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39666037 | Atkinson, 19, clinched gold in the women's 200m butterfly, adding to the 50m title she won on Wednesday.
Her winning time of 2 minutes 7.06 secs also secured a consideration time for this summer's World Championships and smashed the Manx record.
"I knew I felt good and it's great to set a time for Budapest," she said.
Her winning time in Thursday's final would have placed her fifth in the women's 200m butterfly final at the Rio Olympics.
Alys Thomas, representing Swansea Aquatics, finished 0.81 seconds down in second with Emily Large third.
Earlier in the week, Atkinson became the first Isle of Man-born swimmer to become British champion by claiming the 50m title.
The Loughborough University student said: "It feels amazing. I was so determined after the 50 to get the 200 and I've still got the 100 on Sunday.
"Going fast in the 50, which isn't my main event, gave me loads of confidence in the 200 - I feel great."
She will attempt to add the 100m title to her collection on Sunday. | Manx teenager Charlotte Atkinson has claimed her second British title in as many days at the British Swimming Championships. |
35301619 | Gordon Ross, 67, had degenerative Parkinson's disease and was concerned that anyone who helped him end his life would face prosecution.
The Court of Session in Edinburgh is still to rule on his case to force the Lord Advocate to issue guidance.
Mr Ross died on Wednesday from pneumonia and other medical issues.
The retired TV producer was a member of Friends At The End (Fate), an organisation campaigning for a change in the law on assisted dying in Scotland.
Mr Ross's friend, and Fate convener, Sheila Duffy said: "Gordon was a doughty fighter who passionately believed the law should be changed.
"Despite his numerous health problems which would have floored a lesser individual, he worked tirelessly to support the assisted dying cause, and never lost his sense of humour.
"Our thoughts are with his family, who supported his stance, at this sad time."
Mr Ross brought his case for a judicial review to the Court of Session in Edinburgh in May last year.
He wanted Scotland's most senior prosecutor, the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC, to set out guidance on what circumstances he would take into account before deciding whether to prosecute somebody who had helped another person end their life.
Similar guidance has been issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for England.
His QC, Aidan O'Neill, had argued that under the European Convention on Human Right there was a substantive right to "a dignified suicide".
Gerry Moynihan QC, counsel for the Lord Advocate, however, said there was no proper foundation in law for the outcome that was being sought.
In a written judgement issued in September, Lord Doherty ruled that the current Crown policy was legal and did not breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
Mr Ross launched an appeal against this decision in December before the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lady Dorrian and Lord Drummond Young.
The judges are due to give their decision at a later date. | A severely disabled man from Glasgow who tried to force Scotland's top law officer to issue guidance on assisted suicide has died in hospital. |
41055985 | Officers saw a "large bladed weapon" in the man's car when it stopped near the palace on Friday evening.
As they arrested him, both men suffered minor arm injuries, police said.
The 26-year-old man was also treated for minor injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assault, and under the Terrorism Act.
No members of the Royal Family were in Buckingham Palace at the time.
The incident happened outside the Mall roundabout near Spur Road - which runs along the corner of the Palace grounds - at about 20:35 BST, police said. The man had stopped his car in a "restricted area" and police saw the weapon.
Det Supt Guy Collings said the "quick and brave" actions of the officers meant the man was detained very quickly, and that no members of the public had any contact with him.
The two officers and the suspect had all since been discharged from hospital and the suspect was taken to a central London police station for questioning, police said.
Enquiries into the full circumstances are ongoing, they added, and there was still a police cordon at the scene.
Eye-witness Kiana Williamson said: "We turned up and there was one police van and one car; there was also a civilian's car that had veered towards the police car.
"They were trying to get the man out of the car, shouting; more police were arriving on to the scene and the man was fighting back.
"I saw one injured policeman with an injury to his arm, although it didn't look severe.
"He was being tended to by another officer.
"The man had been restrained and looked almost unconscious by the side of the road."
Another passer-by, who did not want to be named, said her partner initially thought he had seen a sword.
She told the Press Association: "The police didn't just run up to the car. There was some shouting prior to this; I couldn't tell you what, I was a bit panicked...
"My partner saw a sword, which I didn't see, as well as a policeman with blood on him, looking like his hand or chest was injured.
"The police officer had it in his hand, walking away with it." | Counter-terror police are investigating after two police officers were injured while arresting a man with a knife outside Buckingham Palace. |
40925943 | Homeware chain, The Range, which has more than 140 stores across the UK and Ireland, is due to open its doors later this year.
The new store represents an investment of £2m by The Range, as well as a further £1m investment by the landlord.
There had been viability concerns about Connswater, after Tesco and Dunnes Stores closed in 2015.
Speaking when Dunnes announced its decision to pull out, Glyn Roberts of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association said: "With Tesco closing its store, the centre will soon have lost both its anchor stores which puts its long-term viability at risk."
Connswater Shopping Centre and Retail Park is owned by Alfred Street Properties.
Director Brendan Boyd said the announcement was "great news not only for the scheme but for east Belfast and the local economy as well".
"The Range's arrival is further confirmation that the scheme has turned a corner," he added.
This is the latest in a series of investments in the retail park - Starbucks and Lidl opened earlier this year and Home Bargains is set to open in December. | Eighty jobs have been created by the new anchor tenant of Connswater shopping centre in east Belfast. |
37670305 | The stone is 4.3m (14ft) high and 5.8m (19ft) long, and is reportedly worth an estimated $170m (£140m).
It was found in a mine in the jade-producing Kachin state, in the north of the country.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the source of nearly all of the world's finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone.
The jade industry is responsible for nearly half of the country's GDP.
One of its biggest markets is neighbouring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven". | A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar. |
34105342 | It said there were significant differences, between health boards, in the number of people getting essential check-ups aimed at avoiding serious complications.
About 276,000 people in Scotland have been diagnosed with diabetes.
The Scottish government said it had an action plan to improve care and urged people to attend appointments.
Diabetes Scotland has published its annual report charting the variations in care for people living with the condition across the country.
As well as those diagnosed with diabetes, the charity said there was a further 45,500 people estimated to be unaware they have type 2 diabetes.
There are nine key checks which should be carried out annually to help prevent the complications of diabetes - which can include blindness, limb amputations and stroke.
Diabetes UK said the number of people receiving these checks varies from health board to health board.
Its figures suggested the number receiving foot checks alone varied from 60% in Grampian, to 85% in Tayside.
Jane-Claire Judson, national director of Diabetes Scotland, said: "It is indefensible that people living with diabetes are subjected to such disparities of care across Scotland.
"Whether you live in Orkney or Forth Valley should have no bearing on the level of care a person receives but what we are seeing are significant differences in the percentage of people receiving each of the nine essential care processes dependent on the health board area in which they live."
She added: "We must focus on improving diabetes care for all, reducing avoidable complications, and supporting people to live well with the condition which should include offering a range of appropriate education opportunities.
"If action is not taken now, the longer-term costs will be severe to people living with the condition, NHS Scotland and wider society."
The charity also found that people with Type 1 diabetes - which often develops during childhood - received poorer care than those with type 2 diabetes - which appears in later life and is related to obesity.
The report looked at other factors and said there were poorer health outcomes for people living in areas of deprivation.
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said: "We know that the number of people living with diabetes in Scotland is increasing.
"However, this is not because we are seeing an increase in the number of new cases of diabetes picked up every year, but rather that people with diabetes are living longer with the condition.
"Latest figures show that for the first time we are seeing the percentage of people with poor glucose control decreasing and more people than ever accessing crucial eye screening and feet checks.
She added: "Our Diabetes Improvement Plan, which was published in November 2014, builds on these positive findings and sets out a programme of work to enhance services for people with diabetes, and help reduce their risk of complications." | There is an "unacceptable inequality" in care for people with diabetes, according to charity Diabetes Scotland. |
36772253 | The sketches were drawn by Dr Felix Rey, the physician who treated Van Gogh's wounds in 1888, and discovered in a Californian archive.
The drawings depict the artist's ear both before and after the self-inflicted injury, and show he sliced almost his entire ear off.
Previous claims suggested he had only cut off his earlobe or part of his ear.
The sketches were discovered by Bernadette Murphy among papers owned by Irving Stone, who had been in touch with Dr Rey in 1930.
Her research has also shed more light on "Rachel" - the woman who Van Gogh had handed his severed ear to with the words "keep this object carefully".
The findings suggests Rachel was not a prostitute, as had previously been thought, but a girl who worked as a maid in brothels as well as a cleaner in business premises.
Murphy began investigating Van Gogh after visiting Arles, the artist's home in the 1880s.
Her findings will be published in a new book, Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story.
Coincidentally, a new exhibition which will focus on the artist's mental illness is due to open in the Netherlands this month.
On The Verge of Insanity, which will be housed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, will feature the artist's portrait of Dr Rey.
The painter cut off his ear after suffering a mental breakdown. He was found alive by police the next day and taken to hospital.
Van Gogh took his own life in 1890. | Vincent Van Gogh cut off his entire ear rather than just part of it, newly discovered drawings suggest. |
33055651 | They said fossil fuel emissions should not be allowed in any sector of the economy by the end of the century.
Their targets are not binding - but they send a clear message to investors that in the long term economies will have to be powered by non-polluting energy.
The world's leaders have effectively signalled the end of the fossil fuel era that has driven economies since the Industrial Revolution.
This is a seismic shift - and an acknowledgement from the leaders, prompted by Angela Merkel, of the scale of the threat from climate change.
The G7's mid-century target is for emissions to be cut 40-70% globally compared with 2010.
The G7 also accepted that rich nations would need to help poorer countries - especially in Africa - develop using clean technology, and adapt to inevitable changes to climate in the future.
They have promised to address risks from weather disasters that may become more serious as the climate heats and they say they will help with insurance and protection for the poorest.
But they will be pushed by developing nations to show they are making good their previous promise of £100bn in climate finance by 2020.
The leaders also promised to strengthen cooperation over energy efficiency and work together with other interested countries to co-ordinate clean energy research, development and demonstration - as urged by the UK's climate ambassador David King.
The resolutions will feed into the meeting of world leaders to seal a global deal on climate later this year in Paris. A positive outcome there is now more likely.
But huge questions remain. Some scientists and environmentalists accused the G7 of reckless complacency by suggesting that we can afford to burn fossil fuels at all past 2050.
On the other hand there are worries from some developing countries about the suggestion that coal should be phased out. It is not clear how poor nations are to be persuaded to ignore the cheapest fuel available in their attempts to develop.
The cost of solar energy is plummeting, and is now competitive with coal in some parts of the world, but it has not yet shown that it can power industries on a large scale.
Gas fuel firms say carbon capture and storage technology, which would take most of the emissions from a fossil fuel power station and bury them underground, will allow economies to continue to benefit from a consistent power source. But the technology is still in its infancy.
Follow Roger Harrabin on Twitter @rharrabin | The G7 has called for a transformation of electricity generation towards clean sources by 2050. |
31027201 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
29 January 2015 Last updated at 07:23 GMT
The special maps, called Tate Worlds, are based on real-life pictures and sculptures on display at the Tate gallery.
Each world is different, and has many challenges and activities based on the theme of the artwork.
Paintings such as Soul of the Soulless City by Christopher Nevinson have been turned into a playable world.
It shows 1920s New York, with towering skyscrapers and a rollercoaster train ride.
Martin went to chat to one of the Minecraft experts who helped to build the special maps to find out more.
Read more: Paintings made into Minecraft worlds | A famous art gallery has teamed up with Minecraft experts to create 3D worlds inspired by paintings. |
35889593 | He told the Treasury Select Committee it was still being written and a firm publication date had not yet been set.
But he said it would be made available before the pre-election "purdah" period and his next appearance before the committee, which is on 19 April.
The UK vote on whether to remain in or leave the EU takes place on 23 June.
The chancellor was pressed on when the Treasury analysis would be published during questioning by the committee chairman, Conservative Andrew Tyrie.
"We don't have a firm date but it's likely to be published before I next come before this committee to discuss all things European Union," Mr Osborne told him.
Mr Tyrie said the committee would want at least four days to digest the report's finding before the hearing, which is part of its ongoing inquiry into the EU.
Mr Osborne suggested the alternative would be to change the date of his appearance, but added: "What I will undertake to you is that there will be at least four working days before I come before this committee and you will have had a chance to examine the document."
Mr Tyrie said any date change would be done with "great reluctance". | The Treasury is to publish its analysis of the costs and benefits of the UK's EU membership before 19 April, Chancellor George Osborne has said. |
35483133 | The 21-year-old woman was attacked in Union Terrace Gardens early last Thursday.
Police Scotland said officers would be carrying out patrols in the area.
Five men and a woman - who may be students - seen leaving Belmont Street about the time of the incident are being urged to come forward.
Det Insp Jacqui Campbell said: "There will be a police presence in the area tonight, as there always is in the city centre, and we are hoping that with it being a week on from the incident that this will help jog people's memories.
"If you were in the Union Terrace, Union Street, Schoolhill or Rosemount areas between the key times of 3am and 4am last Thursday and saw something untoward which could assist us, please get in touch on 101 or speak to any officer.
"Last Wednesday would have been a busy student night and lots of people would have been going about.
"We would urge anyone with information to contact police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous." | Police investigating a rape in an Aberdeen city centre park have issued a fresh appeal for information a week after the attack. |
17764117 | Andy Hart is the general manager of Microsoft's Advertising and Online division in the UK. He is responsible for growing Microsoft's online properties, including MSN.co.uk, Bing, Windows Live, Xbox and Windows Phone.
Special Report: The Technology of Business
Technology is becoming ubiquitous: it's almost everywhere, often invisible (or at least transparent), usually locatable, probably connected to the internet, and becoming more natural to use every day.
A new car, for instance, contains an array of technologies: it's a powerful computer, it may be voice-enabled, and it can be a web browser and a phone, among other things.
This means that the number of ways in which people can interact with or experience brands is rapidly increasing.
This presents a huge opportunity, and a huge challenge, for advertisers.
Digital technology and the internet - and the explosion of mobile and other web-enabled devices over the past few years - is turning advertising on its head.
In the old days of advertising (e.g. a few decades ago), things were simple.
TV, print and radio were the key media for advertisers to convey their Big Idea to large groups of people in a controlled manner.
Now we have digital too, which isn't just another channel. Digital connects old and new media formats whilst simultaneously being a catalyst for thousands of other medias.
People are looking at many different screens for advertising.
Our research,
What's On Their Screens, What's On Their Minds (2011)
, showed that the group of adults who own and use a TV, and who access the internet via a computer and smartphone on a weekly basis - the 'multi-screen consumer' - doubled between 2010 and 2011, to an estimated 6.5m in the UK alone.
Even a TV these days, like a new car, is also a web browser, and as such can be used to make video calls, network and play games, amongst myriad other activities.
Advertisers can't rely on users to just watch them anymore. Nor can they be so sure that viewers will watch a prime time show at prime time, or in their homes, or out of work hours.
Thanks to this new technology, and the ways in which people use it, the manner in which they experience brands has been fragmented and disrupted, and, with the arrival of social media in particular, the former one-way communication between advertisers and consumers has become a dialogue.
That is to say, the future of advertising isn't just about technology: people are also driving it (as they always have, of course, but in a far more profound and dynamic way than before).
As consumers, we are moving objects, we can skip or turn off ads, we can opt out, and we can choose not to engage with a brand.
Conversely, we can become brand advocates and may interact with ads across a number of platforms and formats, off and online.
In addition to getting the creative story right, advertisers need to position brands so they are relevant or useful to increasingly demanding consumers.
Another key finding of the study above was that multi-screen consumers want relevant, consistent and connected advertising and content experiences across their screens.
To do this, planners and strategists need to know what people are doing, on what devices, where, when and why.
A global study we conducted, Context Matters (2010), found that the morning is the key time for use of the internet for social activities, while the evening is more for entertainment.
Internet users are most open to ads when surfing, purchasing and information seeking.
Such consumer insights and demands have been a key driver of the development of our concept, 'polymorphic advertising', which involves ads or related creative assets, such as videos, copy, images or logos, being assembled in such a way to fit various devices or ad formats.
This allows a consistent story to be conveyed across multiple screens, and tailors each asset according to the specific interactive characteristics of the device they appear on.
As technology becomes more ubiquitous, and things like tables, walls, fridges and other surfaces, objects and devices become interactive, connected and locatable - and possibly even aware of other devices and people around them - advertising will become even more personalised, contextual, relevant and useful.
It will have to do this to succeed.
This is looking a few years into the future, but the foundations are here now.
For example, we're continuing our research and innovation in the areas of multi-touch, gesture recognition and natural user interfaces, and are already working with advertisers on building new means of manipulating devices into brand experiences.
As Nicola Mendelsohn, Executive Chairman of ad agency Karmarama and President of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), says: "The future of advertising is, as it always has been, intrinsically linked to technology and people.
"The challenge for advertisers is to take advantage of the huge creative opportunities presented by recent disruptions. This will also involve a reshaping of the industry, and the formation of new ecosystems, partnerships, formats and business models."
With nearly 30 years' experience of bringing together people and technology, we have learnt a lot.
One thing we know for sure is that offline principles still apply online: never lose sight of your audience, simplicity wins and creativity rules.
Our job is to help advertisers navigate the digital tools and platforms to bring brand stories to life. It is about the creative idea being the star rather than the technology. | As part of the Technology of Business series, each week we ask an expert in their field for their thoughts. |
35178769 | The car left the motorway near the Milnathort junction at about 12:00, ending up upturned on an embankment.
A man in the car with her was able to leave the vehicle without assistance. Neither of them are thought to have life-threatening injuries.
Police said there had been a number of minor accidents in the area, possibly due to ice.
They urged drivers to take extra care. | Firefighters have used cutting equipment to free a woman from a crashed car on the M90 south of Perth. |
39742591 | Shares in the bank opened up almost 4% after it posted profits of £259m in the first three months of 2017, compared with a £968m loss a year earlier.
After stripping out restructuring costs, the core operating business made a profit of £1.3bn, up from £1.02bn.
RBS added that its cost-cutting plan for 2017 was ahead of schedule, with 37% of the planned £750m cuts achieved.
In February, RBS reported a £7bn annual loss and chief executive Ross McEwan ordered a £2bn four-year cost-cutting drive involving job losses and branch closures.
The bank, 72%-owned by the UK government, has said 2017 will probably be the final year it makes a loss as it moves nearer to resolving fines and settlements.
Last week, Chancellor Philip Hammond admitted that the government was prepared to sell its stake in RBS at a loss. The stake was bought in 2008 at a cost of £45bn.
The lender said it had no update on progress in talks with the US Justice Department over claims that it mis-sold mortgage securities in the build-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
In January, RBS set aside a further £3.1bn provision to settle the claims. Resolving the case is one of the bank's two biggest remaining barriers to the goal of making a profit in 2018.
The other hurdle is an obligation that RBS had under European state aid rules to sell its Williams & Glyn unit.
RBS said in February it had found a potential escape from its seven-year hunt for a buyer.
Instead of a sale, the government is applying to the European Commission to approve a new plan whereby RBS will put in place measures to boost the competitiveness of smaller British bank peers.
However, the bank said on Friday that it had no update on this plan.
Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "These longstanding problems aside, this could be the year when RBS finally starts to look a bit more like a swan, rather than an ugly duckling."
RBS said in its statement that there would be no further provision for Payment Protection Insurance mis-selling.
The bank's core capital ratio, a key measure of financial strength, rose to 14.1% from 13.4% a year ago.
"RBS may finally have turned a corner," said Neil Wilson, at ETX Capital.
However, he added that while cost-cutting has been key to the return to profitability, "there is a question mark over how sustainable it is to continue slicing away- the bank has cut costs at a rate of roughly £1bn a year for the last three years and shed around a third of posts since 2013".
"Slashing away at the core business without damaging future earnings and growth is a hard circle to square," he added.
"We've already seen how a lack of profits over the last nine years has dented RBS's ability to invest in new platforms and IT." | Troubled Royal Bank of Scotland has reported its first quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2015. |
39690179 | She was in English Bay off Ascension Island, part of St Helena, and a source told the Times her husband punched the shark to scare it away.
The woman, who works for the St Helena government, was treated in hospital locally.
St Helena is a British Overseas Territory, 1,150 miles (1,850km) off the west coast of Africa.
The government has warned swimmers entering the water in the area that they do so at their own risk.
It said the incident was reported to them on Friday at 4pm local time (17:00 BST).
The far-flung islands of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha lie midway between Africa and South America and, though far from each other, they form a single territorial grouping under the sovereignty of the British Crown.
In the 1600s, the English East India Company was given a Royal Charter which allowed it to colonise the island, but St Helena is perhaps best known as the destination to which Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled in 1815 after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
Today, the islands have a combined population of less than 6,000.
St Helena and Ascension Island are linked to the outside world by a Royal Mail Ship, the St Helena, which had been making the five-day journey from South Africa, every three weeks, but is currently out of action for repairs. | A British woman has been attacked by a shark while snorkelling near a remote island in the South Atlantic. |
35900499 | The NASUWT survey of over 5,000 teachers found 22% had increased their alcohol intake and 21% had consumed more caffeine in response to stress.
The poll found 7% had used or increased their reliance on prescription drugs.
The findings come as the NASUWT's annual conference debates the impact of workload on teachers' health.
The union will debate a motion at the gathering in Birmingham calling on members to condemn the government and employers "for their inaction on tackling excessive workloads, which is reported as the major cause of stress".
The NASUWT poll found:
"On tablets for depression and anxiety. Constantly exhausted. Normal 10 or 11 hour day in school then work at home."
"Overly tired, poor sleep patterns, no quality time with family, constant worry, heavy work load 70-80 hours per week, irritable and less patient."
"Suffering anxiety and stress. Currently taking anti-depressants to overcome depression, brought on by the pressures of the workload and job."
"Higher dosage of anti-depressants prescribed just to get through the day. Love the pupils but my senior management team are bullies and manipulate staff."
"Now taking anti-depressants. I feel undervalued and unable to trust work colleagues. Stress levels have increased which has impacted upon my interaction with students and the quality of my teaching. I do not enjoy being in my current school and am seriously considering leaving the profession."
