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35782374 | After dropping 1.8% on Thursday, the FTSE 100 rose 103.09 points or 1.71% on Friday to 6,139.79.
For the second day in a row, insurance firm Aviva was the top riser on the index, climbing 6.35%, after posting strong results.
Bank stocks also did well as investors digested the implications of the latest stimulus moves from the ECB.
Plans by the European Central Bank to provide ultra-cheap loans to banks lifted the sector. Barclays rose 3.8% and Standard Chartered added 4.3%.
Mining shares had risen in early trade on gains in commodity prices, but the sector then lost ground and shares in Anglo American were down 0.5%.
Shares in financial services group Old Mutual rose 3% at first after the company announced plans to split itself into four units, but then dropped back to stand 1.78% lower.
High Street retailer Marks and Spencer was the biggest faller on Friday with shares down 2% after Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its rating to "underperform" from "neutral".
On the currency markets, the pound edged up 1% against the dollar to $1.4427, and also rose 1% against the euro to €1.2902. | (Close): The London market has ended the week on an upbeat note, with financial stocks leading the way. |
34453827 | On Monday, a judge-led panel upheld a decision taken in August to block his transfer to house arrest.
The panel also said Pistorius should undergo psychotherapy, but his family said he was already receiving it.
The 28-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison last year for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa found him guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter.
The 28-year-old double amputee had hoped to be freed in August after a parole board ruled that he could serve the rest of his five-year prison sentence under house arrest.
But the panel, led by Judge Lucy Mailula, ruled that Justice Minister Michael Masutha had acted correctly when he prevented the release on the grounds that it had been taken prematurely.
At the time of his intervention, Pistorius had been granted parole only six months into his five-year sentence.
Mr Masutha had argued that the law states that an offender can only be considered for parole after serving one-sixth of his sentence, in this case 10 months.
In a statement, the Pistorius family said it was concerned about the "legality" of delaying his release.
"Time has now cured" Mr Masutha's concerns and it could not understand why the panel had referred the case back to the parole board rather than taking a decision, the statement said.
"The failure to give proper - and consistent - effect to the Correctional Services Act flies in the face of administrative justice," it said.
"This experience leaves us with the uncomfortable conclusion that the public, political and media hype that was allowed to develop around Oscar's trial has undermined his right to be treated like any other prisoner - as per the prescripts of the Correctional Services Act."
Pistorius: Track champion
The making and unmaking of Pistorius
Pistorius was "receiving regular and ongoing psychotherapy from not only his own psychologist, but also from prison psychologists and a social worker whose reports formed part of the parole decision process", the family added.
The panel had ruled that Pistorius should "be subjected to psychotherapy in order to address criminogenic factors of the crime he committed", referring to behaviour that leads to criminality.
The psychotherapy should be given "even if the offender is, indeed placed under correctional supervision", it added.
The panel also ruled that the parole board should consider imposing conditions restricting the use of firearms by the athlete.
The double amputee athlete said he mistook Ms Steenkamp for a burglar when he fired multiple shots though a locked door at her in his home on Valentine's Day 2013.
Judge Masipa acquitted him of murder, saying the prosecution had failed to prove the charge.
The prosecution has appealed against this acquittal and the case will be heard next month by some of South Africa's most senior judges. | The refusal to free South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison on parole "flies in the face" of justice, his family has said. |
34960818 | The mosquito-borne virus from Africa has been linked to a spike in birth defects across the country.
Pernambuco has around two thirds of the cases of micro-encephalitis - an inflammation of the foetal brain that can stunt growth of the baby's head.
A World Health Organization team is due in Brazil this week.
On Saturday, the Brazilian health ministry said the link between Zika and birth defects was unprecedented anywhere in the world.
The ministry said doctors had found Zika virus in the blood and tissue of a baby with the disease in the north-eastern state of Ceara.
It said it had recorded two adult deaths and 1,248 cases of micro-encephalitis this year - an eight-fold increase on last year's numbers.
Most cases of micro-encephalitis have been in the north-east of Brazil but cases also rapidly appeared in the south-east, including the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
The Zika virus was first detected in Brazil in April and has spread to 13 states.
It appears relatively harmless at first, causing a rash and a fever for a few days.
But ministry officials have issued warnings to women to think carefully about getting pregnant at the moment in areas where there are Zika fever cases.
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known to carry the yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya viruses.
The authorities in Pernambuco say the state of emergency will allow for more staff to be recruited quickly to conduct a large door-to-door public education campaign on the dangers of allowing breeding areas for mosquitoes in stagnant water.
Brazil's ministry of health says Zika has become a serious risk to public health and that Brazil must embark on an emergency programme to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the virus's spread. | The Brazilian state of Pernambuco has declared a state of emergency to help speed up the official response to Zika fever. |
38678694 | The 22-year-old left-back has returned to his Bundesliga club Schalke, where he is on loan from Chelsea.
Ghana said Rahman has "a rupture of the meniscus and a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament" in the left knee.
Rahman was hurt in the Black Stars' 1-0 win over Uganda in Group D on Tuesday.
Ghana's next match at the tournament is against Mali on Saturday. A victory would put them into the quarter-finals. | Ghana's Baba Rahman will travel to Germany for possible knee surgery after suffering an injury that has ended his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. |
38331172 | Parris took caretaker charge in April after James Marrs was dismissed following a disciplinary process.
Ex-Albion midfielder Parris, 52, guided the side to promotion to Women's Super League Two this summer after beating Sporting Club Albion in a play-off.
Amy Merricks has been appointed as assistant manager on a permanent basis.
The 2017 Spring Series is a one-off, transitional competition before the WSL switches to a winter calendar. | Brighton have confirmed George Parris will remain as interim manager for the upcoming FA Women's Super League Spring Series. |
32169695 | Titina Nzolameso was offered a property in Bletchley, near Milton Keynes, after the government's benefits cap made her Westminster rent unaffordable.
When she refused to leave, Westminster City Council decided its legal duty to her had ended - leaving her homeless.
The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the authority's decision.
Its ruling means Ms Nzolameso, who argued that moving to Buckinghamshire would deprive her of the network of friends that supported her during ill health, can stay in the capital.
The decision could have knock-on effects for other local authorities in a similar position.
The court's deputy president Lady Hale heard the case with Lord Clarke, Lord Reed, Lord Hughes and Lord Toulson.
She said that out-of-borough placements were not prohibited, but Westminster City Council had not properly explained its decision.
The authority had not provided evidence to show its offer of the property in Bletchley "was sufficient to discharge their legal obligations" under laws around the housing of homeless people, she added. | A woman left homeless when she could no longer afford the rent on her London home has won a legal battle against attempts to move her out of the city. |
32796215 | Mr Coulson, 47, was called as a witness and questioned by Mr Sheridan during the case. A tape of that exchange was played in court on Tuesday.
He is accused of lying when he told the jury he did not know one of the paper's journalists and a private investigator were involved in phone hacking.
Mr Coulson denies the charge.
In courtroom three at the High Court in Edinburgh, the jury of nine men and six women listened to a tape of Mr Coulson's evidence on 9 and 10 December 2010 at Mr Sheridan's perjury trial.
They heard Mr Coulson swearing an oath to tell the truth before confirming his job at the time: director of communications at Downing Street, answerable to the prime minister, a position he said could be described as a "spin doctor".
On the tape, Mr Coulson, who was editor of the News of the World from 2003 to 2007, said the first he had known that one of his journalists, Clive Goodman, had been involved in hacking the telephones of celebrities and members of the royal household was when Mr Goodman was arrested along with a private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire.
"I had no knowledge that he was doing these things," said Mr Coulson, who is from Preston in Kent.
Mr Coulson said he had not known Mr Mulcaire.
"I'd never met, heard of, emailed spoken to Glenn Mulcaire," prior to the Goodman affair, he said.
He said payments involving Mr Mulcaire were made "without my knowledge".
The former journalist also denied knowing about the News of the World making payments to corrupt police officers.
"I have no knowledge of it happening," he said.
Under cross-examination, a senior detective told the court there was no evidence that Mr Coulson and Mr Mulcaire ever exchanged emails.
The court later heard that Mr Coulson and members of the Royal Family had their phones hacked.
Det Con Richard Fitzgerald, 36, said the former editor was among thousands of people who had their mobile phone security compromised.
The officer was working on the Metropolitan Police's Operation Weeting investigation which was set up to look at claims that journalists at the News of the World were illegally intercepting voicemails.
He told the court the methods which people use to hack phones and said that officers found handwritten notes detailing the contents of intercepted voicemails.
The police officer also told the court that phone hackers also made tape recordings of voicemails.
The court also heard that Mr Goodman and Mr Mulcaire were both convicted of phone hacking offences and both received prison sentences.
Det Ch Insp Steve McCabe, 47, who is also based with the Met Police in London, told the court that Operation Weeting, which is still ongoing, established that phone hackers targeted celebrities, royals and people who had been the victims of crime.
When Mr Coulson's advocate Murdo MacLeod QC asked whether policemen looked at 90,000,000 emails during the phone hacking inquiry, Mr McCabe said: "90,000,000 doesn't sound unreasonable."
The charge against Mr Coulson alleges that he lied in court and that he did in fact know about phone hacking, did know or know of Glenn Mulcaire and did know about payments by the newspaper to corrupt police officers.
Mr Coulson, who sat in the dock wearing a grey suit and holding a transcript of his evidence, denies perjury.
The trial before Lord Burns is expected to last four weeks. | The Andy Coulson perjury trial has begun hearing evidence which the former News of the World editor gave at the 2010 perjury trial of Tommy Sheridan. |
35360349 | Judith Barrett, principal of St Michael's Academy in Yeovil, said "an increasing number of children" come to school "in a pretty shocking state".
The letter goes on to say some pupils "obviously haven't had a shower in readiness for Monday morning".
A spokesperson for the school said it would not comment on the letter.
The academy has about 220 pupils aged seven to 11.
The principal's letter says many children are getting themselves up in the morning and into school "as their parents are still in bed".
"In a country where there is plentiful running water and washing machines, and shops like Tesco offering entire school uniforms for £10, it is a pretty poor indictment of the parenting skills of some of our families."
The letter ends by warning parents the school will phone them at home to collect their children if they are not wearing the correct uniform including black shoes. | A head teacher has used her weekly letter to tell off parents who allow their children to arrive at school in a "dirty and unkempt" state. |
35708934 | Richard McPhee, 35, held up the Day Today shop in Drip Road on 25 November.
A court was told that McPhee brandished the knife at 27-year-old Lilita Mierina and forced her to open the till.
McPhee, also of Stirling, admitted a charge of armed robbery at the High Court in Edinburgh before judge Lord Boyd.
Officers recognised McPhee from Ms Mierina's description and he was arrested the following day.
Sentence was deferred for reports until 30 March. | A man who threatened a Stirling shop worker with a knife before stealing £980 from the till will be sentenced later this month. |
17991993 | Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography documented the big rise when they trawled the waters off California.
They were able to compare their plastic "catch" with previous data for the region.
The group
reports its findings in the journal Biology Letters
.
"We did not expect to find this," says
Scripps researcher Miriam Goldstein
.
"When you go out into the North Pacific, what you find can be highly variable. So, to find such a clear pattern and such a large increase was very surprising," she told BBC News.
All the plastic discarded into the ocean that does not sink will eventually break down.
Sunlight and the action of the waves will degrade and shred the material over time into pieces the size of a fingernail, or smaller.
An obvious concern is that this micro-material could be ingested by marine organisms, but the Scripps team has noted another, perhaps unexpected, consequence.
The fragments make it easier for the marine insect
Halobates sericeus to lay its eggs out over the ocean.
These "sea skaters" or "water striders" - relatives of pond water skaters - need a platform for the task.
Normally, this might be seabird feathers, tar lumps or even pieces of pumice rock. But it is clear from the trawl results that
H. sericeus has been greatly aided by the numerous plastic surfaces now available to it in the Pacific.
The team found a strong association between the presence of
Halobates and the micro-plastic in a way that was just not evident in the data from 40 years ago.
Ms Goldstein explained: "We thought there might be fewer
Halobates if there's more plastic - that there might be some sort of toxic effect. But, actually, we found the opposite. In the areas that had the most plastic, we found the most
Halobates.
"So, they're obviously congregating around this plastic, laying their eggs on it, and hatching out from it. For
Halobates, all this plastic has worked out well for them."
Ms Goldstein and colleagues gathered their information on the abundance of micro-plastic during the
Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (Seaplex)
off California in 2009. They then compared their data with those from other scientific cruises, including archived records stretching back to the early 1970s.
Plastic waste in the North Pacific is an ongoing concern.
The natural circulation of water - the North Pacific Gyre - tends to retain the debris in reasonably discrete, long-lived collections, which have popularly become known as "garbage patches". In the north-eastern Pacific, one of these concentrations is seen in waters between Hawaii and California.
This Scripps study follows another report by colleagues at the institution that showed 9% of the fish collected during the same Seaplex voyage had plastic waste in their stomachs.
That investigation, published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, estimated the fish at intermediate ocean depths in the North Pacific Ocean could be ingesting plastic at a rate of roughly 12,000 to 24,000 tonnes per year.
Toxicity is the issue most often raised in relation to this type of pollution, but Ms Goldstein and colleagues say broader ecosystem effects also need to be studied.
The abundance of ocean debris will influence the success, or otherwise, of "rafting communities" - those species that are specifically adapted to life on or around objects floating in the water.
Bigger creatures would include barnacles and crabs, and even fish that like to live under some kind of cover, but large-scale change would likely touch even the smallest organisms.
"The study raises an important issue, which is the addition of hard surfaces to the open ocean," says Ms Goldstein.
"In the North Pacific, for example, there's no floating seaweed like there is in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic. And we know that the animals, the plants and the microbes that live on hard surfaces are different to the ones that live floating around in the water.
"So, what plastic has done is add hundreds of millions of hard surfaces to the Pacific Ocean. That's quite a profound change."
Ms Goldstein's co-authors were Marci Rosenberg, a student at the University of California Los Angeles, and Scripps research biologist emeritus Lanna Cheng.
[email protected] and follow me on
Twitter | The quantity of small plastic fragments floating in the north-east Pacific Ocean has increased a hundred fold over the past 40 years. |
38542033 | Researchers from Newcastle University, and the British Dental Association (BDA), found about 135,000 dental patients a year visit A& E departments.
The BDA said GPs and medics were having to "pick up the pieces" of the government "slashing budgets and ramping up charges" for dentistry.
NHS England said that access to dentists was improving.
The study by Newcastle University's Centre for Oral Health Research, which looked at patients attending hospitals in the city over three years, and also used calculation by the BDA, found more than half the A&E visits were for toothache.
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, from the BDA, said: "Ministers keep underestimating how much their indifference to dentistry has knock-on effects across the health service.
"GPs and A&E medics are having to pick up the pieces, while the government's only strategy is to ask our patients to pay more in to plug the funding gap.
"We are seeing patients who need our care pushed towards medical colleagues who aren't equipped to treat them.
"As long as government keeps slashing budgets and ramping up charges, we will keep seeing more of the same."
An NHS England spokeswoman said: "Figures show access to NHS dentists is in fact improving, although a small number of people with a dental emergency, such as bleeding, may need to attend A&E.
"Patients who need advice on pain relief can also get help from their local pharmacist as most causes of dental pain don't need antibiotics.
"Anyone in need of an NHS dentist should contact their own dental surgery or NHS 111, who can signpost them to the most appropriate service for treatment." | People going to A&E instead of the dentist could be costing the NHS as much as £18m a year, a study has found. |
39669673 | Pavey needs to finish as one of the top two British women and run a time of two hours and 36 minutes or better.
She will be at the Worlds in August to receive a bronze medal after her 2007 fourth place was upgraded when Turkey's Elvan Abeylegesse failed a doping test.
"I've trained as hard as I could," said the 43-year-old.
"I've had a bit more illness than I would have liked but any busy parent can relate to that and I've kept training consistently."
Pavey will race her first marathon in six years on Sunday. She is up against fellow Britons Alyson Dixon, Louise Damen, Charlotte Purdue and Susan Partridge as they also compete to qualify for the World Championships, which are being held in London from 5-13 August.
With Callum Hawkins already selected, Tsegai Tewelde goes up against 10 other male runners in a bid to make the British team for the summer's event.
Meanwhile, Britain's six-time Paralympic champion David Weir says Sunday's race "could be" his last.
Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, who is the 5,000m and 10,000m track world record holder, headlines the men's elite race.
The women's elite line-up also includes Kenyan Florence Kiplagat, who won last year's Chicago Marathon, compatriot and Tokyo Marathon champion Helah Kiprop, and Olympic 5,000m champion and fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, who will make her marathon debut aged 33.
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Drugs cheats like 2016 London marathon champion Jemima Sumgong are "ruining the sport", says European 10,000m champion Pavey.
Olympic gold medallist Sumgong, 32, tested positive for banned substance EPO in an out-of-competition test.
"It is a shame you have got a winner like Sumgong testing positive," Pavey told BBC Sport. "We're glad that she's been caught, that's one good thing to say.
"You want to believe in a good performance, you want to be looking at athletes winning Olympics and big events and admire their performance.
"There is still a lot more work to do to make sure others are going through the same anti-doping methods as we are in the UK - I had people on my doorstep a couple of days ago and that is what you want to see around the world.
"People like her are ruining the sport because every time you see a good performance, you're wondering is that for real or not."
Britain's Weir, 37, will be competing in the race for the 18th year in a row, on the back of winning the Paris Marathon men's wheelchair race earlier in April in one hour 29 minutes, 25 seconds.
He told BBC Sport: "I am just happy to be in good shape to compete. I don't put that pressure on my shoulders [to get the seventh title].
"I wait until the morning to see how I feel - I am in pretty good shape and I am happy with my performance over the past couple of weeks.
"I feel I am not getting any slower - to do that time on that course in Paris, a very rough, hard course. It just gave me a lot of confidence to perform mentally and physically in London.
Asked if it will be his last race, Weir replied: "It could be. But I have enjoyed the training and enjoyed just concentrating on the road, not thinking about being back on the track after the marathon."
In January, the six-time Paralympic champion said he will never wear a Great Britain vest again after an unsuccessful Paralympic Games in Rio last year.
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Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, who won last year's Berlin Marathon in the second-quickest time ever, heads the men's elite field along with Kenya's Stanley Biwott.
"Times are very important," Bekele said. "On the track I don't see anyone out there looking like they can reach my marks at the moment. In the marathon, running two hours, 10 minutes and winning would not give you full happiness. Winning in two hours, four minutes would be a different feeling.
"But it is really challenging. It is almost 10,000 metres pace so it is difficult. I had to learn how to run differently from the track, a different foot strike. Every race, every course is different and I am learning with every one."
Brendan bids farewell
BBC commentator Brendan Foster is set to commentate on his last London Marathon - an event he has covered since its inception in 1981.
The 69-year-old, who will retire after the World Championships in London in August, said: "I'm looking forward to it.
"It's the 37th time I've done it, you'd think I'd be used to it by now. I've done every single one but it's as good as ever.
"The whole city comes alive and is awash with people and colour. It will be exciting at the front end, as it always is."
Media playback is not supported on this device | British five-time Olympian Jo Pavey is aiming to secure qualification for the 2017 World Championships when she races in Sunday's London Marathon. |
17023862 | It found that standards were well below what was expected, with an overall judgement of "unsatisfactory" - the lowest rating given.
Estyn said GCSE performance was among the lowest in Wales but primary schools standards improved in recent years.
Torfaen Council accepted the findings and expects to see an improvements in standards as early as the summer.
The Estyn report said Torfaen council needed to raise standards in secondary schools and do more for school leavers who don't go on to find jobs or training.
In particular, the authority came in for criticism for standards at GCSE level in schools across the county.
The report said that over half of schools are in the bottom quarter for performance in the core subjects of English or Welsh, maths and science.
No school is above average on the proportion of pupils achieving the equivalent of five GCSEs at grade A* to C.
The number of pupils suspended has increased - and are among the worst in Wales - however, the number of overall exclusions are reducing significantly.
The report said that performance in Key Stages 1 and 2 - children aged from five to 11 - have improved and the authority was doing more to monitor school performance and intervene when necessary.
However, attendance in primary schools was found to be "below the Welsh average in every measure and standards in this area fall short of what might be expected".
It means the hunt for Wales' first "excellent" local authority education service goes on as Torfaen is the 10th Welsh authority to be inspected and been given the worst rating.
So far, four councils have been considered adequate, three are good and two require significant improvement.
In her annual report, published last month, Estyn Chief inspector Ann Keane said: "Leaders, including governors, in schools and in local authorities need to play a more active role in tackling under performance more systematically."
Torfaen local authority now has 50 days to produce an action plan to show how it will address the recommendations.
Councillor Mary Barnett, executive member for children and young people, said: "We acknowledge the issues highlighted in this report and accept the findings."
She added that the council was already implementing many new strategies to help tackle the issues but these had had too little time for the impact to be measured.
"The report also highlights many positive aspects of education in Torfaen, and I am particularly pleased with performance across key stages 1 and 2, and the great strides made to improve secondary school attendance," she said.
Councillor Barnett added: "We are now supporting and challenging our secondary schools on an unprecedented level, and have shown we are prepared to use all our powers to secure better outcomes for children and young people.
"As a result governing bodies, headteachers and senior leadership teams in schools are already more challenging of their own performance.
"We are already seeing a shift and expect to see school standards begin to improve as early as the summer."
Torfaen assembly member Lynne Neagle said it was "clearly an incredibly challenging and worrying report" and there were simply no excuses for the kind of failings highlighted.
"It also helps underline the fact that the Welsh government was right to place a renewed and unrelenting focus on standards in our schools.
"Especially in these tough economic times, we simply have to ensure that we are delivering a first-class education to our young people and helping them to reach their full potential." | Education services in Torfaen have been heavily criticised in a report by the school's inspectorate, Estyn. |
29759239 | David Daniel Doran, 42, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to making Darrell Simester perform forced or compulsory labour.
