Saracens and England winger Chris Ashton will join French Top 14 side Toulon at the end of the 2016-17 Premiership season. |
18207109 | The former England Under-21 player will join up with the Championship club as a free agent on 1 July, after signing an undisclosed deal.
Lewis joined Posh in January 2008 from Norwich City, having spent loan spells at Stockport County and Morecambe.
The 6ft 6in stopper made almost 190 appearances for Peterborough and will contest the goalkeeping position with David Marshall, another ex-Canary.
Cardiff needed to strengthen their goalkeeping options after releasing Tom Heaton earlier this month, along with defenders Lee Naylor and Paul Quinn.
Marshall was Cardiff boss Malky Mackay's preferred choice between the posts in the league last season and the Scotland international has recently signed a new three-year deal. | Peterborough United goalkeeper Joe Lewis has agreed to join Cardiff City. |
38328969 | Smith, from Peterborough, was banned for two months by British Gymnastics after the video emerged on 7 October.
The 27-year-old apologised over the clip, in which he was seen laughing and imitating Islamic prayers.
But city councillor Mohammed Jamil said Smith's apology meant he had "done enough" to earn his forgiveness.
Mr Jamil, who is a Muslim, said he had wondered if it were appropriate that Smith should "represent such a diverse city of Peterborough" while considering the honour.
He said he also had several people contacting him who asked: "Are you really sure about this?"
But he said his view changed after Smith instantly apologised, missed the Olympic celebrations in order to visit mosques and spoke on Islam Radio in Peterborough.
Labour councillor Mr Jamil said: "Part of our religion is to forgive. He had done enough to earn my forgiveness."
A panel of Peterborough leaders unanimously voted to give Smith and two Paralympians, James Fox and wheelchair basketball star Lee Manning, the honour.
In a Tweet, Smith said he was "humbled and honoured".
A city council spokeswoman said: "Each of the nominations were unanimously approved by councillors, and each will now be officially awarded in a ceremony in the new year."
In October, Dr Omer El-Hamdoon, deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, praised British Gymnastics for taking action against Smith, and fellow gymnast Luke Carson, who was also featured in the leaked film.
He said: "We hope they reflect upon their actions and realise the need for people to follow their faith with dignity." | Olympian Louis Smith has been granted the freedom of his home city, just weeks after a film in which he mocked Islam was posted online. |
38637819 | The move follows claims that the law is being exploited as a money-laundering front for international organised crime.
The legal status of a limited liability partnership can be protected from scrutiny.
It also gives the partners the capacity to handle money that is not open to their English equivalents.
Concerns about criminal activity have been highlighted in reports published in The Herald newspaper.
The issue has also been raised by SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said it was calling for evidence at the start of its review, following "the sharp growth" of limited partnerships in Scotland.
It said their number had more than trebled since 2011, while there was a rise of less than 50% south of the border.
Last year, the Herald reported that shell firms advertised as "Scottish zero-tax offshore companies" were being marketed across the European Union.
It claimed at least a dozen agencies in Latvia, Ukraine and Russia were selling Scottish limited partnerships so people could secure bank accounts in countries such as Latvia and Cyprus.
In a statement, BEIS said it would gather evidence on the use of limited partnerships across the country, with a particular focus on those registered in Scotland.
It added: "The call for evidence launched today will help inform what further action, if any, is required to prevent limited partnerships being used as a front for unlawful activities such as money laundering and tax evasion, while also ensuring that the limited partnership business model continues to provide an efficient and flexible vehicle for legitimate business use."
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: "It is right the UK government launches this call for evidence into the use of Scottish limited partnerships for possible criminal activity.
"Work by campaign groups and a series of media reports have highlighted growing concerns which require to be taken very seriously.
"I would urge businesses and organisations in Scotland to share their views. It is important we are able to gather as much information as we can."
The SNP's Treasury spokesman, Roger Mullin, welcomed the review.