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: "Yet again we have shocking figures about the toll the job is taking on the health and wellbeing of teachers and school leaders.
"It is unacceptable that given the increasing scale of the problem, there is still no sign of either employers or the government taking any effective action to address this.
"Instead of offering support, in far too many cases we see employers introducing punitive and callous sickness absence policies.
"High quality education cannot be delivered by stressed and anxious teachers."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We know unnecessary workload is one of the biggest frustrations for teachers.
"We are working with the profession and education experts to take action on the root causes of teacher workload, including through the first biennial teacher workload survey and looking in depth at the three biggest concerns teachers have raised - marking, planning and resources, and data management." | One in 10 teachers say they have been prescribed anti-depressant drugs to cope with the pressure of their jobs, says a teachers' union survey. |
35714872 | More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze at the property run by Global Hygiene, an industrial cleaning supply firm, on Astonfields Industrial Estate.
Children evacuated from two nearby primary schools are back in class and neighbours have returned home after the fire caused explosions on Wednesday.
The cause is being investigated, Staffordshire Fire Service said.
Fire updates and more Staffordshire news
One man working at Global Hygiene suffered minor burns to his hands but there were no other casualties, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Drummond Road has now reopened at the junction with Astonfields Road.
St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School and John Wheeldon Primary School, which both closed early due to smoke and fumes, are open.
Glynn Luznyj, from West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, said the blaze had burned for hours due to flammable substances on site.
"A ruptured gas main into the building was fuelling the fire... there was 40,000 litres of mixed oil contained in the building which was feeding the fire."
Emergency crews were able to contain the fire by Wednesday afternoon, after it was first reported by staff at about 08:45 GMT.
Only two people needed emergency accommodation from Staffordshire County Council.
Jill Hewkin, who stayed at her daughter's house in Wolverhampton, said: "I was at work... and I got a call saying there was a big explosion and I needed to get back.
"As I was driving I could see the smoke for miles and the closer I got the thicker and blacker it was.
"I started to panic because it is literally a stone's throw from my door. It was horrific."
The fire service said it had scaled back the response to two crews as the site was still smouldering. | A huge warehouse blaze in Stafford is now fully under control, the fire service says. |
36343015 | Geologist Richard Osman, 40, who grew up in Carmarthen, was on flight MS804 en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew when it vanished.
His brother, Alastair, from Swansea, described Mr Osman as warm-hearted.
Egypt's army spokesman said wreckage and passengers' items have been found 180 miles (290km) from Alexandria.
European Space Agency satellites spotted an oil slick in the area where the flight had vanished but the organisation said there was no guarantee it was from the missing plane.
Alastair Osman, 36, a biochemistry student at Swansea University, described his brother as a "workaholic, full of principles and the type of person you could admire".
"He was a very hard worker. He was always like that," he told BBC News.
"He was a great brother. He was admirable, someone you could look up to."
Mr Osman's wife Aureilie, 36, gave birth to their second daughter Olympe three weeks ago.
His brother said: "It's sad that he has been deprived of a potentially wonderful future and they've been deprived of a wonderful future with him.
"You have to try to remain strong."
Mr Osman is the eldest of four children of the late Dr Mohamed Fekry Ali Osman and wife Anne.
He has three siblings; Alastair, Phillip, 34, and Anna, 32, who grew up in south Wales after their father moved there from his native Egypt to work as a consultant in ear, nose and throat surgery.
Mr Osman was a pupil at Queen Elizabeth Cambria School in Carmarthen and later studied geology and has a masters from Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall.
He is a mining company executive for Centamin at Jersey, where he was living with his family, and he has previously worked in Australia and Egypt.
His friend Steve Ellyatt told BBC Jersey he roughly knew Mr Osman's schedule and, when he heard about the EgyptAir flight, sent a text message to Mr Osman's wife to ask after him.
He said: "She then came back, and said 'unfortunately Steve he's on the plane which has just come down".
Mr Ellyatt explained how the couple had recently bought his house although Mrs Osman had returned to Paris to give birth while Mr Osman was "backwards and forwards" due to work commitments.
"It's dreadful," he said.
Prof Kip Jeffrey, head of Camborne School of Mines, said: "We are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and sincere sympathies go out to Richard's family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
"Richard is fondly remembered from his time studying at CSM as a genuinely lovely man, quiet but dedicated, and for his warmth towards his friends and real passion for his work." | The brother of a Welshman on board the crashed EgyptAir flight says the last two days have been "overwhelming" as the family await more news. |
37475713 | MP Drew Hendry believes there are plans for the tanker to dock on Wednesday.
The officer trainees, who are studying at City of Glasgow College, are among 2,500 seafarers stranded on Hanjin vessels.
Ports around the world are refusing to let the troubled company's ships dock after it filed for bankruptcy.
Seafarers union Nautilus named the cadets as Ruaridh Hanna, David Gorniak, Graeme Deacon and Gavin McPhail.
Three of them joined the Louisiana vessel in May and were due to leave on 2 September, the union said.
It understood that they have been told the vessel will berth in Singapore on Wednesday morning.
Mr Hendry, the SNP's transport spokesman at Westminster, said an earlier plan to transfer the cadets at the weekend failed.
Marine services company CMI Offshore had offered to use a ship transfer vessel to get the cadets off the tanker and take care of any documentation.
However, the plan fell through.
Mr Hendry called on the UK government to put pressure on Hanjin to ensure the cadets get home safely.
He said: "I now believe that there is a proposal for the vessel to dock on 28 September.
"The cadets have been let down before when a previous ship transfer arrangement failed to materialise so we must now ensure that this proposed berthing happens.
"I am grateful to the Seafarers Union, Nautilus and CMI Offshore Group for their help in keeping the pressure on, but The Foreign and Commonwealth Office must now also put pressure on Hanjin to make sure that his vessel berths safely on Wednesday and that arrangements are in place to bring the shipmates home.''
Last week one of the cadets, Mr Hanna, from Beauly in the Highlands, told BBC Radio Scotland he was trying to stay positive.
A spokesman for the Nautilus seafarers union said: "Nautilus believes it is imperative that these cadets are allowed to return home at the earliest opportunity and that their ordeal is finally brought to an end.
"We hope that all the various parties involved in the operation and management of the vessel will put an end to the uncertainty which has dragged on for too long."
The troubled shipping group has debts of more than $5bn and has struggled to raise funding to rescue $14bn (£10.5bn) worth of cargo stranded round the world following its collapse.
Hanjin filed for receivership in South Korea in August after attempts to bail out the indebted company failed.
There are an estimated 89 Hanjin ships out of its 141-vessel fleet in difficulty, and some have been seized by creditors. | Four officer cadets stranded onboard a container vessel in the South China Sea could set foot on dry land later this week. |
36034651 | The man had hoped to purchase some limited-edition trainers - so asked two men to buy them on his behalf.
Greater Manchester Police said he was "briefly distracted" after handing over £260, and the pair left the shop.
"To make things worse", they said, "the victim was apparently a day early", and the Adidas shoes were not yet on sale.
Police said the theft of the 34-year-old's money took place in Market Street, Manchester.
The force tweeted: "Regardless of victim's actions, we're doing CCTV work to track down the thief." | A shopper who tried to bypass a stores's one per customer policy gave his money to two "kind strangers" who fled with the cash, police have said. |
21747294 | The 25-year-old hooker was sent off for a tip-tackle on Dave Attwood in the second half of the Cherry and Whites' 31-25 defeat at the Rec on 1 March.
Lock Lua Lokotui was cited for a similar offence in the same game, but was cleared by a disciplinary panel.
Unless Gloucester appeal, Dawidiuk will unavailable until 22 April.
It would mean him missing four Premiership matches and the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final against Biarritz.
Panel chairman Judge Jeff Blackett said: "The tackle was deemed to warrant a mid-range sanction entry point of eight weeks which was then increased to reflect the recent IRB [International Rugby Board] memorandum dealing with such cases and subsequently reduced by three weeks to take account of mitigating factors.
"Unless we continue to apply these sanctions to this type of tackle we will not change the behaviour of players and reduce the potential risk of catastrophic injury."
Dawidiuk has made 16 appearances for Gloucester this season, scoring one try. | Gloucester hooker Darren Dawidiuk has been banned for six weeks by the Rugby Football Union for the red card he received against Bath. |
37863745 | The review will examine possible risks, such as hacking or fraud, as well as potential impact on cases of intimidation of union members.
The review has been welcomed by political parties and unions.
It will be led by Sir Ken Knight, former chief fire and rescue adviser for England.
Electronic voting means people can cast a ballot from a computer or smartphone, rather than having to go to a polling station or other venue to cast their vote.
A lot of entertainment formats use it, such as reality shows like Big Brother.
And a number of other organisations use it too, including the Conservative Party.
But there have been question marks over its security - hence the review.
The debate has been rife in recent years when it comes to trade unions balloting their staff on strike action.
Earlier this year, the new Trade Union Act established that a vote in favour of industrial action requires a turnout of at least 50%, and that key public services need at least 40% of eligible members to back a strike for it to be a legitimate result.
The law also stated that these ballots had to be returned by post.
If electronic voting is introduced members will be able to vote online, which would be easier and could increase numbers.
The review seems to be gathering support from all sides of the political spectrum.
Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, welcomed the news.
She said: "It is time to bring union balloting into the 21st Century and let members vote securely online.
"Allowing union members to vote online should be an uncontroversial move welcomed by anyone who values democracy."
Business minister Margot James was less enthusiastic, but also backed the review.
She said: "The Trade Union Act ensures strikes will only ever happen as a result of a clear, positive decision by those entitled to vote.
"The Knight review will explore the issues and implications of allowing electronic voting in industrial action ballots and I look forward to reading his findings."
While welcoming the review, Labour shadow business minister Jack Dromey said the government had "dragged its heels" over looking into electronic voting.
Whilst politically there is widespread support for electronic voting, it has not always worked in practice.
Five local authorities in the UK tried pilots of electronic voting back in 2007, but there were issues with security and the transparency of the systems, so they were soon shelved.
Other countries, including Canada, Norway, Italy, France, Germany and Ireland, have all invested millions into trials, but the risks were deemed too big to continue.
Among security experts who have warned of the dangers is Jim Killock, the executive director of the Open Rights Group.
He told Computer Weekly: "The real driver of voter participation is the importance of elections and trust in politicians. You can't solve those problems with technology.
"Electronic voting in national elections is an expensive and dangerous irrelevance."
While such a move has already been given some thought in Westminster, there remains a long way to go.
Commons Speaker John Bercow set up the Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy in 2013, to consider a range of electronic projects - including electronic voting.
Among the recommendations in its report last year was a call for secure online voting to be an option for all voters by the general election of 2020.
The Electoral Commission has also been looking into "radical changes" for the voting system, including going down the electronic route, in recent years.
In a speech in 2014, Electoral Commission chairwoman Jenny Watson said: "We will of course need to consider carefully the balance between the security of the system as opposed to its accessibility. But as technology advances and society develops, this is not an issue that can stay on the slow track any longer.
"Whether it is the ability to register to vote on the day of the election or voters being able to use any polling station in their constituency, or the introduction of advance voting, or even more radical options such as e-voting, we plan to look at a variety of options, assessing how they will help citizens engage more effectively."
But by the time of last year's general election, little progress had been made.
Furthermore, the way elections are carried out is written in law so any changes would have to be brought before Parliament. | Electronic voting could become a reality in industrial action ballots, after the government announced an independent review of the technology. |
39829289 | The 71-year-old was targeted as he cleaned his Volkswagon Golf at his home in the Abbeyhill area of Edinburgh at about 17:30 on Friday.
Both the man and his wife became embroiled in a struggle with the would-be thief but neither were seriously injured.
Officers said it was a "very frightening ordeal" for the couple.
A passer-by engaged the pensioner in conversation while he was washing his car in Stanley Place at about 17:00, police said.
Half an hour later, a different man arrived and struck up a conversation with him.
But this man grabbed hold of his elderly victim, wrestled him to the ground, then got in the car and tried to drive off.
When the pensioner's wife came out of their house, there was another struggle before the suspect made off - without the car.
Det Insp Paul Grainger appealed for help in tracing the attacker.
He said: "This was a very frightening ordeal for the elderly victim and his wife, but thankfully neither were seriously injured, nor did they lose their car.
"We have a very detailed description of the suspect and would urge anyone who recognises him, or who can assist us in tracing him to come forward.
"As part of our inquiries we have established that two men were seen acting suspiciously around the Lothian Cars garage on Stanley Place prior to this incident and we are looking to establish if the same individuals were involved.
"If you have seen anyone acting suspiciously or unusually in this area around this time or if you believe you have information relevant to our ongoing inquiry then please contact police immediately."
The suspect was white, about 6ft tall, and in his late 20s or early 30s. He was well built with dark hair which was curly on top and short at the sides. He had dark, messy stubble.
He wore dark jogging bottoms and a dark T-shirt with lighter writing on the chest. He had a tattoo on his left forearm of a name in "old-style writing". | Police are hunting a man who tried to steal a pensioner's car while he was washing it on his driveway. |
36028564 | A second loss in three league games leaves Napoli six points behind the defending champions, who are at home to Palermo on Sunday (14:00 BST).
Captain Mauro Icardi put Inter ahead with his 15th goal of the season before Marcelo Brozovic doubled the lead.
Roberto Mancini's side moved to within three points of Roma in the third Champions League qualification place.
Roma are away to Atalanta on Sunday (11.30 BST).
Napoli, still missing suspended top scorer Gonzalo Higuain, have just five games left to try and overhaul champions Juventus to win a first league title since 1990.
They fell behind after four minutes when Gary Medel floated the ball through for Icardi, who looked fractionally offside, to steer the ball past Pepe Reina.
The former Liverpool keeper was beaten again a minute before half-time when Stevan Jovetic and Icardi combined to set up Brozovic for a neat finish.
Jose Maria Callejon volleyed just wide for Napoli after the break but Milan went closest to adding a further goal as Jovetic's chip was headed off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly.
Elsewhere, fourth-bottom Carpi helped their survival hopes with a 4-1 win over Genoa, while Torino moved into the top half after securing a third successive win with a 1-0 victory at Bologna.
Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi: "I always said that we are a team that can fight for the top spots.
"We showed it tonight and in the Italian Cup against Juve (losing on penalties). We had an extraordinary first half of the season, we did badly in January, now let's see where we can finish.
"We have to think about ourselves only and then we will see at the end of the season what the other teams will have done too." | Napoli's hopes of catching Serie A leaders Juventus were dealt a further blow with a 2-0 defeat at Inter Milan. |
39742954 | The row broke out during a Derry City and Strabane District Council meeting on Thursday over proposed branding that referred to "Derry and Belfast".
The DUP said the name "Londonderry" should be included because of its "cultural significance".
Sinn Féin opposed that move. Belfast City Council said it would not comment.
DUP Councillor David Ramsey said: "This is a city bid and because it's not a council bid the name Londonderry needs to be included.
"It's very disappointing for the unionist community.
"I can't understand why this became an issue. I asked early on why Londonderry wasn't included.
"Sinn Féin's out of touch here. Londonderry is the official name. We have never had an issue with Derry-Londonderry before.
"It's a step back when it comes to our diverse history and it's a major asset for tourism."
Sinn Féin councillor Michael Cooper said: "We have to put this in front of an adjudicating panel. It's already confusing having two cities in the title.
"Going to a bid with more names in the title would be a confusing situation."
The joint bid for European Capital of Culture between Derry and Strabane District Council and Belfast City Council was announced in February.
Other cities like Leeds and Dundee are also preparing bids.
The Derry-Belfast bid has to be submitted to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport at Westminster by October this year.
The winner will be announced in late 2018.
A document obtained by the BBC concerning the joint bid from Derry and Belfast said that an "ambitious and robust bid" will cost between £500,000 and £1m.
Hosting the year-long programme of events can bring increased investment, create jobs and boost the local economy.
Three non-EU cities have held the title in the past - Istanbul in 2010, Stavanger in Norway in 2008 and Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2000. | A row has erupted between councillors regarding the joint bid by Londonderry and Belfast to become European Capital of Culture 2023. |
36751407 | That will follow a bidding process which will see a new contract in place from June next year.
The contract length has been extended to 12 years, taking the service through to 2029.
Bidders will be required to provide a 40m (131ft) boat, up from the 26m (85ft) "Argyll Flyer".
As part of the new contract there will be penalties for service disruption.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf set out conditions for the subsidised public service contract for the Cowal Peninsula to Inverclyde route.
The current service is run by Argyll Ferries, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, which is wholly owned by the Scottish government. It has been criticised for technical problems and disruption to the service when there is bad weather.
The passenger-only service competes with privately-owned Western Ferries, which operates a car ferry between Gourock and Dunoon.
The next operator of the public service contract will be allowed to run a car ferry with passenger capacity, but because there is already a commercial operator, the vehicle business cannot be subsidised. | The Clyde passenger ferry between Gourock and Dunoon is to run with a bigger boat designed to operate in rougher weather. |
39579150 | Official figures show that 300 people came off the register in March, putting the jobless total at 31,500.
The Northern Ireland unemployment rate also fell to 5.2% - the lowest it has been since last 2008 - but still above the UK average (4.7%).
Northern Ireland also trails the rest of the UK in terms of the proportion of its workforce in employment - 69% versus 75%.
However, one economist has said the data includes evidence of "a lost decade."
Dr Esmond Birnie, of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the Northern Ireland employment figure is "very similar" to 10 years ago.
"In other words over the last decade there has been no improvement," he said.
The figures also show a change in the composition of the labour market in recent times, with more self-employed and part-time workers. | Unemployment in Northern Ireland has fallen for a twelfth month in a row. |
34920002 | Poppi Worthington, from Barrow, died in December 2012, aged 13 months.
A pathologist had raised concerns but detectives decided she "may have jumped to conclusions", and decided not to investigate until the full post-mortem report was ready.
A family judge has now said that this led to no "real" investigation in the intervening nine months.
Poppi was pronounced dead in hospital after paramedics were called to her home.
It was later found she had suffered a broken bone and other acute injuries.
Following the death, her father Paul Worthington was arrested but later released without charge.
In October 2104 an inquest, lasting seven minutes, ruled her death was unascertained.
Mr Justice Peter Jackson, sitting in the family court in Liverpool has now ruled that findings in earlier documents can be made public.
They identified a host of failings by police, which included not preserving items such as Poppi's last nappy, and a bloodied sheet from a stretcher for analysis by forensic scientists.
Senior investigating officers also failed to visit the family home and no witness statements were taken until September 2013.
Cumbria Police said that as a result of the criticisms it had referred its actions to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
A spokesman for the force said: "Three officers were subject to the investigation.
"One officer was suspended and has since retired, the other two officers have moved into different roles."
Cumbria County Council was also criticised for failing to follow national and local guidelines over the death of such a young child.
John Macilwraith, corporate director for children's services at the council, said: "At the time Poppi Worthington died Cumbria children's services were not involved with her or her family.
"Following her death we worked with her family and other agencies to ensure her siblings were not at risk of harm, ultimately making an application to the court to bring them into our care.
"The judge found that this application should have been made sooner given the circumstances of the case.
"We fully accept this criticism and the judge's view that this had a bearing on the wider investigation into Poppi's death." | A judge has criticised Cumbria Police and the county council over the death of a toddler. |
36199633 | Mr Kerry said there would be "repercussions" if the Syrian government flouted a cessation of violence agreed in February.
A resurgence in fighting, particularly in the northern city of Aleppo, has threatened to derail the partial truce.
More than 250 people have been killed in Aleppo in the past 10 days.
As diplomatic efforts intensified on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a unilateral truce declared by the Syrian military could be extended to Aleppo "in the next few hours".
After talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow, he said Russia was working with the UN and US to include Aleppo in the "regime of calm" that has covered Damascus and Latakia since Saturday.
On Tuesday, 19 people were killed by rebel rocket fire in government-controlled areas of Aleppo, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
State media said a hospital was hit, killing three people and wounding 17.
Last Wednesday, an air strike on a hospital in a rebel-held area killed 55 people. The US blamed the attack on government forces.
Speaking in Washington, Mr Kerry said he was hopeful the cessation of violence could be restored, and he warned President Assad of consequences if violations continued.
"If Assad does not adhere to this, there will clearly be repercussions, and one of them may be the total destruction of the ceasefire and then go back to war. I don't think Russia wants that," he said.
Mr Kerry added: "If Assad's strategy is to somehow think he's going to just carve out Aleppo and carve out a section of the country, I've got news for him - this war doesn't end.
"It is simply physically impossible for Assad to just carve out an area and pretend that he's somehow going to make it safe, while the underlying issues are unresolved in this war. And as long as Assad is there, the opposition is not going to stop fighting it... one way or the other."
He reiterated there was an August deadline for starting a political transition in Syria.
Earlier this year, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned that Russia might be trying to create a mini-state for President Assad in the north-west of the country, which includes Aleppo. Russia strongly denied the idea.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Lavrov told reporters that he expected a decision on including Aleppo in the separate regime of calm "in the very near future - maybe in the next few hours".
The unilateral truce had been effect in Latakia and the eastern Ghouta region around Damascus since the weekend thanks to the efforts of the Russian and US militaries, he said.
The aim of Russian, US and UN negotiators was to extend the regime of calm and "ideally make it indefinite", Mr Lavrov added.
But he warned that so-called moderate rebel groups in Aleppo had to leave areas where militants from al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate that is excluded from the cessation of hostilities, were being targeted.
The partial halt in fighting has raised hopes that tentative peace talks in Geneva might bring forward a solution to Syria's bloody five-year civil war.
But the truce all but collapsed after renewed violence, particularly in Aleppo.
Also on Tuesday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding the protection of hospitals, clinics and health workers in war zones.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there was no justification for attacks on medical facilities.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned last week that Aleppo was being "pushed further to the brink of humanitarian disaster". | US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that seeking military gains will not end the civil war. |
29042243 | Quinn Business Retention Company (QBRC) has new backers in its deal to take over the packaging and construction industry supplies (CIS) parts of the business, which is now called Aventas.
QBRC was backed by a private equity firm, but will now be financed by three of the institutions that control Aventas.
QBRC said it expects the deal to complete in early October.