The discovery of Mr Simester, who was forced to work for 13 years, sparked a wider inquiry around Cardiff.
Police said they are trying to find the other men they are concerned about.
Officers have received worrying information about one man in particular who they are now trying to locate.
It comes after Cardiff Crown Court heard how Mr Simester, 44, a timid man who was easily led, was kept in squalid and dirty conditions at Cariad Farm in Peterstone near Newport.
He was living in a cold caravan, washing in a horse trough and working up to 16 hours a day all year round.
Sentencing Doran on Friday, Judge Neil Bidder QC said the way he treated the victim was "repellent and wrong" and "not much better than a slave".
What happened to Mr Simester, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, led to a wider police investigation.
Acting on intelligence, police launched an operation at Cariad Farm and began digging for possible human remains in September 2013.
Their information proved to be wrong and they found nothing.
But police said there were other leads too and some have already led to the rescue of vulnerable adults.
In other cases the information has been too sketchy and detectives said they do not have enough to go on.
They have told BBC Wales that they are increasingly concerned for one man in particular.
Det Supt Paul Griffiths, of Gwent Police, who is heading the investigation, said: "We've got a lot of individual names, nicknames or descriptions and we've been trying to locate them on the basis of the information we have and we've been very successful in identifying a large number of individuals, but equally sometimes information is not substantial enough to locate individuals."
They cannot release the name of the man - they themselves only have a nickname - but they say they are worried for his welfare and following all potential leads to try to find him.
Mr Simester had gone missing after going on a trip to the seaside in Porthcawl, south Wales, in 2000.
As he headed home he was picked up at the side of a dual carriageway by a member of the Doran family and taken to Cariad Farm.
He was only found after his family launched a social media campaign and they received a tip-off from a member of the public.
When they saw him again they could hardly recognise him and described him as being a "broken man" who looked far older than his years.
Health-wise he was in a "horrific state" with a chest infection, a hernia and calloused feet, along with being very malnourished.
David Daniel Doran pleaded guilty midway through his trial to making Mr Simester perform forced or compulsory labour.
His father Daniel Doran, 67, who faced the same charge, was formally found not guilty earlier this month. | Police who investigated the "modern day slavery" case of a vulnerable man found working unpaid on a farm say they are looking for other missing men. |
15588196 | Jagdip Randhawa, a student at the University of Leeds from Hounslow in London, died in Leeds General Infirmary on 17 October.
Mr Randhawa was injured in Albion Street, Leeds, on 12 October.
Clifton Mitchell, from Derby, will appear before Leeds magistrates on Monday. He has also been charged with assault over the incident.
Police said a 23-year-old man who was also arrested remains on police bail. | A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 19-year-old student who was assaulted in Leeds city centre. |
39496015 | An Employment Tribunal had ruled Marion Konczak was unfairly dismissed from her job with BAE Systems in Lancashire.
It upheld a sex discrimination claim that a sexist comment from Mrs Konczak's manager "pushed her over the edge" into a breakdown.
Three Court of Appeal judges have reserved judgement on the case.
Mrs Konczak, now aged 62, worked for the company in Samlesbury and Warton from 1998 to 2007.
She had complained to her male manager that four men she worked with "had bullied and harassed her, including sexually" in 2006,. He responded that "women take things more emotionally then men whilst men tend to forget things and move on."
She argued his comment was the "final straw" and she went off sick with stress and was dismissed in July 2007.
An Employment Tribunal upheld the single complaint in 2008 of sexual discrimination relating the manager's comment although it made no finding on 15 others.
Mrs Konkczak was awarded £360,178.60 compensation in October 2014.
Her barrister, Tristan Jones, said it was fair because the manager's comment "pushed her over the edge" into a psychiatric breakdown which ruined her working life.
He added she has not been able to work since the manager's comment and her dismissal.
Paul Gilroy QC, for BAE, told the judges: "The excessive level of compensation awarded is an affront to justice", adding it was wrong to blame the manager's words alone for Mrs Konczak's psychiatric problems.
Mr Jones, defending the payout, told the court: "Her compensation has been calculated on the normal basis reflecting her lost income and pension," he added.
"These lengthy proceedings have prolonged and are prolonging her illness...(and) BAE is liable for such prolongation." | A £360,000 payout to a former secretary over a "single sexist comment" at work was "excessive", a major firm has told an appeal. |
30778916 | On Saturday evening, Andrew Griffiths, 32, of Kentish Town, London was hit by a car on the M1 motorway near junction 20, after getting out of a taxi parked on the hard shoulder.
Ammar Ingar, 21, and Muhammed-Abdullah Patel, 22, both from Leicester, were killed in a collision on Hastings Road, Leicester.
Police have appealed for witnesses.
The collision on the M1 occurred at about 19:50 GMT. No one else was injured.
The second crash, involving a Honda Civic and a Mitsubishi Shogun, happened at 20:25.
Two rear seat passengers in the Honda, both men, suffered serious injuries and are in hospital.
A man and a woman, travelling in the other car, were also injured. The man was later released from hospital but the woman is in a critical but stable condition. | Three people who died at the weekend as a result of two separate road crashes, just minutes apart, have been named. |
33250535 | The 23-year-old's deal is subject to a medical, which will take place after he returns from Chile, where he has been playing for Brazil in the Copa America.
Firmino, who has scored 47 goals in 151 games for Hoffenheim, becomes the Reds' second most expensive player.
The Anfield club made Andy Carroll their record signing when he joined them for £35m from Newcastle in 2011.
They also paid Southampton £25m for Adam Lallana in 2014, and have already brought in Burnley striker Danny Ings, goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, defender Joe Gomez and midfielder James Milner this summer.
The Reds have so far resisted two offers from Manchester City for England forward Raheem Sterling.
Firmino, who has spent the last four and a half seasons in the Bundesliga, was on target for Brazil in their 2-1 Copa America victory over Venezuela on Sunday.
In the absence of Neymar, who has been suspended for the rest of the tournament, Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, who is already a Liverpool player, are set to start again in Saturday's quarter-final against Paraguay. | Liverpool have signed forward Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim on a five-year deal for a fee of about £29m. |
39642159 | But how hard is the transition? How difficult is it to swap the glare of the camera for the focus of thousands of supporters? BBC Sport Scotland looks at some of the big names who have crossed the Rubicon.
The former winger, who had a previous coaching spell at Dunfermline Athletic, has worked as a pundit covering Scottish football for Sky Sports. He decided to accept Scottish Premiership outfit Dundee's offer of becoming interim boss until the end of the season.
He succeeds Paul Hartley at Dens Park with Dundee second bottom of the table and fighting for their top-flight safety.
"It's not a big risk for me - it's maybe a big risk for the club, a lot of guys will think, because I've not been in a job before," said the 42-year-old.
"This opportunity was just too good to turn down."
"I'm not going to kid anyone on and say, 'it's just going to be easy', because it's not. There's a lot of hard work ahead. The other sides in and around us will have that same mentality. It's a massive job.
"I think most people know the type of person I am, type of character, the standards that I liked to have when I was playing and training - those qualities I would like to think I'll bring to the football club.
"It's my job now to sit with the players and try to get them to understand the requirements that's going to get them that extra yard or that extra wee bit that's going to be enough to see us win games of football."
McCann started his playing career as a winger at Dundee in 1992 and enjoyed stints at Hearts, Rangers, Southampton and Falkirk before ending his career at Dens Park in 2011. He also won 26 caps, scoring three international goals.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was sacked by Valencia in March 2016 after less than four months in charge of the Spanish club.
The 41-year-old, who was part of the England coaching set-up under Roy Hodgson, has returned to his previous role as Sky Sports analyst.
Valencia won three of their 16 league games under the former television pundit, and 10 of 28 games overall.
Neville said he wanted to stay but results had "not been to my standards" or those "required by this club". Neville's management career began with a Champions League loss to Lyon at the Mestalla and it was not until 13 February that Los Che clinched the first of only three league wins.
Cup competitions provided some respite for Neville, with seven wins coming in the Copa del Rey and Europa League.
Neville retired from playing in 2011 after 602 Manchester United appearances and 85 England caps. He won 16 trophies at United and represented his country at five major tournaments.
Former England captain Alan Shearer was in charge of Newcastle for a short spell in 2009, in his only stint in football management to date.
Shearer quit playing in 2006 as Newcastle's record goalscorer before becoming a Match of the Day pundit.
"I've been out of football for over four years and I'm not looking to get back into it," he told the BBC in 2013.
In eight games as manager, he could not prevent the Magpies being relegated from England's top flight.
"I love my job and know I'm lucky to have it. Could I see myself returning to management? Probably not," Shearer told BBC Newcastle.
Born in Gosforth, just three miles from St James' Park, Shearer scored 206 goals in 404 appearances for his boyhood club after joining for a then-world record £15m fee in 1996.
He began his career at Southampton and won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 before moving on to Newcastle.
He was named Magpies manager on a short-term deal in April 2009, with boss Joe Kinnear undergoing triple heart bypass surgery. Shearer took over with the club two points in the relegation zone but one win in eight games saw them drop out of the Premier League, finishing one point behind Hull.
Bellshill-born McCoist was a Rangers player for 15 years as well as playing for St Johnstone, Sunderland, Kilmarnock and Scotland.
After retiring in 2001, McCoist continued to build a burgeoning media career, which included being a team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport.
He returned to football in 2004 as part of Walter Smith's Scotland coaching staff, and he followed Smith to Ibrox as assistant manger in 2007, before stepping up as his successor in summer 2011 while Rangers were still in the Scottish Premier League.
He subsequently led the side from the bottom tier of Scottish football by winning two consecutive league titles.
Expressing his gratitude to the Rangers supporters following his departure, McCoist said: "They were superb and they backed me and my staff.
"They also stood firm when their club was in dire straits and even at the bleakest moments they did not flinch.
"They are the heart and soul of this club and no-one should ever forget that."
McCoist has returned to his football pundit role since his managerial stint at Ibrox. | Neil McCann has swapped the pundit's chair for the dugout after agreeing to become Dundee's interim boss until the end of the season. |
40104564 | The organisers of the literary prize have announced they will adopt "a new sponsorship model" from 2018.
The hunt for a new backer began in January when drinks company Baileys announced it would be stepping down as title sponsor after this year.
Orange sponsored the award for 17 years up to 2012 before Baileys took over in 2014.
From next year, the title will revert to the Women's Prize for Fiction supported by "a family of sponsors".
One of these will be Baileys, alongside other other "leading brands and businesses from different sectors".
"We are excited to be announcing the next chapter for the prize," said Kate Mosse, novelist and prize co-founder.
"Our family of sponsors model not only gives us a new sustainable way of working in a changing world - based on one already successfully used in other areas of the arts - but also will enable us to reach an even wider range of readers through the varied and long-term partnerships we are building."
She added that she was "obviously thrilled" that Baileys would continue to be associated with the prize.
The winner of the 2017 prize will be announced a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Wednesday 7 June.
The six-strong list features one previous winner, Linda Grant, and one first-time novelist, Ayobami Adebayo.
The shortlist in full:
Last year's winner was Lisa McInerney for The Glorious Heresies.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction won't have a single sponsor for next year - it'll have several. |
21618345 | A new laboratory in the Thai capital Bangkok, equipped to gather DNA from elephant tusk, rhino horn and tiger skin, is on the front line in an increasingly desperate effort.
The move comes as wildlife trading moves into the major league of lucrative international criminal activities including the trafficking of drugs and weapons.
Rapidly growing demand for animal parts believed to have cultural or medicinal value has fuelled soaring prices and created greater incentives for poachers and dealers.
The lab's aim is to "prove the link between the victim and the suspect and support prosecutions", according to the scientists running the facility.
Conservation groups say the slaughter of elephant, rhino and tiger, along with other threatened species, has reached alarming levels and that only a concerted and sophisticated campaign will help.
The developments highlight the weakness of the only global agreement to halt the trade in endangered species, the CITES convention, set up 40 years ago. The latest round of talks on CITES opened in Bangkok yesterday.
The lab, located within the Thai Department for National Parks, was set up with the support of the specialist wildlife groups Traffic and Trace and the regional environmental organization ASEAN-WEN.
Its director, Dr Kanita Ouitavon, says the first samples of animals and animal parts have been analysed for their DNA and that a genetic database of Thai species is gradually being built up.
"It is very necessary to have new technology in my work - when we want to know about confiscated animals or animal parts, we can now find out about species or sub species or even learn about family links, the origins, where they're from and how they're related," she said.
"The illegal wildlife trade involves low investment but high profit and because no one owns the animals or the land it's so easy to commit the crimes.
"So I can consider this lab is a useful tool to crack down on this trade. Using DNA can prove a link between the suspects and the animals."
The lab, with 10 staff, receives samples almost every week including segments of elephant tusk, rhino horn, entire tiger skins and pieces of fur and flesh from a host of other creatures.
Each sample is catalogued and photographed before extracts are run through a DNA sequencing process. For animal parts from outside Thailand, the sequences are checked against an international database.
Dr Ouitavon acknowledges that her team will need patience - and larger numbers of staff - to build up evidence against poachers and smugglers
She also highlights the reality of being a small band fighting some very powerful interests. The gangs are expert at securing support from within the authorities - for example, officers from The Royal Thai Police are regularly accused of aiding the trade or being involved in it themselves.
In fact, during our visit to the lab, news came through of the seizure, in southern Thailand, of a load of ivory in a van actually driven by a police captain.
Dr Ouitavon is open about the challenge she faces: "We know from the beginning that those who are behind the illegal wildlife illegal trade are mostly influential and powerful people," she explained.
"If there is no check and balance like our unit so the problem will be worse… sometimes it may succeed or it may fail. That's not the main point. The important thing is we do it and we try to fight against it."
Customs officers also acknowledge that the Thai authorities have for years been notorious for turning a blind eye to wildlife smuggling, making Thailand an easy 'transit route' between Africa and China.
Now they insist that their procedures and intelligence have led to tightening up of controls, with better international cooperation, encouraged by the World Customs Union, and X-ray scanners to search cargo. Samples of hauls are now routinely sent to the forensics lab.
None of the customs officers wanted to be interviewed but they described a long list of recent seizures:
The total haul of ivory between 2009-12 at Bangkok airport alone weighs about 7 tonnes and is valued at least $7m, they say.
The officers believe their clampdown is successful because the smugglers have been forced to try new routes. Rather than flying their goods directly from Africa, they are now routing it through the Gulf or Europe to try to avoid suspicion.
I was shown six crates packed with sections of tusk, all seized on a flight from Kenya. A total of 79 elephants had been slaughtered to produce this one sorry haul.
The customs officer who led the operation seemed genuinely upset by it. The ivory, he said, "smells like a dead body" - it did have an intense musty odour and was a depressing sight.
But with more than 70 flights landing with cargo in Bangkok every day, maintaining a total screening is virtually impossible. I asked if the police would help them in the task, a question that produced a shake of the head and laughter.
Given the accusations levelled at them, I asked for a police response. Captain Marc Suranartyuth acts as a liaison officer with Interpol. He says he believes passionately in the need to fight wildlife crime and is clearly embarrassed by cases of police involvement.
"If I saw that I would feel really bad," he said, "since we are the government officials so we do our best to protect and serve people in our country and try to cooperate to solve crimes.
"That's why we want to solve the problem not create a problem."
Mary Rice of the Environmental Investigation Agency, an NGO specialising in wildlife crime, says one problem with international efforts is a lack of political will to tackle the biggest figures in the trade.
"They're catching foot soldiers and occasionally they're also catching the middlemen but to my knowledge they've never gone after the kingpins, the people driving the crime," she told BBC News.
"Since 2009 there's been a huge escalation in poaching and the current populations of elephants, for example, can't possibly keep up with demand."
Forensic science can play a part in saving species from extinction but only if governments are genuinely determined to stop the crime in the first place. | The latest forensic science is being harnessed in a bid to combat the international crime gangs killing and smuggling endangered species. |
39628117 | All of those held are teenagers, officials said.
Mr Henríquez, 33, was shot dead as he was leaving his home in the city of Nuevo Colón on Saturday. A 36-year-old man, Delano Wilson, was also killed.
The motive for the killing is still unclear, but police say it appears to have been carefully planned.
Officers said the gunmen had laid in wait at a home opposite that of Mr Henríquez.
A 70-year-old woman and three teenage girls living at the home have been told not to leave the country while the investigations are under way.
Local media first reported that Delano Wilson, the man who died alongside Mr Henríquez, was a friend of the footballer.
But Mr Wilson's sister has since come forward to say her brother was just crossing the street on the way to buy a burger when he got caught in the crossfire.
Another man, Josimar Gómez, was injured.
Mr Henríquez, a midfielder, had played for the Panamanian national side as well as for Panamanian team Árabe Unido.
Before that, he had played in Colombia for América de Cali and Real Cartagena.
President Juan Carlos Varela condemned the murder on Twitter, saying that justice would be done.
According to Panamanian police figures, the country had a homicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016, which is below many other countries in the region.
However, the province of Colón, where Mr Henríquez was killed, is known to be a hotspot for gangs. | Police in Panama say they are holding four people in connection with the murder of international footballer Amílcar Henríquez. |
35410668 | Pub landlord Charlie Newman built "Woodhenge" in a field by the Square and Compass at Worth Matravers in June.
He was initially asked to dismantle his creation by Purbeck council as the structure contravened planning rules.
The council confirmed it can stay put for a further two years after which point it must be removed.
Mr Newman built the sculpture just before the summer solstice on 21 June on land he owns, but which is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
He used tree trunks originally destined for firewood to make the structure, which is nearly 10m (33ft) long and 3.5 metres (11.5ft) high.
But following a complaint from a member of the public, council officers told Mr Newman it had to be removed.
Residents and tourists lent their support by signing an online petition and writing to the council, stating Woodhenge was "a much loved and valued addition to the village".
Mr Newman said he wanted to see the creation stay for at least a couple of years as, being timber, it had a "limited life" anyway. | A recreation of Stonehenge made from tree trunks is set to remain in place in a Dorset field after being awarded retrospective planning permission. |
23257275 | The Brock Memorial Foundation submitted the plans to the Environment Department earlier this week and anticipates a decision by September.
A maquette of the statue has been produced by Canadian artist Adrienne Alison, who has told the BBC the statue should be ready by the autumn of 2014.
The statue is intended to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
The conflict, in which Canada repelled US attempts at invasion, ended in February 1815.
Guernsey-born Brock died early in the war - during the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812 - but became known as the Saviour of Upper Canada, having readied Canadian troops for the prospect of invasion.
Distant relative Oliver Brock, who is leading the statue project, said £50,000 remained to be found in order to pay for it, after sponsorship was secured from RBC Wealth Management.
Images of the proposed 7ft 6in (2.3m) statue were displayed on the market terrace on Tuesday.
There will be further public displays on Saturday and on 10, 17 and 24 August.
Mr Brock said he wanted feedback from islanders on the orientation of the statue.
It could be placed facing the Town Church Square below, facing the public space to the north or facing west towards Canada.
An online poll has been set up to establish the most popular option. | Plans have been unveiled for a statue of Sir Isaac Brock to be placed outside Guernsey's St Peter Port markets. |
33901999 | Nestle had challenged the ban ordered by the country's food safety regulator in June after some tests found lead levels beyond statutory limits.
The Swiss food multinational has always said its products are safe.
Thursday's ruling came a day after India separately sued Nestle for $100m (£64m) over "unfair trade practices".
The complaint against Nestle is that it caused damage to consumers through misleading advertisements related to its Maggi noodles product.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court called June's ban on the popular noodles "arbitrary" and said it violated the "principles of natural justice".
"We have examined the evidence in great detail. Since the petitioner Nestle has already agreed not to make and sell Maggi until the food authorities are satisfied, we see no reason to allow any relief to food authorities," Justice Vidyasagar Kanade was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The court directed Nestle to "send five samples from each batch of Maggi [noodles] for testing to three labs and only if the lead is found to be lower than permitted will they start manufacturing and sale again".
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had earlier said that tests deemed the instant noodles to contain "unsafe and hazardous" amounts of lead.
Nestle says its noodles are safe as seen in the results of tests conducted in other countries, including the US, Britain and Singapore.
Two Indian laboratories in the western state of Goa and the southern city of Mysore also recently cleared the noodles, but the findings were dismissed by India's food safety authority, saying there were lapses in the tests.
Nestle said in statement on Wednesday that it had tested 2,700 samples of the noodles by several accredited laboratories in India and abroad, and each of these tests "have shown lead to be far below the permissible limits".
But the company, which has 80% of India's instant noodles market, has already destroyed 400 million packets of Maggi products.
The instant noodles arrived in India in 1983 and can be found in corner shops across the country.
Correction August 17 2015: this report has been changed to correct an error about the amount of noodles being destroyed | A court in India has lifted a government ban on Nestle's popular Maggi noodles, but ordered fresh tests before the product can go back on sale. |
35890910 | It will be the first time doctors have ever removed cover from areas such as A&E and intensive care.
The British Medical Association said it had been left with "no choice" in its fight against the imposition of a new contract in England.
But Mr Gummer said the government could not be "held hostage".
Previous junior doctors strikes have affected only routine care.
But the all-out stoppages - which will take place from 08:00 to 17:00 on 26 and 27 April - will include emergency care.
It will mean consultants being drafted in from other hospital departments to staff emergency care, potentially causing huge disruption to routine services.
Mr Gummer told the House of Commons that "we will do everything in our power to ensure patients are protected," but added "if you withdraw the number of doctors that will be withdrawn by the BMA in this action then there is an increased risk of patient harm".
Labour's Heidi Alexander said this was a "worrying time for patients" and urged ministers to listen to patients and "think again" to avert strike action.
She told the Commons: "The secretary of state may think the matter is closed, I say that is arrogant and dangerous in the extreme.