He said: "This is a welcome U-turn from the UK government who have finally caved in to months of pressure from the SNP to carry out a review into the links between SLPs (Scottish limited partnerships) and criminal activity.
"Having previously rejected and voted against our calls for an investigation, this change of heart from the UK government is a step in the right direction, and a victory for the SNP and all those who have campaigned on this issue.
"We know that the links between SLPs and criminality pose a threat to combating organised crime. Understanding the scope, scale and extent of the criminal links with SLPs is the only way in which we can move forward to a practical and effective solution."
He added: "While we are pleased with today's development, it is merely the first step.
"The SNP will submit a series of new clauses to the upcoming Criminal Finance Bill, which will aim to hold the UK government to account on their commitment to shine light into this murky world, and deliver on their promise." | The UK government's business department has launched a review of Scotland's law on limited partnerships. |
30146196 | Emily Thornberry, the Labour MP for Islington in north London, and formerly shadow attorney general, tweeted the picture on Thursday.
The words "image from Rochester" were posted with the picture.
But what people thought she was suggesting was enough to cause a row. Why?
Forget the media and politicians, Newsbeat answers this question by talking to white van man himself. In fact, a few of them.
Tim Casey drives around London every day. He doesn't think Thornberry needed to quit: ''There is too much pressure on these guys and it is a big fuss over nothing.''
We caught up with Dan and Matt making deliveries.
They think Thornberry's tweet unfairly portrays people who do their job.
Matt told us: ''I think she is being totally stereotypical to be honest, what is wrong with putting up a few England flags?'
''Just because we do a manual job does not mean we are any lesser than any MP we all graft for our living,'' adds Dan.
''We are manual workers, I have been my whole life and I understand politics much better than they will ever understand manual labour.
''There is nothing wrong with driving a white van. This is all I drive to be honest and I love it.''
Harpit Kholan drives a large white van. He too heard about the tweet, but isn't too bothered.
"It's just trying to create a headline and I would not think much of it,'' he told Newsbeat.
By Greg DawsonNewsbeat politics reporter
For many people the white van is a symbol of Britain's working class. When Emily Thornberry sent that tweet many people interpreted it as a Labour politician being snobby about the very people her party are supposed to represent.
She has since claimed that she was simply surprised at the sight of a house covered in three St George's flags but some people say this tweet shows how Labour politicians are out of touch with ordinary voters.
Labour leader Ed Miliband is said to be furious about the tweet. He knows that to stand a chance of winning next May's general election, he'll need the votes of plenty of people who fly St George's flag outside their home or drive a white van.
Instead, this tweet gives the impression that some of his MPs look down on the very people they depend on to win elections.
The term "white van man" became a well-known phrase the 1990s, used by comedians like Jo Brand.
It was first printed in a newspaper in The Sunday Times in 1997. A bit later, a column was dedicated to the white van man in The Sun for several years.
A study of more than 250 "white van men" by the Oxford-based Social Issues Research Centre found these drivers were viewed with hostility by the British public, with some comparing them to football hooligans.
Another study focused on the road skills of the white van man, measuring how close different vehicles drove to cyclists.
The results suggested van drivers gave cyclists less room than cars.
But figures published by the government earlier this year showed that in 2012 van drivers were half as likely to be involved in accidents compared with normal cars
Of course white van man is not the only stereotype on British roads, there is also "Mondeo man" - an average middle earning person who wants a nice simple life and drives a pretty normal car.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | This picture of a white van parked on a drive of a house in Rochester, the St George's cross flag flying from the windows, has cost a shadow minister her job. |
32397018 | Scottish capercaillie have declined to as few as 1,000 individuals since the 1970s.
Adult birds and their chicks feed on blaeberry leaves and the insects the plants attract.
The new research suggests better quality blaeberries are found where trees have been thinned out.
The study published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) said it was likely that in these areas the plants benefitted from an increase in sunlight and also nutrients from cut branches left to rot on the forest floor.