It has not revealed the details of the three institutions which are now backing it.
The Aventas businesses were the backbone of Sean Quinn's empire - he lost control of them in 2011 as part of his battle with Anglo Irish Bank.
Aventas remains a major employer in the border counties of Fermanagh and Cavan.
It is currently controlled by a consortium of financial institutions
Liam McCaffrey, chief executive designate of QBRC, thanked the former backer, Endless LLP, for "recognising the potential in this business".
"We look forward to working closely with our financiers, the staff and customers of the business as we seek to grow and develop them in the years ahead," he said.
In a statement Aventas said: "When the agreement was signed for the acquisition of our CIS and Packaging businesses by QBRC it was originally envisaged that the transaction would complete in Q3.
"The work involved is continuing apace and while it is now clear that the proposed sale will not complete within the original timeframe, we remain fully committed to the process and to a successful sale completion as soon as is practicable."
The packaging and CIS businesses employ more than 600 people in in Derrylin, County Fermanagh, and Ballyconnell, County Cavan. | A group of businessmen say they are a step closer to buying part of the former Sean Quinn group of companies. |
20398151 | The Rt Rev Justin Welby also told the Church of England general synod he would ensure provisions for opponents were "carried out faithfully".
The synod is voting on proposed legislation. Bishops and clergy are expected to achieve the necessary two-thirds majorities in favour.
But the lay members' vote may be tight.
Justin Welby, currently Bishop of Durham, told the synod he was "deeply committed" to seeing that concessions to opponents of women's ordination were carried out.
He said the Church needed to show it could "Manage diversity of view without division - diversity in amity, not diversity in enmity."
"We cannot get trapped into believing this is a zero sum decision where one person's gain must be another's loss," he added.
Twenty years after the introduction of women priests, the issue continues to divide traditionalists - among those on the Church's evangelical and Anglo-catholic wings - from reformers.
Remaining divisions in the synod centre on whether concessions - under which parishes objecting to women bishops can request to be placed under a stand-in male bishop - go far enough, or too far.
If backed by the synod, the legislation would then make its way through Parliament and could lead to the first women bishops being ordained by 2014.
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, a noted evangelical, said he had changed his mind on the issue. "I now believe that for the mission of God to the people of England it is right for women to take up their place in this House of Bishops sitting before you now," he told the synod.
Canon Rosie Harper, vicar of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, said earlier in the debate: "If the proposed legislation passes there will be those who say that the assurances they have been given are too weak - but those assurances will be firmly in place.
"If the proposed legislation fails, the consequences I believe are far more severe."
She went on: "Firstly, as a Church for the whole country we will be seen to have failed to do what is right and honourable; a Church with lower moral standards than the rest of society risks its right to comment on other issues.
"Secondly, it will inevitably be seen as the act of a dying Church more wedded to the past than committed to hope for the future."
But Canon Simon Killwick, vicar of Christ Church, Moss Side and leader of the Catholic group in the synod, insisted that the measure before it was "not fit for purpose".
He said that the compromise wording on provision for opponents of women bishops was "no compromise at all, because it has united against it the whole spectrum of traditionalists."
And the Reverend Rod Thomas, vicar of St Matthew's Elburton, Plymouth and leader of the Evangelical group Reform, said the measure was forcing members of the Church "to accept something that we do not believe the Bible teaches".
"That is profoundly un-Anglican to force people into this position," he said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, told the synod that "a no vote will not do anything positive" for the church of England.
He asked members to act on the "reasonable probability" that allowing women bishops was the right move and to seize this 'potentially liberating moment for us all'.
Women now make up about a third of all clergy in the Church of England.
The current process of formulating legislation to allow their ordination as bishops began in 2000.
The arrangements for instances when a female bishop is appointed but traditionalist parishes reject her authority have proved a stumbling block to its approval.
Under the plans, a woman bishop would delegate to a stand-in male bishop, but traditionalists want to be sure he would be sympathetic to their views - and not a supporter of women bishops - and not be getting his authority from the woman bishop.
A vote by the synod was adjourned in July after supporters of women bishops objected to a concession they felt went too far, by suggesting stand-in male bishops exercise their ministry in accordance with the parishes' "theological convictions".
The legislation has since been reworded to say the male bishop should be selected in a manner that "respects" the reasons why the parish asked for him.
For:
Against:
Q&A: Women bishops vote
Vote could change Church forever
Approval requires two-thirds majorities in each of the synod's three houses: bishops, clergy and laity.
If the measure is approved, the legislation will go to Parliament before receiving royal assent. The synod must then debate a Code of Practice on how the law will be carried out.
If it is defeated, the legislative process will need to start again and another vote would not take place before 2019.
Some Anglo-Catholics and conservative evangelicals continue to reject a deal, and a coalition of traditionalists, evangelicals and Catholics within the Church has sent a booklet to all 468 members of the synod arguing the draft measure falls short of what they need.
In a letter to the Times newspaper on Friday, signed by 327 clergy from all but one of the Church's 44 dioceses, they said backing for the draft measure would "lead irrevocably to deep fractures appearing within the Church".
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Church members, including bishops, clergy and senior laity, have signed an open letter - published in the Independent newspaper - urging the synod to vote in favour. | The next Archbishop of Canterbury has backed the ordination of women bishops, saying it is "time to finish the job" started with appointing women priests. |
37836744 | Now rugby union is also looking for a blossoming of awareness and investment in the world's most populous nation, where the government has recently embarked on developing domestic sport over the coming decades.
Chinese authorities are making a concerted effort to increase sporting participation from grassroots to elite levels, as well as creating a flourishing sports business sector.
Meanwhile, governing body World Rugby is committed to growing the game in new markets, and promoting the sport beyond its traditional "comfort zones" of the European and southern hemisphere heavyweights.
It is looking for growth in many countries, including Brazil, India and Russia, but it is China where they have struck it big - signing a $100m (£80.5m) deal that involves a professional league, university programmes and grassroots initiatives.
"World Rugby's strategic mission is to grow the global rugby family," says World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper, adding that China is "central to that mission".
Rugby union is seen as a sport with huge potential in Asia, especially after its inclusion in the Olympics, and Japan's strong showing at the 2015 World Cup.
Japan will host the next World Cup in 2019, and is the dominant rugby power in the region, one that arch-rival China will be looking to challenge in the future.
Participation in the sport in China has increased by 40% in the past year to 76,000 players. The new initiative, signed in partnership with company Alisports, and the country's rugby football association, will see the former invest $100m over the next 10 years in an effort to further popularise the game.
Alisports is the sports division of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and the money will be used to establish the first professional leagues for men and women, and national rugby sevens programmes.
And a mass-participation initiative will take place in up to 10,000 universities and schools.
Tingting Zhang, business development manager of Beijing-based sports marketing firm Yutang Sports, says rugby union is currently a "niche" sport in China compared with basketball, table tennis and badminton.
But she says it does have some presence, for example in universities, and that there are opportunities for development.
"It is not very expensive now to bring the sport here," she says. "To bring a major sport in the world into China now, with a relatively good price and to develop it, is good timing.
"As these [plans] move forward, there will also be good marketing and sponsorship opportunities for the sport."
As part of the new growth plans, development schemes will also seek to recruit and train 30,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials by 2020.
Meanwhile, Alisports will launch a China-wide marketing programme, and broadcast rugby on its television and digital outlets.
"We have a great partner in World Rugby and together we will work tirelessly to promote the development of rugby in China with a goal of inspiring one million new players in five years," said Alisports chief executive Zhang Dazhong.
So what's in it for Alibaba and Alisports?
"Sport in China is being closely aligned with the entertainment sector," says Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at the University of Salford, and who has closely studied sport in the country.
"E-commerce and digital companies such as Alibaba, they need content, and sport is a great way of doing that."
Indeed only last week sport was included in a restructuring of Alibaba's digital entertainment assets, part of a new division which will have a 10bn yuan (£1.2bn; $1.5bn) fund for new projects.
"Chinese people talk about 'hot money' in sport, but they don't mean it has been fraudulently acquired," says Prof Chadwick.
"It is essentially investors trying to second-guess the sports market to make a return on their investment. It is essentially sports property speculation in the way we have seen in China with physical property speculation."
China is a country, which - for international prestige and "soft power" reasons - likes to see its sportsmen and women achieve on the global stage and Olympic sports are therefore given preferential state support and approval.
So rugby's inclusion in the Rio 2016 Olympics this year can only further help herald a new beginning for the sport in China.
Interestingly, the sport does already have a foothold in the country, built on a couple of diverse influences.
"The growth in popularity of rugby in China actually predates what is happening now," says Prof Chadwick.
"The Chinese armed forces have been playing rugby for a number of years. They have believed that rugby is one of the best ways to develop the skills of their personnel, involving as it does strength, teamwork and decision-making.
"The consequence of this is that when people then leave the armed forces they want to continue playing the game, and set up teams and clubs."
Alongside the army legacy, the wider history of the game in China includes its relationship with Hong Kong, where British expats played the game for decades prior to the handing over of the territory to the mainland in 1997.
In fact the sevens version of the game has become virtually synonymous with Hong Kong, with the annual tournament there launched 40 years ago.
Hong Kong does have a separate team - in World Rugby's international rankings it is rated 25th, with China at 68 - but its rugby legacy for China is strong.
Indeed, Hong Kong Rugby Union's chief executive Vern Reid says they have a role to play in helping to develop the sport in China.
With what seems to be a strong and sustainable platform being put in place for rugby union in China, it could become not only a major force on the international stage but also have what World Rugby calls "real major event hosting potential".
Prof Chadwick says the Chinese will give the task their best efforts. "One of the big misconceptions is that it is only football that is looking to expand in China," he says.
"The country is trying to develop the world's biggest sporting economy, which also includes the likes of table tennis and basketball, as well as sports equipment.
"Rugby union had already got a foothold in the country, and its growth is now part of that bigger sporting picture." | Football's growth drive into China has hit the headlines over the past couple of years, with wealthy investors from the country buying clubs both at home and abroad. |
34810121 | The 32-year-old has gone from councillor in Londonderry to party leader in just ten years.
In the course of the leadership contest, Mr Eastwood attracted the support of party luminaries and seasoned MLAs alike, with Brid Rodgers, Alex Attwood, Mark Durkan and former Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon all backing the Foyle MLA.
With the help of that heavyweight support, the new leader belied his relative inexperience to depose of Alasdair McDonnell, a veteran of many elections during a political career which has lasted several decades.
Mr Eastwood has become the joint-youngest ever person to lead one of Stormont's five main parties.
However, he now faces an even bigger challenge - to unite and grow the party to challenge Sinn Féin.
He joined the SDLP in 1998, citing the Good Friday Agreement and leadership of John Hume as the inspiration.
In 2005, he was elected to Derry City Council and five years later, aged 27, became Derry's youngest ever mayor.
It was to be a momentous year for the city.
Just a week after he accepted the chain of office, the Saville Report into Bloody Sunday was published.
The report, along with Prime Minister David Cameron's words that the killings were "unjustified and unjustifiable", led to scenes of jubilation for families of the victims and crowds of onlookers in Guildhall Square.
Mr Eastwood later described it as "an iconic moment" for the city.
Later in 2010, there was more celebration when it was announced the city would be the UK's first City of Culture in 2013.
It was not long before Mr Eastwood moved from the mayor's office to Stormont - he was elected as an MLA for Foyle in 2011.
His rising reputation had not gone unnoticed and four months after the election he was nominated to stand as the SDLP's deputy party leader.
However, citing a desire to focus on constituency issues, Mr Eastwood turned the nomination down.
Four years later, and with more experience as an MLA, he announced his intention to stand against Dr O'Donnell in September.
He said that the challenge was "not personal" against the current leader, but that politics needed "a new generation".
Despite his confident pitch for leadership, the past four years at Stormont have not been free of controversy.
He faced criticism in 2012 for his decision to carry the coffin of a friend, who was buried in a paramilitary-style funeral.
Mr Eastwood said he acted in a personal capacity in carrying the coffin of Seamus Coyle and again defended his position when questioned on the day before the leadership election.
"It would have been easier politically for me not to carry the coffin but I was at the funeral for a friend," he told Good Morning Ulster.
"I think people understand that in our community, you go to funerals and you carry coffins. And you try to reach across the community as well."
As the new leader of the SDLP, Mr Eastwood will now have to prove his ability to reach out not only across the community but also to those disillusioned with the state of play at Stormont.
"I'm fed up losing," he told supporters when he launched his bid for the leadership in September.
He has won this round but the young leader will be hoping his personal winning streak will help carry the SDLP through next year's elections and beyond. | Colum Eastwood's ascension to leader of the SDLP marks a meteoric rise. |
34398959 | Last month, Australian media found some of the firm's franchisees had been paying workers around the country about half the minimum wage.
Chairman Russ Withers and chief executive Warren Wilmot will leave their posts immediately, the firm said.
7-Eleven is Australia's biggest petrol and convenience retailer with some 620 stores, including 450 franchises.
In their joint investigation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Four Corners programme and Fairfax Media said they had "uncovered evidence of collusion between some of the owners at hundreds of (7-Eleven Stores) across multiple states".
Some 7-Eleven workers told how they had been made to work at half the minimum wage and for longer-than expected hours.
Mr Wilmot said in a statement that he had offered his resignation "following the recent realisation of the extent to which 7-Eleven franchisees had underpaid workers".
He said it would be difficult for him to lead the company amid the scandal and that a new independent chief executive was appropriate given the circumstances.
Chairman and founder of the Australian business, Mr Withers, said he was bringing forward by 18 months an existing succession plan to pass the reins to Michael Smith - a non-executive director and deputy chair of the retail giant.
But Mr Withers said he would stay on as head of the group holding company which has investments in real estate and Starbucks stores among other areas.
"Naturally this is a major decision for me to stand aside as chairman," he said, "however I will continue to be a shareholder and I am determined to make sure the company is in the right hands to move forward".
The company said it was investigating all allegations of franchisees underpaying workers with the help of Australia's workplace rights ombudsman as well as accounting firm Ernst & Young.
7-Eleven is a private company with a license to operate in Australia from the US-based 7-Eleven Inc and has been in operation in the country for 38 years. | Australia's 7-Eleven Stores' chief executive and chairman have resigned amid a worker exploitation scandal. |
23879744 | That, though, is what has happened in the past 24 hours.
David Cameron summoned MPs to return early from their summer break in order to vote for British involvement in military strikes against Syria within days.
The timetable was not his. It was President Obama's.
Having declared that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be the crossing of a red line, the White House was under pressure to act and to act fast.
In addition, Obama is said to have wanted to act before leaving the US for a foreign trip next Tuesday.
If he still wants to stick to that timetable, Britain will no longer be with him.
The government simply could not guarantee that its own MPs would give it a majority in the vote tonight. They needed Labour's support.
Ed Miliband showed every sign of offering it in a series of face-to-face meetings with David Cameron until last night, when he insisted that MPs be given a second vote after the UN weapons inspectors in Syria had reported.
It is impossible to know whether he was acting out of principle or in response to pressure from his own MPs. The answer is probably both.
In response the prime minister felt he had no choice but to buckle. So, now MPs are being asked to vote on the "principle" of military action but with the promise that they will get another say before any missiles are fired.
Labour are still not happy. They are tabling an amendment which sets out what they call a "road map" to a decision - in effect a series of hurdles that have to be crossed before action can be taken.
The one that could prove trickiest is the one that may seem the easiest. It is the call for "compelling evidence" that chemical weapons were used by the Assad regime.
The UN weapons inspectors in Damascus will not produce that evidence.
Their mandate is not to discover who used chemical weapons. It is to confirm whether they were used.
This morning the government will publish a document (after Iraq, no-one will call it a dossier) written by the Joint Intelligence Committee.
It has already been seen by senior government ministers and the Labour leader and shadow foreign secretary. It is largely an analysis of so-called "open source material", ie YouTube videos of the chemical weapons attack last week.
I am told that the JIC assessment is that:
As with much intelligence, that is an expert judgement but is it what Labour and their allies in other parties regard as "compelling evidence"?
Tonight, MPs will be offered the chance to vote first for Labour's amendment and then for the government's motion.
Labour will not say whether they will back the government if their amendment falls.
They will hope for further concessions from ministers. The outcome is, after the last 24 hours, unpredictable.
The stakes could scarcely be higher. At issue is not just what response, if any, Britain makes to the use of chemical weapons; not just British involvement, if any, in military strikes but also the reputations of the prime minister and the man who wants to replace him.
David Cameron has consistently talked tough on Syria and consistently proved unable to act tough. Today he will try to present that as a search for consensus after the painful wounds of Iraq.
Ed Miliband is emerging, his supporters hope, as a statesman who has learnt the lessons of Iraq.
However, he will be aware that the Tories are waiting to present him as someone merely playing Westminster politics if he refuses today to take yes for an answer by backing the government's new motion. | It is without modern precedent for a prime minister to lose control of his foreign policy, let alone decisions about peace and war. |
31009421 | The book is the author's personal account of training a goshawk as a way of dealing with grief following her father's death.
The £30,000 prize aims to honour outstanding books by authors based in the UK and Ireland and was previously called the Whitbread award.
H is for Hawk is the sixth biography to take the overall prize and the first in 10 years.
Macdonald told the BBC she was "in pieces" after winning the award in central London on Tuesday night.
"I'm absolutely thrilled and surprised and bemused, and it's wonderful," she said. "I am so, so thankful to the judges."
She described the work as a "very strange book", adding that she "didn't think anyone would read it".
Macdonald said that the memoir was intended as a "love letter to the English countryside and all that we're losing and have lost".
As a child, Macdonald is determined to become a falconer.
She learns the arcane terminology and reads all the classic books - including TH White's tortured masterpiece, The Goshawk, which describes White's struggle to train a hawk as a spiritual contest.
When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk.
She buys Mabel for £800 on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge.
Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals.
Source: Random House
Macdonald beat novelist and bookmakers' favourite Ali Smith, with How to be Both, debut writer Emma Healey's Elizabeth is Missing, poet Jonathan Edwards with My Family and Other Superheroes and author and journalist Kate Saunders, with Five Children on the Western Front, to win the overall prize.
The book has also won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. Macdonald said she had had an "astonishing" year and said she had often been "brought to tears" by her readers' own stories of grief and bereavement.
Bestselling novelist Robert Harris, who chaired the judging panel, said it was a clear winner.
He said: "Several people felt very passionately that it haunted them and they would never forget it and everyone agreed it was brilliantly written, wonderful kind of muscular prose - really precise, scalpel-like prose and staring at grief with the unblinking eye of a hawk."
Macdonald was a clear winner on the first ballot after the judges spent 90 minutes deciding on the winner, he added.
BBC correspondent Nick Higham spoke to the author - a Cambridge academic - for the News channel's Meet the Authors.
Last year's prize went to Nathan Filer's debut novel The Shock of the Fall. | Helen Macdonald's memoir H is for Hawk has been named Costa Book of the Year. |
38182289 | Philip Spriggs, 52, formerly of Oxford, was charged following a reinvestigation by the Thames Valley Police major crime review team.
He is accused of an attack on a teenager near Pullens Lane, Oxford, in January 1986.
Mr Spriggs appeared at Oxford Crown Court earlier and pleaded not guilty. He is next due to appear in court on 24 February with a trial set for 2 May. | A man has pleaded not guilty to the attempted rape of a girl 30 years ago. |
37056625 | 12 August 2016 Last updated at 08:36 BST
The warning comes on World Elephant Day, 12 August.
Tusk say more needs to be done to stop the poaching of the biggest land animals on Earth.
Ayshah has been looking into the threat facing elephants around the world. | Conservation charity Tusk has told Newsround that "If poaching is not stopped, then there is every chance that elephants will become extinct in a number of African countries within the next decade." |
30287845 | The week-long meeting of 195 countries in Lima - aimed at preparing for a new global climate pact in 2015 - comes after China and the US, two of the world's top polluters, pledged last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The official news agency Xinhua says China is keen to reach a deal on carbon emissions, but adds in another article that progress is likely to be stymied by differences between the developed and developing world - with the US the main culprit.
"Some developed countries demand that developing countries, especially emerging economies, pledge emission cuts, but they are not interested in providing funds and technical assistance to these countries," the article says.
It adds that the US is the "hardcore representative of developed countries that are shirking responsibilities", and will "pressure other nations but avoid delivering its own promises".
State-owned Guangming Daily strikes a similar note, criticising the US and Europe for "not doing enough" while highlighting China's willingness to work towards a deal in accordance with "principle of fairness".
A report in the People's Daily enumerates the way Chinese enterprises and investments have been helping to combat climate change abroad, praising them for "actively protecting the environment of the countries they are in".
"Neighbourhood diplomacy" is the big buzzword in the Chinese papers following a speech by President Xi Jinping over the weekend in which he promised to improve ties with China's neighbours.
Mr Xi's remarks at a conference in Beijing on Saturday are seeing as having struck a conciliatory tone in relations with other countries in the region, which are frequently strained by longstanding disputes over territory.
An article in the Communist Party publication Qiu Shi lends its full support to Mr Xi's "big-country diplomacy", based on principles such as respect of countries' sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs.
Highlighting China's traditional insistence that its rise will be a peaceful one, the article also suggests Beijing focus on projecting soft power through culture and technology exports - as well as "the charm and the confidence of Chinese diplomacy".
Continuing the conciliatory theme, an article in the China Daily urges China not be suspicious of other countries' intentions in order to build "strategic partnerships".
According to the commentary, Beijing should understand that the US does not want the Chinese government or nation to collapse, and neighbouring countries do not want to contain it.
"China has a good record of solving disputes peacefully, and its diplomacy should show neighbours its sincerity and reflect its goodwill," it concludes.
And finally, state media back the use of force to end the pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong, while playing down suggestions that Beijing could deploy troops to the territory.
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung has warned pro-democracy activists not to return to the streets following the worst clashes between protesters and police since the demonstrations began two months ago.
Condemning the protesters for "severely challenging" Hong Kong's rule of law, the Global Times chides the territory's police for being "overly cautious".
"We stand by the Hong Kong police, which can use force to halt the ruinous and subversive course of street politics", the paper says.