"This is an awful game of brinkmanship and the government must press the pause button before it is too late."
A full walk-out is unchartered territory for hospitals - and of course raises the risk for patients.
Consultants will have to be drafted in from all across the hospital to staff everything from intensive care and emergency surgery to, of course, A&E. That will undoubtedly mean a mass postponement of routine work.
But perhaps more important is what it means for life-threatening care - the heart attack patients and car accident victims. Greater consultant presence in A&E may mean better, quicker care, as they will be more available to make decisions about what patients need.
In emergency surgery, consultants are helped by junior colleagues. Having more consultants in a theatre should resolve that. But where it becomes less clear is what sort of response patients on wards get if they have a medical emergency.
Normally, junior doctors would be among the first medics called. Without them there, and with consultants and other staff deployed elsewhere, patients could be vulnerable.
Yesterday, BMA junior doctors' leader Dr Johann Malawana said: "No junior doctor wants to take this action, but the government has left us with no choice.
"In refusing to lift imposition and listen to junior doctors' outstanding concerns, the government will bear direct responsibility for the first full walkout of doctors in this country.
"The government is refusing to get back around the table and is ploughing ahead with plans to impose a contract junior doctors have no confidence in and have roundly rejected.
"We want to end this dispute through talks, but the government is making this impossible." | Junior doctors will put patients "in harm's way" by withdrawing emergency care during strikes next month, health minister Ben Gummer has said. |
33972818 | The one-vehicle accident happened about 1.5 miles from the Strathcarron Hotel just after 13:00.
The road was closed for a number of hours.
Police are not releasing any more information until next of kin have been informed. | A man has been killed after his motorbike crashed on the A890 in Strathcarron in Wester Ross. |
37904059 | The Scottish Championship club say the 35-year-old "left his position as manager for personal reasons".
Football development manager Jim Thomson has taken over as caretaker "until a replacement is appointed".
Queens, who only lost one of the first 12 games of the season, have dropped from top of the table to sixth amid a run of one win in their next eight.
Skelton's side suffered a 4-1 home defeat by second-top Dundee United on Saturday, but afterwards he told BBC Scotland he was looking forward to next week's Challenge Cup quarter-final at home to Alloa Athletic.
"It's a nice break from the league - the quarter-final of a cup - really looking forward to it," he said while admitting that the performance against United was poor.
Englishman Skelton, a midfielder with Carlisle United, Workington, Gretna, Kilmarnock, Hamilton Academical and Barrow, joined Queens in summer 2015 to become assistant to James Fowler.
Skelton had been manager at Northern Premier League outfit Workington.
He took over as caretaker in April after Fowler exited Queens, who had failed to reach the promotion play-offs, and was given the job permanently this summer. | Gavin Skelton has stood down as Queen of the South manager after only six months in charge. |
38529176 | St Mungo's Primary at Kettleholm had been expected to reopen on Friday.
Pupils have now returned to classes as normal at three other schools affected in Port William, Closeburn and Cummertrees.
In total more than 200 pupils were affected by the closures on Thursday. | One of four schools closed due to heating failures in Dumfries and Galloway is to remain shut until Monday. |
34312744 | The unauthorised biography, serialised in the Daily Mail, includes allegations about the PM's student days.
The former Tory donor admitted to having personal "beef" with the prime minister after not being offered a major job in the coalition government.
The prime minister's spokeswoman said she did "not see the need to dignify the book by offering any comment".
"The author has set out his reasons for writing it," she added.
In the book, Lord Ashcroft, who donated millions of pounds to help the Conservatives fight marginal seats, says Mr Cameron was aware of his non-domiciled tax status, which was heavily criticised by Labour, in 2009.
The following year Lord Ashcroft released a statement confirming he was a "non-dom", a status he gave up in order to remain in the Lords.
The book also includes allegations of drug-taking and an initiation ceremony Mr Cameron is said, by an unnamed source, to have taken part in, involving a dead pig.
But sources said Mr Cameron was never a member of the club in question, the Piers Gaveston Society, during his time at Oxford University, BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said.
He added that the as yet unpublished book, Call Me Dave, was "less a story about stupid student pranks, and more a story about raw political revenge".
This was denied by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has co-written the book.
She told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "If this was just a revenge job, Lord Ashcroft and I could have published it before the election."
Ms Oakeshott also said the Piers Gaveston Society did not have a formal membership list, saying "people go along" to society gatherings.
Two powerful men need each other, and then one of them becomes more powerful, and doesn't need the other anymore.
The understanding which they had comes to break down, recriminations follow, and sometimes, full throttle revenge.
But the roots of the embarrassment that has sent social media into overdrive in the last day were laid before Twitter was invented.
In fact, the origins of the spectacular parting of ways are 15 years ago.
Read Laura's blog in full
In the preface to his book, Lord Ashcroft says that after David Cameron became PM in 2010, he was offered the job of junior Foreign Office whip.
"After putting my neck on the line for nearly 10 years - both as party treasurer under William Hague and as deputy chairman - and after ploughing some £8m into the party, I regarded this as a declinable offer," he wrote.
"It would have been better had Cameron offered me nothing at all."
But he added: "Despite my disappointment, my new book about Cameron is not about settling scores."
According to Lord Ashcroft's account, Mr Cameron told him Lib Dem leader and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg had vetoed his appointment to a government role.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World at One, Mr Clegg said he did not recall being asked.
"I'm now used to Conservatives - they certainly did it for five years - using me as an alibi for awkward decisions that they had to face within their own party and I'm certain they fell into that category," he said.
Lord Ashcroft was deputy chairman during Mr Cameron's period as leader in opposition.
In July 2010, he gave up his non-domiciled tax status to remain in the Lords after a law was passed requiring peers and MPs to be tax resident and domiciled in order to remain in Parliament.
His tax status had long been criticised by his opponents.
Labour's shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth has written to Downing Street asking whether Mr Cameron was, as Lord Ashcroft claims, aware of his tax arrangements in 2009.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Cameron should "address directly" the claim, describing it as a "serious allegation".
In March Lord Ashcroft said he was stepping down from the House of Lords because he could not devote enough time to it.
In recent years he has built a reputation as an independent pollster. | Ex-Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft says his new book about David Cameron is "not about settling scores". |
40988516 | Team Sky were nine seconds off the pace, with Quick-Step Floors and Team Sunweb both six seconds behind BMC.
Britain's Froome is aiming to become only the third man to win the Vuelta in the same year as the Tour de France.
The Vuelta stays in France for Sunday's second stage, a 203.4km route from Nimes to Gruissan.
BMC Racing's Australian rider Rohan Dennis is the current race leader and will wear the red jersey, after crossing the line first ahead of his team-mates.
While Froome himself is down in 18th place, he is only nine seconds behind Dennis overall.
Three-time winner Alberto Contador, of Spain, who is retiring from professional cycling after the race, is 16 seconds adrift for Trek Segafredo.
1. BMC Racing Team (US) 15 minutes 58 seconds
2. Quick-Step Floors (Bel) +6secs
3. Team Sunweb (Ger) Same time
4. Team Sky (GB) +9secs
5. Orica-Scott (Aus) +17secs
6. BORA-hansgrohe (Ger) +21secs
7. Lotto-Soudal (Bel) +24secs
8. Movistar Team (Sp) Same time
9. Bahrain-Merida (Bah) +31secs
10. Katusha-Alpecin (Swi) +33secs
1. Rohan Dennis (Aus/BMC Racing Team) 15:58
2. Daniel Oss (Ita/BMC Racing Team) Same time
3. Nicolas Roche (Ire/BMC Racing Team) Same time
4. Alessandro De Marchi (Ita/BMC Racing Team) Same time
5. Damiano Caruso (Ita/BMC Racing Team) Same time
6. Tejay van Garderen (US/BMC Racing Team) Same time
7. Yves Lampaert (Bel/Quick-Step Floors) +6secs
8. David De La Cruz (Spa/Quick-Step Floors) Same time
9. Bob Jungels (Lux/Quick-Step Floors) Same time
10. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Quick-Step Floors) Same time
Selected others
18. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) + 9secs
21. Ian Stannard (GB/Team Sky) Same time
24. Adam Yates (GB/Orica-Scott) +17secs
27. Simon Yates (GB / Orica-Scott) Same time | Chris Froome's Team Sky finished fourth on the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana, as BMC Racing won the team time trial in Nimes, France. |
28185948 | The Brazil captain, 29, was booked in Friday's win against Colombia.
It was Silva's second yellow of the tournament, meaning he is automatically suspended for one match.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The Brazilian football confederation wanted the second caution rescinded but Fifa said there is "no legal basis" to grant such a request.
Silva was booked for blocking Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina's attempt to take a kick.
He had scored the opener as Brazil won 2-1 to progress to the last four.
Silva's defensive partner, David Luiz, will captain the side in his absence.
The tournament hosts are already without their star forward Neymar for the rest of the World Cup after he fractured a vertebra in his spine against Colombia.
Willian is expected to replace Neymar, although the Chelsea attacker did give Brazil a scare when he suffered a back injury in training.
"I was hurt on my left side," the former Shakhtar Donetsk player said. "It bothers me a bit but it is not significant. I am available to play." | Defender Thiago Silva will miss Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against Germany after Brazil failed in their bid to have his yellow card overturned. |
30113312 | From next year, A-levels will be separated from AS-levels.
But some universities still want pupils to study AS-levels - and Cambridge has asked schools to carry on with them.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said the changes would remove an "unnecessary burden" on pupils.
Brian Lightman of the Association of School and College Leaders said "politics is getting in the way", with secondary schools facing "confusion and uncertainty" over planning for exams.
Mr Hunt, in a speech at the Association of Colleges' conference, will accuse the government of "failing in its duty" to keep parents and pupils "properly informed".
He wants the permanent secretary at the Department for Education to write to the heads of schools and colleges explaining the changes to exams and to tackle "widespread confusion".
Uncertainty about AS-level changes is "the biggest real-time issue in secondary schools", says Mr Hunt.
He also wants the letter to explain the alternative arrangements that would be in place if Labour entered office after next year's general election.
From 2015, AS-levels will be separated from A-levels, which will become two-year courses with grades decided by final exams, as part of the government's drive for a more rigorous exam system.
But the AS-level will still remain as a free-standing qualification.
There has been criticism of the change from some universities, which argued that AS-levels had become a useful guide for selecting applicants.
The University of Cambridge has written to schools calling on them to carry on with AS-levels, saying that it provides a good way of finding the right candidates for their courses.
But for students and schools worrying about university applications, it raises the question of whether pupils could or should take both A and AS-levels to improve their chances.
Mr Lightman said that head teachers were struggling with a "lack of clarity" about how the A and AS-level changes should be introduced and the expectations of universities.
The two types of qualification are "co-teachable" for some subjects, he said, but not all subjects.
"It is difficult to plan without the whole picture. Head teachers are very worried about making the right decisions for young people," he said.
Richard Atkins, president of the Association of Colleges, said that at a parents' evening this week he had seen evidence of the confusion, with parents finding the changes "baffling".
He warned of a "state of confusion and it's difficult to explain to young people and their parents what will be happening to these qualifications over the coming few years".
This was compounded by the phasing in of A-level changes, so that old and new forms will be running in parallel.
Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, warned that the "volatility in exams is a barrier to good teaching and higher standards".
"Neither schools nor students know where they stand. Qualifications are changing, mark schemes are changing, performance measures are changing and programmes of study are changing.
"Some qualifications are being removed and then potentially replaced at short notice and this applies to both A-levels and GCSEs," said Mr Hobby.
The separation of A and AS-level is part of a wider package of exam reforms - most of which Labour would be unlikely to reverse.
The content of A-level courses is being rewritten, with the aim of raising academic standards, and there will no longer be a mid-year opportunity for resits.
There will be a greater emphasis on "linear" A-level courses, with a reduction in the modular approach of teaching and assessing individual course units.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the changes for England's exam system would help students to develop a "deep understanding" of subjects.
"By decoupling the AS-level from the A-level, we are ending the routine of automatic, external assessment of students at the end of year 12. Removing this unnecessary burden from teachers and students means young people will have more time to study the fundamental concepts of a subject rather than sit through an endless treadmill of exams.
"Students will still be able to sit an AS before deciding whether to take a subject at A-level, but will no longer be required to do so by the government - instead the decision will lie with students and teachers.
"Our reforms are not being rushed - it is right that changes are made as quickly as possible, so that students can benefit from these new reformed qualifications as soon as possible." | The changes to A and AS-levels in England are so confusing the Department for Education should write to every school to explain them, says shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt. |
37886291 | He will visit Pennsylvania, Michigan and also Minnesota, which has not gone Republican since 1972.
On Saturday evening, he was briefly rushed off the stage by secret service agents at a rally in Reno, Nevada.
Mr Trump had stopped speaking after seeing something in the auditorium, but returned to the stage minutes later.
A man was held on the ground by local law enforcement officers before being searched and led away.
There were reports that the man had a gun, but the secret service later said that "upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found".
When he resumed his speech, Mr Trump said: "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us... I want to thank the Secret Service."
Donald Trump was approaching the climax of his speech inside a packed hall in Reno when suddenly there was a commotion near the stage. Secret service agents rushed towards the property tycoon and he was rapidly hustled from the auditorium.
For a short time there was panic among supporters of the Republican candidate with some people running for the exits amid an unconfirmed rumour of a gun in the crowd. The sense of alarm was heightened when soldiers in desert camouflage moved in. Seconds later a bald white man was escorted from the venue.
A few minutes later Mr Trump returned to the stage, apparently unfazed, thanking the secret service and completing his speech before leaving for his next stop on the campaign trail.
Earlier, Mr Trump had started off a four-state swing in Florida, where rival Hillary Clinton also campaigned.
She unveiled an advert to run in nearly a dozen states, set to the Katy Perry song, Roar.
Mrs Clinton later appeared with Perry at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Democratic presidential candidate urged the crowd to vote.
"When your kids and grandkids ask you what you did in 2016," Mrs Clinton said, "I want you to be able to say, I voted for a better, stronger, fairer America."
Perry, who took to the stage to sing the song Nasty, said she was looking forward to election day. "Tuesday's going to be fun," she said, "but Wednesday is going to be better."
Opinion polls suggest Mrs Clinton is still ahead in key states.
But she has seen her lead slip following last week's FBI announcement that it was looking into emails that may be connected to her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
A nationwide McClatchy-Marist opinion poll on Saturday gave her a one point lead, compared to six in September.
A YouGov polling estimate on Saturday gave her a three-point lead.
Some 37 million early voters have already cast their ballots. Reports suggest many more Latino voters are turning out early in key states including Florida, Arizona and Nevada compared to past elections.
Analysts in Nevada say the Democrats appear to have taken a significant lead there because of the early ballots.
Donald Trump told a rally in Tampa, Florida: "We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds, where we're now either tied or leading. We're going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all."
Pennsylvania and Michigan are also both on his agenda and they too have been tough states for Republicans. They have not won them since 1988.
After Tampa, Mr Trump headed to Wilmington in North Carolina, where he was introduced by his wife, Melania.
Mr Trump turned his fire on the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
"Real change begins with immediately repealing and replacing Obamacare," he said.
Mrs Clinton addressed a rally in a hoarse voice in Pembroke Pines in Florida, telling supporters: "I don't think I need to tell you all of the wrong things about Donald Trump", before cutting the speech short amid a downpour of rain.
Florida is an important state, particularly for Mr Trump, with many seeing it as a must-win. Candidates need 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency. Florida is worth 29.
The contest appears to be tight. Real Clear Politics' poll average puts the Democratic candidate ahead, but poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight says Mr Trump has a 52.6% chance of winning the state.
Mrs Clinton's campaign has revealed she will do a two-minute national TV commercial on Monday night which they expect will reach a combined audience of 20 million people.
She has been relying heavily on A-list supporters - on Friday in Cleveland it was singer Beyonce and rapper husband Jay Z.
After Katy Perry, she will take the stage with basketball star LeBron James in Cleveland on Sunday.
Who is ahead in the polls?
45%
Hillary Clinton
45%
Donald Trump
Last updated November 4, 2016
Mr Trump says he does not need star endorsements.
"We do it the old-fashioned way," he said on Saturday.
Separately, US authorities have said they are assessing the credibility of information on a possible al-Qaeda extremist attack before election day.
New York City, Texas and Virginia were said to be possible targets but a police spokesman said the information "lacks specificity".
Officials say they regularly assess all possible threats before major events.
Who will win? Play our game to make your call | Republican candidate Donald Trump has said he is going to target states seen as Democratic strongholds in the last two days before the US election. |
36439148 | Despite often bitter partisan differences, the justices of the US Supreme Court have always dined together, as far back as the court's inception in the 18th Century.
Recently, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor shared some culinary tales from the country's most powerful court with a packed audience at the National Museum of American History in Washington.
"It's good to remember that politics can end at the edge of a plate," said David Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian, at the start of the evening.
In the early 1800s, the first Supreme Court justices all lived in a boarding house, sharing meals together - as well as a fondness for wine.
According to Justice Ginsburg, back then the justices tried to keep their imbibing in check by making a rule that it had to be raining to drink wine - though it was a rule they were willing to bend.
"Somewhere in our broad jurisdiction it must surely be raining," Chief Justice John Marshall is said to have declared on a sunny day, which freed up the justices to have a glass of wine with dinner every night.
When the boarding house style of living ended, rifts among the court began to show.
"[Marshall's] idea was that there should only be one opinion, there should be no dissents, and he would write it," said Justice Ginsburg. "When the boarding house broke down, so did the unanimity."
Wives of members of the court had elaborate social functions for the justices in the early era of the court. On Mondays, they were expected to have tea for everyone, serve scones and cakes, and provide entertainment.
The tradition held up until the Great Depression in the US in the 1920s when the tradition was deemed too expensive, said Clare Cushman, the director of publications at Supreme Court Historical Society.
In earlier days of the court, justices would have to slip behind the bench and eat quickly behind a partition while oral arguments were taking place, with the clattering of knives and forks hardly concealed.
Rumour has it that one day a justice popped open a bottle of champagne and the cork flew out over the bench.
Today, the justices are allotted one hour for lunch and have their own dining room.
Most days, the justices eat either food they brought from home, takeaway from the Senate cafeteria or have something delivered. Justice Sotomayor revealed she favours sushi, salads and Indian cuisine.
Birthdays are never missed - all the justices enjoy some wine and sing to the birthday boy or girl, Justice Ginsburg said.
Her late husband Martin Ginsburg, who she said was an excellent chef and baker, also prepared a cake for each justice's birthday.
As for mealtime conversation, no topic is off limits, but the justices try to "avoid controversy".
"We're very guarded about topics that might raise hostility in the room," said Justice Sotomayor. "The most common conversation is about a book one of the justices is reading. All of the justices are voracious readers.
"We tell funny stories about each other... it's that type of normal conversation people have that want to get to know each other as regular people, as not just justices."
The justices still enjoy their wine together, especially before the president's yearly State of the Union Address.
Justice Ginsburg recalled the year she famously fell asleep during President Barack Obama's 2015 address, thanks to the wine supplied by Justice Anthony Kennedy.
"I wasn't 100% sober," she said at the time.
Each justice brings their own food traditions to the other members of the court.
Justice Sotomayor recalled that a couple of times of year, former Justice Sandra Day O' Connor brought in a "very spicy" supply of beef jerky.
New York City pastries are a common treat from Justice Sotomayor, who said she "loves food" and that no meal should be wasted. On weekends, she brings in bagels with various cream cheeses, and tasks her clerks with finding new delivery places in Washington.
"One of my clerks' responsibilities during the year is to find a restaurant I haven't eaten at," she said. "It has expanded my knowledge of DC restaurants."
Her office is always stocked with candy, which she said brings people around more.
Another tradition is that the most junior justice on the court arranges the welcoming dinner for newly minted justices.
Justice Samuel Alito threw Justice Sotomayor a dinner complete with a guitar player performing Spanish music.
Martin Ginsburg would often coordinate with the spouses of the late Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Anthony Kennedy to make a pre-State of the Union dinner for the court.
"Marty's fondness for the kitchen began shortly after I cooked my first meal [for him]," she said.
The two justices poked fun at some of the dining habits of their colleagues, like former Justice John Stevens, who was usually seen eating a plain cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off.
They also ridiculed former Justice David Souter for only eating plain yogurt and the occasional apple.
Both Justice Sotomayor and Justice Ginsburg said they would have dinner with Justice John Marshall - who was instrumental in the foundation of the American legal system, and died in 1835 - if they could.
Justice Sotomayor said she would also love to dine with former Justice Thurgood Marshall because she heard he never told a story twice.
However, there is one justice that Justice Ginsburg would avoid dining with, she said.
"I heard that if you went to dinner at the [Chief Justice Louis] Brandeis home, you would eat before and after." | Even Supreme Court justices, who preside over the highest court in the US, have to eat. |
30941431 | The 19-year-old right-back has not missed a minute's action since being handed his Wolves debut on 6 December.
"Making my debut was one thing," he told BBC WM 95.6. "But having the fans chant my name - I couldn't believe it.
"We were at Fulham. I heard the fans chant and I thought 'Is that my name?'"
He joked: "I always dreamed of having my own chant but didn't think it would happen so soon."
The highly-rated England Under-20 international admits that his rise to prominence has been rapid, significantly aided by his development on loan under Mike Jackson at Shrewsbury over the final seven weeks of last season.
Shrewsbury were bound for relegation to League Two, but Iorfa learnt a lot, playing in the then unaccustomed role of right-back, having come through Wolves' system as a central defender.
"I've been playing centre-back longer," he said. "But, when I went on loan to Shrewsbury, it was at right-back and it was a big step for me. You don't realise the tempo of it and playing in front of fans too. That helped me when I got my chance at Wolves."
Iorfa could not have picked a more dramatic match in which to make his Wolves debut, a 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth, in which Wolves lost following a controversial red card, later overturned, to Iorfa's team-mate Rajiv van La Parra.