More research would be needed to better understand how woodland management could aid this process, the report has recommended.
Scientists examined woodland in Strathspey in the Cairngorms National Park where 75% of Scotland's capercaillie are found.
The species of grouse have suffered serious decline because of habitat loss, wet summers and adult birds dying in collisions with deer fencing at commercial forests.
Sue Haysom of SNH said: "This report improves our understanding of the complex relationships between weather, habitat, predators and capercaillie breeding success and how these factors vary across key woods in Strathspey."
RSPB Scotland's Ron Summers said: "This study of data amassed over 10 years has helped further our knowledge of the various factors that impact on capercaillie breeding success in Strathspey.
"As the last stronghold for capercaillie in the UK, we need to understand why their productivity varies significantly and so markedly across this area."
He added: "Capercaillie numbers have decreased rapidly since the 1970s and this report will help inform our future conservation efforts to save these magnificent birds in Scotland."
Blaeberries have long been regarded as having benefits for human diets too.
Since the 14th Century they have been held up as a cure for kidney stones.
The leaves can be used to make tea, while a syrup made of the berries is said to relieve diarrhoea. | Managing woodland in a way that boosts the quality of blaeberries could in turn help to better protect a rare bird, a new report suggests. |
37006911 | Exports fell by 4.4% compared to a year earlier, which was a slight improvement over June's 4.8% drop but still worse than analysts had been expecting.
Imports were also weaker than estimated, down by 12.5%.
As China is a crucial driver of the worldwide economy, the data is seen as a snapshot of the global outlook.
The country's exports have fallen for 12 out of the past 13 months.
Global uncertainty ranging from low commodity prices to the EU debt crisis and the UK leaving the bloc continues to mute economic activity around the world.
'Lacklustre'
The figures do "not bode well for the state of global demand, given that Chinese exports benefited from a weaker currency," Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics wrote in a note.
"Looking forward, we expect the trade data to remain lacklustre in the coming months, given our outlook of subdued momentum in global trade and China's domestic demand."
In US dollar denominated terms, exports fell to $184.7bn (£141bn) while imports dropped to $132.4bn.
This leaves the country with a trade surplus of $52.31bn for the month of July.
The sluggish domestic demand indicates that Beijing's efforts to boost consumption to spur growth have yet to take effect.
The fresh data, though, comes on the heels of better-than-expected economic growth in the second quarter.
Gross domestic product expanded by 6.7% in the three months to June compared to a year earlier, China's statistics bureau said last month. | Chinese exports have seen a further decline in July, adding to concerns over the global economic outlook. |
32655030 | It has produced advice for scientists and the media on choosing names.
The WHO says Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Spanish Flu are examples of what to avoid because they mention specific locations.
Instead, names should contain generic terms that are "easy to pronounce".
The WHO said several new human infectious diseases had emerged in recent years and some had stigmatised certain cultures, regions and economies.
Dr Keiji Fukuda, assistant director general for health security at the WHO, said: "This may seem like a trivial issue to come, but disease names really do matter to the people who are directly affected."
Dr Fukuda said certain disease names had created a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities.
They had also put up barriers to travel, commerce and trade, he added, and in some cases triggered the needless slaughtering of animals.
"This can have serious consequences for people's lives and livelihoods."
The WHO has listed a number of best practices for naming new diseases which have not been recognised in humans before.
They include using specific or generic descriptive terms if they are known, such as 'severe', 'progressive' or 'respiratory disease' and making names short and easily pronounceable.
Any acronyms for longer names should be checked, the advice adds.
Disease names which incite fear, include people's names, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or refer to specific occupations, for example Legionnaires' disease, should be avoided. | New human diseases should be given socially acceptable names which do not offend people and countries or mention animals, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. |
34183428 | For two months, there was feverish speculation about the fate of the Moranbong Band. Where was the all-female group? Had they been purged? Had they grown too popular for their own good?