On the other hand, it also warns the mainland authorities against the "temptation" to quell the unrest with troops.
This, it argues, "can only bring temporary peace, but the deep-rooted causes will remain".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | As a key UN climate change conference opens in Peru, Chinese state media contrast their country's approach to what they cast as the United States' reluctance to shoulder its share of the burden of emissions cuts. |
34580962 | The work showed that women who had a particular version of the BCAR1 gene were more likely than other women to have heart attacks and strokes.
In contrast, men who had the gene were not at increased risk.
Researchers say this adds to mounting evidence that there are differences in how men and women experience heart disease.
In the study, published in the journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, researchers from University College London pooled data from five European research projects, involving nearly 4,000 men and women.
Comparing their genes, the health of their blood vessels and the thickness of key arteries, scientists pinpointed a version of a gene that was linked to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and diseased blood vessels in women.
Though they still have work to do to fully understand the link, researchers believe the gene - when combined with a woman's naturally occurring oestrogen - could lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
And building on previous work, they suggest the gene may encourage the mass migration of cells into the walls of key blood vessels - making them thicker.
As blood vessel walls thicken, this could, in turn, increase the chance of blockages that lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Lead author of the research, Freya Boardman-Pretty, said: "We've known for a long time that risk factors for heart disease are different for men and women.
"This gene effect seen only in women, could be contributing to this difference, although we expect there are a lot of other factors at play.
"If we can confirm that this gene is involved, and work out exactly how it leads to an increased risk of heart disease in women, it could become a new target for drugs in the future."
She added that more research is needed and that individuals need to look beyond their genetic make-up and focus on healthy lifestyles to help protect themselves from heart disease.
Dr Shannon Amoils, from the British Heart Foundation, which helped fund the research, added: "Heart disease is often seen as a disease which predominantly affects men, but this is simply not the case.
"It is imperative that everyone takes steps to prevent it. Women can reduce their risk by not smoking, getting regular physical exercise and eating healthily." | Scientists have identified a gene that puts women at higher risk of heart disease, an early study suggests. |
39997726 | Riot police needed to intervene to keep Manchester United and Ajax fans apart when they met in Amsterdam in 2012.
Ticketless fans are expected in Sweden, having missed out on both club's official allocations of 9,500.
"You would be naive to think you are not going to get anything," said chief superintendent John O'Hare.
"It is a final, in Europe, between two really big, established, well-supported teams. There will always be a minority of individuals who want to use this as cover to cause trouble," the Greater Manchester Police officer added.
O'Hare and a small team of officers who specialise in monitoring United games will be in the Swedish capital to work with Swedish and Dutch counterparts.
They will also liaise with Europe's governing body Uefa and the clubs themselves in an effort to ensure the game passes off without incident.
He is encouraged by the knowledge Swedish police are likely to adopt an "engaging, front-facing" approach, which he feels will help avoid the kinds of scenes witnessed in Madrid last month when Spanish police clashed with Leicester City supporters ahead of their side's Champions League quarter-final with Atletico Madrid.
On that occasion, Madrid police were criticised for their approach as several fans were hurt.
O'Hare said: "English football fans have a certain way of behaving, which we understand as being jubilant and non-threatening.
"It is about making sure the Swedish police understand the context and only employ the tactics that are appropriate at that moment in time.
"Often in Manchester we have found you get more response by talking to people than coming at them with batons.
"That is not the way we do business and we will try our very best to ensure that is not the way they do business over in Stockholm."
O'Hare also confirmed there would be a significant police presence in Manchester city centre on Wednesday night.
United are looking to win the Europa League for the first time and join Ajax as one of only five teams to have won all three major European competitions. | A senior Manchester police chief says it would be "naive" to think Wednesday's Europa League final in Stockholm will be trouble free. |
38153180 | David Rowlands asked the Welsh first minister to "explore the possibility" of the M4 improvement scheme being part-funded by the Irish government.
The assembly member for South Wales East said it was a serious request as "three quarters of all Irish exports to the EU and UK pass along that road".
His request was met with heckles and hilarity in the assembly.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said it was for the Welsh government to maintain the major roads and motorways of Wales.
He also said Mr Rowlands could not expect another EU member state "to make up the shortfall that he himself campaigned to engineer in the first place".
Undeterred, the UKIP assembly member said Ireland would be able to access cash from the Trans-European highways fund for the M4 relief road - a £1.1bn six-lane motorway, south of Newport, to relieve congestion.
The UK Independence Party fought for the UK to leave the EU during June's referendum. Leave won by 52% to 48%. | A UKIP politician has asked if Ireland could help pay for a motorway in Wales using EU funds. |
33236765 | The MP balloted voters in his Richmond Park constituency, in South West London, to ask for their consent.
Some 15,802, or 79% of those who took part said "yes", with just 3,569, or 18%, saying "no."
The MP sent out 77,071 ballot papers and received 19,890 back, a turnout of 25.8%.
Mr Goldsmith, an environmental campaigner who is strongly opposed to Heathrow expansion, is now expected to enter the race to replace Boris Johnson as the Conservatives' mayoral candidate next year.
Among his potential rivals are former footballer Sol Campbell, financial services entrepreneur Ivan Massow, deputy mayor for policing and crime Stephen Greenhalgh, London Assembly member Andrew Boff and the Conservative Party's leader in the European Parliament Syed Kamall,
Labour is also holding a contest to find its candidate for City Hall.
Mr Goldsmith, who was recently returned as an MP with a greatly increased majority, said: "I am hugely grateful to the residents of Richmond Park and North Kingston for taking part in the ballot, and am overwhelmed by the mandate they have given me to run for mayor.
"For five years I have campaigned hard on the issues that matter to my constituents, whether fighting to stop Heathrow expansion, pressing for free parking to help our small shops, stopping plans to charge people for enjoying Richmond Park, or campaigning to give voters more power over their MPs. I have seen how a campaigning MP can make a real difference."
He said he wanted to build on the progress made by Boris Johnson, who he described as "a strong, campaigning mayor" who had "secured investment, created jobs, made our streets safer and much more".
And he vowed to make sure "London works for all Londoners".
"That means bearing down on unsustainable rents and helping more Londoners own their own home; continuing to improve and grow our transport system to cut delays and deliver value for money for commuters; promoting a healthier living environment for London families."
It has also been announced that the former Conservative MP Nick de Bois - who lost his seat at the last election - will be Mr Goldsmith's campaign chairman.
Mr Goldsmith's agent said the MP had paid for the ballot of his constituents himself, although he would not say how much it had cost as the final invoice has not come through. | Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith has received the overwhelming backing of his constituents to make a bid to be the next London mayor. |
29280298 | In December 1980, there were reports of phenomena in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk near a United States Air Force base.
The Forestry Commission has created a metal interpretation of a UFO to add to its trail which commemorates the alleged sightings.
The commission said the sculpture was "impartial" and did not seek to answer the mystery.
The 'Rendlesham Incident' took place over three nights starting in the early hours of 26 December 1980.
Two US servicemen claimed to have seen lights outside the perimeter fence at RAF Woodbridge.
Since then, many books and internet sites have been filled with conflicting theories about whether it was an alien visitation, a military aircraft, the beam from Orfordness Lighthouse or natural phenomena.
The Forestry Commission opened a UFO Trail in 2005 and placed three logs in a clearing where witnesses claimed a craft had landed and disappeared.
The new UFO will be placed in the same clearing.
Nigel Turner, recreation manager at Rendlesham Forest, said: "Clearly something happened - there's a party who believe it was something military, there are people who believe it was extraterrestrial activity and we respect all opinions.
"We think it will fit in well, because it offers a goal for people completing the trail and also give an insight into our timber-growing and conservation work."
Olivia English designed the UFO sculpture and said it was based on one of the servicemen's sketches and other descriptions of sightings in the forest.
She said: "The design is really about trying to find a middle ground and remaining impartial and creating an interpretation.
"The symbols on the side of the UFO were originally part of the trail, but we've recycled them to add another dimension. There's no secret code - it's art." | A 'UFO' has been built to mark the spot where an alleged landing took place in one of the UK's biggest UFO mysteries. |
37585154 | But in the knowledge the Prime Minister was about to tell the party conference about a shift to the centre ground, an appeal to "ordinary working class people", I left Birmingham the night before the speech to find out what some real voters, in the Labour stronghold, thought.
We call them vox pops in the trade, from the Latin "vox populi" which means voice of the people - one question asked of randomly picked people in the street.
Normally on TV they are short and to the point. But such was the eloquence and strongly-held beliefs I found in Mansfield, they are worth hearing at length because they sum up what people think of politics and the country right now.
The first person in his mobility scooter bemoaned the number of homeless people on the streets, particularly ex-servicemen. This is what he said, though, about Theresa May:
"She needs a chance.
"But making false promises isn't going to get us out of the situation that we are in."
Next, the 75-year-old ex-miner, still working as a gardener. Proud he had worked, so far, for 60 years and not intending to retire.
"She's great and I've always been a Labour man," he said.
"But this woman makes sense. I'm sure she's going to do a good job for us and we've got to be patient and I'm sure at the end of the day we'll be all better off.
"She's got that know-how look. I'm sure she means what she says and she's going to do it and she's got a good group of people around her."
Next the man in the street who takes the anti-immigration line.
He said: "I think she should do what she says and do it for the working class, which is curtailing foreigners from coming into this country.
"I've worked hard all my life and these foreigners are coming in and using our system and they're not paying for it."
"I think this town needs a change... it needs more money putting into it."
In the market place, stall holders were reluctant to talk. Not on camera anyway.
There was concern at the Brexit vote, the falling pound putting up the cost of what they sell from the EU threatens their future.
The next to speak was a woman who was surprised to find herself supporting the Prime Minister's words.
"I was a bit sceptical about her to start with but what she's saying is making a lot of sense," she said.
"But whether she puts it into practice... I'm quite optimistic. As I say, I was very sceptical to start with because I'm not a Conservative person."
Finally, although we did speak to more, the disillusioned man who speaks for many too, on politics, Brexit, and even the voting system.
All in response to the same question about his thoughts on Theresa May's speech appealing to ordinary working class people.
"I'm more leaning towards Socialism than Conservatism," he said.
"Politics is in a worst state than it's ever been.
"I've never been so disappointed as I am at the moment with the political situation. Every party.
"The Brexit thing was very disappointing. You've got a decision which just over half the country wanted so you've got a divided nation there.
"I'm very proud to be British but in reality I've never felt so down with politics as I do at the moment."
Lots for politicians need to take heed of here. Words and promises are powerful but what is delivered in the end is what will decide which way people vote.
Domestic policies are one thing, the government can control that. It can decide where to invest to help the economy as it steps towards to the centre and at the same time to the right on immigration.
We, as a nation, may have voted to seize control with the referendum result on 23 June but it may be hard to control the effects of Brexit on the economy.
What will the people of Mansfield think then? | They have had a Labour MP in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, since 1922 - so it's hardly natural Tory territory. |
29068550 | The father of two from Perth has more than 15 years' experience with a number of humanitarian agencies.
He has worked on projects in Libya, South Sudan and the former Yugoslavia.
He was taken hostage alongside an Italian aid worker in Syria last March - barely two weeks into his posting with a French relief agency, ACTED.
The pair had been working in the Atmeh refugee camp in the Idlib province, close to the Turkish border, supplying water, food and tents.
Mr Haines's Italian colleague, Federico Motka, was released in May this year.
Mr Haines attended the Perth Academy in Scotland.
Since 1999 he has held a number of positions with aid agencies around the world.
He worked with a German charity on post-war reconstruction projects in Croatia, including housing and demining. He was also involved in efforts to help displaced people to return to their homes.
In 2011 he became Head of Mission in Libya for Handicap International.
The following year he joined another agency, the Nonviolence Peaceforce (NP), and went to South Sudan.
There, he and other NP staff worked as unarmed civilian peacekeepers.
The NP has issued a statement since Mr Haines's name emerged in the public domain, saying it joined people around the world in pleas, thoughts and calls for his safe release.
Mr Haines's parents live in Ayr. | The British man being held hostage by self-styled Islamic State fighters in Syria is 44-year-old David Haines. |
36640007 | But the rest of Europe has been caught short too.
There's been a cacophony of contradictory political statements across the EU since Friday morning.
There have been demands the UK must give immediate official notice to the EU that it is leaving; except it doesn't. There have been alarm bells that the EU is disintegrating, set off by determined insistences that the bloc is more united than ever.
Now that the dust is settling, a bit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is attempting to take control, as she tends to in most things EU.
Her priorities: to get Britain out smoothly, as soon as is practical (ensuring German trade interests, of course) and also to safeguard the future of the EU.
For her, Brexit now is all about damage limitation.
Monday's meeting in Berlin with the leaders of France and Italy is as much about image as content.
It's a signal and a photo-op ahead of Tuesday's EU summit in Brussels that, at its core, the EU is united in purpose and unflustered by the British vote.
Including Matteo Renzi of Italy in Monday's pow-wow in Berlin was a canny move.
He's there to represent the EU others.
To try to avoid accusations of Franco-German elitism or German domination in the EU at a time when voters are more Eurosceptic than ever.
Concerned about calls in their own countries to now hold referendums on EU membership, Europe's leaders have rushed to make statements about "listening to the people".
Expect more of the same in Berlin later. But with a more positive, less panicked-sounding spin.
Matteo Renzi, for example now describes Brexit as a great opportunity for Europe to make "long-needed" changes.
Not long ago it had been assumed that a UK vote to leave would be followed by decisive moves towards "more Europe", as the European Commission describes integrationist policies.
In particular, an attempt by the eurozone to press ahead with plans to complete monetary and banking union.
The foreign ministers of France and Germany have just authored a discussion paper setting out a blueprint for a "strong Europe in an uncertain world", with an invitation to other EU countries to join "a political union".
But their bosses, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande, are wary. Very wary. Of further alienating a Eurosceptic public with suggestions of pooling even more national sovereignty.
Both leaders are, of course, heading into what could become extremely bruising election campaigns at home (particularly for President Hollande).
So it is expected that EU leaders will concentrate on "safe" common positions this week, demonstrating EU unity without wildly waving the federalist flag.
France and Germany will likely concentrate on security and defence.
Not the EU army idea that caused so much consternation in the UK, but rather initiatives thought to be acceptable to the broader European public such as common anti-terror measures and the formation of an EU coastguard to be used in the migrant crisis.
But despite Angela Merkel's best efforts - and possibly also because of them, from countries that resent Germany's dominating role - divisions will continue between EU nations, political parties within them and with the European Commission over the whens and hows of the UK's exit, and where the EU goes from here. | Much is being made at the moment of the apparent unpreparedness of both the UK's Leave campaign and of David Cameron's Remain camp for the day after an eventual Brexit vote. |
32123695 | Armed men opened fired on an aid vehicle as it travelled from Gao to Niamey in neighbouring Niger to pick up medical supplies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement that it was "profoundly dismayed" by the killing.
Islamist militant group Mujao told AFP that it had carried out the attack.
The nationality of the ICRC worker who was killed has not yet been released.
"He was driving to collect much-needed medical equipment for a Gao hospital," said Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, head of operations for North and West Africa.
"His death is not only a tragedy for his family and for the ICRC, it will affect the life and well-being of tens of thousands of people," she added.
The injured worker was a member of the national Mali Red Cross and is in a stable condition in hospital.
The vehicle the pair were travelling in was clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem and was later burned.
"The ICRC is concerned about the rise in violence against humanitarian workers, which is preventing them from coming to the aid of individuals and communities in dire need," Ms Praz Dessimoz said.
A spokesman for Mujao, Abou Walid Sahraoui, was quoted by AFP as saying: "We have achieved what we wanted with this attack."
Mujao, which stands for Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, was formed in 2011 to spread jihad across West Africa and it believed to be a well-disciplined group.
Mali's desert north suffers frequent militant attacks despite a French-led operation to drive out Islamist fighters in 2013.
Earlier this month, a rocket attack on a UN base in Kidal killed a Chadian peacekeeper and two children. | A Red Cross employee has been killed and another injured in a gun attack by suspected Islamist militants in Mali, the aid organisation says. |
33173267 | Cannons from the merchant vessel, La Juliana, have been found in the sands off Streedagh, County Sligo.
Timbers from the exposed wreck began washing ashore in April.
The guns date back to 1588, but are said to be in excellent condition. Two have been taken off the seabed.
One bears a dedication to St Matrona, a saint particularly venerated by the people of Catalonia and Barcelona.
It is dated 1570, the year in which La Juliana was built, putting the identity of the ship beyond doubt, the Irish government has said.
Heather Humphreys, minister for arts, heritage and the gaeltacht, has visited the wreck site.
"We have uncovered a wealth of fascinating and highly significant material, which is more than 425 years old," she said.
"This material is obviously very historically and archaeologically significant."
Two other vessels from the Armada sank nearby in violent storms in September 1588.
More than 1,000 soldiers and mariners drowned when the La Lavia and Santa Maria de Vision went down.
La Juliana traded between Spain and Italy until King Philip II commandeered it for the Armada fleet of 130 ships to invade England and take Queen Elizabeth I's throne.
The boat weighed 860 tons, carried 32 guns, 325 soldiers and had a crew of 70.
A security operation is in place to safeguard the valuable shipwreck site from treasure hunters. | Severe winter storms over the last two years are believed to have led to the recent discovery of relics from the Spanish Armada off the Irish coast. |
39675201 | The minke was spotted on a beach west of Elie by a passer-by just before 16:00 on Friday.
A team from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) led the operation to refloat the mammal at high tide.
An initial attempt failed when the whale re-beached itself, but a second attempt appeared successful.
A BDMLR spokeswoman said: "The whale's body condition was fair and it was not injured so we decided to refloat it on the high tide.
"We had pontoons in place but when we refloated it, it swam in a circle and re-beached itself.
"They found it and got it onto the pontoon again. It was still fairly strong and in a state to swim off the pontoon.
"We think it might just have got disorientated with the tide, so this time the RNLI followed it out to sea.
"We've had volunteers walking up and down the beach, and so far there's no sign of it so hopefully it will be OK." | Wildlife experts have refloated a 20ft (6.1m) whale that was found stranded on a beach in Fife. |
37229865 | SNP MP Richard Arkless and Conservative MSP Finlay Carson recently had talks with the region's medical director Dr Angus Cameron.
Mr Arkless said urgent action was needed to tackle an "impasse" in recruitment.
However, Mr Carson said it was the SNP that needed to act to help address the situation.
Mr Arkless said there were more than a dozen vacancies already, with more than a quarter of GPs due to retire in the next 10 years.
He said more needed to be done to attract doctors to the region.
"It was good to meet with Dr Cameron to find out what attempts have been made to attract GPs to live and work in Dumfries and Galloway," he said.
"I was pleased to hear about the online recruitment campaign that has been running and the trade fairs that Dr Cameron had personally attended to talk to doctors who may have not previously considered working in Dumfries and Galloway.
"Dr Cameron also discussed how we could generally offer professionals a more attractive package.
"I agreed with him that there was a lot that could be done to sell everything that we have on offer in Dumfries and Galloway to attract more skilled doctors, dentists and teachers."
However, Mr Arkless said that doctors were still failing to apply for vacant positions.
"This situation has been at an impasse for many months and further steps must now be urgently taken to ensure the continuity of primary care services throughout our region," he said.
He said the region had "so much to offer" and said he would be happy to play a part in talking to potential recruits to encourage them to come to south west Scotland.
Mr Carson said the Scottish government needed to act on the situation.
"Measures taken by the SNP so far have been nothing like enough," he said.
"More needs to be done to assist rural practices with the cost burden of recruitment.
"During a recent meeting with the medical director, Angus Cameron, I reiterated the concerns of local doctors and constituents, and put forward some of their suggestions about how to ease the current situation."
He said he had been assured NHS Dumfries and Galloway would do what it could to assist local practices.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway declined to comment on the issue. | Two politicians have called for action over GP recruitment problems being faced in Dumfries and Galloway. |
35929232 | Over recent days, Tripoli's airspace has been intermittently closed to stop the Presidency Council, which has been based in Tunisia, from arriving by air.
Libya's UN envoy called for a "a peaceful and orderly handover".
But hardliners in the coalition that controls Tripoli are opposed to the UN-brokered deal aimed at reconciling a nation split by five years of conflict.
In a televised address, the head of the Tripoli authorities, Khalifa Ghweil, said he regarded the politicians as interlopers and said they were not welcome.
He urged "the illegitimate outsiders to surrender and be safe in our custody or to return to where they came from".
Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 overthrow of long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi by Nato-backed forces.
From 2014 it has had two competing administrations, one in Tripoli - backed by powerful militias - and the other about 1,000km (620 miles) away in the port city of Tobruk.
In December, some of these rival lawmakers signed up to the UN agreement to form a unity government, but the deal has not yet been backed by all the country's many militia brigades that were formed in the wake of the uprising.
The agreement saw the formation of a nine-member Presidency Council, which includes the unity Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj who arrived with some of his deputies at a naval base in Tripoli on Wednesday.
Mr Sarraj said it was time to turn a new page and reconcile, saying he intended to build state institutions and implement a ceasefire.
"Revenge, alienation, antipathy, and hatred don't build a state," the AP news agency quotes him as saying.
The BBC's North Africa correspondent Rana Jawad says the Presidency Council has faced numerous challenges since its formation, chief of which has been its inability to establish a presence in Tripoli.
It also proposed a unity cabinet over a month ago, but the Libyan parliament in Tobruk has so far failed to reach a quorum to vote on it, she says.
In the first hours after the politicians' arrival at the navy base, militias on armed pick-up trucks were seen securing most parts of the capital. But by early evening, gunfire from rival groups started ringing out.
It is not clear what their plan is, but things are now tense.
Many of the brigades in western Libya have fallen in line behind the Presidency Council. However, the reality is that these are the very same militias who led and facilitated the existence of the rival authorities in Tripoli since 2014.
Their continued prominent role means their status will not change - it simply puts any new government at their mercy. Ultimately they are Libya's rulers.
Militia allegiances often shift out of convenience and with the need to survive.
Key to any progress and long-term transformation of Libya will be having a government that can control these brigades.