"I'd been training with the first team all season and to actually make my debut without going on the bench first was a surprise. But the manager has shown great faith in me," he added.
Since that defeat, Wolves have turned the corner, having not lost in the league since - and only on penalties in the FA Cup third-round replay with Fulham.
And the son of a Nigerian international, also called Dominic Iorfa, is now glad he made the move from his native Essex.
"I was playing for Southend at 15 when Wolves saw me and offered me a trial," he said. "My dad had played all over the world and he wanted me to sign here as he thought I'd have better opportunities.
"I like to get forward and I think I'm getting better at it. And the team are doing well, which makes it even better."
You can listen to BBC WM 95.6's fans' forum with Kenny Jackett from 19:00 GMT on Friday, 23 January. | Teenage Wolves defender Dominic Iorfa says hearing his own fans' terrace chant has been the highlight of his first-team breakthrough at Molineux over the last two months. |
35825264 | The £200m, 15,000-tonne, 128m-long vessel is being built at Cammell Laird on Merseyside, and is due to become operational in 2019.
Anyone can propose a suitable name on a special website which will accept ideas up until 16 April.
The new ship will replace the existing polar fleet - the RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton - and work in both the Arctic and the Antarctic.
Names that have featured on previous UK research vessels will not be used again. But beyond that restriction, the possibilities are wide.
The Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), which manages British polar science, says it is looking for something inspirational - something that will exemplify the ship's work.
The chosen name doesn't have to be that of a famous polar scientist; it could just as easily be the name of a place or phenomenon.
For example, the German polar research vessel is called Polarstern, or Pole Star; and the ship used regularly by Australian Antarctic scientists is called Aurora Australis - another name for the Southern Lights.
"Nerc's new ship will help put the UK at the cutting edge of polar research," said council chief executive, Prof Duncan Wingham.
"Built in the North West of England, she will help bring an economic boost to the region and to the UK shipbuilding industry.
"Today we are launching our campaign to bring our ship to the UK people, asking for their help to find her a name that encapsulates her role at the forefront of UK science.
"We are excited to hear what the public have to suggest and we really are open to ideas."
The funding of a new British RRS to work in icy seas was announced by Chancellor George Osborne in April 2014, with a contract to build the ship being given to Cammell Laird last year.
Since then, the Merseyside shipbuilder has been going through a detailed design exercise and expects eventually to be employing 400-500 people on the vessel's construction.
The ship will feature a helipad, cranes, onboard labs, and have the ability to deploy subs and other ocean survey and sampling gear.
Some of this equipment will go through an enclosed "moon pool", or "wet porch", inside the vessel.
Dr Robert Larter, a geophysicist working with the British Antarctic Survey, says the ship will have greatly increased scientific capabilities, especially in relation to the importance of the Southern Ocean and the role it plays in Earth's climate system.
"This is an area that has the most powerful ocean currents in the world - the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the link between all the world's oceans; and the seas around Antarctica are the 'factories' of most of the world's bottom water which drives the over-turn of the oceans. So, there's a lot to learn and this new ship will help us do that," he told BBC News.
The introduction of the new ship does mean the UK will be reducing its polar fleet from two to one vessel.
But the hope is this reduction in capacity can be mitigated, in part, by the efficiencies that come from operating a brand new super-ship.
It will have to take on not only all the research activities done predominantly now by the RRS James Clark Ross, but all the logistics work done mostly by the RRS Ernest Shackleton.
The new ship will certainly have greater individual endurance than its predecessors - the number of days it can operate at sea; and with its ice-breaking capabilities will also be able to go to places the earlier vessels could not.
"It's amazing to think of the places we have gone with the existing ships, but there is always an element of risk," said Dr Larter.
"With this bigger, more powerful ship, we'll have the confidence to go to those places, knowing also that we will be able to get out.
"With sea-ice, that's always a factor that plays on the mind of a captain: you can get in, but can you get out? Will you get stuck in ice?"
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | The public are being asked to name the UK's new polar research ship. |
34536951 | One hundred and thirty four people work for Lifeline in two offices in Londonderry and Belfast.
But a contract for the 24/7 helpline, funded by the Department of Health, is due to expire at the end of this year.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is consulting on Lifeline's future.
Fergus Cumiskey, managing director of the charity, Contact, who manage Lifeline, said all Lifeline jobs across Northern Ireland were now at risk.
He said: "From our read of the PHA outline business model for Lifeline, the changes are so radical that we believe all jobs associates with the current model are in jeopardy."
Twenty nine managers, 72 counsellors, 22 trainee counsellors and 11 administration staff work across the two offices.
Some 90,000 calls are made to Lifeline every year.
Mr Cumiskey said that job losses would have a "grave impact" for those who rely on the service.
Last year, there was a large increase in the number of people contacting the service.
The PHA confirmed it was holding a 12-week consultation on the future of the Lifeline service to ensure it best meets the needs of the people who use it.
A spokesperson said: "The consultation proposals would maintain the 24 hour, seven days a week telephone helpline provided by staff who are skilled and qualified in talking to people in crisis."
The PHA is proposing that the telephone helpline service provided by Lifeline staff be managed by the ambulance service.
The closing date for responses to the consultation is 19 November 2015 at 1pm.
The current Lifeline contract was due to end on 31 March 2015, but has been extended until 31 December 2015 with the potential of a further extension until September 2016, but the PHA said it is prevented from extending the contract further because of "procurement rules".
A spokesperson said: "No decision on the service model will be taken until after the consultation has been completed and the findings given full consideration." | The head of a company which runs a suicide-prevention service in Northern Ireland said that over 100 jobs are at risk in its call centres. |
38619770 | The struggling Reds faced an uphill task from the 12th minute when defender Matty Pearson's challenge on Macaulay Gillesphey was judged high and dangerous by referee Chris Sarginson.
It was the second red card in a week for relegation-threatened Accrington, and Carlisle took advantage on 20 minutes when Gillesphey's cross was flicked on by Shaun Miller and Jason Kennedy bundled the ball goalwards, with unfortunate Stanley defender Omar Beckles getting the final touch.
However, the 10 men replied immediately when Shay McCartan's 20-yard free-kick sailed into the top corner for his first goal of the season.
Carlisle's top scorer Charlie Wyke twice headed over from good positions, Kennedy forced a superb reflex save from Fulham loan goalkeeper Marek Rodak from six yards and unmarked substitute Jabo Ibehre headed off target.
Still Accrington had chances with on-loan Hull defender Harvey Rodgers coming close with a header and Billy Kee testing keeper Mark Gillespie, who then kept out Rodgers in stoppage time.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Accrington Stanley 1, Carlisle United 1.
Second Half ends, Accrington Stanley 1, Carlisle United 1.
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Mark Gillespie.
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Jason Kennedy.
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Mark Gillespie.
Attempt saved. Harvey Rodgers (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Jason Kennedy.
Foul by Jabo Ibehre (Carlisle United).
Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Sean Clare (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Charlie Wyke (Carlisle United).
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Harvey Rodgers.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Sean Clare replaces Shay McCartan.
Foul by Jabo Ibehre (Carlisle United).
Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Shay McCartan.
Attempt saved. Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Romuald Boco.
Attempt missed. Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Harvey Rodgers (Accrington Stanley) header from the right side of the six yard box is too high.
Foul by Luke Joyce (Carlisle United).
Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Jabo Ibehre (Carlisle United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Marek Rodak.
Attempt saved. Jason Kennedy (Carlisle United) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt missed. Romuald Boco (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Shaun Miller (Carlisle United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Carlisle United. Jamie Devitt replaces Tom Miller.
Substitution, Carlisle United. Jabo Ibehre replaces Joe McKee.
Attempt missed. Gary Liddle (Carlisle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Nicky Adams (Carlisle United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley).
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Janoi Donacien replaces Arron Davies.
Gary Liddle (Carlisle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley).
Foul by Nicky Adams (Carlisle United).
Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Accrington Stanley held promotion-chasing Carlisle United to a draw, despite playing for 78 minutes with 10 men. |
37208686 | Keepers threw a party for Nickel - who was born at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay in 1995 - to celebrate the milestone on Thursday.
Nickel and the zoo's 10 other chimps were given some treats to unwrap.
Head keeper Michelle Pywell said: "It was wonderful to see the chimps all taking part in the celebration and sharing many presents."
Chimpanzees can live up to about 50 years. | It was a case of many apey returns for a chimpanzee celebrating his 21st birthday at a Conwy zoo. |
38828176 | The Manx mother of Leo Keefe, who lives in Spain, said her son has been bravely battling SPNET - an aggressive type of brain cancer - for the last 17 months.
"Proton beam therapy (PBT) treatment is his only remaining option," said Karen Keefe, who wants to take him to the US.
A number of fundraising events will be held on the Isle of Man this weekend.
Ms Keefe said Leo, who has had five tumours, has been an "inspiration throughout his battle".
He has endured four operations as well as a gruelling programme of chemotherapy.
What is SPNET?
"I am doing what any mother would do," she said. "Oklahoma is the best possible place for this treatment so I have to do everything I can to get him there."
While Ms Keefe acknowledged that proton beam therapy was not guaranteed to work, she said it was their best option.
She said: "I couldn't live with any 'what ifs?'
"He smiles every day and has captured the hearts of thousands. He is my cheeky, gorgeous boy and it is heart-breaking how money comes into this.
"I would give my heart and soul to take [the cancer] away from him."
Proton beam therapy (PBT) is a type of radiation treatment that uses protons rather than x-rays to treat cancer.
It is not available in the UK or Isle of Man.
In the UK not all cases of children get approved and need to go in front of a committee on an individual basis.
Mrs Keefe said the process could take weeks, which Leo does not have.
It is not offered in Spain.
The radiologist at their local hospital in Pamplona said PBT was Leo's only option to still be able to have a normal life as conventional radiotherapy, which is available in Spain, would be guaranteed to lead to health issues including organ damage and severe growth issues.
Despite having a British passport, Karen said Leo has not qualified for help towards the treatment on the NHS as they live in Spain.
Their crowd-funding social media campaign has 5,000 followers and has already raised more than £40,000.
Events include a promenade run in Douglas on Saturday.
The UK government has committed £250m towards developing high-energy proton beam therapy services in the UK. | The friends and family of a four-year-old boy with a rare form of cancer are trying to raise £150,000 to give him a "last opportunity" to be cured. |
39230807 | This results in half of all eligible lesbian and bisexual women never having had a smear test, they said.
The human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers, can be transmitted through lesbian sex.
Cervical cancer charities say all women, no matter their orientation, should have regular cervical screening.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups say women regularly face barriers to accessing healthcare and can have poor experiences when they do.
For example, in a survey of lesbian, bisexual and other women who have sex with women, 36% said a doctor or nurse had assumed they were heterosexual.
The National LGBT Partnership says women also suffer in other ways - they are more likely to report a long-term mental health problem and more likely to binge drink than heterosexual women.
Joanna, 30, was told that she did not require a cervical screen test because she was a lesbian.
Although she was eventually tested, Joanna says: "I just felt she [the doctor] needed to be more knowledgeable on the subject."
Diane, also 30, said she received inaccurate information about whether or not she could benefit from cervical screenings.
She said: "My GP didn't advise me of my risk level, she just made a number of blanket statements."
But HPV is passed on through body fluids, like other sexually transmitted infections.
This means that oral sex, transferring vaginal fluids on hands and fingers, or sharing sex toys can all be ways of being exposed to HPV.
The charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust says all women, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have regular cervical screening.
"As HPV can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact in the genital area, gay women are equally at risk of contracting HPV and experiencing abnormal cervical changes and, thus, should always attend when invited for cervical screening."
In a study of attitudes to cervical screening among gay and bisexual women in the north-west of England, carried out by the University of Salford in 2011, 37% of women questioned said they had been told they did not require a cervical screening test because of their sexual orientation.
It is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix, not a test for cancer.
Around one in 20 women's tests show some abnormal changes. Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells may go back to normal on their own.
However, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be removed so they cannot become cancerous.
All women who are registered with a GP in the UK are invited for cervical screening:
It is possible for women of all ages to develop cervical cancer, although the condition mainly affects sexually active women aged 30 to 45.
The condition is much rarer in women under 25.
There are about 3,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.
Yes - women should always be offered screening whether they are gay, straight or bisexual.
Sometimes, lesbian women have been advised by health workers that they do not need screening because they do not have sex with men.
But only women who have never had sex at all (with either men or women) may be advised that screening is not necessary. | Women who have sex with women are often wrongly told they do not need a cervical screening test, say LGBT groups. |
38768901 | The US president signed the executive order to stop federal money going to international groups which perform or provide information on abortions during his first week in office.
Known as the "Mexico City Policy", or global gag rule by critics, it was no surprise that he reinstated it. First introduced by Ronald Reagan in 1984, it has been become a game of policy ping pong between Republican and Democrat presidents.
Supporters of the ban say it protects the fundamental right to life.
But some health workers in Africa say when it was last put in place under George W Bush in 2001, it had far-reaching consequences.
"Women could not have access to contraceptive services and so they were getting unintended pregnancies and that increased the number of unwanted pregnancies and as such they went to the backstreet to do unsafe abortions," says Kenyan gynaecologist Dr John Nyamu.
The policy blocks US funding to overseas organisations that "support or participate in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation".
It even affects countries like Kenya - where abortion is illegal unless a mother's life is at risk - as some family planning clinics or organisations get their funding from US pro-abortion groups.
The Trump order goes even further than previous Republican administrations, which only targeted reproductive health services, by extending the ban to cover all global health assistance provided by all departments or agencies.
"By removing funding from organisations that also deal with malaria and other child health issues, the policy could threaten progress on many fronts, including efforts to reduce HIV-related deaths and new infections, and decrease childhood mortality through malaria prevention and treatment initiatives and immunisation programs," Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a statement.
The medical charity does not receive US government funding - so is not affected by the policy - but it fears that women's lives could be endangered.
Unsafe abortion is one of the five main causes of maternal mortality, accounting for 13% of cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Mexico City Policy is based on the US Republican party's pro-life position, which has resonance with much of socially conservative Africa, where abortion is largely illegal.
Abortion on demand can only be offered in four out of 54 African countries, according to the UN's World Abortion Policies report.
But the continent carries the biggest burden of unsafe abortions, according to the WHO.
Marie Stopes International's projections for Nigeria suggest the policy will have a big impact on women's health in Africa's most populous country.
"Without US funding, from 2017 to 2020, over 1.8 million unintended pregnancies will probably occur; more than 660,000 abortions will happen and over 10,000 maternal deaths will not be averted," says Effiom Effiom, country director for Marie Stopes in Nigeria.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) regional office in Africa says it will lose up to $100m (£80m) in US funding meant for sexual and reproductive health services for millions of women and girls who would otherwise go without these vital services as it refuses to abide by the gag rules.
"Over the years USAid has been a huge supporter of family planning - with a budget of over $600m per year. Reinstatement will mean that years of progress to increase access to essential services globally, will be lost," it said in a statement.
IPPF works with affiliates in 30 African countries including at least a dozen clinics in Kenya, five of which shut down the last time the Mexico City Policy was reinstated.
But it has struck a defiant note, saying it will work to bridge the funding and services gaps as the Dutch government has done with plans for an international fund to finance access to birth control in countries hit by the cuts.
"We cannot and will not - deny life-saving services to the world's poorest women," IPPF said. | Donald Trump's pro-abortion funding ban has infuriated many global health organisations as they say it will unintentionally lead to more abortions and more deaths in Africa. |
35101330 | Harris Tweed Hebrides has secured £300,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards its £1.8m project.
The company plans to build a new warehouse and dye facility at its mill at Shawbost on the west coast of Lewis.
The firm said it has seen an "upsurge" in the popularity of the fabric.
Chief executive Ian Angus Mackenzie said: "Over the past eight years, we have built a successful and profitable company, committed to continuous investment in its own future.
"HIE's support will enhance the overall level of investment available and will underpin our objective of a sustainable industry providing high quality employment to islanders and an iconic product to the world."
Rachel Mackenzie, HIE area manager in the Western Isles, said: "We are delighted to invest in the company's latest venture which will see many more new jobs created as a result of expanding production space and exporting in new international markets where demand for the fabric is rising.
"Communities across Lewis and Harris also benefit from a strong Harris Tweed industry with tourism, creative industries and food and drink sharing the opportunities for growth that emerge from the vibrant sector." | A manufacturer of Harris Tweed plans to create up to 10 new jobs in the coming months as part of an expansion of its mill. |
34189169 | The structure - made of two huts joined together - was being used as a social room by the Labour Club in Ipswich until its origins were discovered by historian Taff Gillingham.
Now it has been transported to Brook Farm in Hawstead where a Great War Visitor Centre is being created.
It has been rebuilt and will go on show this weekend.
Mr Gillingham discovered it while searching for army huts for his exhibition. It had been earmarked for demolition.
"They (the huts) are rapidly disappearing, 100 years on," he said. "Even in the time we've been restoring this one, and gathering some of the others, we know that plenty have been pulled down.
"We just thought it was really important now, while there are still some left, to gather examples of them and to restore them and put them back up again," he said.
Mr Gillingham said they wanted to hear about more of them, as each is individual and constructed differently.
He said: "The ones we're preserving will be very different, and it will be a proper living archive, if you like, of that really important time." | An original World War One army barrack hut in which hundreds of soldiers slept during their training is to reopen. |
36523042 | Five years have passed since the Scottish Football Association drew up its performance strategy. Last season, no club that finished in the top half of the English Premier League contained a Scottish international.
In the Scottish Premiership, five clubs finished the campaign with less than half of the players who appeared for them being Scottish. Only St Johnstone reached the informal target of 75% of their players being Scottish, while, of the 25 who played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle last season, only five were Scottish.
So in what state is youth development in Scotland and is the Club Academy Scotland structure devised by Mark Wotte after he was appointed performance director in 2011 working?
BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound brought together Willie Miller, former Aberdeen director of football, Alistair Gray, who the SFA consulted on the performance strategy and who now chairs a committee of club representatives reviewing Club Academy Scotland, Scotland Under-17 coach, Scot Gemmill, and Tommy Wilson, the former Rangers youth coach and now academy director of Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union, to discuss the issue.
Willie Miller: "We're not seeing any signs of [progress] and we're five years into it. I've been part of it, I set up the performance school in Aberdeen, I understand the financial restrictions that clubs work under in trying to fund their development programme. We thought Mark Wotte was going to be a long-term project, but he left after three years, which was really disappointing."
Alistair Gray: "The performance schools have only been performing for three years, so the players will be coming towards under-16 now. When we looked in 2011, 60% of all those capped at under-17/under-19 level for Scotland within five years were not playing or were playing junior football. That number has reduced, so one would hope that we're not throwing out as much talent as we used to throw out. There are now 31 academies, when there are 50-odd in Germany. The key thing is to reduce the number of academies - there are 2,500 players in the Club Academy Scotland system - and that number has to reduce and more has to be done with the [best] players. The facilities are much better now. There's no magic in this, it's about the systematic development of young people and giving them game time in a competitive situation.
"There's no question in the top academies, the practices are extremely good. The style of play is better amongst the young teams, they're building up from the back, pass completion is better. But, between 17 and 21, youngsters are not getting the quality of competitive games despite the positive changes that have been made. Playing a competitive game is the only way you improve.
"The Scottish FA have enabled development loans to take place in the last couple of years that are now making a difference. Clubs are trusting each other, there are more players going out on loan. The tragic thing is that the players who are retained by their clubs get fewer games than the players who play for another club.
"The last three of four years have been the worst economic positions for Scottish club. The working group I'm chairing now is made up of clubs and they're committing very much more to some of the performance areas that were identified back in 2011. They really didn't have the appetite or the resources to do so over the last few years."
Scot Gemmill: "I really believe the players have got good potential and their results are suggesting that. That's across the age groups. If you look at this year's under-19 squad, [Ryan] Hardie was playing first-team football, [Greg] Kiltie's playing first-team football, [Aidan] Nesbitt, Kyle Cameron was on loan at York City, Jack Breslin was on loan. I believe that [they will play in the top half of EPL], why not? These players beat Mexico 3-1. They have a different mentality, a different attitude, they have more game intelligence; the work that's going on at the clubs is working."
Willie Miller: "Targets are really important, if you can get clubs to buy in. I don't think it's the manager, the club employs the manager, so if you're a board of directors and you have a policy of one [academy graduate into the first-team squad] a season into your squad then you tell the manager that.
"They've got loads at Aberdeen. You're approaching 50% that have come through the academy, not on the park but into the squad. The bench is full of youngsters. Now maybe the manager wants a more experienced bench and I can understand his thinking behind that. You've also got problems with other teams poaching your players as well, at 16. [Jack] Grimmer, [Fraser] Fyvie, Ryan Fraser - there's three players that could have been in the first-team."
Alistair Gray: "It's the short-term aim of the manager to get a quick fix to save their job over the course of the season. The good clubs that are doing [youth development] have a much more integrated system. The first-team manager is at one with the academy director, working together to produce more, better young players.
"The other thing the Scottish FA has done in recent years is focus the resources in terms of the amount of money they're giving clubs. They've got some performance outcomes that include the number of 18-21 year old players in the first-team and also the players who have come through to international squads and it's not an insignificant amount. The key is not to spread this money, £2.5m, across 31 academies and 2,500 young people and focus it much more."
Tommy Wilson: "Our overall budget [at Philadelphia Union] is more than I had at Rangers. We have more full-time coaches in our academy. We have our own school, we have 14 full-time staff, so we can double the training units that I was used to in Glasgow. Our young players train 10 times a week. Because it's part of a school, it's a much more holistic approach and we have full-time sports psychologists and nutritionists. If you can imagine a high-performance sports school attached to a football club academy, that's the route we're going down. I have some targets to try to get some players into the first-team, but there's not a directive. There's an open dialogue between myself, the manager and the sporting director."