The group hadn't been seen on television in North Korea since July, prompting pieces only this week about "purges" and people's "changing status".
"Kim Jong-un's favourite North Korean girl band vanishes", ran one headline last week. It echoed another: "Kim's favourite girl band vanishes 'to face the music'".
But no sooner had the cyber-ink dried, than the band were back on stage at a big concert in Pyongyang.
Nobody knows quite why the Moranbong Band went quiet. Celebrity gossip is hard enough to decipher even in the open West, let alone North Korea.
All we know is that since July, the band's high-energy performances of Western classics and Pyongyang propaganda were relayed to audiences only as sound recordings covered by pictures of street scenes and the North Korean countryside.
In North Korea, when public figures disappear there is invariably speculation. Have they been executed? How did they fall out of favour with Kim Jong-un? But in this case it seems more innocent.
They certainly hadn't fallen out of favour with Mr Kim, who attended their performance on Monday with a visiting delegation from Cuba.
According to local media, the band played Cuban and North Korean favourites, including an orchestral version of Pyongyang is Best.
"At the end of the performance, stormy cheers of 'hurrah' resounded through the theatre," reported state media, adding: "Kim Jong-un warmly waved back, to the enthusiastic cheers of the performers and the audience."
Before the band's reappearance, speculation was heightened by the appearance of a new group called the Chongbong Band, formed in July, around the time Moranbong disappeared.
North Korea's state news agency described the newcomer as a "promising revolutionary art troupe", leading South Korean media to speculate they had been created because the Moranbong Band had been disbanded.
It would have been a precipitous fall from grace for Moranbong since their first performance in July 2012.
Their style is quite Western, though alongside heavily produced numbers like My Way and the Theme from Rocky, sit more distinctly North Korean works like O My Motherland Full of Hope and We Think of the Marshall Day and Night (The Marshall being Kim Jong-un).
Their look, too, betrays Western influences. They wear mildly provocative outfits in a style sometimes called "conservative sexy" - short skirts and tight clothes that avoided breaching North Korean decorum but racy enough to get them compared with South Korea's sometimes raunchy girl bands.
The multi-talented, typically 12-piece played electric violins, cellos, saxophones, synthesisers, drums and keyboards, as well as singing. But while their highly choreographed routines are glossy, their more recent performances have toned down the Western influences - perhaps significantly, perhaps not.
The positive press wasn't limited to Pyongyang, with even Western newspapers praising them as "North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's favourite guitar-slinging, miniskirt-sporting girl group. And these ladies know how to shimmy".
The UK's Daily Telegraph said the band were "not what you'd expect from an unfashionably totalitarian regime where grey is the new grey", though the reviewer added: "It could just about pass as a Eurovision entry from Azerbaijan."
What isn't known is the line-up of the band at Monday's performance. There is a focus on the band's leader, the violinist Sonu Hyang-hui. Was she back at the front or still absent?
As Adam Cathcart of the University of Leeds put it before the band's reappearance, "Sonu, a highly accomplished violinist, had previously been lauded as the closest thing North Korea had to an instrumental pop star. Her disappearance indicates yet more churn."
But perhaps presciently, he added that "while intelligence sources in Seoul have made it a habit (frequently inaccurately) to state that North Korean 'orchestral musicians' have faced execution squads, no-one has so far asserted that Ms Sonu, a regime favourite and public symbol, has faced the same fate".
There is a lesson to all this: don't over-speculate on what goes on inside North Korea. Lots of nasty things happen in North Korea, particularly in its political prison camps. But not all the horrible things reported are true. | A popular North Korean band has just taught the chatterers and pundits a lesson - don't read too much into a disappearance. |
36215809 | Bristol Channel pilot cutters, all built between 1904 and 1909, will be taking part in a regatta off Mumbles on Saturday and Sunday.
They include the 56ft (18m) Olga, which is owned by Swansea council and has undergone refurbishments above and below deck thanks to lottery funding.