UN envoy Martin Kobler said the politicians' arrival in Tripoli - after at least two failed attempts to fly in - marked "an important step in Libya's democratic transition and path to peace, security and prosperity".
In a statement, he "urged all public bodies, including official financial institutions, to facilitate an immediate, orderly and peaceful handover of power".
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini added: "The arrival of the Presidency Council in the capital represents a unique opportunity for Libyans from all factions to reunite and reconcile."
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "not the time for obstructionists to hold back progress".
But our reporter says it is not clear how Mr Sarraj and his colleagues will be able to take over state institutions in Tripoli given the stiff rivalry they face and the fact that members of his proposed cabinet are based all over the country.
A colonel at the navy base told the BBC a special security committee for the Presidency Council was responsible for arranging the trip of Mr Sarraj and his colleagues - and it was responsible for their safety.
The political and security vacuum in Libya has helped the so-called Islamic State group to establish a foothold in the north African country, carrying out attacks on cities and against oil installations. | Leaders of Libya's new unity government have arrived in the capital, Tripoli, by boat in an attempt to take control. |
21707816 | TEDxStormont has just been announced for the 28 March.
At the annual TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference, the world's brightest minds meet and share ideas.
The independently-organised Stormont event was launched with the aid of Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody, who will also speak at the event.
From its beginnings in California in 1984, TED has grown into a platform for world changers and visionaries.
The organisers invite artists, writers, scientists, designers and others to share one big idea or insight. The talks are then made available to view for free online.
Popular TED videos include: Schools Kill Creativity, Three Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed, Yup, I Built a Nuclear Reactor and When Ideas Have Sex.
Steve Jobs, Al Gore, Isabelle Allende, JK Rowling, Arianna Huffington and Julian Assange are just some of those who have spoken at previous TED events.
Starting from the theme of "imagine", TEDxStormont will look forward and explore the future of society in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody said he was a "huge fan" of the TED phenomenon.
"I'm in a cast of quite awe-inspiring individuals and truly looking forward to it," he said.
"I'm honoured to be asked to speak at TEDxStormont. TEDx is a globally respected concept and fosters great innovation through the people it provides a platform to."
Other speakers announced so far include Kate Carroll, whose policeman husband was shot dead by dissident republicans, Apprentice contestant, Jim Eastwood, and the UUP MLA, Jo-Anne Dobson. | Big ideas for Northern Ireland are to be explored at a local take on one of the world's most imaginative events. |
40397432 | Det Insp Paul Rowland said the weapons were found in a house in the Norglen area on Saturday.
No arrests have been made.
Officers have appealed for information but have released no further details about the operation. | Four suspected guns and a quantity of ammunition have been seized by police in west Belfast. |
36151658 | This is a side which, Robert Huth apart, have no top-flight title-winning experience, has players drawn from lower leagues such as Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N'Golo Kante, and have narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season.
While the whole world seems to be excited about football's most unexpected triumph, Ranieri's masterstroke has been tapping into his team's humble backgrounds, spreading that humility in the media and delaying talk about title ambitions until the last few games.
By doing that, he has been very clever as the mindset shifts from 'nothing to lose' to a 'fear of failure' which can cripple some players. I know from personal experience that, getting that close to a league title and then losing it in the last few games would be seen as choking, and the players would know it.
Chelsea Ladies were accused of that when we lost the Women's Super League title on the final day of the 2014 season. We turned up to face Manchester City thinking they had nothing to play for and were beaten 2-1 to lose the title on goal difference. Complacency cost us that day.
Then during the week before last season's FA Cup final, I was feeling the pressure so much that I wasn't my usual self. I struggled to relax, to laugh or smile and the only way I could relieve it was by turning to yoga and my faith. In the end, it worked as we won our first trophy, and the lessons learned from both experiences helped us win our first Women's Super League title last season too.
Leicester do not have the advantage of being in this position before, which makes their march to their first Premier League title even more remarkable.
People mocked Ranieri's appointment last summer but in addition to his tactical nous, he has carefully choreographed his message to players, fans and media, therefore tempering his team's expectations and showing up plenty of other managers who have previously been in the same situation. Former Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan springs to mind.
Players hang on every word their manager says to the media and Ranieri's happy-go-lucky demeanour has allowed them to enjoy their football. Anything they achieve was seen as a bonus.
I don't think the players would have reacted well if the Italian started talking about reaching the Champions League once they reached the Premier League summit in November. Instead, Ranieri has acted with humility and kept the targets realistic and focussed.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Fortunately for Leicester, Tottenham's draw with West Brom has lifted the pressure a little with the Foxes only needing one win from their last three games.
Had Spurs won on Monday, it would have been a very interesting run-in particularly as I think Leicester might struggle to win at Manchester United on Sunday. However, even if that happens, the league leaders still have two games against Everton and Chelsea to wrap it up, and neither have anything to play for.
That's a big advantage to a team who have defied expectations all campaign and after Chelsea's Eden Hazard's wish that Tottenham don't win the title, the last game of the season might yet be an interesting one if it gets that far.
Ranieri is a great example of how the psychology of a manager is tantamount to the performance of the players and although it's a contrasting case, I think it's also evident with the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Here is a team cast as perennial runners-up to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, and yet in a season where they have all faltered, Leicester and Tottenham have usurped the Gunners relegating them to their usual fight for fourth place.
Their plight reminds me of a cutting message that our manager Emma Hayes delivered after we lost 4-0 to Sunderland last season. After an unbeaten first half of our season, she was concerned complacency may stuff up a title challenge for a second consecutive season so she reminded us of a quote which said: "The first mistake is a lesson, the second is a choice".
Successful managers have to be ruthless in ridding their team of complacency and while Ranieri has backed his team publicly all season, there have been several stories proving that he doesn't indulge his players. I'm not sure the same can be said of Wenger.
Newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year Mahrez admitted earlier in the season that despite all his goals and assists, he feared being withdrawn from the team if he didn't do his defensive duties, while Danny Simpson has said Ranieri sits him down and shows him in minute detail where he wants his right-back to stand while defending in each game.
You can't tell me that Arsenal's squad is weaker than Leicester's yet there is a psychological barrier which I think emanates from the manager. They seem to lack backbone in pressure games each season and yet Wenger seems to let his team get away with it. Is he challenging the players psychologically in the dressing room or just allowing them to make the same mistakes?
Whatever is happening, they are getting the same results and the clubs seems content with only reaching the top four, a story repeated over the past 10 seasons. To me, that's a choice.
The worrying aspect for Arsenal is that Leicester's success will only help to inspire other Premier League teams next season. "Doing a Leicester" will now be coined in English football history to motivate teams with lesser resources.
They will look at the Foxes' excellent scouting network, their use of sport science and periodisation methods to keep injuries to a minimum, and a new bumper TV deal to improve their chances of breaking into the top four as Leicester have done.
I'm not sure that Ranieri's team will be able to match their efforts this season as they aim to combine Premier League, Champions League and cup football. I also think there will be some big teams who may tempt their star players.
But if you look at where Leicester were last season, they avoided relegation with a game to spare, and two seasons ago were in the Championship, so who can emulate them next season?
Leicester's tale of the unexpected has eclipsed many success stories this season, including Slaven Bilic's West Ham, who are sixth in the table, and Bournemouth, who are superbly coached by Eddie Howe.
Like Leicester, the Cherries have survived in the Premier League after being promoted as champions the previous season, but their first campaign in the top flight has been a better achievement given the fact they are already safe, have a comparative lack of resources, and having had serious injuries to some of their top players including Callum Wilson and Max Gradel.
Howe gets his team to play fast, attacking football and I think he's good enough to be a future England manager. He's on course to finish as the top English manager in the Premier League too.
It sounds crazy to suggest it, but after the season we have experienced, who's to say that Bournemouth can't do a Leicester next season or at least reach the Champions League?
This season has turned expectations on their head.
England and Chelsea forward Eniola Aluko was speaking to BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan | Pressure can do funny things to players as the battle for a title goes down to the wire, particularly if you have never been in that situation before, but Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has proven that his mastery of psychology should be enough to avoid any slip-ups with three games to go. |
37789415 | In the three months to September, revenues rose 8% to $616m. That was better than forecast, but lower than the 20% rise in the previous quarter.
The number of average monthly active users rose 3% to 317 million.
Last month, Twitter hired bankers ahead of a possible sale, but bids from potential suitors such as Google and Salesforce failed to materialise.
Shares in Twitter fell 7% earlier this month after Salesforce - considered to be the most likely bidder - said it had walked away from talks.
On Thursday afternoon Twitter said it would close the Vine video sharing service, which it bought four years ago, but gave no reason for the move.
Jack Dorsey, chief executive, said he saw a "significant opportunity to increase growth" as the company improved the platform.
"We have a clear plan, and we're making the necessary changes to ensure Twitter is positioned for long-term growth," he said.
"The key drivers of future revenue growth are trending positive, and we remain confident in Twitter's future."
Twitter's user base remains less than a fifth of Facebook's and is also fewer than Instagram, the picture app that Facebook owns.
The company hopes that live video will attract more users and recently struck a high-profile deal to show National Football League games in the US on Thursday nights.
The site will also introduce "meaningful updates" next month in a bid to better protect users from abusive content - an issue that Twitter has been widely criticised about
Twitter remained heavily in the red in the quarter with a $102.8m net loss, down from a $131.7m loss in the same period last year.
Chief financial officer Anthony Noto said Twitter aimed to become profitable in 2017: "We intend to fully invest in our highest priorities and are de-prioritising certain initiatives and simplifying how we operate in other areas."
However, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said Twitter needed to increase revenue by between $200m and $300m a quarter to become profitable next year.
"The building blocks for revenue are increasing the number of users - and Twitter is not doing a particularly good job of that," he said.
Advertising revenue rose 6% to $545m in the quarter, while data licensing and other revenue jumped 26% to $71m.
International revenue soared by more than a fifth to $242m, growing more than in the US, where revenue was largely flat at $374m compared with the same period last year,
Twitter shares, which have fallen by a quarter this year, rose 1.3% to $17.52 in New York.
The company had 3,860 employees as of June. | Twitter is cutting 9% of its workforce - about 350 jobs - after reporting a sharp slowdown in revenue growth. |
38789540 | The much-travelled lower league defender, 33, the son of Chelsea legend David Webb, has been placed in charge until the end of the season.
He becomes the 10th man to take charge of the East London-based League Two club since the summer of 2014.
The struggling O's are at risk of relegation from the Football League.
Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Mansfield Town saw them drop into the relegation zone after a run of just two wins in nine games under Webb.
Edwards, 45, who had a two-game spell as caretaker manager when Andy Hessenthaler left in September, was himself put in charge until the end of the season after the sacking of Alberto Cavasin in November after a run of eight defeats in 10 games.
"It is with regret that I have made the decision to stand down as manager of Leyton Orient," said Edwards, "It has been a very difficult decision, but I feel that it is in the best interests of my career and my family.
Webb, who was appointed Orient first-team coach this summer, became assistant manager when Edwards was appointed on 23 November and now takes a further step-up, starting with next Saturday's home game against automatic promotion contenders Carlisle United. | Leyton Orient have appointed Danny Webb as manager following Andy Edwards' decision to take up a youth coaching job with the Football Association. |
23013367 | Dwr Cymru Welsh Water's RainScape initiative will reduce the amount of rainwater which flows into local public drainage systems in the Llanelli area.
It will see a swale - a shallow, vegetated channel - installed on a local playing field.
Llanelli currently has a combined sewerage system.
That means that rain falling on roofs and roads is combined with the sewage in pipes.
Traditionally, the company would have built big concrete structures and storage tanks to hold the surface water back.
But Fergus O'Brien, the coastal waters manager for Welsh Water who has co-ordinated the scheme, said Llanelli has so much rainwater that the storage tanks would be enormous and the size of 200 Olympic-scale swimming pools.
"The main thing is that it doesn't deal with the fundamental problem which is that we're putting too much clean surface water run-off into the network, where it becomes contaminated with sewage before it seeps out again," he added.
Instead, he said the swale will separate the rain water and slow it down, with the hope that most will eventually soak back into the ground and go into local natural waterways.
Welsh Water said it was particularly needed in the area as Llanelli saw almost as much storm water in its network as Swansea, which serves three times the number of properties.
It means that some properties in Llanelli can be affected by sewage flooding.
The first part of the scheme saw a swale installed at Queen Mary's Walk football pitch, which will be landscaped with a range of plants and flowers.
The company said the playing field would not be affected by the scheme.
Minister for Natural Resources and Food Alun Davies, who launched the scheme, said it was the first of its kind in Wales.
"As well as providing a practical solution to reducing the impacts of excess surface water in Llanelli, the scheme will also benefit the community through the creation of new jobs and improvements to the local landscape," he added.
Welsh Water said the initiative was similar to schemes in Malmo, Sweden, and Portland, USA, where sustainable drainage systems have reduced flooding, enhanced biodiversity and kick started regeneration.
Nigel Annett, managing director of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, said: "We expect this innovative and sustainable approach to bring similar benefits to Llanelli and the surrounding area." | A total of £15m is being invested in a Carmarthenshire town as part of an innovative scheme to manage surface water and help reduce flood risk. |
40459112 | The government has until midnight to deliver the latest round of Common Agricultural Policy payments to farms.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has said 90% of payments should be made by then, with an application made for an extension to the deadline.
However BBC Scotland understands any fine or extension may be waived if the 90% target is met.
Under European Commission rules, a fine could be imposed if 95.24% of payments are not made by the midnight deadline, with Mr Ewing forecasting that the government would "fall short by a few percentage points".
As of midnight on Thursday, 87.3% of payments had been made. This totals £331m of payouts to 15,991 farmers and crofters.
The government has accelerated payments in recent weeks amid political pressure from opposition parties, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has apologised to farmers for "failures" with the system.
A extension was granted in 2016, after problems arose with a new £178m IT system for delivering the payments.
Audit Scotland has estimated that fines for missing the deadlines could run to £60m, and have warned there are still "significant costs and risks for the Scottish government" over the IT problems.
Mr Ewing said the government was doing "all we can" to make "as many payments as possible" by the end of the day.
He said: "I expect the vast majority of farmers and crofters will receive all their basic and greening payments by the end of today.
"Although it is not possible at this stage to guarantee precisely the level of payments that will be made, the latest figures are showing that we have made progress.
"We recognise that while we are making progress, we still need to do better.
"Our priority remains completing payments for farmers and crofters as quickly as possible in the coming weeks and officials are working incredibly hard to do just that - and will continue to do so beyond today to make as many outstanding payments as quickly as possible."
The latest deadline pressure has sparked a political row at Holyrood, with Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson accusing Mr Ewing and Ms Sturgeon of "not being straight" with MSPs and farmers.
She said they had fallen "far below" standards set out in the ministerial code for "accurate and truthful information".
Ms Sturgeon said "rapid daily progress" was being made in getting payments through, and insisted she and her ministers had been clear with parliament. Mr Ewing described criticism as "fanciful". | The Scottish government is unlikely to be fined over late payment of farm subsidies, BBC Scotland understands. |
35736733 | They are one place outside the play-offs after a 2-0 Severnside derby win at Bristol City.
Lex Immers and Stuart O'Keefe struck for the Bluebirds.
"We're trying to keep the momentum going. We believe that we have an opportunity and we don't want to waste it," said Slade.
Cardiff are on the same number of points as sixth placed Sheffield Wednesday, who lost 1-0 at home to Rotherham United.
Slade was happy to receive the applause of Cardiff's fans at Ashton Gate, having often faced criticism since taking over in October, 2014.
Slade also praised the travelling supporters after the win at Ashton Gate.
He said: "I've always said everybody's entitled to their opinion and slowly but surely it's for me to change opinion and work hard at what I'm trying to do.
"It's been a difficult task in the 18 months I've been here, but I think we're starting to turn a corner and make some real progress and the support today, I can only describe as special.
"They were right behind us from the first minute and never stopped.
"Away from home they've been very, very good, but today in a local derby they showed exactly what they're all about." | Manager Russell Slade says Cardiff City believe they have chance to challenge for promotion to the Premier League and "don't want to waste it". |
39367339 | Megan Clark, 19, was raped by a man she met in Burger King when she was drunk after a night out in Manchester.
The trial sparked controversy after the judge said the drunken behaviour of some women was putting them at risk.
Miss Clark told the Victoria Derbyshire programme the judge told women to "be careful", saying it was "good advice".
The teenager, who waived her right to anonymity to speak to the programme, said she took the judge's comments in "a positive way", adding that she did not believe she was "victim-blaming".
"She was right in what she said," Miss Clark said, in her first interview.
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Last month, Ricardo Rodrigues-Fortes-Gomes, 19, was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of two counts of rape last July.
The court heard how he ignored Miss Clark's screams while he attacked her.
A witness who rang the police also filmed the attack on a mobile phone and Rodrigues-Fortes-Gomes was sentenced to six years behind bars.
A second man was found not guilty.
Miss Clark had been drinking lager and vodka before the attack and had inhaled the party drug amyl nitrite.
At the end of the trial, Judge Lindsey Kushner said that "as a woman judge" she felt compelled to plead with women to protect themselves from predatory rapists who "gravitate" towards drunken females.
The judge - in her last trial - said women were entitled to "drink themselves into the ground", but their behaviour was also putting them in danger.
Her comments were described by campaigners as "outrageous" and "misguided".
Miss Clark told the programme she had initially blamed herself.
"I [now] know it wasn't my fault. It's never the victim's fault - they aren't the problem regardless of what I was doing.
"I felt I put myself in that situation. I need to be more careful."
She added: "I think the judge was using my case, it was her last one, and she wanted to make a point."
Miss Clark said she felt "judged" when she told people she had been raped, saying she felt some people blamed her for the attack.
"There is definitely still a stigma. Victim-blaming is such a big thing. I did tell people what happened and I felt judged after it.
"People blamed my behaviour. That's why people don't talk about [rape]."
She said she could see why people do not report rape and do not want to go through a trial.
Having gone through the legal system, Miss Clark said she was disappointed with the end result and the sentence handed down by the judge.
"I am angry and it feels so unfair. So many people go through it, people get raped, we need to deal better with it."
She said she would not have reported the crime if it was not for the fact a witness was filming the rape, footage she had to watch before being cross-examined in court.
"It was pretty horrible to watch. It was different to how I remembered it. But it wasn't nice to watch."
And Miss Clark said she would not go through the legal process again - but urged other victims to report rape.
"My message is don't be discouraged by the system letting us down, or people being judgmental. That will happen regardless.
"We all know it's not our fault. I would encourage people to report it."
Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. | A rape victim whose attack led to a judge saying drunk women were putting themselves in danger has defended the comments, saying the judge was "right". |
35428751 | PC Graham Thomas was leaving Asda in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, with his shopping when he saw security guards confronting a man.
When the man ran off, the officer joined the chase, but returned to discover his own bag had been taken.
"It was annoying, but people will find it amusing and ironic that this has happened to a copper, " he said.
PC Thomas said he saw the thief being confronted by Asda security on Wednesday afternoon.
He left his bag of vegetables and hamster treats, along with a case of beer, at the store's customer service desk before joining the chase.
The thief got away and when the policeman got back he was told staff had placed his bag in a chiller cabinet, but it was no longer there.
When the store's CCTV footage was reviewed later, it turned out a woman had taken it.
"When I got back I was told they'd placed my bag in the chiller, presumably because they didn't know how long I would be gone - although there was nothing that particularly needed keeping cool in it," said PC Thomas, who is based at Chelmsford Police Station.
The beer had not been taken and the shop reimbursed him for the rest of his £18 shop, which he had already paid for.
An Asda spokeswoman said: "We take incidents like this very seriously and we would like to thank Essex Police for their assistance with this matter."
Neither thief has been caught. | An off-duty policeman who tried to catch a supermarket shoplifter had his own shopping stolen while giving chase. |
40813702 | The group of top research universities says Brexit is causing EU staff "uncertainty and anxiety" and making the recruitment of others harder.
The group has outlined 10 points it says the government must answer.
Ministers say they want "a reciprocal agreement as quickly as possible".
The Russell Group is composed of 24 universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow and Cardiff, which are often oversubscribed at undergraduate level and heavily focused on research.
In a briefing note, the group calls the contribution of EU nationals to research and teaching at its institutions "crucial".
"More broadly, EU staff and students add to the diversity of our campuses and enrich the learning experience for all," it said. "We need to do everything we can to ensure these individuals feel valued and supported to stay in the UK."
Prime Minister Theresa May has outlined plans requiring EU nationals resident in the UK to apply for "settled status", which would effectively guarantee them indefinite leave to remain in the country once Britain leaves the bloc.
The proposed status would be given to any EU citizen who has been living in the UK continuously for five years.
Those who have been resident for less than five years would be allowed to stay and apply for settled status when they have accumulated the necessary time.
Among the 10 points in the briefing paper is a call for EU nationals who already have permanent residence to be "transferred automatically" to settled status.
It argues that: "There is no need to reassess these individuals' right to be in the UK."
Other points include:
The UK wants the issue to be resolved swiftly, although the EU described Mrs May's offer as a "damp squib" and warned it would give EU citizens fewer rights than their British counterparts.
Russell Group head of policy Jessica Cole said: "Brexit is causing uncertainty and anxiety for EU staff, who need clarity over their future rights as soon as possible.
"There are around 25,000 members of staff from other EU countries at Russell Group universities delivering high-quality teaching and cutting-edge research. We value our EU colleagues and want them to stay.
"EU staff, students and universities need to be able to plan for the future with confidence.
"We urge the Government to secure an agreement with the EU on citizens' rights at the earliest possibility."
A government spokeswoman said: "We have been clear about our commitment to the UK's world-class higher education sector.
"The government wants to reach a reciprocal agreement for EU citizens in Britain and UK nationals in Europe as quickly as possible. We are developing a new application process and will ensure that it is as light-touch, streamlined and user-friendly as possible.
"We recognise that there are a wide range of individual circumstances to consider and we will continue to engage with the sector as this work develops." | UK universities could lose talented EU staff unless they receive "greater clarity" from the government on the post-Brexit rights of EU nationals, according to the Russell Group. |
38666066 | At the same time, they have created a narrative about the referendum result which casts it as a victory for the common man and woman against a liberal, metropolitan establishment that counts the mainstream media - whatever that now means - as its weapon of choice.