Alistair Gray: "There are 50 full-time coaches in the current Club Academy Scotland system; it could be more. There are 200 part-time coaches, but there's no sense of community amongst these coaches. In Germany, post-2000, after they messed up in the European Championships, one of the biggest things they did was double the number of full-time coaches, so there was a career for the coaches. [In Scotland] someone who is a plumber during the day, and they [coach] during the evening or at the weekends, they can't take the time off to do formal coaching qualifications. Something has to be done in the area of coaching so that profession is valued. Are we identifying the future Scot Gemmills? I know of one Premiership club that is putting one of their youth coaches out to manage a League Two club next year. That's a very positive sign, a bit like a loan.
"The [SFA] coaching courses are well regarded and endorsed by Uefa, but once someone has their badge, where do they go? A large number of them aren't coaching at a level where they're able to deliver the benefit of the coaching they've had."
Willie Miller: "The SFA charge for coaching courses. Why not drop that if you're attached to a club? Scottish football can't afford to employ coaches at development level. Celtic can and Rangers could. Inverness Caley Thistle can't afford a development programme let alone employ someone to manage that programme. With Aberdeen, I had two centres, one in Edinburgh and one in Dundee, that I had to close because we couldn't afford it and we had only one full-time coach. I don't think we can compare ourselves with Germany, with a population of 80m people and funds coming out their ears. We should be looking at Iceland."
Scot Gemmill: "Everybody's keen to learn from [Iceland], but our under-17s beat Iceland three or four months ago. Liam Burt scored the winning goal and he made his debut for Rangers recently. There are good players coming through."
Tommy Wilson: "We have produced a number of top coaches and managers [through the SFA's coaching courses] and not produced top players. The only pathway for that top coach is to become the first-team manager to make a salary that is sufficient to support his family. We haven't professionalised youth coaching enough. We've not invested enough in our young players."
Alistair Gray: "There are some good things going on and we're learning from the first four years of the programme and making a small number of changes that will make a significant impact. It will be a pragmatic but impactful series of recommendations that come out in the next few months." | Scotland's absence from the European Championship finals has provoked the wider question about the quality of Scottish players. |
24453165 | Local media said about 50 people had been hurt in the fire, which broke out late on Tuesday in Gazipur.
It was feared the number of people killed could rise.
Safety standards in Bangladesh's garment factories are notoriously poor. More than 1,100 people died in April when a factory outside Dhaka collapsed.
Another 2,500 people were injured in the disaster in the Ashulia district on the outskirts of the capital, where most of the clothing industry is based.
Last November, 112 workers were killed in a fire at another clothes factory in the area.
The cause of the latest fire was not immediately clear, but reports said it broke out at a knitting section of Aswad Composite Mills.
A local official at the scene said that fire fighters had been unable to recover any bodies.
One man came to the site to find his uncle told the BBC that he had not been able to find him.
"I found out that the fire started from a [textile] machine," he said. "When the silencer of the machine exploded, the fire spread and the factory caught fire.
"Immediately after the fire many people ran out of the factory but a few could not get out."
Reports quoted officials saying water shortages and a lack of nearby fire stations had allowed the blaze to escalate and continue for several hours.
Factory Director Emdad Hossain told the Daily Star in Bangladesh that 170 workers were on duty on the two floors when the fire broke out.
"Almost all of them managed to come out of the building," he said.
Mr Hossain suffered injuries while rushing out of the building.
Although most members of a reported workforce of 3,000 had left the building for the day, those killed are thought to have been working overtime.
District administrator Dilruba Khanom said that emergency services were waiting until sunrise to complete their search of the factory. They warned that the number of casualties could rise.
"They have managed to control the fire in most parts of the factory, but the warehouse is still burning," he said. "The bodies are charred beyond recognition."
Police officer Ameer Hossain told the Daily Star that nine bodies had been recovered. Other accounts put the toll at 10.
Clothing makes up around three-quarters of Bangladesh's total exports, and the factory collapse prompted protests and calls for improved safety measures.
Dozens of international retailers agreed a plan last July to conduct inspections at factories from which their goods were sourced. | At least nine people have been killed in a fire at a clothing factory near the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, emergency officials say. |
35474973 | Franklyn Mathurin, of no fixed address, posed as a mourner to gain access to the church last November.
The 47-year-old who admitted burglary, was described as a prolific thief who carried out a cruel and callous theft.
At Harrow Crown Court he was sentenced for two burglaries and breaching a suspended sentence.
The computer was taken from the Willesden church after the service when the congregation went to the cemetery.
It had been used to show photographs of Norris Tashan-Javan Martin, known as TJ, at Pentecostal City Mission Church in north-west London after he had died from a rare genetic condition.
After the theft on 2 November, TJ's family, said the computer contained "all their memories".
Nicola Calnan, from Crown Prosecution Service London, said: "This offence was particularly damaging as the victims were heartbroken parents who were mourning the loss of their young son and the laptop that was stolen contained some of their treasured memories.
"This was a cruel and callous theft and Mathurin has now been brought to justice for this despicable crime."
TJ had Candle Syndrome, a rare condition affecting the immune system. The funeral congregation of more than 300 people included members of staff from the Great Ormond Street and Northwick Park hospitals where he had been treated. | A man who stole a laptop which had been used for the funeral service of a six-year-old boy, has been jailed for four years and six months. |
33492512 | James McElvar, a singer in the band Rewind, fell ill after wearing 12 layers of clothing to avoid paying the £45 extra baggage fee.
McElvar threw up and was given oxygen during the Easyjet flight travelling from Stansted to Glasgow.
The airline said it had one of the most generous cabin bag allowances, with no upper weight limit.
The 19-year-old, from Cumbernauld, had intended to take a suitcase and a small rucksack on board, but the airline only permits passengers to have one piece of hand luggage.
After being told he would be charged an additional fee to take the extra bag on board, he emptied the rucksack and wore the contents.
McElvar was wearing four jumpers, six T-shirts, three pairs of jeans, two pairs of jogging bottoms, two jackets and two hats when he collapsed.
Paramedics reportedly told him he was "lucky to be alive".
After the incident the band took to social media to reassure their worried fans. They tweeted: "For everyone asking James is ok. He is being looked after in hospital now back home safe in Glasgow. He sends you all his love."
Twelve hours later, Rewind tweeted: "James is much better now! Still in a bit of shock but he's recovered from last night! And the other boys are fine and home safe! #rewindHQ"
Fans of the band have wished the frontman a speedy recovery, while rival airline Ryanair tweeted: "Hey James (@rewind_music) before you get hot under the collar, rewind, book #Ryanair & get 2 free bags. " | A member of a Scottish boy band is "lucky to be alive" after collapsing with heat exhaustion on board a flight. |
39847712 | Emma Harper's border collie Maya took the top prize, while Mark Ruskell's greyhound Bert won the public vote.
Members from across the political spectrum entered their canine companions in the contest.
The event was organised by the Kennel Club and the Dogs Trust, aimed at raising awareness of issues affecting dogs in Scotland.
After Ms Harper's four-year-old rescue dog Maya won the first prize, the MSP, who has previously led a Holyrood debate about puppy trafficking, said she was "absolutely delighted" with the prize.
She said: "While it's a fun and light-hearted occasion it's also a great opportunity to discuss the importance of responsible dog ownership and animal welfare.
"I have three dogs and all of them have been adopted from rescue centres. I would encourage anyone hoping to get a dog to adopt a rescue dog as they are vet checked, microchipped and desperately in need of a loving home."
Tory member Bill Bowman came second with bulldog Astra, a Dogs Trust animal which is seeking adoption, while former SNP environment secretary Richard Lochhead was third with his terrier Cinder.
The Kennel Club conducted a separate public vote on their website, which was won by Green member Mark Ruskell's retired racing greyhound Bert.
The event was sponsored by Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. | The Scottish Parliament has hosted its first MSP's dog of the year competition. |
36150545 | The 22-year-old has made 32 appearances since joining the U's from Crystal Palace on an 18-month deal in January 2015, after a loan the previous season.
Wynter missed three months of this season after a clash of heads with team-mate Tom Eastman against Tottenham in the FA Cup on 30 January.
He returned on Saturday against Burton, when Colchester were relegated.
"I'm pleased that I've signed a new deal, it gives me a bit of stability and allows me to concentrate fully on playing football," he told the club website.
"It's been a frustrating season for me personally but hopefully, that's all behind me now."
The length of his new contract has not been disclosed. | Colchester United defender Alex Wynter has signed a new two-year contract with the relegated League One side. |
40952247 | The ongoing attempted hack of Scottish Parliament IT systems is similar to one which targeted Westminster in June.
Staff from Holyrood's IT office are working "closely" with the National Cyber Security Centre to put extra defences in place.
Chief Executive Sir Paul Grice said analysis was taking place to trace the origin of the attack.
MSPs and staff were advised that Holyrood had been targeted from "external sources" on Tuesday.
All users of parliamentary systems were encouraged to be vigilant and make sure their passwords were as strong as possible.
A brute force cyber attack involves hackers making repeated attempts to log in to a system using a series of different passwords, in an attempt to effectively guess the passcode.
In an update to colleagues, Mr Grice wrote that "various cyber security measures were quickly deployed" in the wake of the attack, saying that "the frequency of failed log-ins and account lockouts" had decreased.
He wrote: "At this point there is no evidence to suggest that the attack has breached our defences and our IT systems continue to be fully operational.
"Users should be aware, however, that this attack remains ongoing. It is not uncommon for brute force attacks to be sustained over a period of days so it is essential that IT account users are vigilant and report any suspicious issues."
The chief executive said IT staff were "working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre" to put "additional security measures" in place to continue to contain the incident and "mitigate against any future attacks".
He added: "In addition, analysis is taking place to better understand the origin of the attack and to assess its overall impact."
MSPs recently discussed cyber security in the wake of malware attacks which affected several Scottish NHS boards, concluding that "effective arrangements" were in place. | A sustained "brute force cyber attack" has failed to breach security systems at Holyrood, officials have confirmed. |
33068994 | The plea was entered by his lawyers acting on behalf of the 73-year-old at the US District Court in Chicago.
The FBI said Mr Hastert broke federal banking laws by withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars at once.
The pay-off is related to allegations of sexual abuse, according to US media, but there are no sex charges.
According to the indictment, Mr Hastert paid "Individual A" $3.5m (£2.3m) to not speak up about "prior misconduct" against the person.
He paid nearly half of the money before federal agents noticed.
He has not spoken about the allegations, which relate to when he was a high school teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois in the 1970s.
Judge Thomas M Durkin set a bond of $4,500 (£2,9250 ) and ordered him to surrender his passport.
His lawyer, Thomas C Green, has seen a handful of other high-profile, US politician-involved cases like the Watergate scandal with former US president Richard Nixon.
According to Jolene Burdge, her late brother Stephen Reinboldt told her he was sexually abused by Mr Hastert.
Ms Burdge said she was never paid by Mr Hastert, so the indictment shows there could be other victims.
Reinboldt told his sister about the alleged sexual abuse years after it happened, in 1979, when he revealed to her he was gay.
The FBI interviewed Ms Burdge last month, she said. | Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has pleaded not guilty to charges he paid someone off to stay quiet about past wrongdoing. |
35663771 | The Irish parliament (Dáil) has reduced in size, meaning any new government needs the support of nearly 80 elected members (called Teachtaí Dála or TDs).
More than 3m people are eligible to vote, including Irish and UK citizens.
Polling stations across 40 different constituencies opened at 07:00 local time (same as GMT) and will close at 22:00 on Friday.
More than 2,000 voters living on Irish islands off the coast of counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway got the chance to cast their ballots on Thursday.
The sealed ballot boxes were brought back to the mainland where they will be kept in police stations until counting begins on Saturday.
The outgoing government was a coalition between the largest political party, Fine Gael, and the Labour Party.
Led by Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny from Fine Gael, the coalition had been in power for almost five years, since March 2011.
They are being challenged by 13 other parties, including the largest opposition party, Fianna Fáil, led by Micheál Martin, and Sinn Féin, led by Gerry Adams.
There are also a number of independents among the 552 people standing for election.
TDs will be elected according to the single transferable vote (STV) system, in which candidates have to reach a quota, before their surplus votes are distributed to other candidates.
There will be a total of 158 seats in the next parliament, but one of them has already been filled.
That is because, under Irish electoral law, the Speaker (Ceann Comhairle) is automatically re-elected unless they have announced their intention to retire.
The election count is expected to last over the weekend.
A record number of young people are expected to vote on Friday and this age group, in particular, have been warned that taking photographs of themselves in polling booths is strictly forbidden, as it could identify individual voters and their ballot papers.
Cork County Returning Officer Sinead McNamara told Irish broadcaster, RTÉ that "selfies" were "a modern phenomenon" but electoral officials would not permit them to interfere with the democratic process.
"I know it's nice, particularly for first-time voters - they like to record the fact that they are voting for the first time. That's OK to certain extent, but we'll be saying to our staff 'absolutely no selfies in the polling booth itself'.
"The primary function is to preserve the integrity and secrecy of the ballot, so taking a selfie - it could include a photograph of a marked ballot paper - which is an absolute no-no." | Voting is under way in the Republic of Ireland to elect 157 new members of parliament. |
35408400 | West Lindsey District Council said land at Swallow on the A46, near Caistor, had become a "dumping ground for fly tippers".
Paperwork found among the rubbish revealed the waste was "likely to be from various house clearances in the Grimsby area", the authority said.
It is working with the police to identify those responsible.
The authority said it had taken seven members of staff four hours to clear the site of debris, which included fridges, mattresses and tyres, at an estimated cost of £1,500.
Lesley Beevers, regulatory team manager at the council, said: "No sooner has one lot of rubbish been cleared than another load appears. In November, we cleared around four tonnes of waste from the same spot, costing more than £900."
Councillor Owen Bierley said: "It is important for residents and landlords alike to make sure that their waste is disposed of by properly registered companies.
"Simply paying cash to anyone with a van to take away your waste is not acceptable and could leave you facing a fine of up to £5,000 for not checking where your waste is going to." | About 6.5 tonnes of rubbish has been removed from a bridleway in Lincolnshire. |
39657620 | Mike Hill, from Templeton, Devon, says a "horrendous" smell started coming from the farm last year, which it is claimed has made residents feel ill and caused them to leave their properties.
Authorities are testing air and water near the farm, which houses about 150 cows.
But farmer Winston Reed says he will take action against what he says are "false comments".
Mr Hill says that along with tongue fissures, he has suffered from irritated eyes, coughing and constant thirst.
"You get a really hot, peppery taste in your mouth and you just can't get rid of it, it's in the back of your throat," he said.
Other neighbours have complained of phlegm, high blood pressure, breathing difficulties and retching.
But Mr Reed, who runs Crossparks farm, says the allegations are simply not true.
"None of our cows or staff working at the unit display any of the symptoms alleged to have been caused to the complainants," Mr Reed said.
"I have asked for blood tests to be taken of our cows on site along with veterinary reports, samples to be taken of the slurry, additional odour monitoring to see if indeed this unit is as the allegations portray."
Mr Reed says he has also asked for a breakdown of how much the complaints have "cost the public taxpayer".
Mid Devon District Council's environmental health department confirmed it was investigating the complaints.
"Environmental health are conducting an investigation into complaints of statutory nuisance concerning farm operations at Crossparks and Cleave Farm, Templeton, Tiverton, Devon made by persons living in the surrounding area," a spokesperson said.
"The specific public health concerns raised by residents should be referred to the director of public health for NHS Devon and Devon County Council, who we are continuing to liaise with during the course of our investigation." | A man says fumes from a farm's slurry pit have "split" his tongue. |
24542444 | Monitor is looking at whether South Tees Hospital NHS Trust breached its licence to provide healthcare services.
The watchdog is concerned about an increase in C difficile infections and a rise in "never events" - incidents so serious they should never happen.
The trust said it had made "significant improvement" and welcomed the scrutiny.
It said it had failed to meet the national target of 18 weeks between referral and treatment for three quarters of the past year with approval from its board of directors.
It was working through a "backlog of patients" after an "exceptionally busy and prolonged winter period", it said.
Monitor regional director Robert Davidson said: "Patients rightly expect the highest possible standards of care from their local hospital.
"We've got concerns that this isn't always happening at South Tees and that's why we have launched this investigation."
The trust said its aim was to have "a zero-harm culture to patients" but the target it had been set for for reducing cases of C difficile was "very difficult".
The eight "never events" it has reported since 2010 had been "subject to rigorous review", it said.
Stockton South conservative MP James Wharton called waiting times at the trust "unacceptably long" and said "clearly something is not as it should be".
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs services at the James Cook Hospital, Friarage Hospital and six community hospitals across Teesside, Hambleton and Richmondshire. | "Persistent failure" to meet waiting time targets could signal "wider problems" at a Tees hospital trust, the health regulator has said. |
37967380 | It is aimed at young people who may have been involved in arson and hoax calls or those with low self-esteem and poor communication skills.
During the week-long course, the students learn activities like hose-running drills and fighting fires.
About 2,500 have taken part in the Phoenix Project in the last 12 years.
Watch manager and Phoenix co-ordinator Pam Roberts said: "We want to give them the confidence to achieve things that they maybe thought they couldn't achieve before.
"Even though they may not become a firefighter, we can maybe give them the belief they can achieve things."
The Welsh Government-funded course is aimed at youngsters aged 13 to 17.
As well as fire safety, they are taught search and rescue techniques and risk management.
Community safety manager Gwyn Jones said of the current group: "They're working hard as a team, excellent communication skills going on, and they're making decisions under pressure.
"These are skills that can be transposed to their school life, to their home life, and when they're interacting in the community."
He said the fire service tracks the progress of participants for 12 months after they finish the course and has found two-thirds "do show a marked improvement in their academic achievement, attendance in school and all-round ability to be better members of the community".
Course participant Billy said the most important thing he had learned was "team work and loyalty".
He said: "These aren't my friends, I've walked out with some brothers.
"I would honestly say that they taught us how to be disciplined and be kind to each other." | A character-building project run by firefighters is having a positive impact on teenagers, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has said. |
36470979 | EMPpad was "a simple box that slows ageing, reduces pain... and tackles cancer," the entertainer tweeted.
In response to one cancer patient's comments, he suggested the disease was caused by "negative attitude".
EMPpad said it did not agree with his comments "in any way, shape or form".
The Deal Or No Deal presenter is a long-time fan of the EMPpad, a machine which aims to stimulate "cellular resonance" in the body with "low intensity and frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields".
Praising the machine, which he has previously called a "miracle pad", he tweeted: "A simple box that slows ageing, reduces pain, lifts depression and stress and tackles cancer. Yep tackles cancer!"
Other Twitter users responded to his tweet, including from @VaunEarl, whose Twitter biography states he has kidney cancer, lymph node metastases and psoriatic arthritis.
@VaunEarl tweeted: "I think Noel Edmonds should stick to what he's good at. Presenting quiz shows and beard trimming, rather than curing cancer."
Mr Edmonds responded by tweeting: "Scientific fact-disease is caused by negative energy. Is it possible your ill health is caused by your negative attitude? #explore".
The Advertising Standards Authority said it was aware of concerns about Edmonds' claims, and was "urgently looking into" a formal complaint.
EMPpad Limited said it does not pay Noel Edmonds to advertise the product.
Its directors published a statement which said: "The opinions of Mr Noel Edmonds are his alone and do not reflect in any way with the opinions of us at EMPpad.
"We had no discussion, input or prior knowledge of the content of Mr Edmonds' statement and we do not agree with it in any way, shape or form." | The Advertising Standards Authority is "urgently looking into" a complaint made over claims by TV presenter Noel Edmonds that an electromagnetic pulse machine "tackles cancer". |
38726955 | Photographers have scaled towering eucalyptus trees in Tasmania for a spectacular art project. | Click here to see The Tree Project's high-resolution image of a tree dubbed Gandalf's Staff. |
36422234 | Former Gloucestershire seamer Fuller added to his two overnight wickets either side of a rain-delayed lunch.
Jimmy Adams (78) offered some Hampshire resistance in the follow-on before James Franklin trapped him lbw.
Middlesex's first win of the season saw them secure maximum points and move up to fourth in Division One.
Hampshire resumed overnight on 100-4 after a rain-affected third day at Merchant Taylors' School, still 237 runs shy of making Middlesex bat again.
County Championship debutant Joe Weatherley was bowled by Toby Roland-Jones after just nine runs had been added.
Wicket-keeper Adam Wheater (25) and Adams added 53 for the sixth wicket, but victory was firmly in sight for Middlesex as three wickets then fell without a run scored.
Ryan McLaren struck five boundaries in an unbeaten 33 before James Tomlinson edged Ollie Rayner to slip.
Middlesex captain Adam Voges told BBC Radio London:
"I think we've played a brilliant four days of cricket. Set up well by our batters on day one and then the bowlers have done a fantastic job really.
"It was a bit of punt to bat first under the skies we had, but seeing the scores and talking to the guys from last year, they felt that batting first was the right option.
"We were able to set up what became a really good first innings total.
"I think we've been playing some really good cricket in the last couple of weeks and as a bowling unit, that's probably the best we've been this season.
"It always felt like a result like this was coming. We've been frustrated a bit by the weather this season, but it's nice to get a win finally."
Hampshire stand-in captain Will Smith told BBC Radio Solent:
"I thought after day one, we didn't do too badly. I know the outcome wasn't ideal, but we acquitted ourselves pretty well with the ball.
"We were perhaps a shade unlucky as well. The sun was out when they batted and then it's been cloudy and a lot more bowler-friendly since that.
"On the flip side, the first session on day two we've let them get away. Then the way we've batted, against what was a very high-skilled, resolute and relentless attack really was below par.
"It's the right result absolutely. It's good we've got a break now before our next four-day game to give us a look and review a few things to make sure this doesn't happen again." | James Fuller took five wickets on his County Championship debut for Middlesex as they beat the weather to complete an innings victory against Hampshire. |
39049858 | "French Londoners, France loves you," he told a rally, urging them to come home because their country needed their drive and expertise.