The other pilot cutters taking part are Alpha, Dolphin, Mascotte and Peggy.
They will be leaving their moorings at Swansea marina at about 08:00 BST on both days, with the races starting at 09:30.
Built for speed, the vessels were used to take pilots out into the Bristol Channel to intercept sailing barques and then guide them back to their home ports.
Frances Jenkins, from Swansea council, said the city has a rich maritime heritage and the races were a "fantastic spectacle" and a "great opportunity to be transported back to yesteryear".
The event is part of this summer's Enjoy Swansea programme. | Five historical vessels are set to go head to head in races off Swansea. |
39905405 | Simon Murray drove his 17th goal of the season to put United ahead.
The Bairns regained their composure and Joe McKee crossed for James Craigen to perfectly time a scissor-kick finish.
Blair Spittal restored the Tangerines' lead but Falkirk equalised again when McKee found the top corner with a wonderful 30-yard free-kick.
The sides will meet again at the Falkirk Stadium on Friday and the eventual winner will face Hamilton Academical or Inverness Caledonian Thistle - whichever side finishes second bottom in the top flight - in the final.
Both sides experienced spells of dominance, with Falkirk edging it before the break.
Bairns boss Peter Houston - who led United to Scottish Cup glory almost seven years ago to the day - did have to watch his former employers take the lead, though.
Tangerines forward Thomas Mikkelsen got the better of Luca Gasparotto to flick on Cammy Bell's long kick and Murray raced on to the ball and rifled it confidently across goal into the far left corner.
The Dundee-born striker has been prolific for his home city club in these play-offs - that being his third goal in as many games after netting in both legs of the quarter-final against Greenock Morton.
But the visitors responded. Craigen was primed and ready to make the most of McKee's delicious delivery, connecting acrobatically to send the ball into Bell's net.
Craigen, Lee Miller and Nathan Austin all went close for the Bairns before half-time, yet it was the home side who nudged themselves in front again at the start of the second period.
Like Murray, who turned creator, Spittal netted to make it three goals for him in the three play-off matches. The former Queen's Park midfielder produced an accurate, if unexpected, low finish into the far corner from the right edge of the box.
The game would swing again, however, and it was another strike of tremendous quality for both the Falkirk fans and Houston on the touchline to enjoy.
Most thought McKee would send his set piece from wide on the left into the box, but the former Morton man hammered the ball into the top left corner past a despairing Bell.
Miller's replacement John Baird thought he had added a third for the Bairns with a really nicely directed header from Craigen's cross, but referee Bobby Madden disallowed after the flag was raised by his assistant.
And, in stoppage time, Bairns goalkeeper Robbie Thomson clawed away Mikkelsen's looping header to ensure it ended all square.
Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon: "I enjoyed the game. It was an interesting game.
"They've come out and given everything, they've taken the lead twice, there's a desire to win the game so I'm very pleased and the game's still sitting in the balance going into Friday.
"We can certainly go down there and win and we'll go down there with a really positive mentality and we can't wait for the game.
"We'd obviously have liked to have taken a win down there, an advantage. I'm sure it'll be an open game."
Falkirk manager Peter Houston: "It was a terrific game. Both teams had a go. We showed great character. We changed our system and the system worked for us.
"I thought for 10 minutes of the first half, we lost it but I think the rest of the game, we more or less dominated.
"We look forward to Friday night. We know it's going to be a difficult game - winner take all - but we're more than confident that we can make the final of the play-off again.
"What we have to cut out is silly goals."
Match ends, Dundee United 2, Falkirk 2.
Second Half ends, Dundee United 2, Falkirk 2.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Willo Flood.
Attempt blocked. Aaron Muirhead (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Thomas Mikkelsen (Dundee United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Attempt missed. Thomas Mikkelsen (Dundee United) header from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Foul by Thomas Mikkelsen (Dundee United).