This is one of the more pleasing ironies about the state of media in Britain today.
A brief glance at this week's headlines gives ample evidence of what psychologists call confirmation bias - the tendency to interpret events in a way that accords with pre-existing prejudices.
For papers who backed Leave, Theresa May's speech showed a stern commitment to freedom and love of country. The Mail, Sun, Telegraph and Express, who between them have done most to advance the Brexit cause, lauded the prime minister's speech.
The Mail has been a strong backer of May, seeing her as much the most plausible Tory leader in the aftermath of David Cameron's resignation, and contrasting her ostensible gravitas with the lightweights in her cabinet. Just for clarity, I'm paraphrasing the Mail's position there rather than mine, and doing so based on several conversations with the most senior figures there.
Picture choices matter so much in newspapers. I must say I am a very big fan of cartoons on front pages, as this Charlie Hebdo front page from my previous job shows you, and the Mail's use of a cartoon to show the prime minister looking defiant in a way redolent of the Dad's Army title sequence achieves its desired effect.
Similarly the Sun has her looking cheerful next to supportive furniture (the headline and sub-headline).
The Telegraph and the Guardian use similar pictures but by using a much tighter crop, a blue background and a positive headline, the Telegraph seem to endorse the prime minister; whereas the Guardian seem to issue scepticism about her chances of success. Interestingly, the Financial Times, which like the Guardian backed Remain, also uses exactly the same picture, albeit with a different crop. Their headline, being longer than most of the others, equivocates.
Wednesday's front pages alone provide ample evidence of the way the same events are interpreted in wildly different ways by different newspapers - always and without fail in accordance with their prejudices.
In some ways, Fleet Street, as romantics like me still sometimes call it, is basically the industrialisation of confirmation bias.
Does that matter, when newspapers are in swift decline?
Of course it does, and hugely so. Despite their perpetual shrinkage, newspapers are still read by millions of people across Britain.
Moreover, they exert huge - some would argue disproportionate - influence on the news agenda of broadcasters like the BBC, Sky and ITV.
And in my experience, Westminster is still obsessed, to a really bizarre degree, with trying to influence newspapers.
This was perhaps understandable 20 years ago; but today, when fake news goes viral, it seem strange to me how much politicians care about headlines on page 17 of daily publications.
And yet they do. Which is why the other important point about Fleet Street is that it is strongly weighted toward Brexit, and in that sense in touch with voters who, albeit by a small margin, voted to Leave.
Most papers are delighted with the referendum result and support the prime minister. Given the sheer complexity of Brexit negotiations, it's lucky for Theresa May that, despite having backed Remain herself, she can generally count on Britain's newspapers to back her every move in Brussels.
That is not a luxury many previous prime ministers have enjoyed. | Britain's newspapers are for the most part deeply hostile to the EU, and committed to making a success of Brexit. |
16615512 | Both acts will also perform at the ceremony, which celebrates the best of UK folk music, at The Lowry in Salford on 8 February.
Now in its 13th year, the awards will be broadcast live on Radio 2, while fans will also be able to watch it live via the BBC Red Button.
The Unthanks lead the nominations with four nods.
The Northumberland singing sisters are up for best group, best live act, best album for Last and best original song for the album's title track.
The Dubliners, who formed in 1962, are one of Ireland's most recognisable folk groups.
McLean, best known for hits including American Pie and Vincent, has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide.
"The UK audience has been among the most loyal for over 40 years and without them certainly I wouldn't be considered for this honour, so I thank the BBC and I thank the British public," the singer-songwriter said.
McLean will also perform on Simon Mayo's Radio 2 Drivetime show live from The Lowry ahead of the awards.
Among the other nominees include June Tabor and Oysterband, who are up for best group, best album for Ragged Kingdom and best traditional track for Bonny Bunch of Roses, while Tabor is also nominated for folk singer of the year.
Martin Simpson has three nods for best album, best traditional track and musician of the year.
The Folk Awards ceremony will also be combined with the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, which is given to the most promising young folk artist in the UK. | Don McLean and The Dubliners are to be given lifetime achievement awards at this year's BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. |
36656707 | 28 June 2016 Last updated at 17:50 BST
The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Iceland - the lowest ranked team left in the competition.
Former England captain Alan Shearer called it the worst performance he'd ever seen by an England team.
Manager Roy Hodgson stepped down from his job immediately after the match.
Kids in Manchester tell us their reactions and who'll they be supporting now that England are out. | England's footy players and fans are still recovering from the side's shock exit from the European Championships. |
36892216 | The Juventus midfielder left Old Trafford in 2012 because of a lack of first-team opportunities, but he could become the centrepiece of Jose Mourinho's new-look United side.
Pogba's talent has been evident for years. That was why United signed him from Le Havre in 2009, when he had already captained France's Under-16 team.
He was the same lithe, energetic athlete he is today, if somewhat more gangly. What he has done, according to knowledgeable sources, is apply himself and work at his game.
Now 23, he still has a tendency to float in and out of matches - he was not a consistent performer at Euro 2016 and did not appear to relish the deeper role he was given by coach Didier Deschamps when France lost to Portugal in the final.
But he has developed a greater understanding of his game and, with that mental maturity, more awareness of his positional responsibilities to the team as a whole.
In his first spell at United, he would be walked through specific situations to improve his game management, or be taken to senior matches and told to watch individual players rather than the game itself. This experience has been put to good use.
Under 21 football in England may be derided, but occasional outings alongside senior players also helped his education.
Pogba is not the finished article. But the promise United first identified seven years ago is showing positive signs of being fulfilled, more than enough to persuade the club to potentially pay such a massive fee.
Pogba made three substitute appearances for Manchester United in the Premier League, before joining Juventus for the 2012-13 season.
Pogba was brought to the club as a 16-year-old boy, deemed good enough to play a central role in an FA Youth Cup final triumph in 2011, but was allowed to leave for an overseas rival, before being bought back for a world record fee four years later.
Was it a mistake of gargantuan proportions or the consequence of a couple of isolated events combining to produce a very expensive outcome?
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to keep Pogba in 2012. Still only 19 at the time, Pogba and his agent Mino Raiola were made a contract offer and rejected it, meaning that all Juventus had to pay was a compensation fee of £1.5m for the teenager.
Raiola believed Pogba should have been in the first team and on first-team wages. Ferguson felt he was still too raw to feature on a regular basis. It can't have helped that Ferguson and Raiola were like "oil and water", in the Scot's own words.
The pivotal decision came when Paul Scholes, at the age of 37, reversed his retirement decision in January 2012.
Scholes played 21 times in that half-season - and a further 21 in the campaign that followed. United were denied the title by Sergio Aguero's injury-time goal for Manchester City against QPR on the final day in 2012. They won it in 2013 - after which Scholes retired for good - but have not challenged since.
There is no way of knowing what would have happened if Scholes had stayed retired and Pogba had played those games instead. It is just as impossible to assess whether the young midfielder would have developed at the same rate in England as he has done at Juventus, with whom he has won four successive Serie A titles.
And had he remained at United, would Pogba now be looking to leave - just as Cristiano Ronaldo did for Real Madrid as he entered his prime?
One thing is for sure: ignoring a player you need, just because you had him once and let him go, would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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It is tempting to say that if a club spend going on for £100m on a player, the system fits around him, not the other way around. Football is not quite so straightforward, though.
Even the best players can struggle without a structure - or if they are played out of position.
It is still a source of bewilderment to staff at United as to why Angel di Maria - their previous record signing at £59.7m - was used as a holding midfield player by former manager Louis van Gaal. Di Maria, it is worth remembering, began his Old Trafford career with three goals and three assists in his first five Premier League appearances from the offensive position he was so effective in for Real Madrid.
Pogba is a rarity in the modern game in that he is capable of both attack and defence. He is quick, has stamina and can tackle. Though not a prolific scorer, his average of one goal every five games suggests he is an attacking threat.
And while his average of one yellow card in every four games would put him under threat of suspension if repeated in England, he was not sent off last season.
In short, he is the kind of player United have lacked since Roy Keane left in 2005 - without the red cards. Mourinho will surely stick him in the centre of his midfield and work from there.
In his recent interview with the BBC, Mourinho said he did not understand why there was such uncertainty over Wayne Rooney, who was "the club captain, the players' captain and my captain".
However, there are many reasons why there are doubts about Rooney's future role at United.
Including transfer fees and wages over the respective periods of their contracts, Mourinho - when the Pogba deal is complete - has committed £250m on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the Frenchman.
A front-line striker, a creative offensive player and a dominant midfielder are three of the four fundamentals Mourinho identified as needing urgent attention when he replaced Van Gaal.
At various points in his United career, Rooney has filled all these roles.
In noting United's deficiencies and by addressing them in such a calculated manner, it is a fair assumption Mourinho intends to utilise his new additions, particularly in the biggest games.
Rooney, for all his many attributes, is no speed merchant. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Memphis Depay definitely are, making them better suited to wide positions. If the plan is to play Mkhitaryan wide, or deeper, in midfield, there is an obvious space for Rooney at number 10.
But is that going to get the best from the Armenian? Mourinho likes his central midfield to contain aggressive, athletic players, such as Claude Makelele and Michael Essien from his first stint at Chelsea. Pogba is in that mould. Morgan Schneiderlin and Daley Blind could work effectively alongside him. If that happens, the uncertainty over Rooney will persist.
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The manager who says he is truly happy with his squad, that he has the best player possible for any position and could not countenance spending a little bit more, has not been invented yet.
Mourinho himself has said he would act "if something presents itself before 31 August".
What it is safe to say is that he won't be spending any more money without recouping some. Even accounting for the demands of six pre-Christmas games in the Europa League, United's squad is too bulky as it is.
Yet standards at Old Trafford have slipped so much since Ferguson's departure three years ago that it is hard to argue the issues have been rectified completely by Mourinho's four "fundamental" signings, which go straight through the spine of his team.
For instance, 12 months ago, United were engaged in a concerted attempt to get central defender Sergio Ramos out of Real Madrid.
It did not happen and Van Gaal did not recruit anyone else. In 23-year-old Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly, who has played only 40 La Liga games, have United really strengthened their defence to Mourinho's satisfaction?
So who might go to create space? German World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger and Belgian wide man Adnan Januzaj evidently have no future at Old Trafford. The same is also true of Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair, two of the youngsters Van Gaal took pride in promoting.
Of the 23 outfield players Mourinho is prepared to base United's season around, Marcos Rojo's alarming impetuosity identifies him as one potential candidate. Antonio Valencia continues to give the impression of being a winger trying to play full-back, rather than someone sure of his surroundings.
Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian and Depay were all massive disappointments in their first United campaigns.
It is generally unwise to form concrete opinions on a single season, particularly on players coming to England for the first time - as it is solely on performances in a major tournament. Nevertheless, none of that trio can be sure of themselves.
Ander Herrera is yet to show sustained form. And what of Juan Mata? The incredibly popular Spain midfielder, who United spent £37.1m on halfway through David Moyes' short tenure, was sold by Mourinho during his second spell at Chelsea.
That the questions and doubts are so numerous come as a direct result of both United's fifth-place finish last season and the various awful performances that contributed to it.
Until they wake from their post-Ferguson slumber, the forensic analysis of United and their players will go on. | Paul Pogba will become the most valuable player in the world when he re-signs for Manchester United - but is he the club's most expensive mistake? |
30569180 | Analysis of saliva will show whether a driver has taken cocaine or cannabis, the Home Office said.
If the test is positive, police will take a suspect to have a blood test, administered by a medical professional.
A Home Office spokesperson said the technology was "groundbreaking".
Policing minister Mike Penning approved the tests this week.
"The government is determined to drive the menace of drug-driving from our roads," a Home Office spokesperson said.
"Not only do those who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs put their own lives at risk, but also those of innocent motorists and their passengers."
Forces will be encouraged to use the devices "as quickly as possible", the spokesperson added.
Drug-driving is estimated to cause around 200 deaths per year, the Department for Transport said.
A new law, which comes into force in March 2015, makes it illegal to drive with certain drugs in the body over a specified limit.
Currently, police have to prove the driver was impaired due to drug use.
The test will be used alongside breathalyser equipment, which detects the presence of alcohol in a person's breath.
Studies on the influence of cocaine indicate drivers are impaired when they have taken the drug in high doses and during withdrawal periods.
It is thought by the government that cannabis impairs co-ordination, visual perception, tracking and vigilance. | Detection kits which test if drivers have taken certain illegal drugs will be available to police in England and Wales in the coming days after ministers approved their use. |
39669638 | The Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services said about 30% of the sector was not confident it would make it past the current financial year.
It argued councils should divert more money - such as cash received from housing developments - into the sector.
The Welsh Local Government Association said it was up to councils consider what is best for their area.
The Welsh Government has commissioned a review of youth services in Wales, after a report last year warned of an "alarming decline", with more than 100 youth groups closing over four years.
The Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services represents many groups in the sector.
Chief executive, Paul Glaze, said there was a risk many would not survive before long-term plans to improve youth provision were put in place.
"I'm sorry to say that really could be the case - many will certainly be struggling and some won't survive at all," he said.
"If they're not around in the next six to 12 months, for example, how realisable are those [plans]?
"Equally, community development projects where new buildings are being constructed, there are ways we can work with the private sector in relation to collaborating with them to see the benefits of youth work.
"So there's I think there's definitely potential there in terms of possible solutions."
Iestyn, 14, attended youth sessions at Perthcelyn Community Centre, in Rhondda Cynon Taff, before it was closed in February.
"When it closed we literally had nothing to do, we're just sat on the steps of our houses doing nothing," he said.
Ieuan, 15, raised concerns other young people will get bored and resort to anti-social behaviour.
"They either go to mountains and start fires or get into trouble with the police - I'd rather go to the youth [sessions], meet up with friends, talk to people," he said.
The charity Bryncynon Strategy ran the sessions but said it was not stopped because of local council cuts but because it felt being open for just a few hours a week was not a "quality service".
Bev Garside, who was in charge of the charity at the time, said: "To rely on pop-up sessions which only last a couple of hours isn't doing what youth work is supposed to do.
"Youth work is a lot more than just a few activities to distract young people - this is about engaging with young people and dealing with the sometimes very complex issues that they have."
The sessions were partly paid for by funding from the local Communities First group, part of the Wales-wide anti-poverty scheme which will end next year.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it was "working hard to find other ways to provide youth services".
Despite concerns, some youth groups in Wales are actually expanding.
Cwmbran Centre for Young People, Torfaen, set itself up to provide alternative learning and later developed a social enterprise arm, with young people gaining experience offering services to the community, while generating money for the centre.
Having several income streams means other important services - like counselling, cooking classes and food banks - all have a secure future there.
Centre manager Leigh Rowland said: "It might be difficult to small organisations to take on our business model, due to lack of resources, but it can be done.
"It does take a long time and a lot of driven people." | A call for help has been made to stop dozens of Wales' youth groups from "disappearing". |
35637004 | The Shakers had the majority of the early pressure and top scorer Leon Clarke finished Chris Hussey's cross.
Ryan Lowe doubled the lead with a placed effort before Marcus Maddison gave Posh hope with his strike.
However, Ricardo Santos was sent off for a second bookable offence for the visitors and Andrew Tutte smashed home from the resultant free-kick.
Bury go above Peterborough into 13th in League One and Graham Westley's side has lost every game since losing to West Bromwich Albion on penalties in an FA Cup fourth-round replay.
Bury manager David Flitcroft told BBC Radio Manchester:
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"It was a positive result and a positive performance. Another win at home.
"In the first half we tore them to shreds in every way. Every time we attacked them we looked threatening.
"Some of what we've missed at times was totally on display tonight.
"It was a real makeshift team, and that's what pleased me more than anything. It was about the lads that keep stepping up." | Bury cruised to victory at Gigg Lane as they stretched Peterborough's losing run to five games in a row. |
37105212 | Of the 1,546 adults surveyed online by YouGov, 58% prefer cremation when they die, in comparison with 17% of those who would opt for burial.
Of those in favour of cremation, 79% want their ashes to be scattered , and 7% want them to be kept.
YouGov said there was a "strong shift in preference towards cremation as people get older".
While 42% of 18 to 24-year-olds wish to be cremated, this figure rises to 71% among the over-65s.
Statistics from the Cremation Society of Great Britain show 75% of people are cremated at present.
When asked at which age they would prefer to die, the most popular choice was between 81 and 100, selected by 44%. This range was the most popular across all age groups, and most of all with those aged 65 and older - with 60% of them choosing it.
The current average UK life expectancy, according to the World Bank, is 81.
The highest age option - to live to 110 or older - was chosen by 14% of people. Of these, 19% of men wanted to reach 110 or older, compared with 9% of women.
Freddie Sayers, editor-in-chief at YouGov said: "It's always interesting to see real numbers about something that people never really talk about.
"I think these figures lift the lid on one of the great taboo subjects."
He added that one of the conclusions that could perhaps be drawn from the poll was that as people got older attitudes to death changed, and rather than keep with tradition people were more inclined to think philosophically and practically.
When asked if they were scared of death, 58% of men said they were not, compared with 42% of women.
The research also probed the latest attitudes towards what mourners should wear at a funeral.
Wearing black was seen as a requirement by 22% of people. But 45% said wearing other colours was acceptable, so long as they were "dark and sombre".
Another 29% thought it was acceptable to wear any colour of clothing to a funeral. | More than three times as many Britons want to be cremated as those wishing to be buried, a survey suggests. |
39501076 | The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index (PMI) for services rose to 55, compared with economists' expectations of a slight increase to 53.5.
The London market gained 0.13%, or 9.86 points, to 7,331.68.
Miners were the biggest risers for much of the session, gaining on the back of higher oil and metals prices.
Antofagasta gained 2.09%, BHP Billiton was up 1.79%, and Rio Tinto climbed 0.92%.
The biggest riser was restaurants and Costa Coffee owner Whitbread, up 2.95%.
South Africa-focused insurer Old Mutual continued to suffer amid concerns about political turmoil in the country. Its shares fell 4.38%.
On the currency markets, the pound was up 0.31% against the dollar at $1.2479 and 0.48% higher against the euro at 1.1712 euros. | (Close): The FTSE 100 closed slightly higher after data showed better-than-expected growth in Britain's service sector. |
38259586 | A series of tweets claiming to be from "The Legion" also gave out a London address said to belong to Mr Mallya.
Mr Mallya appears to have regained control of the account and the tweets have been deleted.
The businessman is being investigated in India over alleged money laundering.
Mr Mallya has been in the UK since March this year. India revoked his passport and asked the UK to deport him in May, after an Indian court issued a warrant for his arrest.
The tweets posted to his account included a list of luxury cars that the group claimed were owned by Mr Mallya, as well as a photograph of what appeared to be a residency permit of "unlimited" duration.
The group said that the information published was just a "trailer" and that more would be released soon.
This appears to be the second time the group has taken over Mr Mallya's account.
The businessman appeared to regain control of the account, posting to saying that the group had "hacked" him and was attempting to blackmail him.
Tweets then appeared after that denying the claims of blackmail and promising to "expose" Mr Mallya further over the coming weeks.
Mr Mallya made his fortune selling beer under the Kingfisher brand and branched out into aviation, Formula 1 racing, and Indian cricket.
The flamboyant businessman incurred large debts when Kingfisher airlines failed in 2013 and he is being pursued by a group of mainly state-run banks who lent him money.
He is alleged to have repeatedly failed to appear before investigators in India over financial irregularities at the airline.
He has denied fleeing India, saying he is travelling on business. He has also claimed he is the victim of a "media witch hunt". | A Twitter account belonging to controversial Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya has been hacked by a group which published what appeared to be details of his assets, accounts and passwords. |
37481997 | Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel is accused of murdering Ms Shahid, 28, from Bradford, and Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid is being held as an accessory to murder.
At the hearing the men were presented with the police evidence against them.
They will have the chance to challenge the case on 7 October when the court will decide whether to bring charges.
Both men were remanded back in to custody ahead of their next appearance.
Ms Shahid died in July in northern Punjab. It is thought she had travelled to Pakistan to visit family in the village of Pandori after being told her father was ill.
Her relatives initially said she had suffered a heart attack but a post-mortem examination confirmed she died as a result of being strangled.
Her second husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazim, believes she was the victim of a so-called "honour killing" as her family did not approve of their marriage. | The first husband and father of alleged "honour killing" victim Samia Shahid have appeared in court in Pakistan in connection with her death. |
29340840 | Villagers were moved out of Mardale which disappeared when the valley was filled with water in 1939.
Stone walls of former field boundaries can be seen with the falling water level.
The current reservoir level is 57.7% compared with 75.2% in a normal year, United Utilities said.
Met Office spokesman Dan Williams said the reading from the Shap weather station, which is about eight miles away, showed there had been 7.6mm of rain so far in September with the average for September for that weather station standing at 128.3mm.
The reservoir was created to provide for the water needs of Manchester and involved the construction of a dam, which was started in 1929.
Once completed the reservoir took almost a year to fill.
Many of the buildings in the village were dismantled and bodies buried in the churchyard were exhumed and moved elsewhere. | A village flooded in the 1930s to create Haweswater reservoir in Cumbria has started to reappear as water levels recede because of low rainfall. |
20819468 | A spokesman said the aircraft was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission in eastern Jonglei state.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack on the "clearly marked" helicopter.
However, South Sudan's minister of information told the BBC that the cause of the incident was not clear.
The UN has been helping those caught up in deadly clashes between rival communities in Jonglei state.
Deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said South Sudan's military had admitted it had hit the helicopter.
"Initial reports indicated the UN helicopter crashed and burned. The mission immediately launched a search and recovery mission. It has confirmed the death of all four crew members," the UN spokesman said.
"In subsequent communications between the mission and the South Sudanese armed forces, the SPLA [army] told the mission that it has shot down the helicopter in the Likuangole area in Jonglei state."
A spokesman for Mr Ban said: "The secretary-general strongly condemns the shooting down today of a clearly marked UN helicopter by the Sudan People's Liberation Army near Likuangole, in Jonglei State of South Sudan."
Mr Ban called on South Sudan's government to "immediately carry out an investigation and bring to account those responsible for this act", the spokesman said.