He cited the frequently aired claim that London was France's sixth-largest city, with an estimated 200,000 French residents. In fact it would rank about 30th.
But what drew Mr Macron to the UK was perhaps not so much the number as the type of French people living in its capital. Many are young, educated, upwardly and geographically mobile - exactly the constituency he has galvanised at home.
Opinion polls suggest he has a chance of reaching the second-round presidential run-off in May and could even win the presidency.
Queuing to hear him speak in Westminster on Tuesday was Elise Siouve, 25, a biotechnology postgraduate at Cambridge University, who felt Mr Macron "understands the need to adapt to social and economic changes".
Another Cambridge student, Benjamin Vendrand-Maillet, 24, has set up a unit of Macron supporters at the university. For him, the centrist's market-friendly policies would work "for all French people, whether rich or poor, young or old" and he was best placed to defeat the populist Front National.
The main challenge for French candidates campaigning abroad is that turnout is low among expats. In the UK, it is typically about 30%. Why bother to vote when you have decided to make another country your home?
But Mr Macron could benefit from the UK's vote to leave the EU, which he deeply regrets. French residents who may suddenly be unsure of their long-term status in the UK could find renewed interest in politics back home.
This is the case for Sylvie, a Macron fan who is studying for a doctorate in Oxford.
"I lost interest in France for four years because I found what was going on there dispiriting," she says. "Since Brexit I've realised that I might have to go back to France, so I'm much more involved now."
Restating the message he had delivered to UK Prime Minister Theresa May earlier in the day, Mr Macron promised the crowd of about 2,000 that he would attract talent back to France by freeing up the economy and encouraging risk-taking and enterprise.
He said he had been shocked when a French person he met on the Eurostar train to London had told him that he had gone to Britain to establish his start-up business because he had found it impossible to do so at home.
"What is at stake in this campaign," he said to loud applause, "is making sure that women and men who are willing to create jobs and wealth, who want to change their own lives and that of others, can never say 'I tried to do it in France but it's better to do it a two-hour Eurostar ride away'. I don't want to hear that ever again."
Mr Macron is hoping to buck an international trend towards anti-globalisation populism in a country where market reforms have never been popular.
The five-horse race for the French presidency remains wide open.
In recent weeks polls have consistently placed far-right leader Marine Le Pen ahead in the first round on 23 April. But they have also suggested she would lose the run-off two weeks later.
That suggests the top prize in this election could go to the initial runner-up.
Mr Macron surged ahead of his rivals in January but his support has wobbled over the past week, following an outcry over his comment that the colonisation of Algeria had been a "crime against humanity".
Mainstream conservative Francois Fillon appears to be staging a comeback after damaging allegations over payments to his wife. Two left-wing candidates are not far behind.
But what is clear is that the winning candidate will be the one most able to mobilise his constituency - hence the potential importance of the expat vote in this race.
"It is too close to call," says Benedicte Paviot, London correspondent for France 24 television. "French presidential candidates can't afford to ignore French nationals abroad." | For France's centrist presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron this was the chance to engage close-up with thousands of expat voters. |
40908049 | Porter made the most of substitute Zoumana Bakayogo's driven cross to poke home in the 75th minute and break the resistance of Bees keeper Jamie Stephens.
In the first half, Stephens was brought into action when he palmed away Porter's header and he also did well to keep out George Cooper's curling effort and Brad Walker's fierce drive from range.
Both sides deployed three at the back and cancelled each other out for long spells, but the match livened up after the break when David Tutonda forced a save from Alex goalkeeper Ben Garratt while Mauro Vilhete's free kick hit a post.
Chris Dagnall was denied on two occasions by Stephens as Crewe looked to extend their lead but the Barnet keeper was finally beaten from close range by Porter, who netted his fourth goal in four games for the hosts.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Crewe Alexandra 1, Barnet 0.
Second Half ends, Crewe Alexandra 1, Barnet 0.
Foul by George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra).
David Tutonda (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Harry Taylor (Barnet).
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jack Taylor.
Tommy Lowery (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Simeon Akinola (Barnet).
David Tutonda (Barnet) is shown the yellow card.
David Tutonda (Barnet) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Delay in match Ricardo Santos (Barnet) because of an injury.
Foul by Tommy Lowery (Crewe Alexandra).
Simeon Akinola (Barnet) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Hand ball by Chris Porter (Crewe Alexandra).
Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Mauro Vilhete (Barnet).
Substitution, Barnet. Simeon Akinola replaces Shaquile Coulthirst.
Harry Taylor (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ryan Wintle (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Harry Taylor (Barnet).
Goal! Crewe Alexandra 1, Barnet 0. Chris Porter (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Zoumana Bakayogo.
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by David Tutonda.
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by David Tutonda.
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Michael Nelson.
Attempt missed. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Substitution, Barnet. Wesley Fonguck replaces Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Chris Porter (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ricardo Santos (Barnet).
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Callum Ainley replaces Jordan Bowery.
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Zoumana Bakayogo replaces Harry Pickering.
Foul by Chris Porter (Crewe Alexandra).
Ricardo Santos (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Bowery (Crewe Alexandra).
(Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Ricardo Santos.
Harry Pickering (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jamal Campbell-Ryce (Barnet).
Brad Walker (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shaquile Coulthirst (Barnet). | Chris Porter's second-half strike earned Crewe their first win of the campaign as they overcame Barnet at the Alexandra Stadium. |
35685126 | Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, made a series of change to its track programme in October, designed to make events more spectator-friendly.
The omnium sees the biggest change, but there are plenty of other tweaks to get your head around for the 2017 World Track Cycling Championships in Hong Kong this week.
Here is the BBC Sport guide to every event.
A mass-start race of 40km (160 laps) for men and 25km (100 laps) for women. Points are scored in intermediate sprints, which are held every 10 laps, with five points for the winner followed by three, two and one for the next three over the line. There are also 20 points on offer for lapping the field.
Tactics vary, with some riders sitting at the back to conserve energy and contest the intermediate sprints, while others try to gain a lap by breaking off the front and rejoining the back of the main bunch. The winner is the rider with the most points at the end of the race.
Perhaps the most confusing track cycling event to follow, the madison - named after Madison Square Garden in New York, where the event was first held - is similar to the points race but with teams of two riders.
Women compete in the madison for the first time at a World Championships in Hong Kong and will race over 30km (120 laps), while the men race 50km (200 laps).
Intermediate sprints are held every 10 laps, with five points for the winner followed by three, two and one for the next three over the line - while these points are doubled for the final sprint at the end of the race. Teams can also earn 20 points by gaining a lap on the main bunch.
One rider is always active, while the other continues to ride round, but is effectively 'resting' at the top of the track. When the active rider needs a breather, around every lap and a half or so, they 'hand-sling' their partner into the action. The best madison duos have an endurance rider capable of gaining a lap and a sprinter to win points.
With all teams racing at the same time, trying to gain a lap on their rivals or win sprints, it is quite an impressive spectacle. The team with the most points at the end of the race is the winner and if there is a draw on points, places in the final sprint determine the winner.
The omnium has had a major overhaul following the Rio 2016 Olympics, changing from a six-race event over two days to a four-race event held on a single day.
All three individual timed events have been dropped. The new format consists of four bunch races, with the scratch, elimination and points races retained and a new event - the tempo race - added. This also means the omnium is now a pure endurance event instead of a test of sprinting and endurance.
Points are accumulated by riders in the first three events - the scratch, tempo and elimination races - with 40 points for the winner, 38 for second, 36 for third and so on.
Each point then won during the final event - the points race - is added to the rider's points total. The rider with the highest score at the end of the points race is the winner.
The men's and women's teams both comprise four riders, racing over 4km. Two teams are on the track at the same time, one starting on the back straight, one on the home straight. The rules are simple - complete the distance in the quickest time possible, or catch your opponents in the final to win.
Drafting is crucial with riders racing millimetres behind each other. The time is stopped when the front wheel of the third rider crosses the line. This allows one member of the team to drop out during the race. Qualifying rounds now feature two teams on the track at once instead of one.
A straight race against the clock over 4km for men and 3km for women. As with the team pursuit, one rider starts on the back straight, one on the home straight but they are competing against the clock rather than each other.
The quickest two riders in qualifying contest the final, where to win you must catch the other rider or be first to complete the distance.
The men's race is a three-lap, three-rider team time trial. After each lap, one rider drops out, leaving one man to race the final lap on his own. The women's race is a two-lap, two-rider affair.
The quickest eight teams in qualifying proceed to the first competition round and the fastest two teams from that round compete against each other in the final for the gold medal, with the next two fastest going through to race for the bronze medal.
To qualify for the knockout rounds, riders must complete a 200m flying lap in the fastest time possible, with 28 now progressing instead of 24 at previous World Championships.
The four fastest athletes skip the 1/16 final - which consists of 12 races - to move straight into the 1/8 final, which consists of eight races. These races are 750m long but only the final 200m are timed, with the winner being the first across the line.
The 1/16 and 1/8 finals are straight knockouts, but the races become best-of-three contests from the quarter-finals onwards.
The knockout races tend to feature slow, tactical starts, followed by a frenetic finish as two riders race against each other with the first to cross the line winning - the perceived advantage being that the rider coming from behind can draft, using less energy and thus have a better chance of being victorious.
The men race over 15km, the women 10km - the simplest of races. There are no intermediate sprints or points to be won. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line.
Developed in Japan for gambling purposes, the keirin is a tactical race that starts behind a motorised bike, called a derny, which gradually increases its pace to about 50km/h for men and 45km/h for women, until it pulls off to signal a sprint for the line.
The format has been tweaked following controversy in Rio 2016 men's final - won by Britain's Jason Kenny - which had to be restarted twice due to infringements.
The race is now 1.5km (six laps) in total, instead of 2km, but the sprint distance has been increased from two and a half laps to three laps.
Riders now also have to stay behind the leading edge of the front wheel of the derny - rather than the rear edge of the rear wheel - before the pacer pulls off.
A 1km race for the men (also known at the kilo) and 500m for the women, with riders going off from a standing start.
Qualifying rounds see two riders on the track at the same time, with the top eight going through. In the finals, each rider competes alone and the quickest time wins. | Just when you thought you knew your omniums, they go and change the rules. |
26609468 | Mr Obama told reporters at the White House that the search for a two-state solution remained elusive but he hoped to see progress in the coming weeks.
Mr Abbas said he considered the current round of talks a historic opportunity.
The US wants both sides to approve a "framework" accord that would extend the negotiations beyond next month's deadline for a final deal in July.
But Palestinian officials say the prospect is "disappearing day by day".
Mr Obama and Mr Kerry brought the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table last July after a three-year hiatus, and said at the time that their objective was to achieve a "final-status agreement over the course of the next nine months".
By Rushdi Abdu AloufBBC News, Gaza City
Gaza critical as Abbas meets Obama
Although negotiations have taken place in secret, there has been little sign of progress and US officials say they are now trying to forge a framework that "narrows the gaps" on core issues and allows the process to continue beyond 29 April.
The issues include the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state; the status of Jerusalem; Israel's insistence that it be recognised as a Jewish state; the Palestinians' demand that their refugees be allowed to return to their former homes in what is now Israel; and security in the West Bank, with Israel wanting a long-term presence in the Jordan Valley.
At the start of his meeting with the Palestinian leader on Monday, Mr Obama said: "We are going to have to take some tough political decisions and risks if we're to move it forward."
"My hope is that we can continue to see progress in the coming days and weeks," he added.
Mr Abbas said he was hopeful that the Israeli authorities would release a fourth batch of 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners by 29 March, in line with a deal that saw the talks resume.
"This will give a very solid impression about the seriousness of the Israelis on the peace process," he said.
Israeli ministers said last week they would have difficulty approving the release if an agreement was not reached to extend the peace talks.
Before Mr Abbas's visit to Washington, an official at the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said its negotiating team felt it did not "have a partner on the Israeli side".
The pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat meanwhile reported that at his meeting with President Obama, Mr Abbas would demand that Israel halt all construction at Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as well as the release of high-profile Palestinian prisoners as a condition for agreeing to extend the peace talks beyond 29 April.
Sources were cited as saying that the prisoners would include Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader serving multiple life sentences after being convicted of murdering Israelis, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Ahmed Saadat, jailed for 30 years for his role in the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001.
Two weeks ago, Mr Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a peace deal required "compromise on all sides".
While offering no concessions in public, Mr Netanyahu insisted: "Israel has been doing its part and I regret to say that the Palestinians have not."
Mr Netanyahu is insisting on Palestinian recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, but Mr Abbas has refused.
The Palestinians recognise the State of Israel, but say recognising its Jewish character would have implications for Palestinian refugees and Israeli-Arabs. | US President Barack Obama has told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas he must take "risks" for peace. |
37821764 | The test cases were brought after the Supreme Court ruled the controversial law had been interpreted wrongly for more than 30 years.
It has allowed people to be convicted of murder even if they did not inflict the fatal blow, but "could" have foreseen violent acts by others.
There were shouts of "no justice, no peace" when the new judgement was made.
The Supreme Court said in February it was wrong to treat "foresight" as a sufficient test to convict a defendant under the law and juries had to decide on the "whole evidence".
But in his judgement, Lord Neuberger said the decision did not automatically mean all previous joint enterprise convictions were unsafe.
What is the controversial 'joint enterprise' law?
A moment of genuine legal history
Murder ruling 'brings heartache'
The men bringing the test cases at the Court of Appeal were convicted in relation to six separate crimes. Twelve were found guilty of murder and one of wounding with intent and possessing a bladed article.
Among them were Tyler Burton and Nicholas Terrelonge, who were found guilty of murdering Ashley Latty in a group attack in Dagenham, east London, in May 2014.
Rejecting their appeal, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas said the Supreme Court judgement would "not have made a difference" to the jury's verdict in the trial and the convictions "were and are safe".
An appeal was also brought on behalf of Asher Johnson, his brother Lewis and Reece Garwood, who were given life sentences for the murder of Thomas Cudjoe in Ilford, east London, in November 2012.
A fourth convicted man, Jerome Green, was seen in CCTV footage holding a knife and apparently stabbing Mr Cudjoe as he sat in the driver's seat of a car in a garage forecourt.
Lawyers argued there was no evidence of common enterprise between his clients and Green and the images did not show they had been involved in a planned attack.
Rejecting the appeal, Lord Thomas said the verdicts would have been "no different" following the Supreme Court ruling.
He said the court was "satisfied that there was no injustice, let alone substantial injustice".
The decision to reject their cases was met with cries of protest by supporters of the men sitting in the public gallery at the Court of Appeal.
The campaign group Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association (JENGBA) said families of those convicted under the law had been left in tears by the decision.
Group co-founder Jan Cunliffe said: "Some of the families were very, very distraught and left the court room in tears.
"I'm feeling numb, but we're determined to carry on, we're not going to stop."
She said the group was taking advice about the possibility of challenging the judgement in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruling applies to England, Wales, Northern Ireland and most UK overseas common law territories but not Scotland, which has its own rules on joint enterprise.
At the time, campaigners said the change would make the law fairer, but some murder victims' relatives said they were worried about possible appeals.
Joint enterprise law was originally used to stop aristocrats from duelling, allowing all those involved in the duel, including doctors, to be charged with murder along with the duellists.
The law is regarded as a vital prosecuting tool and was used to convict David Norris and Gary Dobson in 2012 for the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence.
However, in February the Supreme Court ruled that the courts "took a wrong turn" in 1984 in their interpretation of the law.
This judgement referred to a ruling in a case in which three gang members armed with knives burst into the home of a prostitute and her husband in Hong Kong, intending to collect a debt.
The husband was stabbed to death at the hand of at least one of the gang members and all three were convicted of murder.
In February judges said the error made had been "to equate foresight with intent to assist, as a matter of law; the correct approach is to treat it as evidence of intent". | Judges have refused to overturn guilty verdicts against 13 men convicted using the law of "joint enterprise". |
32217208 | Police said the man and woman were set upon at about 03:45 BST on Sunday shortly after they left the Blue Fly Cafe Bar on New Street.
The 24-year-old man was punched and kicked for 10 minutes, suffering a broken jaw and chipped teeth.
His girlfriend, 29, was repeatedly pushed to the floor. The attack only ended when a taxi driver intervened.
PC Sophie Wilson said: "The victims are extremely grateful to the taxi driver for having the decency to stop and help when they were in a very frightening situation.
"I am appealing for the taxi driver to get in touch as soon as possible as he may have vital information about the suspects.
"This is a very disturbing incident which will quite rightly shock the local community in York and those who regard the city as a friendly and safe place to visit.
"We are providing support to the young couple from Spain who have had their stay tarnished in the most sickening and vicious way."
North Yorkshire Police said it was treating the attack as a racially-aggravated assault.
The suspects are described as white, aged between 20 and 25, with short or shaved hair. | A Spanish couple on holiday in York have been assaulted in a racist attack by a gang of five men. |
38294998 | Problem: A total of 1.3 billion people worldwide currently don't have electricity, according to Yale Environment 360. Getting people in rural areas on to the national grid is proving too difficult and traditional solar panels generate meagre amounts of energy.
Solution: Steamaco makes solar and battery micro-grids which can work for a whole village. They are small electricity generation and distribution systems that operate independently of larger grids.
How it works: Micro-grids are nothing new. The new part is that Steamaco's technology automates the regulation of electricity.
So, if the system detects there will be a surge in demand for electricity, for example on a Saturday night when people want to start playing music for a party, or they see a dip in supply, like when the sun has gone down and so the grid is not collecting solar energy, then the grid automatically stops electricity for people it won't affect too badly.
The system sends an automatic text to all customers on the grid saying that the electricity in houses is about to be cut off so that the hospital can keep on going.
Who is talking about this? In October they featured in the Global Cleantech 100 Ones to Watch list.
Problem: Pneumonia kills 27,000 Ugandan children under the age of five every year. Most of these cases are due to pneumonia being misdiagnosed as malaria.
Solution: Ugandan engineer Brian Turyabagye has designed a biomedical "smart jacket" to quickly and accurately diagnose pneumonia. The Mamaope jacket measures a sick child's temperature and breathing rate. It can diagnose pneumonia three to four times faster than a doctor and eliminates most possibility for human error.
How it works: A modified stethoscope is put in a vest. It is linked to a mobile phone app that records the audio of the patient's chest. Analysis of that audio can detect lung crackles and can lead to preliminary diagnoses.
Who is talking about this: It is shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize.
Problem: It is difficult for people in rural areas to travel to the cities to see heart specialists. There are just 50 cardiologists in Cameroon, which has a population of 20 million people.
Solution: Arthur Zang invented the Cardio Pad - a handheld medical computer tablet which healthcare workers in rural areas use to send the results of cardiac tests to specialists via a mobile phone connection.
How it works: Cardiopads are distributed to hospitals and clinics in Cameroon free of charge, and patients pay $29 (£20) yearly subscriptions. It takes a digitised reading of the patient's heart function. In a few seconds the results of a heart test are sent to a specialist clinic in the capital.
Who is talking about this: It won the Royal Academy of Engineering award for African engineering in 2016 and the Rolex award for Entreprise in 2014. But Mr Zang told BBC Africa that these things take time to develop and it only got approval from the Cameroon authorities in October 2016.
So, it is more likely that people will actually see it in their clinics in 2017.
Problem: A lack of accurate information about how to achieve certain hairstyles and where to find a high-quality stylist.
Solution: Three software engineers - Priscilla Hazel, Esther Olatunde and Cassandra Sarfo - invented Tress, an app to share ideas about hairstyles.
How it works: It is described by Okay Africa as a kind of Pinterest or Instagram for hair. Once you have downloaded the app, you can follow other people who are sharing their hairstyle. You can search specifically by place, price range and the type of hairstyle your want, from relaxed hair to cornrow.
You can then scroll until your heart's content through people who have uploaded pictures of themselves with that style, tell them how much you like their style, ask how long it took, and even arrange to meet up with someone to style your hair.
Who is talking about this: The three software engineers behind this are graduates of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra, Ghana.
They were then selected for the Y Combinator eight-week fellowship programme for start-up companies.
Y Combinator is prestigious - business news website Fast company called it "the world's most powerful start-up incubator". In other words, the school is thought of as really good at finding the next Mark Zuckerberg.
Problem: There are online workers, specifically web developers, in Africa who people outside the continent would like to employ but it is difficult or prohibitively expensive to get their wages to them. Some don't have passports, and so don't have bank accounts either.
Solution: Bitpesa uses Bitcoin to significantly lower the time and cost of remittances and business payments to and from sub-Saharan Africa.
How it works: Bitpesa uses the crypto-currency bitcoin as a medium to transfer cash across borders. Bitcoin is a system of digitally created and traded tokens and people keep their tokens in online wallets.
It then takes the Bitcoin tokens and exchanges them into money in mobile money wallets - a popular way of paying for things in places like Kenya and Tanzania.
BitPesa is already used to pay online workers - a company called Tunga is using it as a way of getting wages from clients abroad to web developers in Uganda.
Who is talking about it: It won an award for the best apps across Africa in November.
How African governments block social media
Africa's top Twitter moments of the past decade
What difference will Obama's plan to bring power to Africa make?
World's first commercial regular drone delivery service launches in Rwanda | Here are five African inventions which may take off in 2017. |
37703887 | The dairy worker agreed to undergo a partial amputation at Dumfries Infirmary in order to return to work as quickly as possible.
A different operation, with a longer recovery time, was carried out instead.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has told NHS Dumfries and Galloway to apologise for the failings it found.
A report concluded the health board's records of the consent process were "inadequate" and that the operation performed had not been the one the patient - named only as Miss C - had consented to.
Instead of a partial amputation, a "terminalisation" had been carried out which involved the surgical shortening of the finger and closure of the wound with stitching.