Aaron Muirhead (Falkirk) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Mark Durnan (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John Baird (Falkirk).
Substitution, Dundee United. Paul Dixon replaces Jamie Robson.
Substitution, Falkirk. Robert McHugh replaces Nathan Austin.
Substitution, Falkirk. Tom Taiwo replaces Craig Sibbald.
Attempt saved. John Baird (Falkirk) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Nathan Austin (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by William Edjenguele (Dundee United).
Craig Sibbald (Falkirk) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sean Dillon (Dundee United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Craig Sibbald (Falkirk).
Attempt saved. Charlie Telfer (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Tony Andreu (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Blair Spittal (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Craig Sibbald (Falkirk).
Substitution, Falkirk. John Baird replaces Lee Miller.
Substitution, Dundee United. Charlie Telfer replaces Wato Kuate.
Goal! Dundee United 2, Falkirk 2. Joe McKee (Falkirk) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
Foul by Mark Durnan (Dundee United).
Nathan Austin (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Dundee United. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
Attempt blocked. William Edjenguele (Dundee United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Dundee United. Conceded by Peter Grant.
Willo Flood (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Craigen (Falkirk).
Goal! Dundee United 2, Falkirk 1. Blair Spittal (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Simon Murray.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Jamie Robson.
Foul by Willo Flood (Dundee United).
Lee Miller (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Willo Flood (Dundee United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Wato Kuate.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Willo Flood. | Dundee United and Falkirk shared four brilliant goals in an enthralling Premiership play-off semi-final first leg at Tannadice. |
34237693 | There was the noise, first of all. Walls and walls of noise. There was the sight of a packed house and a winning Aberdeen team coming together in celebration - and it was powerful. The team answered all the questions we brought with us.
Are they a better footballing side than last season? Yes. Are they stronger psychologically? It would seem so. After four straight losses, are they capable of beating Celtic? They've done it. Are they capable of doing it in adversity? Yes, again.
It was hard to take your eyes off what was happening among the red masses but it was worth it, just to see what some Celtic players were up to. What happened was an illustration of where this team is at right now.
Dedryck Boyata and Nir Bitton went to the referee, Craig Thomson, and gesticulated angrily. Boyata, in particular, was perilously close to losing the plot. The sense of injustice, presumably, came from an incident in the 34th minute when Thomson blundered in not sending off Andrew Considine for the foul that brought Celtic a penalty - and the lead.
Considine should have walked, no question. But, even still, this was a buck-passing exercise from these Celtic players, an attempt to shift the blame to a place - any place - except where the blame truly lay: themselves.
The strong-willed player would have accepted that though Thomson wronged them, their performance was lamentably lacking and deserving of nothing.
It was the raging Boyata who needlessly gave away a penalty that levelled it up at 1-1. It was Celtic who played the last 20 minutes with a one-man advantage after Jonny Hayes was sent off and yet did nothing with it.
It was the Celtic manager who brought on Efe Ambrose and not Saidy Janko to replace Mikael Lustig. In Malmo, Janko was among the few Celtic players who held up fairly well. At Pittodrie, it was Ambrose who daftly gave away the free-kick that led to the winning goal.
When Ronny Deila was looking for a goal against 10 men he sent on James Forrest and then Nadir Ciftci and, inexplicably, kept Kris Commons on the bench.
Commons has a track record of tormenting Aberdeen, scoring 10 times against the Dons. How glad - and perplexed - the home fans must have been to see him staying put on the sideline. Deila's substitutions were a mystery.
More than that - and this cuts to the heart of the feebleness of Boyata's and Bitton's and, later, Leigh Griffiths' blame game - Celtic couldn't defend a routine delivery into their penalty area for the winning goal.
Craig Gordon, Tyler Blackett and Scott Brown were all culpable. So often in games of late, a ball comes into the Celtic box and there is wholesale panic. Nobody takes responsibility. Everybody is second-guessing each other. It's a collective defensive malaise that Deila has seen too often and has not fixed.