Earlier, South Sudan military spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP news agency that the helicopter had been hit by "friendly fire".
"The artillery unit unfortunately fired on the plane [believing] that this is an enemy plane because there was no prior information from the UN about this plane being in the area," he said.
"After 15 minutes of shooting at the plane, we heard that the UN had sent a plane," he added.
But South Sudan Minister of Information Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme: "There is no proof it was shot down. It is being investigated.
"It was flying in an area where there is a lot of rebel activity."
The helicopter was identified both by UN and Russian sources as a Russian-built Mi 8 - a twin-turbine helicopter commonly used as a transport.
All four crew members were Russians, Moscow news agencies report, quoting Russian diplomats in South Sudan.
They also spoke of a fifth victim, who was not Russian but whose nationality was not given.
South Sudan accuses Sudan of backing rebel groups on its territory - charges denied by Khartoum.
Relations have been tense between the two countries since the South seceded in 2011. | The UN says a helicopter from its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has been shot down by the army, killing all four crew, believed to be Russians. |
30568031 | The Reverend Chris Colledge said the Bournemouth carol service was being held in the style of a ceremony in the hit BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.
Mr Colledge, whose dog Maisie died eight weeks ago from cancer, said it was also a service of remembrance.
Dorset's Police and Crime Commissioner attended Westbourne's St Ambrose Church with his tortoise and two dogs.
Martyn Underhill described the atmosphere at the service as "noisy" but said: "All the animals went quiet when we read Rainbow Bridge."
He said Storm, his 10-year-old female tortoise, had "refused to hibernate" this winter so made the service along with his Shih Tsu dogs Kipling and Poppy.
However, this was not the first time the animals had visited church as they all attended Mr Underhill's wedding to wife Debbie in September, where Kipling and Poppy took to the aisle as ring bearers.
"I think the service is a great way to celebrate the role animals have in keeping people feeling loved and safe," he said.
Mr Colledge said the service was a time for him to remember his golden retriever Maisie, who had regularly visited local people with dementia, as part of the voluntary organisation Caring Canines.
Other members of the congregation were invited to remember their deceased pets by lighting a candle during the service.
Connor Burns, Conservative MP for Bournemouth West, and leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, John Beesley, also attended the service.
Mr Colledge said "a bountiful supply" of Christmas treats was available for the animals and their "invited human guests". | More than 100 people and their pets, including dogs and a tortoise, have attended a Christmas service for pets. |
32764613 | Organisers said the "serious incident" happened on the section of the course between York Corner and Mill Road Roundabout.
In a statement, they said riders Dean Harrison, Stephen Thompson and Horst Saiger were involved in the accident. Dean Harrison was unhurt.
The woman was a spectator at the event.
She was taken to hospital by helicopter.
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust described the woman's condition as critical but stable.
Mervyn Whyte, NW200 race director, said the two riders, Thompson and Saiger, were conscious when they were transferred to hospital in Coleraine.
A spokesperson for the event said Thompson has now been transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he is being treated for his injuries, while Saiger is believed to have only minor injuries and remains in Coleraine.
The crash happened during the opening Superstock race on Saturday. | A woman is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being hit following a crash involving three riders at the North West 200 motorcycle event. |
35548532 | Under the "right to be forgotten" ruling, EU citizens may ask search engines to remove information about them.
Now, removed results will not appear on any version of Google.
EU privacy regulators previously asked the firm to do this.
Until now, search results removed under the "right to be forgotten" were only omitted from European versions of Google - such as google.co.uk or google.fr.
The French data protection authority had threatened the company with a fine if it did not remove the data from global sites - such as google.com - as well as European ones.
This filtering will be applied whenever a European IP address is detected - so users outside the country where the removal request is filed, and indeed all users outside Europe, will still see a set of unedited results.
The BBC understands that the change will be in effect from mid-February. | Tech giant Google says it will hide content removed under the "right to be forgotten" from all versions of the search engine when viewed from countries where removal was approved. |
38614103 | Roedd yr Arglwydd Alex Carlisle yn Aelod Seneddol Sir Drefaldwyn rhwng 1983 tan 1997.
Treuliodd ddegawd fel adolygydd llywodraeth y DU ar derfysgaeth.
Cafodd ei fagu yng ngogledd Cymru a Swydd Gaerhirfryn ac fe'i gwnaed yn arglwydd am oes yn 1999.
Mae wedi dweud wrth y BBC nad ydi o bellach yn arglwydd ar gyfer y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol.
Doedd ganddo unrhyw sylwadau pellach i'w gwneud.
Mae ei broffil bellach wedi ei dynnu i lawr oddi ar wefan y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol.
Dywedodd llefarydd ar ran y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol: "Rydym yn siomedig ond ddim wedi synnu at benderfyniad yr Arglwydd Carlisle.
"Mae wedi bod yn tynnu'n groes i bolisïau'r blaid ar nifer o achlysuron yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, yn enwedig dros hawliau sifil.
"Rydym yn ddiolchgar am ei flynyddoedd o wasanaeth i'r blaid ac yn dymuno'n dda iddo yn y dyfodol." | Mae cyn arweinydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yng Nghymru, yr Arglwydd Alex Carlisle QC wedi gadael y blaid yn Nhŷ'r Arglwyddi. |
24162509 | Currently 101 million people require care, but a report from Alzheimer's Disease International warns the figure will rise to to 277 million.
Many needing care have dementia, and the report warns there will be a "global Alzheimer's epidemic".
The report's author said countries like India and China would be hard hit - and must start planning services now.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. Symptoms include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communicating and reasoning.
More than 35 million people live with dementia across the world, according to the World Health Organization. More than half are living in low and middle income countries.
The report reveals that as the world population ages, the traditional system of informal care by family, friends and the community will need much greater support.
Just over one in 10 people aged 60 or over needs long-term care, according to the report. This includes daily help with things like washing, eating, dressing and using the toilet.
It can put huge pressure on families. Carers often have to give up work to look after elderly relatives.
Treating and caring for people with dementia currently costs the world more than £376bn per year. That includes the cost of health and social care as well as the loss of earnings.
Prof Martin Prince, from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, the author of the report, said lower and middle income countries including India and China need to urgently start planning services to deal with the "epidemic".
"The social and economic changes happening in those countries are inevitably going to mean that family carers will be less available.
"Things like the decline in fertility rates mean people are going to have fewer children.
"Women are also better educated so are more likely to join the paid workforce and are going to be less likely to be available to provide care."
And he said an increase in migration between countries, and from rural to urban areas amongst younger people meant there would be a lot of older people "left behind".
The report makes a range of recommendations including giving paid and unpaid carers "appropriate financial rewards" and monitoring the quality of care both in care homes and in the community.
A spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Society in the UK said: "Dementia is the biggest health crisis facing the world today.
"This report is a wake-up call to governments across the world about the immediate need to put in place more care and support.
"The UK government's G8 summit on dementia this year will be a key opportunity to rally support from world leaders to tackle dementia together. We need to see political leadership to avoid a spiralling global crisis," the spokesperson added. | The number of older people needing care is set to nearly treble globally by 2050, campaigners say. |
28437785 | Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan said there must be "a uniform level of safety, not one decided in secret".
His comments come after a Malaysia Airlines plane crashed over Ukraine.
Balpa has also called for "global leadership" from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in flight operations that are in or over areas of hostility.
Although airlines are no longer flying over Ukraine - where separatists are controlling parts of the east - passenger planes have flown over areas of northern Iraq and Syria in the past week, where there is ongoing conflict.
Some US and European airlines, including the UK's Easyjet, have suspended flights to Israel after a rocket landed one mile (1.6km) away from Tel Aviv airport.
Mr McAuslan said: "Individual pilots looking at their flight plans need to have absolute confidence that the right calls are being made.
"The process behind the choice of airspace routing is based on a risk assessment, both by a country's national aviation security services in the advice that they give to their airlines, and by the airline in how they assess this advice.
"This risk assessment approach can give an illusion of safety but it is in fact vulnerable to all sorts of influences including commercial pressure and so it is not surprising to us that there are differences in the way that this risk is assessed by different airlines."
Mr McAuslan also said while the "ultimate responsibility of last week's murders" lies with those who apparently directed a missile at flight MH17, this should not prevent the failures which "led to that outcome, failures that could easily be repeated in other areas of conflict".
A total of 283 passengers, including 80 children, and 15 crew members were on board flight MH17. There were no survivors from the crash and the exact cause has not yet been determined.
Balpa also says although ICAO is the United Nations body responsible for co-ordinating the safety and order of global aviation, it should have a greater leadership role and strengthened powers to go with that responsibility.
Mr McAuslan added: "ICAO's purpose should be to lead where national authorities cannot and it should have the tools to do that.
"The problem of the absence of a clear international co-ordination to avoid operations above eastern Ukraine has now become tragically obvious and to avoid a repeat ICAO should be better resourced and enabled to declare airspace unsafe."
ICAO also needs to reflect on its own rules of membership, Mr McAuslan added.
"Participating states enjoy privileges such as free movement, but with that comes responsibility.
"If a state does not live up to that responsibility, such as sharing of information and allowing full and free access to accident investigation, then membership and privileges should be reconsidered." | Safety assessments for risky air routes are "not good enough", according to the British Airline Pilots Association. |
39481298 | The striker, who has now scored 42 goals in 41 games this season, headed off the bar in the first half before setting up Angel di Maria's opener.
Cavani scored the second after finding space in the box and added another after beating the offside trap and sprinting away from Guingamp's defence.
Blaise Matuidi swept home an injury-time fourth from Lucas Moura's cross.
Monaco had gone six points clear on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Angers thanks to Radamel Falcao's goal.
Match ends, Paris Saint Germain 4, Guingamp 0.
Second Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 4, Guingamp 0.
Goal! Paris Saint Germain 4, Guingamp 0. Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lucas Moura with a cross.
Corner, Guingamp. Conceded by Blaise Matuidi.
Attempt blocked. Jimmy Briand (Guingamp) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexandre Mendy.
Foul by Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain).
Jimmy Briand (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lucas Moura.
Substitution, Guingamp. Ludovic Blas replaces Marcus Coco.
Attempt saved. Alexandre Mendy (Guingamp) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Marcus Coco.
Attempt saved. Alexandre Mendy (Guingamp) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Marcus Coco.
Foul by Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain).
Jordan Ikoko (Guingamp) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Lucas Moura replaces Ángel Di María.
Attempt saved. Nill de Pauw (Guingamp) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alexandre Mendy.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) because of an injury.
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alexandre Mendy (Guingamp).
Offside, Paris Saint Germain. Ángel Di María tries a through ball, but Edinson Cavani is caught offside.
Marcus Coco (Guingamp) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Serge Aurier (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Marcus Coco (Guingamp).
Goal! Paris Saint Germain 3, Guingamp 0. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ángel Di María.
Foul by Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain).
Baissama Sankoh (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) header from the right side of the six yard box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Maxwell with a cross.
Attempt saved. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Thomas Meunier with a cross.
Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Fernando Marçal (Guingamp).
Substitution, Guingamp. Nill de Pauw replaces Lucas Deaux.
Foul by Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint Germain).
Baissama Sankoh (Guingamp) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint Germain).
Jordan Ikoko (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
Lucas Deaux (Guingamp) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lucas Deaux (Guingamp).
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Javier Pastore with a cross. | Edinson Cavani scored twice as Paris St-Germain beat Guingamp to go within three points of Ligue 1 leaders Monaco. |
40670308 | The tournament is usually held in January and February, causing disputes with European clubs who had to release players in the middle of the season.
The 2019 event in Cameroon will be contested by 24 teams, instead of 16.
The changes were rubber-stamped by the CAF executive committee in a meeting in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
Africa's flagship sporting event has featured 16 teams since 1996.
The expansion of the tournament could create problems for Cameroon, which will host the next finals, with the Central African nation's sports minister having to deny reports that preparations were behind schedule.
The competition will continue to be held every two years, in Africa and only with African countries. Caf was considering whether to allow countries from other continents to compete - or even host the tournament.
The announcements follow a two-day symposium organised by Caf president Ahmad to discuss the state of African football. | The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in June and July, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed. |
35411151 | Tries from Brian Mujati and TJ Ioane put Sale 12-10 up at the break, with Shane Geraghty kicking seven points for Irish, including converting a penalty try, in blustery conditions.
Sam James went over for Sale's third score within a minute of the restart.
A pair of Nev Edwards tries and Sam Tuitupou's effort ensured an easy win.
Relive Saturday's Premiership action
Both sides returned to domestic action having secured their progress in the European Challenge Cup with victories last week.
Sale forward Josh Beaumont, the only Sharks player called up by England for the Six Nations, took his place in the starting XV at the AJ Bell Stadium, having been released from Eddie Jones' national squad for the Premiership clash against the Exiles.
In difficult kicking conditions in Greater Manchester, Geraghty landed the first points of the game for a London Irish side that made 11 changes for the league fixture, before Mujati snuck over in the corner to edge Sale ahead soon after.
Danny Cipriani's conversion fell short in the strong wind, but he slotted his second attempt after Ioane scored when the Exiles' defence crumpled on the line trying to resist Sale's pack.
Both teams struggled to keep possession as the rain got heavier, but Will Lloyd went close to responding when he knocked on over the line, before Irish hit back with a penalty try two minutes before half-time.
London Irish lost their grip on the contest immediately after the interval, losing their own line-out to allow Tuitupou to break away and feed James, who crossed from close range.
Edwards then grabbed two tries in six minutes and Tuitupou crashed over as Sale ran away with victory.
Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond:
"I thought we handled the conditions and the elements really well and we probably left two or three tries out there.
"What we've got is a good team spirit and we are sticking to the plan.
"Right now we are putting teams away which is good and converting what we do in practice into a game day.
"What we we can't do is get too cocky as we've got to go to Leicester next week, but I've told the players to enjoy the rest of the weekend."
London Irish head coach Tom Coventry told BBC Radio Berkshire:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We worked our way back into that game reasonably well in the first half. I just don't think we came out with the desire or the grit that was going to get us to the end.
"We're always going to have to roll our sleeves up and play hard in those conditions and we failed to do that.
"I was more disappointed. Frustration would've come into it if we had been in an arm wrestle in the second half, but it certainly wasn't that.
"Sale were far too good for us second half. We've got to be much better than we were in the second period today for sure."
Sale: Haley; Addison, James, Tuitupou, Edwards; Cipriani, Stringer; Lewis-Roberts, Taylor, Mujati, Evans, Ostrikov, Ioane, Seymour (capt), Beaumont.
Replacements: Briggs, Harrison, V Cobilas, Mills, Neild, Cusiter, Ford, Arscott.
London Irish: Maitland; Ojo, Hearn, Williams, Tikoirotuma; Geraghty, McKibbin; Court, Paice, Aulika, Symons (capt), Lloyd, Treviranus, Gilsenan, Narraway.
Replacements: Ellis, Harris, Halavatau, Sinclair, McCusker, Steele, Brophy Clews, Fenby.
Referee: Greg Garner
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Sale Sharks scored four unanswered second-half tries against Premiership strugglers London Irish to maintain their unbeaten home record this season. |
40258799 | Announcing the move in Paris, Theresa May said the internet must not be "a safe space" for extremists.
Speaking alongside President Emmanuel Macron, she said they would also look at proposals to fine social media firms if they fail to take down such content.
It is the PM's first foreign trip since losing her majority at the election.
It comes as UK officials gear up for the start of Brexit talks on 19 June - Mrs May confirmed those negotiations would begin on time despite the unexpected election result and the ongoing talks with the DUP to shore up a minority Conservative government.
Both France and the UK have faced multiple terror attacks in recent years. Three French citizens died in the attack on London Bridge earlier this month, and a British man, Nick Alexander, was killed in the attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2015.
Mrs May and Mr Macron had a working dinner before travelling to the England v France football friendly at the Stade de France, where there was a minute's silence before kick-off to honour those killed in the Manchester and London attacks.
At their joint press conference, Mrs May said the UK was already working with internet companies "to stop the spread of extremist material that is warping young minds".
But she said she and President Macron agreed those firms must do more "and abide by their social responsibility to step up their efforts to remove harmful content".
The joint UK-French campaign will explore options for creating "a legal liability" which would allow companies to be punished if they fail to take steps to remove terrorist content.
More meetings would be held in the coming days between the UK home secretary and the French interior minister to push forward those plans, the PM added.
Mr Macron said they wanted to "strengthen the commitment" of internet companies to removing extremist material.
The Metropolitan Police's head of counter-terrorism Mark Rowley echoed the prime minister's concerns that terrorist material was too easily accessible online.
Writing in the Times, Assistant Commissioner Rowley said: "We need communities to be more assertive at calling out extremists and radicalisers amongst us. It's not just overseas propaganda inspiring attacks.
"And we need communications and internet-based companies to show more responsibility.
"It is too easy for the angry, violent or vulnerable to access extremist views, learn about attack methodologies, conspire on encrypted applications and then acquire equipment to kill, all online."
Mr Rowley said "an internet going darker" was making it harder to look into people who may be of concern, but he welcomed Theresa May's efforts to look at strategies for dealing with extremism.
The government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill QC questioned whether heavy fines for tech companies that failed to take down extreme content was "absolutely necessary".
He told BBC News: "I've sat with the relevant police unit as they identify extreme content. I've seen them communicating with tech companies and I've seen the cooperation that flows from that.
"It's a question of the bulk of the material rather than a lack of cooperation in dealing with it."
Google says it already invests heavily in combating abuse on its platforms and is working on an "international forum to accelerate and strengthen our existing work in this area".
Facebook has also insisted it works "aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it".
Twitter says "terrorist content has no place on" its platform. | The UK and France will launch a joint campaign to push internet companies like Facebook and Google to do more to remove terrorist material. |
37166003 | London Ambulance Service (LAS) attended 50 callouts in the financial year 2013-14. This rose to 129 in 2014-15 and 271 in 2015-16.
The sale of psychoactive substances such as Spice was banned in May.
Last year they were linked to more than 100 deaths in the UK and attributed to a rise in violent assaults in prison.
The ambulance service figures obtained as part of a BBC Freedom of Information Act request showed nine people needed hospital treatment in 2011-12.
This rose to 178 in 2015-16. Between April and June this year there has been 69 incidents, with 38 needing hospital treatment.
The Angelus Foundation - which warns people of the dangers of psychoactive substances - described it as an "escalating problem".
A spokesman said homeless people and prisoners were more likely to be affected by using drugs such as Spice, which is a synthetic cannabis.
"There [is] a switch amongst homeless people from substances like heroin and crack and alcohol to Spice because it's cheaper and more potent," he said.
The YMCA charity warned before the Psychoactive Substances Act was passed that two-thirds of young people who used the drugs were likely to continue using them.
Chief Executive Denise Hatton said it was clear the harms associated with legal highs were growing and called for the ban to be "supplemented with impartial information and advice, along with specialist support".
Neil Thomson, deputy medical director at LAS said the use of "legal highs" was an issue for paramedics.
"Substance misuse can pose a big problem for our service especially at large public events where we treat many people who present symptoms having taken these types of drugs," he added. | The number of people needing help from paramedics after taking so-called legal highs has more than doubled each year since 2013. |
36084526 | Stirling farmer Martyn Steedman bought the Sea King helicopter in an online MoD auction for £7,000 and decided turn it into accommodation.
It will cater for a family of five and will have a dining area in the cockpit, a mini kitchen and an en-suite shower.
The helicopter retired from active service in 1994 and was used in naval training until 2002.
The idea for the conversion came to Mr Steedman during the Sea Kings' final fly past over Stirling earlier this year, which marked the end of active service for the entire fleet.
He said: "We couldn't bear to see these much-loved helicopters go on the scrapheap and thought 'why not give one a new life in the country?'
The 17m (56ft) long Sea King ZA127 aircraft was driven 320 miles by road from Grantham, Lincolnshire, to Mains Farm Wigwams, Thornhill, Stirlingshire, on Tuesday before a crane lifted it into position at the campsite. | A search-and-rescue helicopter retired from Navy missions is to be turned into a holiday home. |
40934132 | CPI inflation remained unchanged at 2.6% last month, whereas analysts had expected the rate to climb to 2.7%.
The data led to speculation that inflation could have peaked already.
The pound fell below the $1.29 mark against the dollar, dropping more than a cent to $1.2860.
Against the euro, sterling fell 0.4% to 1.0959 euros.
"The expected pickup didn't happen. Inflation remains cooler and the pound dipped as investors had expected a rebound in July following the surprise drop in June," said Neil Wilson at ETX Capital.
"It certainly cements the belief that a rate hike this year now looks highly unlikely. The market was positioned for a bit more inflation than we're getting.
"CPI is still expected to peak at 3% later this year before easing back, yet there are signs that inflation may have already peaked."
As the pound fell, shares rose, with the FTSE 100 index up 29.96 points to 7,383.85 at the close. A fall in the pound often benefits the FTSE 100 as it means overseas earnings for companies listed on the index are worth more when they are converted back into sterling.
Among the fallers, shares in Next shed 2.8% after Berenberg cut its rating on the High Street fashion chain to "sell" from "hold". | The pound fell against other major currencies after weaker-than-expected inflation data was seen as reducing the prospect of an early rise in UK interest rates. |
28626986 | Azerbaijan says 12 of its troops were killed in the past four days while the enclave's ethnic Armenian authorities say three of their soldiers died.
Armenia says the presidents of the two countries are to meet next week to try to calm the situation.
A ceasefire was agreed 20 years ago after 30,000 deaths over six years.
The two sides blame each other for violating the ceasefire since then.
International attempts to revive the peace process stalled recently and both Azerbaijan and Armenia have been using increasingly militant rhetoric regarding the dispute, Konul Khalilova of the BBC's Azeri service says.
Every year, hundreds of people, including many civilians, die along the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan as the result of skirmishes and sniper fire, she adds.
Armenia's Prime Minister, Hovik Abrahamyan, announced late on Saturday that President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia would meet his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi next Friday or Saturday.
Russia, which brokered the 1994 ceasefire, said in a statement on its foreign ministry's website (in Russian): "We see the events of recent days as a serious violation of agreements on a ceasefire and declared intentions to achieve a regulation through political means.