"The board were unable to explain this, instead maintaining that Miss C had undergone the appropriate surgery," the ombudsman said.
The SPSO also found that the board's investigations of her complaint had been inadequate.
It had failed to identify the lack of records supporting her consent as a concern and failed to obtain a statement from the doctor involved.
In addition, the board's complaint response was found to have misrepresented records of Miss C's interactions with staff and failed to address her concerns about the financial impact of the surgery.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway was ordered to review its processes for obtaining consent and provide training to improve one doctor's communication skills.
It was also told to ensure another doctor reviewed his understanding of the consent process and the definition of a finger terminalisation procedure.
The SPSO sought evidence that both doctors had "reflected on the failings identified" as part of their appraisal process.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway was told to review its handling of the complaint and apologise for its failings. | A health board has been ordered to apologise after failing to carry out the operation a woman with a crushed finger had consented to. |
28910885 | There will be no First Capital Connect or Southern trains calling at the station until 1 September.
The closure is part of the £6.5bn Thameslink programme, which aims to improve north-south travel through the capital.
Nicky Hughes from Network Rail said the redevelopment of London Bridge was a "huge challenge".
"London Bridge is one of the country's busiest stations and we're rebuilding it piece by piece to transform north-south travel through London," he said.
The disruption is likely to affect up to 50,000 commuters every hour who normally travel into the station on First Capital Connect and Southern services.
There will also be no direct trains to Gatwick or Luton airport stations from London Bridge.
However, London Bridge Underground station will be unaffected.
Network Rail has urged commuters to check their routes before they travel.
Simon Blanchflower, major programme director for the Thameslink programme, said the station was being rebuilt in stages.
"We started earlier this year and we closed certain platforms and rebuilt those, he said.
"We are at a stage where we are reopening two new platforms - 12 and 13 - and closing the next two - 10 and 11.
"To do that we have got to have a closure while we carry out the next phase of the work and also to do the necessary track work and signalling alterations that lead up to the station."
The Thameslink Programme will see the size of the concourse at London Bridge railway station expanded and the number of trains to and through central London from the south east will also increase.
The project should be completed by 2018, Network Rail said. | London Bridge railway station has partially closed for nine days for building work. |
39490263 | The 26-year-old took 69 Championship wickets in 2015, but only 16 in seven games last summer as Middlesex won the title for the first time since 1993.
"I am grateful to the two counties for making it happen," said Harris, who began his career with Glamorgan.
He has initially joined Kent for their first three Championship games, plus the start of the One-Day Cup.
There is, however, a recall clause in their agreement with Middlesex.
"James has been one of the leading seam bowlers in county cricket in recent years," Kent head coach Matt Walker told the club website.
"To have him on board with us for the start of the season is very exciting and he brings extra quality to our talented squad."
Kent are hoping to secure one of the two promotion spots in Division Two of the County Championship this summer, having finished as runners-up to Essex in 2016 when only one team went up. | Kent have signed Welsh pace bowler James Harris on loan from Middlesex for the start of the new county season. |
38717028 | A secret rehearsal was arranged at Chequers for the then PM to "familiarise" herself with the vehicle.
Her newly released personal files cover 1986, when Michael Heseltine quit over the so-called Westland affair and the US launched bombing raids in Libya.
They have been published by the Thatcher Foundation.
The documents reveal careful planning behind the scenes to avoid anything going wrong with the Rover 800 photoshoot at Downing Street.
The PM's private secretary Mark Addison wrote to her: "You are test driving the new Rover on Thursday.
"The most straightforward way of arranging this would probably be for you to drive the car from the front door towards the bottom of Downing Street, reversing into the side road, and then driving back up the street to the front door.
"If you would like to handle the test drive in this way, you would need to feel fully confident about manoeuvring the car into the side road and back out again.
"The alternative would be to walk down to the car at the bottom of Downing Street and drive it back to the front door.
"Agree to the first option? Or prefer to keep it simple."
In another memo, Mr Addison told her the car was being towed, under cover, to Chequers for her to rehearse beforehand.
Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, said he believed Mrs Thatcher had seldom driven since 1975, leading to concern from officials.
"I think I'm reading between the lines but I'm reasonably confident that there was that worry, that there was this dark fear that she would crash into something, that it would all go horribly wrong, and after all she hadn't driven for many many years," he said.
The trust is overseeing the release of Mrs Thatcher's private files through the Churchill Archive Centre in Cambridge.
The files also reveal concerns that a blue, not a red, car should be supplied, but in the end the stunt passed without a hitch.
Things went less smoothly for the prime minister when she tripped over a manhole at the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth.
In a letter to the mayor apologising for pulling out of a civic ball that evening, she said: "As you may have heard I tripped over one of Bournemouth's manholes this afternoon and my ankle didn't like it very much. Neither did the manhole!"
Other papers in the newly released batch include a letter - written but never sent - from Mrs Thatcher to the then defence secretary Michael Heseltine warning him to toe the line or give up office over the Westland affair.
The battle for control of British helicopter manufacturer Westland was one of the most divisive political rows of Mrs Thatcher's second term in office.
The letter, drafted three weeks before Mr Heseltine resigned over the row, tells him the government's view of the future of British helicopter manufacturer Westland is that it is "a matter for the company to decide", adding: "In this situation no minister should use his position to promote one commercial option in preference to another - so long as he remains in government."
A more minor helicopter-related exchange involved a request for Mrs Thatcher to use one to travel the short distance from Downing Street to the opening of the Broadgate development in the City of London.
In a hand-written note, the PM dismissed the "ridiculous" suggestion, saying it would be an "unwarrantable extravagance and I should be criticised severely".
The documents also cover the fallout from the US air strikes in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for which Mrs Thatcher allowed the use of British airbases.
One note, before the PM was due to speak on the subject, said an "unusually large number of calls" had been received by Conservative Central Office expressing concern about the raids.
Another revealed a warning from a senior civil servant that Conservative Party chairman Norman Tebbit's "obsession" with attacking the BBC's coverage of the military strikes risked a repeat of the "Westland troubles". | Officials feared Margaret Thatcher could crash Rover's new car when she test-drove it for a photocall, newly released papers suggest. |
34249470 | Hales's county colleague James Taylor is also named, after impressing during the one-day series with Australia.
There is no place for Yorkshire's Gary Ballance and Adam Lyth, with the latter dropped after a poor Ashes series.
The three-Test series begins in Abu Dhabi on 13 October.
All-rounder Ben Stokes is rested from the one-day squad, to which batsman Joe Root returns.
Lancashire spinner Stephen Parry and Sussex bowler Chris Jordan are recalled to the T20 squad.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has also announced former England limited-overs captain Paul Collingwood and ex-Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene will join the England management team in consultancy roles.
National selector James Whitaker said Hales, 26, "fully deserved" a chance at the top of the order after scoring 886 runs at an average of 52.11 in the County Championship this season.
"He has scored heavily for Nottinghamshire in first-class cricket and has shown he can play match-winning innings for England in white-ball cricket," said Whitaker.
Left-armer Ansari, 23, who has taken 44 wickets and scored more than 700 runs this season, will provide a third spin option alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
Ansari was told he had been selected on Monday, describing the news as "a surprise".
He said: "Going into this season it wasn't on my radar. I just wanted to have a solid, consistent season with Surrey and establish myself a bit more. Things have gone my way and this is what happens when that happens.
"If the conditions prove to be very spin-friendly and I make an impression, then great. I'm there as much as anything to learn and try to develop quickly and if I get my chance, to go out and perform."
Within hours of his call-up, Ansari was forced to leave the field in Surrey's County Championship match against Lancashire and went to hospital after injuring his hand trying to take a catch at cover point.
Taylor, 25, is recalled to the Test set-up after winning the last of his two caps against South Africa in 2012.
The middle-order batsman, who may compete with Jonny Bairstow for a place in the side, enjoyed a prolific ODI series against Australia, scoring 246 runs at an average of 49.20.
"I've been desperate to get back in the Test side for a number of years now and I know that any runs in international cricket are going to count no matter what format, especially against Australia," Taylor told the BBC.
"I knew going in to the UAE there's going to be a lot of spin bowled, and that'll hopefully work in my favour as I love playing spin. Overall, it's worked out nicely and those runs will have made a big impact."
With Lyth dropped after averaging just 12.77 in the Ashes, captain Alastair Cook seems certain to have a seventh opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, though it is not clear whether Hales, Moeen or even Ansari will be selected.
Former Scotland assistant Collingwood will join the team in November to coach batting and fielding during the limited-overs series in the UAE, and will then link up with England again for the ICC World T20 in March.
He said: "It's an exciting time for English cricket. We've got some great, skilful youngsters coming through.
"Hopefully I can create the confidence in their games that they can go and do it out in the middle without any fear."
Test squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Zafar Ansari (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wk), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wk), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wk), Sam Billings (Kent, wk), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wk), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Essex, to join Hampshire at end of season), David Willey (Northants, to join Yorkshire at end of season), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Twenty20 squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent, wk), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wk), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Stephen Parry (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Reece Topley (Essex, to join Hampshire at end of season), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Northants, to join Yorkshire at end of season), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham). | Nottinghamshire batsman Alex Hales and Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari could make their England Test debuts in the UAE after being selected in the squad for the series against Pakistan. |
35170590 | The PM said the country's "important religious roots" made it "a successful home to people of all faiths and none".
Labour's Jeremy Corbyn used a newspaper article to highlight homelessness and praise emergency workers.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett called for a "different sort of society" while Lib Dem Tim Farron said the world was "in need of hope".
Mr Cameron highlighted the plight of people spending Christmas in refugee camps having fled the civil war in Syria, while Christians in some parts of the world would go to church in fear of persecution.
"Throughout the United Kingdom, some will spend the festive period ill, homeless or alone," he said.
He paid tribute to people working at Christmas "to help the vulnerable" and said the armed forces were "in the skies of Iraq and Syria, targeting the terrorists that threaten those countries and our security at home" as well as saving migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
"It is because they face danger that we have peace," he added.
Labour said Mr Corbyn would not issue an official Christmas message, but in a Sunday Mirror article, he said many low-paid workers could not afford to take time off over Christmas, and that homelessness was increasing with tens of thousands of people spending the festive season in temporary accommodation.
People should ask themselves whether they could do more for others, he said.
"Jesus said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'", he said.
"It is a similar maxim that inspired our party: 'From each according to their means, to each according to their needs.'"
Ms Bennett said people should look to 2016 "with the understanding that politics shouldn't be just something that gets done to you.
"Politics should be something that you do to make a difference in your society."
Mr Farron said he hoped people would be inspired in 2016 to make the country a more "compassionate, liberal and welcoming one", Lib Dem Voice reported. | David Cameron has urged people to reflect on Britain's Christian values in his Christmas message. |
36316577 | The list, tweeted by the NHS Grampian Archives account, details causes of admission to the Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum in 1847.
Among the more conventional conditions are death of relatives, fright and head injuries.
Less conventional symptoms include irregular habits and vegetable poison.
The entry on tea attributes "sedentary lifestyle - abuse of tea" as a supposed cause.
NHS Grampian said: "Some of these terms would never be used today, however, documents like this provide a valuable insight into the past."
The health board is urging people to discuss their experiences of mental health, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
This year's theme is relationships. | Abuse of tea and disappointment in love have been listed as suspected causes of distress in a lunatic asylum archive released by NHS Grampian. |
37209143 | The seven-time major winner joined Raonic's team in May before the 25-year-old reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where McEnroe also did punditry for ESPN and the BBC.
McEnroe was seen with Raonic's primary coaches Carlos Moya and Riccardo Piatti just days before news of the parting.
He said he would step down "for Milos' sake, for ESPN and my sake".
McEnroe added: "When the US Open starts on Monday, he's got his people. I'm pulling for him and want him to do well.
"I'd love to see all the guys play their best because I think it's better for tennis. But it's best to sort of separate at this stage. It will just make life easier for everyone."
McEnroe admitted his media commitments "ended up becoming an issue at Wimbledon", but added he was "open to the possibility" of a second coaching stint should Raonic seek it.
The Canadian faces Germany's Dustin Brown in the first round at Flushing Meadows. | John McEnroe has ended his spell as a coach to Canadian world number six Milos Raonic before the US Open. |
37266505 | It may not boast the heritage of its more illustrious London namesake, but speakers and performers at the Craddock Street hall included Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and David Lloyd George.
Swansea council has received a planning inquiry to convert the upper floors into student accommodation, with retail proposed for the ground floor.
The hall has stood empty since 2007.
The Grade II-listed building was first opened as a music hall in 1864.
Councillor Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea council, said: "Although the Albert Hall is a privately-owned listed building that we don't have responsibility for, we'll do all we can to help the private owners bring the building back into sustainable use.
"This is important because it's an historically significant building right in the heart of the city centre that we'd like to see preserved and protected for years to come." | A 152-year-old Swansea landmark could be given a new lease of life, with plans to renovate the city's Albert Hall. |
14573942 | The man, named by the Guardian as former News of the World journalist James Desborough, was arrested on Thursday morning and later bailed.
Meanwhile, actress Leslie Ash has settled a claim against the paper.
Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator at the heart of the hacking scandal, has filed a legal action against News International.
The action being brought by Mulcaire, who has admitted phone hacking on behalf of the Sunday tabloid, is a contractual dispute understood to relate to the decision by News International to stop paying his legal costs.
Leslie Ash and her husband, former footballer Lee Chapman, sued the NoW over allegations it illegally listened to voicemails left by their sons while Ms Ash was recovering from a superbug in hospital in 2004. They also sued Mulcaire.
Their solicitor, Charlotte Harris, told BBC News they were "pleased" to have settled the claim with him and the newspaper's publisher.
The couple now plan to take action against other newspapers, she said.
In a statement, the couple said they were pleased the issue had been resolved and they had received an apology.
The couple revealed in January that police had found documents listing their names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as the mobile details of their children.
News International has declined to comment.
Mr Chapman told BBC Radio 5 live the settlement related to a period between 2004 and 2005.
"During that period - and actually before that period and after - we felt that there were stories going into the press that we had no idea where they were coming from. There were semblances of truth, sensationalised and bits added on, going into the press that we knew could only have come from people close to us."
He said it was "scandalous" that his sons' phone messages had been accessed. "I think that's one of the reasons why News International settled so quickly because of the involvement of two teenage boys who were still at school."
Mr Chapman said he and his wife had settled early because they did not want to have "the whole process dragged through the courts" when their children were involved.
The arrest on Thursday was the 13th by the Met Police as part of their hacking investigation, Operation Weeting.
James Desborough was believed to have been held at a south London police station on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and later bailed to October.
He joined the News of the World in 2005 and was named showbiz writer of the year at the British Press Awards in April 2009, and later became the newspaper's Los Angeles-based US editor.
The judges said he "produced a series of uncompromising scoops which mean no celebrity with secrets can sleep easy".
He is among the journalists undergoing a 90-day consultation period following News International's decision to cease publication of the tabloid in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
A series of high-profile figures have been questioned by police, including the company's former chief executive Rebekah Brooks and ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson.
After the latest arrest, News International said in a statement: "We are fully co-operating with the police investigation and we are unable to comment further on matters due to the ongoing police investigation."
Mr Desborough was bailed until October.
On Wednesday, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson was cleared of misconduct in his handling of the phone-hacking inquiry by the police watchdog.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission also cleared John Yates, former Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman and former Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke of misconduct over phone hacking.
However, an independent inquiry will examine claims Mr Yates secured a Met Police job for a News of the World executive's daughter.
The announcement followed the release of a letter by the Commons culture committee that suggested senior executives at the News of the World knew phone hacking was taking place.
Written by former royal editor Clive Goodman as he appealed against his dismissal in 2007, the letter said hacking was "widely discussed" at the paper.
Following publication of the letter Prime Minister David Cameron said he would have "taken different decisions" over the appointment of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his director of communications if he had "known then all the things I know now". | A 38-year-old man has been arrested as part of the investigation into phone hacking, Scotland Yard has said. |
34689805 | But it was the way she walked into the cheering crowd afterwards, to be mobbed with hugs and handshakes, which really told the story of the weekend.
Ms Dugdale and UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn walked through the doors of Perth Concert Hall together on Friday, to applause from members bedecked with "Jez & Kez" badges.
But the way things developed, the conference hasn't really been about their working as a team, or the unity and solidarity Mr Corbyn preached in his address.
The conference has been more about autonomy, about Scottish Labour establishing its own identity as a distinct - dare one say independent - entity from the UK party.
Ms Dugdale gave a small nod to Mr Corbyn's approach - referring to Labour as a "radical" party, while standing in front of an enormous banner reading CHANGE - but she only actually mentioned him once in her speech.
Even then it was in passing, as part of a line about how "we will be, as Jeremy says, straight talking and honest".
She stressed that "Scottish decisions will be made in Scotland", and actually evoked the spirit of one of Mr Corbyn's New Labour predecessors in devoting a significant part of her speech to education (…education, education).
Her message about equality for women and having "feminists in positions of influence" was spoiled very slightly by her party executive of five men and two women sitting across the stage, but for the most part Ms Dugdale's first speech as Scottish Labour leader went down very well.
After a nervous start - in which she actually stumbled over the word "confidence" - she delivered a polished, effective speech, which actually won more acclaim from delegates than Mr Corbyn's.
That's not to say that there was any hint of antipathy in Perth for the UK-wide Labour Party or its new leader. If there are truly two parties now, they are separated but united.
Mr Corbyn was like a visiting celebrity, winning a round of applause just for walking into the building before being treated to a standing ovation as he mounted the stage.
Scottish Labour would raise tax for 'top earners'
Scottish Labour to vote on Trident renewal
Kezia Dugdale 'proud' to be part of UK party
Young members explain their commitment to Labour
Jeremy Corbyn urges Scots to vote for change
Brian Taylor analysis on Kezia Dugdale's "change" speech
More than 100 delegates stayed on into Friday evening, hours after the conference day proper had ended, to hear from his Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, at a fringe event - and they weren't shy in voicing agreement when Mr McDonnell said Labour had rediscovered its "soul" under the new regime.
But when talking to young delegates at the conference, it was Ms Dugdale's name which came up time and again, not Mr Corbyn's.
The speech was Ms Dugdale's moment to step out not just as leader of Scottish Labour, but as leader of a distinct party with its own separate identity. She even spelled it out; a "more autonomous" party.
The party north of the border today has a far larger remit than really ever before, with talks over additional powers being devolved to Holyrood, and even discussion of core reserved matters, like defence.
The fact Scottish Labour is debating Trident at all is significant, after the UK party's conference in Brighton demurred.
It might not be much of a surprise that delegates are widely expected to voice opposition to renewing the nuclear arsenal - they used to do so more or less every year prior to devolution. CND activists toting giant puppets and a "bairns not bombs" prop pram were stationed outside the conference hall before the decision to debate Trident was even announced.
But this would in effect create clear political water between Scottish Labour and UK Labour - albeit in a welcome fashion for Mr Corbyn, who would no doubt use such a resolution to pile pressure on delegates in England and Wales.
And with more powers set to be devolved, depending on the outcome of the Scotland Bill, Ms Dugdale is able to make campaign pledges about mooted tax credit changes which her counterparts in England and Wales would be powerless to affect.
Of course, exercising new Holyrood powers to negate Westminster policies will only be an option if Labour wins next year's election - and Ms Dugdale's message will have to reach a lot further than the crowd assembled in Perth to do that.
The slogan of the conference is "take a fresh look", urging voters who have deserted Labour in recent elections to return. Mr Corbyn also aimed a pitch at non-voters, people who feel alienated and disenfranchised from politics.
So as well as these messages, and indeed Ms Dugdale's speech, have gone down with the party faithful - and after its recent woes, those who remain with Labour really are faithful - the real measure of success will be how they go down with people at home. | Kezia Dugdale asked Scottish Labour to "walk with confidence into the future" as she delivered her keynote address to the party's autumn conference in Perth. |
34188161 | The team are 17th with only six points from their first six league games and lost 1-0 at Gillingham on Saturday.
"The board are ambitious for a top-six finish and that is, and will remain, our aim," said a club statement.
"From today Rob Jones will take charge of first-team affairs on a temporary basis and the club has full confidence in Rob as we look forward to a tough game against Walsall this weekend."
Former Scotland international Dickov, 42, who played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester and Blackburn during a lengthy playing career, was in his second managerial role.
He spent two-and-a-half years at Oldham and left in February 2013 before taking over at Doncaster in May 2013.
During his time in charge of Rovers, the club dropped down from the Championship to League One and he won 34 of the 113 matches the side played in all competitions.
In the opening game of this season, Dickov ordered his players to allow Bury to walk in an injury-time equaliser for a 1-1 draw.
Doncaster's Harry Forrester inadvertently scored when playing the ball back to the Bury goalkeeper, which then led to Leon Clarke dribbling from the centre circle to equalise unchallenged.
"I just felt the right thing for us to do was to go and let Bury score," said Dickov afterwards. "The one thing I wanted to do was to keep the good name of football and Doncaster Rovers intact."
Despite their poor start in League One, Doncaster did knock out Championship side Leeds United on penalties in the first round of the League Cup before going out to Ipswich Town in the second round. | League One side Doncaster Rovers have sacked manager Paul Dickov. |
18421771 | The drop in industrial production was not as bad as feared, and March's figure was revised up to a 0.1% fall.
But the fall in output is a sign of slower economic activity. Eurozone GDP stagnated in the first quarter of the year and shrank at the end of 2011.
On Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti again called for a plan to boost EU growth.
Jonathan Loynes of Capital Economics said that while the latest industrial production figures were not as bad as expected, the data was still a bad sign.
"April's industrial production figures provide an early indication that the eurozone's narrow escape from technical recession in Q1 is unlikely to last very long," he said.
A German economic think tank, the RWI Institute, raised its growth forecast for the euro area's biggest economy. It now expects German wealth to expand 1.1% this year, compared with an earlier estimate of 1%.