For the winner on Saturday, Paul Quinn stood his ground, watched Celtic men leave him alone a few yards from goal and tapped it home. It was a goal that was illustrative of the improved mentality of Derek McInnes' team, but also another sign of Celtic's vulnerability.
It was a day for the Dons; joyous, and for some, lucrative. The bookmakers had them at 3-1 to win. In places, they were as long as 7-2. The odds-layers don't often get it wrong, but their prices were based on what happened last season and not what has been happening this season.
Aberdeen are a stronger force, Celtic weaker. Aberdeen have added Graeme Shinnie and Celtic have lost Virgil van Dijk. Aberdeen have Kenny McLean, who has now settled into the team and is almost like a new player, and Celtic are without Jason Denayer.
Celtic's two departed centre-halves didn't just bring authority and defensive ballast to these fixtures last season, they brought goals. Important goals. Denayer scored the opener in two of the four meetings in 2014-15. Van Dijk scored the winner in another. Their absence has narrowed the gap.
Other key Celtic players from last season remain, but they're looking shadows of themselves.
Gordon is still a supreme shot-stopper but he has become indecisive when the ball is in the air around him. Boyata wants to play like Van Dijk but the better comparison is with the accident-prone Ambrose. Brown is toiling in midfield. The verve of Gary Mackay-Steven has been lost. On days such as the one at Pittodrie, Stefan Johansen is a run-of-the-mill player.
Without the energy and goals of Griffiths, Celtic would have more problems. They have somehow got into a situation where the understudy to Griffiths is the unimpressive Ciftci and the understudy to him is Anthony Stokes, who isn't even mapped.
There's another thing. On Saturday, Aberdeen did to Celtic what Celtic have done to them. They withstood a red card and then hit the 11 men with a sucker-punch at the end. They did it with some quality and a lot of hunger. Aberdeen looked a side that needed victory like it needed its next breath.
Maybe it was just a one-off.
Maybe - surely - Celtic will galvanise themselves at some point and re-establish dominance through the course of the season, but Saturday was a day that dangled the carrot of a truly competitive league and a serious challenger to the team from the east end of Glasgow.
The thought of a real - and sustainable - title race is something everybody should welcome, even Celtic. When the smoke clears, they should realise that fear can be a good thing. They've been without it for too long in the league.
Saturday showed that Aberdeen are a burgeoning force. They haven't just put Celtic on the back foot, they've put them firmly on their backside. | There was so much to take in, but at Pittodrie on Saturday the scenes at the end of a tumultuous Aberdeen-Celtic game told you much about the current state of the big two in the Scottish Premiership. |
30700676 | Mr McDonnell, 60, was convicted on 11 charges in September, including wire fraud and receiving property based on his official duties.
Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years while his defence asked the judge for community service.
The six-week trial exposed the McDonnell family's strained marriage and shaky finances.
His wife, Maureen, was also found guilty in September of eight charges. She will be sentenced in February.
The couple accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans, including a Rolex watch, designer clothing and vacations in exchange for promoting Star Scientific, a vitamin firm, and doing favours for its chief executive, Jonnie Williams.
Mr Williams testified under immunity as the prosecution's star witness.
On Tuesday, Mr McDonnell, once a rising star of the Republican party, told the judge ahead of sentencing he was "a heartbroken and humbled man".
"I allowed my life to get way out of balance," he said.
But outside of court, he said he still disagreed with the verdict and his defence would be appealing his conviction.
The former governor did not react when the judge handed down the sentence.
Mr McDonnell must report to prison by 9 February. | Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has been sentenced to two years in prison for public corruption. |
40046279 | The event was organised by the Hunter Foundation, set up by the philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.
Thousands of people gathered at the venue but were disappointed when Mr Obama avoided the front entrance.
The former president had visited St Andrews earlier, playing a round of golf on the Old Course.