"We take the position that any further escalation is unacceptable."
The US co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, which works to resolve the dispute, expressed concern over the violence on Friday.
"We are seriously concerned about the recent upsurge in violence along the line of contact," James Warlick said in a tweet. "The ceasefire needs to be respected." | The worst clashes in years over the disputed Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan have left 15 soldiers dead in recent days. |
36521279 | "Delighted to come fifth in the Bearsden and Milngavie 10k. This time two years ago lying on a hospital bed."
It was skin cancer that had threatened a lot more than just his football career.
Now 22, the former Dundee United striker has cut short a spell playing for Limerick in the League of Ireland First Division so he can try and re-establish himself in Scotland.
"They wanted me to continue for the rest of the season but I felt it would be better to come and try and get a club in Scotland," Moore told BBC Scotland.
"Limerick are doing really well but I wanted something closer to my family. Their season finishes in October and I wouldn't be able to get a club from October until January. So I'm back, fully fit and ready to go now after three months over there.
"I've obviously missed a lot of the last two years but now I feel 100% back. I've worked hard to get myself back into the condition I should be after the cancer.
"I rejected further treatment because if I'd had that treatment I would have had to stop. So I rejected that treatment because I wanted to play football every day - that's my life."
The Bishopbriggs-based forward has taken advantage of PFA Scotland's 10-day showcase and exit trial event to maintain his fitness and attract more admirers.
Ex-players like Mark Wilson, Lee Miller and Jim Goodwin are helping coach at the initiative and Moore is one of a number of young players hoping to catch the eye of scouts in the Broadwood stands.
"People need to be on their toes the full session," said Moore.
"There's no hiding place, because someone could walk in and say they like you in two minutes and that's you sorted for next season. There's a few heads turning to see who's in the stand but you just need to concentrate and do your best.
"We got told that Hartlepool United were coming so there's teams from League Two in England, and I'm sure most of the Scottish Championship, League One and League Two clubs will be here.
"I'm going into Raith Rovers on trial on Monday and I've got options lower down the leagues as well, so I'm not totally struggling but I just want to stay full-time as much as I can."
One of Moore's best friends in football is his former Dundee United team-mate Ryan Gauld, who moved to Sporting in Portugal for £3m in 2014.
The pair enjoyed a fruitful partnership in attack for United under-20 side and although Gauld's footballing journey has taken a more exciting path than his own, Moore is not bitter.
"I speak with him every day," said Moore, who also had loan spells at Dunfermline, Airdrie and Queen's Park earlier in his career.
"He's got all the ability in the world but he says the most important thing is working hard. He's played with Nani and people like that so if he's saying working hard is the most important thing then that's what you need to do.
"He always says that when we were in the Dundee United under-20s together it was the best strike-force he's ever played in! I need to remind him that he's playing with people who are worth £30 million, but he's still adamant. We scored 50 or 60 goals together in one season."
Moore has refused to give too much consideration to a job outside of football if things were not to work out, because of his self-belief that he can still make the grade.
But he is eager to provide support to youngsters who have gone through similar illness experiences to him.
"The main thing I'd want to do is help people who are 18 to 25 and going through cancer," Moore explained.
"I felt I dealt with it really well because I had football, but some people have got nothing to look forward to. I just want to help them and speak to them.
"Sometimes it's hard to speak to those closest to you, but better if you speak to a stranger who's been through it." | Jordan Moore's recent tweet summed up his progress perfectly. |
38788143 | Mae'r Goruchaf Lys wedi dyfarnu bod yn rhaid i ASau bleidleisio dros danio Erthygl 50, fyddai'n dechrau'r broses o adael yr UE.
Fe wnaeth AS arall Llafur, Jo Stevens, ymddiswyddo fel llefarydd y blaid ar Gymru ddydd Gwener, ac mae hi'n bwriadu mynd yn erbyn gorchymyn yr arweinydd Jeremy Corbyn i gefnogi'r mesur.
Ond dywedodd AS Aberafan, Stephen Kinnock y dylai aelodau'r blaid gefnogi'r mesur a dechrau'r broses o adael yr UE.
"Fe wnes i ymgyrchu yn angerddol i aros, ac rwy'n gefnogwr brwd o Ewrop," meddai wrth raglen Sunday Supplement BBC Radio Wales.
"Rydw i'n teimlo y byddai'r DU yn well pe bai'n aros mor agos â phosib at ein partneriaid Ewropeaidd."
Er hyn, fe wnaeth yr ardal y mae Mr Kinnock yn ei gynrychioli - fel rhan o Gastell-nedd Port Talbot - bleidleisio o 56.8% i adael yr UE yn y refferendwm ym mis Mehefin.
Dywedodd ei fod yn parchu safbwynt Ms Stevens, ond ei fod yn credu mai'r peth cywir i'w wneud yw cefnogi'r mesur i adael yr undeb.
Ychwanegodd bod hyn nid yn unig oherwydd bod ei ardal ef wedi pleidleisio dros adael, ond bod y 52% o'r DU gyfan wedi gwneud hefyd.
"Rydyn ni wedi cymryd risg enfawr gyda dyfodol ein gwlad trwy bleidleisio i adael," meddai Mr Kinnock.
"Ond dydyn ni ddim yn gallu mynd yn ôl at y bleidlais nawr, ac felly mae'n rhaid i ni symud 'mlaen." | Mae Aelod Seneddol Llafur sy'n disgrifio ei hun fel "cefnogwr brwd o Ewrop" wedi dweud na fydd yn pleidleisio yn erbyn gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. |
23415378 | Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro met for talks at a border town in Venezuela.
They agreed to set up high level groups to discuss security, energy and trade.
Relations had been strained since Mr Santos agreed in May to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles in Bogota.
Mr Capriles had been seeking Colombian support for contesting his defeat by a narrow margin to Mr Maduro at Venezuela's election in April.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said at the time that the meeting would "derail" good relations between the two countries.
Venezuela had threatened to stop acting as a facilitator in peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
But at the meeting on Monday, Mr Maduro said Colombia could count on the full support of his government in the talks, which are taking place in Cuba.
"We are at your orders to contribute, even modestly, so Colombia can celebrate peace sooner than later," Mr Maduro told his counterpart after the meeting in Puerto Ayacucho, capital of Venezuela's Amazonas province.
The two presidents were smiling and looked relaxed, said the BBC's Arturo Wallace in Bogota.
"There are issues we agree with, we have different views on many things but we have a huge obligation and responsibility of working together. And that is what we are going to do," said Mr Santos.
"We are keen to make up for lost time," said the Colombian president.
Relations between the two countries were extremely difficult when Alvaro Uribe was in power in Colombia.
The conservative leader disliked the policies of the late leader, Hugo Chavez, and accused Venezuela of harbouring left-wing rebels from the Farc and the ELN in its territory.
Diplomatic relations were broken in July 2010, but restored months later when Juan Manuel Santos was elected to succeed Mr Uribe. | The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela have agreed to work to improve relations, two months after a row erupted between the two neighbours. |
39261268 | Only 24 hours previously, Stuart Armstrong had been the most impressive performer during his time on the pitch in the Old Firm game, scoring Celtic's opening goal in the 1-1 draw.
Ryan Fraser, too, has performed impressively since establishing himself in the Bournemouth starting line-up and playing with more confidence and sharpness since becoming leaner and fitter.
Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney also could not be left out - and all three can make viable claims to be included in the starting line-up.
It might, though, be a frustration for national coach Strachan that they are all midfielders - the area of the team where he has the most strength in depth.
The squad continues to lack balance. There are three left-backs but nobody who is playing regularly at right-back.
Russell Martin and Ikechi Anya have both performed that position in the past, but the former currently plays at centre-back for Norwich City and the latter has started only two of Derby County's last five league games, one at left-back and one on the left of midfield.
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Makeshift selections will need to be made, yet Phil Bardsley has played regularly for Stoke City at right-back.
Strachan has to find the balance between the dynamics and chemistry of his squad and the merits of individual players.
Bardsley, along with the likes of Ross McCormack, the striker on loan at Nottingham Forest from Aston Villa, and Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam, is a player the manager has been reluctant to select.
Central defence remains the critical area of concern, but Strachan will be relieved to call upon the experience and defensive nous of Charlie Mulgrew, who missed Blackburn Rovers' game against Norwich at the weekend but played 13 consecutive league games before that.
They have been at left-back, but Mulgrew played often enough at centre-back for Celtic and Aberdeen to be familiar with the role.
Strachan may want to retain a midfield core of Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher and Robert Snodgrass, who have all been influential for their club sides.
Matt Phillips, with four goals and eight assists for West Bromwich Albion, would have been a likely starter but has missed the last three domestic games with a hamstring injury.
Only six players have created more Championship goals this season than Newcastle United's Matt Ritchie - who has also scored nine - but Cairney is one of them and will be pressing for a place in the starting line-up.
There are familiar faces in attack, with Steven Fletcher joined by Steven Naismith, Chris Martin and Leigh Griffiths.
It is the return of Jordan Rhodes that is interesting, since he has been keeping Fletcher out of the Sheffield Wednesday team, with three goals and one assist in the league since he joined the club on loan from Middlesbrough in January.
On form, Strachan could refresh his starting line-up and not just the squad, since Mulgrew, Armstrong, Cairney and Rhodes can all make a strong case for inclusion.
The manager might opt to be more cautious, though, even if he admits the Slovenia game is one the national team must win to keep alive their fading hopes of World Cup qualification. | Some players compelled Gordon Strachan to select them in his squad for the friendly against Canada and the World Cup qualifying tie with Slovenia. |
36191692 | SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addressed Aberdeen business leaders on how her party plans to create more jobs.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale warned about cuts to education, as did will Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie during a visit to Renfrew.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson travelled from Oban to Peterhead to canvass for votes.
And Patrick Harvie and Maggie Chapman of the Scottish Greens visited Fife College where they highlighted the potential for new jobs in renewable industries.
What is in the manifestos?
Scotland's political parties have now published their manifestos ahead of the Holyrood election on 5 May. So, what are they pledging?
Ahead of campaigning on Monday, Ms Sturgeon said that job creation would be at the heart of a re-elected SNP government's agenda.
She added: "As we have shown in recent months, we will relentlessly champion Scottish business and always stand up for our key industries.
"And the only way people in Scotland can be sure of re-electing an SNP government with a bold, ambitious plan to create new and better-paid jobs is to cast both votes for the SNP on Thursday."
Voters go to the polls on Thursday to elect their new constituency and regional list MSPs.
Ms Dugdale visited a soft play area in Glasgow where she is expected to warn of the threat "the SNP's £3bn of cuts" could have on education and frontline services.
She said: "The SNP must now come clean on their secret cuts by telling voters where the axe would fall.
"A vote for Labour is a vote to use the new powers of the Scottish Parliament to tax the richest 1% so we can invest in schools and stop the cuts to public services. A vote for the SNP is a vote for cuts to children's education, cuts to frontline services and cutting jobs."
The Scottish Conservatives hired a helicopter to take Ms Davidson from coast to coast where she will try to convince voters that she is the one opposition leader who can challenge the SNP.
She said: "Many people are supporting me because they just want an opposition at Holyrood which will really hold the SNP to account for once. Labour has had its chance - I am ready to step up and do a job for Scotland."
Mr Rennie insisted that the SNP had had nine years to "get to grips" with the challenges facing public services.
He added: "Everywhere I go, people tell me that they are pleased that we are talking about big issues like education and mental health that were neglected while the SNP campaigned for independence.
"The last thing Scotland needs is a groundhog day debate on the constitution."
With just two full days of campaigning to go, the Scottish Greens were keen to underline their manifesto commitment to "invest in skills and new jobs".
The party's co-convener Mr Harvie said: "Scotland's economy is facing huge challenges, not least from the inevitable decline in the oil and gas sectors, so the need for a plan of action has never been greater.
"Today's visit [to Fife College] underlines the Scottish Green Party's manifesto commitment to investment in skills and new jobs that will last." | Jobs and education were the focus of the penultimate day of campaigning for the Holyrood election. |
34428141 | Telefonica, which owns O2, has agreed to sell it to Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, for $10.2bn (£6.7bn).
It would create the UK's largest mobile company with a 40% market share.
The Competition and Markets Authority has asked to investigate the case, rather than Europe, as it believes the deal mostly affects UK consumers.
The CMA said its initial view was that the deal threatened to "affect significantly competition" in both the retail and wholesale mobile markets.
It added that there were "clear links" between this deal and BT's plan to buy EE.
The proposed purchase of O2 by Three, which is owned by Asia's richest person Li Ka-shing, emerged in January.
However, just two other major operators would be left: EE and Vodafone.
James Barford, telecoms analyst at Enders Analysis, said the European Commission could decide it had greater expertise and experience in examining such a deal.
The EC has recently examined mergers in Ireland and Germany, both of which were approved, and another in Denmark.
The Danish deal was abandoned because the two operators decided the remedies needed to win approval for the deal would be too harsh.
Mr Barford said there would be "significant remedies involved" if the Three/O2 deal is to be approved.
"The question is whether the buyer - Hutchison - will accept them as the cost of doing the transaction. They have in the past in Ireland," he said.
Regulators could decide that despite reducing competition in the short term, having three strong mobile operators might be better in the longer term.
Both O2 and Three lack large amounts of mobile spectrum needed to offer fast mobile internet - unlike EE and Vodafone, Mr Barford said.
The EC must decide on whether to refer the case to the CMA by 30 October. | The planned merger of O2 and Three threatens competition in the UK mobile phone market, according to the UK competition regulator. |
34784829 | The European Commission says it will give €1.8bn (£1.3bn) and it expects EU countries to pledge more.
The aim is to tackle the economic and security problems that cause people to flee, and persuade African countries to take back more failed asylum seekers.
The meeting was planned after a sinking off Libya in April. About 800 died.
Some 150,000 people have made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from Africa so far this year, arriving mainly in Italy and Malta.
However, the EU's focus has moved east since April, with large numbers of refugees - mostly Syrians - arriving via Turkey and Greece and then travelling north through the Balkans.
In other developments on Wednesday:
More than 60 leaders from Africa and Europe, including UK Prime Minister David Cameron, are meeting in Valletta in Malta for the two-day summit starting to discuss the mass movement of people.
The European Commission is setting up a €1.8bn "trust fund" for Africa and has urged member states to match that sum. However, there are doubts about whether they will do so.
Speaking in the Maltese parliament on the eve of the summit, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk said the plan was to make "much more progress on poverty reduction and conflict prevention".
"It also includes the issue of taking back in an efficient manner those who do not yet qualify for a visa, or those who do not require international protection," he said in a statement.
He added that Africa's population was expected to double by 2050 and that action was essential, particularly due to the strain placed on EU solidarity by refugees arriving from conflicts in the Middle East.
The BBC's Chris Morris in Malta says African leaders are likely insist on a much clearer path for smaller numbers of their citizens to migrate officially to Europe, in exchange for help on the crisis.
The UN says nearly 800,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far in 2015, while some 3,440 have died or gone missing making the journey.
The latest deaths came when 14 people drowned after another boat sank between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos, early on Wednesday.
Seven children were among the dead. The coast guard was able to rescue 27 people.
Tensions in the EU have been rising because of the disproportionate burden faced by some countries, particularly Greece, Italy and Hungary. Most migrants then head to Germany or Sweden to claim asylum.
EU leaders have agreed a controversial programme to relocate thousands of migrants - but so far only around 130 have been successfully moved from Greece and Italy.
Another source of embarrassment for the EU is a failure of member states to follow through on pledges made on their behalf by the bloc's executive Commission.
In October, the EU announced a provisional co-operation deal with Turkey, including a possible $3bn in aid.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | EU leaders are expected to offer countries in Africa billions of euros in exchange for help with the migrant crisis at a summit in Malta. |
12682680 | He nods with approval as they thunder past, their coats glistening in the morning sunshine.
But back in the yard, it is a different story: row upon row of stables stand empty.
In a few years, he has gone from having 80 horses to just 25 in full-time training.
Like many trainers, he has had to bear the brunt of a problem that has swept through the Irish Republic's racing industry.
Once only affordable to the wealthy few, owning a racehorse suddenly became possible for a far greater number during Ireland's boom times.
To keep up with this new demand, thoroughbreds - a breed of horse used specifically for racing - were being produced at an unprecedented rate: between 2000 and 2007, the number of registered foals increased from 8,793 to 12,633.
But these horses are expensive, costing approximately 17,000 euros (£15,000) a year to keep.
And when Ireland plunged into one of the deepest recessions to hit the eurozone, they became a luxury very few could afford.
Mr Hogan, who is based in Nenagh, County Tipperary, explains: "Quite a lot of those horses would have been owned by syndicates - basically blocklayers, carpenters, electricians - people involved in the big property boom. And they just disappeared overnight."
Suddenly he was left with horses, but with no money coming in from their owners to pay for them.
It has been a very difficult time, he says. Some of these horses have had to be exported, others retrained, and a few he has kept on himself. Some, though, have had to be put down.
Growth industry
The loss of healthy thoroughbreds has become a harsh reality of this economic crisis.
And abattoirs, where horses are slaughtered for their meat for human consumption, have become a growth industry.
In 2008, there was just one in the Republic of Ireland, but today there are five.
Last year, 9,790 horses were killed in them. Of these, the BBC has learnt that 4,618 were thoroughbreds.
But this is not the whole picture. Figures are not available for the number of horses that have ended up in Ireland's 40 registered knacker's yards.
Shane O'Dwyer, from the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA), acknowledges that there was over-breeding at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom but he believes for many owners, putting horses down was the responsible thing to do.
"We said when horses came to the end of their time or when there was no use to them, there should be euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia… rather than leaving the horse out in the field to be a welfare case."
But racehorses are the tip of a much larger equine welfare problem in Ireland.
At the ISPCA's animal rescue centre in Keenagh, County Longford, they are struggling to cope with the numbers of horses they have had to take in.
"We're seeing every shape and size, from little ponies right up to cobs and draught horses," says Conor Dowling, the ISPCA's chief inspector.
"So far this year, our inspectors have taken in nearly as many equines as we did in the entire year of 2010."
He says that all sections of the equine community were irresponsible.
"We have a serious problem here and we need to find a solution. We all appreciate money is tight in every area of the country, but this situation involves living creatures and we can't allow this to go on."
The ISPCA has suggested a mass cull may be needed to drive Irish horse numbers back down to a manageable size.
It has also called for better regulation across the industry.
But Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, says regulating breeding is not the answer for thoroughbreds.
He says: "If somebody wants to breed a horse, it's very, very difficult to stop them. Everybody looked at the idea of regulation and the reality is the market is regulating it now but it's regulating it in a very, very severe and harsh manner. "
Many, like Tom Hogan, think that more money needs to be pumped into racing through raising betting tax.
Mr Kavanagh agrees: "All other racing jurisdictions around the world are funded by a direct link with betting.
"We would be very supportive of that. We've been lobbying for some time, but the devil is in the detail as to how it's actually worked out but it's definitely a positive development."
For now, though, it seems that economics will continue to dictate the fate of Ireland's racehorses.
The question is whether anything will be put in place to prevent such over-breeding from happening again. | Trainer Tom Hogan watches his racehorses as they are put through their paces on the gallops. |
25548150 | The city has been experiencing power shortages as air conditioning use has soared as residents try to keep cool during a severe heatwave.
Some neighbourhoods have been without power for two weeks, with temperatures rising well over 35 degrees Celsius.
Argentina's ageing power grid has been struggling to keep up with demand.
Public sector workers in the city were asked to stay at home all day Monday, while those in Buenos Aires province were told to leave work at noon.
On Sunday night, electricity demand reached a record high for a non-working day, as residents turned on fans and air conditioning units in an attempt to cool down homes.
City officials held emergency meetings with federal officials on Sunday in an effort to co-ordinate assistance to those left without power for days.
An estimated 11.000 people still had no electricity over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands had suffered power cuts over the preceding weeks.
In some Buenos Aires neighbourhoods residents took to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans to demand that city officials do more to restore power supply to their areas.
The heatwave is reported to be the worst to hit the city in 40 years. | Public sector workers in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires have been told not to come to work on Monday in an effort to save electricity. |
40164630 | The film, which is released in the UK on 9 June, also stars Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe.
Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw said: "This has some nice moments but is basically a mess.
"The plot sags like an aeon-old decaying limb: a jumble of ideas and scenes from what look like different screenplay drafts."
Empire was slightly more kind, with Dan Jolin awarding the film three stars.
"It's running and jumping grin-flashing business as usual for Cruise, once more on safe character territory as an Ethan Hunt-esque action protagonist who couples up with a much younger woman, while another woman chases after him," he wrote.
"And if the next instalment-teasing conclusion is anything to go by, Cruise seemed to have enough fun making this that he may just return for more."
Geoffrey Macnab gave the film two stars in his review for The Independent.
"The stunts are by far the best element here," he said.
Whether it's planes being torn apart, Cruise and Wallis driving through the woods with the Mummy in pursuit or the very spectacular finale, the visual effects are first rate.
"Whenever the action stops, though, the film becomes derivative and empty headed."
Writing in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers described the film as a "monster fail".
"For all the huffing and puffing and digital desperation from overworked computers, this reboot lands onscreen with a resounding thud," he said.
"Tom Cruise should have played the Mummy - that way his face would be swathed in bandages and his fans wouldn't have to see him sweat so hard to get this lumbering loser off the ground."
Needless to say, he gave the film one star.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety said the film was "too busy to be much fun".
"The problem at its heart is that the reality of what the movie is - a Tom Cruise vehicle - is at war with the material," he said.
The Telegraph's Rebecca Hawkes gave the film three stars but criticised some aspects of the film, writing: "Perhaps the real problem, ultimately, is the characters themselves."
She added: "The reason the Marvel shared universe, which took years to build up, works, is because all of its superheroes feel engagingly human: Fully-formed characters we actually want to spend time with. Here, the writing is one-note, and the leads little more than placeholders.
"Universal's monster franchise has made it out of the tomb, just about - but if this rebirth is going to sustain itself long term, it's going to need a little more meat under its bandages."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The reboot of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise has received some scathing reviews from critics. |
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