Mr Obama had arrived in Edinburgh by private jet, on what was his first visit to Scotland.
A large crowd outside the charity dinner were told by police that Mr Obama would not be making a public arrival.
Stewart Kermack, 61, from Prestwick, said: "I came especially to see Obama. I think he is a great guy and was a very charismatic leader."
Jody Mulvey, 20, from Edinburgh said: "I'm disappointed we didn't get to see Obama but I understand after everything that's going on right now."
The dinner at the EICC is thought to be one of his first major addresses since his term as president came to an end.
Tickets for a table of 10 at the event are understood to have cost about £5,000.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was at the dinner.
Although the media were not allowed inside, Mr Obama is reported to have said that in times of inequality people turn to simplistic and populist answers on the left and the right.
He also spoke about the Manchester bombing, saying it is not possible to solve lone wolf attacks perfectly.
If someone is determined and willing to die, he said, it is almost impossible to prevent that entirely.
All of the cash raised at the dinner will be split between children's charities in Scotland and the Obama Foundation.
Security was tight in Edinburgh as police stepped up resources around major events in the wake of the Manchester bombing.
Comedian Kevin Bridges, singer Annie Lennox and Scottish band Texas provided entertainment at the event and young people were also involved.
Thirteen-year-old Mila Stricevic, from Glasgow, read a poem after winning a schools competition.
Mr Obama, a golfing enthusiast, had been joined in St Andrews by Sir Tom Hunter, whose charitable foundation had invited Obama to speak in Edinburgh.
After completing the third hole, Mr Obama spoke to the crowd who had been following him around the course.
He shook hands with people and asked them how they were doing before heading back to play golf.
The Hunter Foundation has previously arranged for US politicians and actors including Bill Clinton, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney to come to Scotland.
Last year, Leonardo DiCaprio travelled to Edinburgh to speak at the Scottish Business Awards at the EICC.
Announcing Barack Obama's visit in April, Sir Tom said: "From the south side of Chicago to the White House has been an epic, historic journey and it will be a true honour to hear that story from the man who made that journey.
"We are both truly proud and delighted to be hosting the 44th president of the United States in Scotland at this event." | Former US president Barack Obama has given a speech at a charity dinner in Edinburgh, addressing an audience made up largely of business leaders. |
18425039 | His award is for discovering how to reprogram human cells to mimic embryonic stem cells, which can become any cell in the body.
Called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, these now aid research into regenerative medicine.
He was joint-winner with Linus Torvalds
, who created the open-source Linux operating system for computers.
This is the first time the prize has been shared by two scientists - they will split the 1.2m euros ($1.3m; £800,000) award.
The President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, presented the prize at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.
Dr Ainomija Haarla, President of Technology Academy Finland - the foundation which awards the prize every two years - said: "The International Selection Committee has to judge whether an innovation has had a favourable impact on people's lives and assess its potential for further development to benefit humanity in the future.
"The innovations of both this year's winners embody that principle.
"Dr Shinya Yamanaka's discovery of a new method to develop pluripotent stem cells for medical research could help combat intractable disease."
In 2007 Dr Yamanaka's team announced that, by using four genes, they had successfully reprogrammed human adult skin cells into the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells - which are potentially capable of becoming any other cell type including neurons, heart muscle cells and bone cells.
This means stem cell research into currently incurable diseases and regenerative medicine is possible without the controversial use of human embryos.
iPS cells also have the potential to help solve the problems associated with cell transplant rejection.
Dr Shinya Yamanaka said: "My mission now is to advance iPS cell research in cooperation with many researchers around the world and bring the technology to medicine as soon as possible.
"My goals over the decade include to develop new drugs to treat intractable diseases by using iPS cell technology and to conduct clinical trials using it on a few patients with Parkinson's diseases, diabetes or blood diseases." | Japanese stem cell scientist Dr Shinya Yamanaka has been awarded the Millennium Technology Prize. |
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