The country's 0.5% growth in the first three months of the year offset recessions in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and peripheral states such as Portugal and Spain to give the eurozone a GDP growth rate of zero in the first quarter.
Austria, Belgium, Finland, Estonia and Slovakia also reported economic growth for the start of 2012 but, as the world's fourth-biggest economy, Germany dwarfs most of its eurozone neighbours.
Generating economic wealth across the eurozone is seen as essential for governments trying to pay off colossal debts.
Separate figures showed that inflation eased in the eurozone's biggest economies during May as retailers cut prices.
In Germany, consumer prices rose 2.2% compared with a year earlier, based on the European Central Bank's favoured HICP measure. That was slightly slower than the 2.1% annual rate registered in April.
Cheaper fuel fed through into lower transport costs for households and firms in France, Germany and Italy.
French consumer prices were up 2.3% from last May, down from April's 2.4% annual rise. Italian inflation remained stubbornly high at 3.5%, but that was still down from 3.7% in April. | Output from eurozone factories fell by 0.8% in April, according to the latest official figures from EU body Eurostat. |
38003691 | 16 November 2016 Last updated at 17:39 GMT
She has a condition called Rett syndrome, which scrambles the messages from her brain and means she cannot speak - despite desperately wanting to communicate.
Money raised for Children in Need is helping Luton-based charity Rett UK care for her and her family. | Meet six-year-old Esme, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. |
40745277 | Air France-KLM is taking a 31% stake, worth £220m, in Virgin Atlantic as part of a four-way joint-venture with US partner Delta.
Virgin Group's share will fall from 51% to 20%, while Delta will retain 49%.
Sir Richard said he would remain "very much involved" after the deal.
He said in an open letter that the new joint-venture would be "extremely beneficial" to the airline, customers and the brand, and recalled key moments in Virgin Atlantic's history, striking a valedictory tone.
Jean-Marc Janaillac, chief executive of Air France-KLM, said the deal would give customers "even more choice between Europe, UK and the United States via twelve hubs on both sides of the Atlantic".
Virgin and Delta have operated a joint-venture for almost five years, plying the busy routes between Europe and the United States.
Competition has intensified in recent years, with newcomers including Norwegian and British Airways' low-cost Level service offering no-frills long-haul flights.
The new venture, which will also include troubled Italian carrier Alitalia, will operate 300 transatlantic flights per day.
In a joint press release Virgin and its partners said the venture would offer "convenient flight schedules with competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers".
Virgin Atlantic, set up in 1984, was one of the earliest companies in Richard Branson's Virgin brand portfolio.
In his open letter, Sir Richard recalled its eventful rivalry with British Airways, the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the financial crisis.
Sir Richard wrote that as he got older he was keen to ensure that "all the necessary building blocks are in place for Virgin Atlantic to continue to prosper and grow for the next 50 years".
While transatlantic routes are among the most lucrative, Virgin has had mixed fortunes in recent years.
In 2016 it reported its best profits for five years, but the company warned earlier this year that it was likely to go into the red again in 2017 as the weaker pound pushed up costs and put off holiday-makers. | Air France-KLM is buying almost a third of Virgin Atlantic, leaving Sir Richard Branson's parent company, Virgin Group, with a minority stake in the airline he founded. |
35614168 | The party went from 57 UK MPs in 2010 to eight at the general election, and lost two of its three Welsh members.
The internal review said its election broadcasts gave no reason not to vote for the nationalist parties.
It said the defeat was the result of its tuition fees U-turn, a weak Labour party and an effective Tory strategy.
The inquiry said the UK party's move to go into coalition with the Tories had not been well understood, and also blamed a "confusing" campaign.
The Liberal Democrats were left with only one Welsh MP after the 5 May poll - Ceredigion's Mark Williams.
The review said: "Our party election broadcasts did not show enough distinctive reasons to vote for the Liberal Democrats and, in the main, did not feature Liberal Democrat spokespeople.
"They made little sense in Scotland or Wales - where the message gave no reason not to vote for the Nationalist parties.
"They were also poorly integrated with our campaign on the ground."
The review recommended the party "keep the use of Scottish and Welsh variations" of UK party political broadcasts for Scotland and Wales. | The Liberal Democrats's party election broadcasts "made little sense" in Wales, a review of its 2015 general election defeat has found. |
40355934 | One of the biggest groups to feel the heat were the thousands arriving at Glastonbury Festival. Elsewhere, people took to pools, parks, fountains and rivers to cool off. | As the UK basks in the hottest June day in 41 years, people up and down the country have found ways to keep cool. |
36030395 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Anderson's Inner Circle and Dean Holdsworth's Sports Shield completed a takeover from Eddie Davies last month.
The Wanderers, £179.2m in debt, have already been relegated this season.
"Our initial job is to make sure we perform on the pitch and then make sure we get our finances in order and give the best opportunity to go forward," he told North West Tonight.
"As I sit now I'm the current custodian, along with Dean, at this club and we've got to try and change things and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
"Fans are happy if things perform well on the pitch, if they don't they're very unhappy."
Saturday's 4-1 loss at Derby confirmed Bolton's drop into the third tier of English football for the first time since 1992-93.
They were in the Premier League as recently as 2012, having competed in the Uefa Cup in 2008, and Anderson aims to return the club to that level as soon as possible.
"Short-term [the ambition is] to get promoted again next year," he said.
"And then like everybody else's dream to get back in the Premier League. That's a very tough call nowadays.
"If we could emulate what Bournemouth have done, I'd be very happy."
Anderson confirmed that they have a shortlist of three candidates as they search for a new manager and an appointment could be close.
Neil Lennon left shortly after the takeover, but interim boss Jimmy Phillips could not prevent relegation to League One.
"I think with the three candidates we'll have a second interview with all three of them," said Anderson.
"Hopefully we'll be able to reach a decision as to which manager we would like to appoint.
"It's probably likely to be next week, as a couple of them are still in jobs."
Asked if ex-Bolton captain Kevin Nolan, who was demoted from his position as player-manager at Leyton Orient on Tuesday, was one of the three, Anderson responded: "As far as I know, he hasn't applied." | New Bolton chairman Ken Anderson has promised the Championship club will learn from past mistakes. |
33564016 | It said that fewer than 50% of emails which it scanned during June were junk - the lowest percentage it had seen in over a decade.
The fall suggests that cyber-thieves are looking to other ways to make money from people going online.
The security firm said legal action against the criminal networks that pipe spam to people had helped to cut junk.
However, it said the fall in spam had been offset by a rise in the amount of malware being made.
In June only 49.7% of the billions of messages monitored by Symantec were spam, it said in its latest monthly threat report. While the amount of spam being sent had been declining for some time, this was the first time since 2003 that it had dipped below 50%, said Ben Nahorney in the report.
Since the report was issued, spam levels have continued to decline further. On 14 July, of the 25 billion messages monitored by Symantec only 46.4% were junk.
It said the decline was caused by action against botnets, networks of hijacked computers that have historically been the route through which spam has been sent.
In the last 10 months, UK police forces have been involved in takedowns of seven separate botnets - many of which funnelled spam to victims. In addition, many European internet providers have joined together to share information about botnet activity to limit their effectiveness.
Symantec said other formerly popular scams, such as phishing for passwords and email with malware attached, also saw a decline in June.
However, Symantec said it had seen a significant rise in the amount of malware variants being produced. In June it caught about 57.6 million individual pieces of malware - almost double what it saw in April.
Ransomware also proved more popular: Symantec's monitoring systems caught almost 500,000 attacks based around this type of malware in June.
"This increase in activity lends more evidence to the idea that, with the continued drops in email-based malicious activity, attackers are simply moving to other areas of the threat landscape," wrote Mr Nahorney.
Andrew Conway, a research analyst at security company Cloudmark, said it was "challenging" to accurately measure global spam levels because many companies did not sample nations where junk mail levels were still very high.
Despite this, he said, successful law enforcement operations had led to steep drops in some types of spam. For instance, he said, action by the US Federal Trade Commission against one spammer resulted in an 80% drop in junk mail peddling diet pills.
Mr Conway added that spammers in China and Eastern Europe still relied on email to tempt people to buy counterfeit goods and bootleg pharmaceuticals.
"We are in a constant arms race," he said. "with spammers continually coming up with new techniques that we have to deal with, and it would be hubris to declare victory." | People are being sent fewer spam emails than at any time in the past 12 years, according to security firm Symantec. |
38205889 | Tweeting in English with the help of her mother, a teacher, Bana Alabed painted a picture of life in the city.
But the account was deleted on Sunday, as troops pushed into the city's east.
The final tweet, by her mother, read: "We are sure the army is capturing us now. We will see each other another day dear world. Bye. - Fatemah".
Meet the seven-year-old girl tweeting from Aleppo
Aleppo, Syria's second city, has been split in two during the country's long conflict. Bana lived in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which has been relentlessly bombed by the army.
Army troops advanced further into the city's east overnight, following a heavy bombardment.
Bana's Twitter account - @alabedbana - had amassed more than 100,000 followers.
The account, where tweets were posted by both Bana and her mother Fatemah, drew attention to the plight of civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo.
In a conversation with the BBC in October, Fatemah said her daughter wanted "the world to hear our voice".
One tweet from November read: "Tonight we have no house, it's bombed and I got in rubble. I saw deaths and I almost died."
Another said that a friend had been killed when her house was bombed.
In one video posted on the account, Bana appeared with her brothers - five-year-old Mohamed and three-year-old Noor - with the message "drawing with the brothers before the planes come. We need peace to draw".
Another short video showed the three together in a bedroom. "We will live forever together," Bana said, before laughing and hugging her brothers.
In others she appeared with her mother.
Bana's tweets captured the attention of JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series.
Ms Rowling sent Bana eBooks of the entire Harry Potter series after the young girl posted that she liked to read "to forget the war."
The author retweeted several messages after the account was deleted, calling for information on the girl's whereabouts.
At least 300 people have been killed since the government-led offensive on east Aleppo and about 250,000 are thought to be trapped in besieged areas.
Earlier this week, Stephen O'Brien, the UN's humanitarian affairs chief, said parts of the city were at risk of becoming "one giant graveyard".
He said some people inside opposition-controlled areas were so hungry they had been reduced to scavenging. | A seven-year-old girl whose tweets from besieged eastern Aleppo drew worldwide attention has disappeared from the social network amid an army offensive. |
10589031 | An official report, leaked to the Sunday Times, also said black and Asian intelligence officers had complained of discrimination at the complex in Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire.
A GCHQ spokesman told the BBC policies and practices were now being improved.
Much of GCHQ's work involves monitoring calls and e-mails from terror suspects.
But the report, authorised by the head of the civil service, Sir Gus O'Donnell, says a lack of officers with specialist knowledge of languages like Urdu and Arabic is hampering efforts to spot codes and cultural nuances in intercepted conversations.
"It is critical to have a diverse staff group who are able to profile and recognise certain behaviour patterns and communications," the document says.
The report recommends better engagement with ethnic minority communities in order to boost recruitment and improve the image of the organisation.
"This is critical to good national security intelligence," it adds.
The report says GCHQ has tried to improve its equality and diversity, but "the culture of the organisation has not been receptive to this" and it "is seen as a people issue which only applies to some people". It points out that there are no black or Asian senior managers.
Several dozen ethnic minority intelligence officers were interviewed during its preparation, and among the complaints recorded was: "I wasn't born here and although I have been security cleared, I am constantly challenged about my loyalty to Britain by my colleagues."
Another employee said: "The security officers ask questions which are culturally inappropriate, insensitive and offensive."
A third said they felt that ethnic minority employees had to work harder than white colleagues "and for less reward".
The director of communications at GCHQ, Chris Marshall, said the organisation had "long recognised that strict nationality and residency requirements for staff, and the specialist nature of our work, have made it challenging to develop a workforce which represents the diversity of the UK population".
He said the organisation had tried to improve things with a targeted recruitment campaign, but a review in 2009 "reflected that GCHQ continued to fall short in meeting our targets".
Mr Marshall said that in response to it, GCHQ was "making a number of improvements to our policies and practices", including employing a dedicated diversity officer and focusing recruitment on specific universities with large ethnic minority populations.
"GCHQ is regularly recognised as a good employer but we aspire to be the best," he said. "We recognise that recruiting a diverse range of people, treating them in a non-discriminatory way and supporting them to achieve their full potential is key to that aspiration." | Britain's secret eavesdropping centre, GCHQ, has been criticised for failing to recruit enough ethnic minority staff to help fight terrorism. |
35927241 | Caton-Brown, 22, will undergo surgery following a tackle by Huddersfield's Danny Brough in Monday's 26-24 win.
The tackle was cited, but after viewing the incident, the RFL decided not to take any action towards Brough.
"We're not happy about it. We've asked the RFL to look at the incident. They have come back telling us it's legal," head coach Ian Watson said.
"From our point of view, we're really disappointed with what they've come back with as we've lost a good player."
Caton-Brown was making his first appearance of the season for Salford since coming back from injury, but now faces another lengthy spell out.
"He has only just come back from an injury, he's been out for a long time," Watson told BBC Radio Manchester, "He's a really nice kid and in your first game back to go down like that when you're playing so well is a big loss."
Salford moved up to seventh in Super League following Monday's win, which was marred when fighting broke out among a section of Salford fans at full-time. | Salford Red Devils winger Mason Caton-Brown will be out for up to 12 weeks with a serious leg injury. |
36226372 | Following an update the function is now available only on the more expensive Windows 10 Enterprise version, as well as the Education edition.
Many firms try to prevent staff from downloading additional software as it can cause problems with existing programs and affect productivity.
Microsoft said it had made the change "by design".
"Windows 10 Enterprise is our offering that provides IT pros with the most granular control over company devices," the tech giant said in a statement.
"Windows 10 Pro offers a subset of those capabilities and is recommended for small and mid-size businesses looking for some management controls, but not the full suite necessary for IT pros at larger enterprises."
John Harrison, owner of Harrison IT services, said the change could cause problems for small businesses.
"Users like to change settings or try to install software by themselves. If they don't know what they're doing or don't have the appropriate experience, they can cause all kinds of issues," he said.
"You are going to have to educate staff, tell them not to use the Windows Store unless it really is relevant to the business. How do you manage that policy?"
In September 2015 there were 669,000 apps on the Windows Store, according to Microsoft's own figures.
Microsoft says there are 300 million devices using Windows 10 one year after its launch.
On 29 July, a free upgrade offer for Windows users with earlier versions of the operating system will come to an end. | Businesses running the professional version of Windows 10 can no longer block access to the Windows Store. |
34160236 | The winger, who rejoined Boro from West Ham, superbly curled a shot from the right into the corner midway through the second half.
David Nugent then got his first Boro goal to wrap up the win when he finished a one-on-one chance.
The Dons' best chance came at 0-0 when Simon Church's chip hit the post.
Until Downing's opener, Karl Robinson's side, who were playing their first competitive match against Middlesbrough, had defended stoutly.
They restricted the hosts to mostly long-range efforts in the first half, before Wales international Church was unlucky to see his chip over Dimi Konstantopolous come back off the upright, following great build-up work from Jordan Spence.
Media playback is not supported on this device
But Middlesbrough, who left winger Albert Adomah out of their matchday squad after a reported transfer request in the transfer window, took the lead when Downing cut inside from the right and, with defenders backing off, bent in past David Martin.
Downing said the chance to win promotion for his hometown club was behind his move down from the Premier League.
And he set up another man who moved down a division in the summer, Nugent, when he headed on for the former Leicester striker to keep his cool and slot home.
MK Dons rarely threatened after that, but Rob Hall did skim the post with an injury-time strike.
Match ends, Middlesbrough 2, MK Dons 0.
Second Half ends, Middlesbrough 2, MK Dons 0.
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Dimitrios Konstantopoulos.
Attempt saved. Robert Hall (MK Dons) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Diego Poyet.
David Nugent (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kyle McFadzean (MK Dons).
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Fernando Amorebieta.
Offside, Middlesbrough. David Nugent tries a through ball, but Christian Stuani is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Robert Hall (MK Dons) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Carl Baker (MK Dons) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Robert Hall.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Adam Forshaw replaces Diego Fabbrini.
Foul by David Nugent (Middlesbrough).
Kyle McFadzean (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Christian Stuani (Middlesbrough).
Kyle McFadzean (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Kyle McFadzean.
Attempt blocked. Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Goal! Middlesbrough 2, MK Dons 0. David Nugent (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Stewart Downing.
Attempt missed. Antony Kay (MK Dons) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Robert Hall with a cross following a corner.
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Tomas Kalas.
Substitution, MK Dons. Robert Hall replaces Samir Carruthers.
Foul by Christian Stuani (Middlesbrough).
Kyle McFadzean (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by David Martin.
Attempt saved. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Carl Baker (MK Dons) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Carl Baker (MK Dons).
Christian Stuani (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Carl Baker (MK Dons).
David Nugent (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Dean Lewington (MK Dons).
Substitution, MK Dons. Carl Baker replaces Daniel Powell.
Goal! Middlesbrough 1, MK Dons 0. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Fernando Amorebieta.
Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Dean Bowditch.
Attempt blocked. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Diego Fabbrini.
Samir Carruthers (MK Dons) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Samir Carruthers (MK Dons). | Stewart Downing scored his first goal for Middlesbrough since returning to the Riverside Stadium in the summer to help his side beat MK Dons. |
38722128 | The group said an 11.8% rise in underlying pre-tax profits in the year to the end of April showed "continued momentum" for the Apex brand.
It attributed the performance to strong trading across its nine-hotel portfolio and new room openings.
The company runs four-star hotels in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.
Its turnover last year rose by 7% to £61.3m, while underlying pre-tax profit climbed to £10.3m.
Apex said it invested more than £16m during the financial year.
It added 134 rooms to its stock by opening an Apex in Glasgow in September 2015 and extending its Apex City of London hotel.
A new 177-room Apex hotel is due to open in Bath this summer.
Apex chief executive Angela Vickers said: "Key to our success is our ongoing commitment to providing a guest experience that rivals that of global brands, distinguishing Apex Hotels in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
"As we move into 2017 our robust financial results are testament to this and demonstrate our continued momentum in the development of the Apex brand and expansion of the portfolio."
She added: "It is important for us to continue investing in our existing portfolio and we are planning further bedroom expansion at Apex Temple Court in London as well as refurbishment totalling £6m across our City of London, Grassmarket and Dundee hotels.
"In 2017 we will continue to look at other opportunities to extend and complement our existing portfolio." | Edinburgh-based hotel chain Apex has said it is looking at future potential acquisitions following a strong trading year. |
39044724 | Scottish FA compliance officer Tony McGlennan has issued a notice of complaint against the manager.
McGhee is accused of using offensive, abusing and/or insulting language and gestures towards a match official.
He is also facing a charge of adopting aggressive behaviour towards an official.
McGhee's had until next Tuesday to respond to the complaint before a planned hearing on Thursday 16 March.
He was sent to the stand by referee Alan Muir in the 60th minute of Well's 7-2 thrashing by Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership with his side already trailing 4-0.
McGhee was given a three-match touchline ban in December after being found guilty of abusing referee John Beaton during a 2-0 defeat by Dundee.
One of those games was suspended pending any further breach.
Two further charges were dropped - adopting "aggressive behaviour towards a match official; and/or" adopting "aggressive behaviour towards a steward".
McGhee said he was "horrified" by the attitude of fourth official John McKendrick as he was sent to the stand at Pittodrie and hinted that there "is an agenda" by officials.
He said Motherwell wanted an explanation from the Scottish FA's head of referees, John Fleming, about recent decisions that have gone against his side. | Motherwell's Mark McGhee is facing a second touchline ban this season after being called to a hearing for being sent to the stand against Aberdeen. |
35937689 | 31 March 2016 Last updated at 20:44 BST
The girl band was due to play a matinee and evening show at the SSE Arena on Thursday.
Helen Jones reports. | The band Little Mix have been forced to cancel their Belfast gigs after singer Jesy Nelson became unwell. |
36132870 | Aberthaw in the Vale of Glamorgan will from April 2017 only generate electricity when needed, such as in the winter months.
Owner RWE wants to secure its future and said it was too early to speculate on the impact on 600 jobs there.
It will also take more coal from suppliers beyond Wales, which could have a knock on effect on producers.
The UK government has already said it wants all coal-fired power stations to close by 2025.
A RWE spokeswoman said it wants to keep Aberthaw operating into the 2020s and this would make it more affordable.
The reduction in output will result in job losses at the plant but details have not been finalised.
The station, which began operating in 1971, can generate around 1555MW of electricity for the National Grid - enough to meet the needs of some three million households.
It will invest in new technology to enable all three of the stations' 500MW units to expand the range of coal they can use.
It is claimed this will yield a 30% reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions when burning higher volatile fuels.
It comes as the European Court of Justice considers a case brought against the UK government over claims Aberthaw Power station is breaking emission regulations.
Nitrogen oxides released into the environment from burning fuels have serious consequences for human health and the environment, causing respiratory illnesses, acidifying soil and surface water, and damaging vegetation.
Expanding the range of coal used at Aberthaw could have a knock on effect on the opencast mining industry in Wales, with the station being a key customer for Welsh coal.
Suppliers include Tower Colliery, which is now a purely opencast operation.
Richard Little, Aberthaw power station manager, said: "When market conditions are very difficult it is testament to the hard work and dedication of our people that we can adapt the station to ensure that it continues to play a key role into the future."
The UK has been taken to court by the European Commission in recent weeks over claims the power station has been pumping out more than double the legal amount of nitrogen oxides for seven years.
The UK government has said that air quality "has improved significantly" thanks to £2bn investment over the last five years. | Wales' biggest coal-fired power station is to downgrade its operations due to "challenging" market conditions. |
11082007 | The bridges are over the Church Village bypass near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and are part of plans to protect ecology along the 4.6-mile road.
The bridges consist of wire mesh tubes suspended between trees and tall poles.
The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) said the "special treatment" for the dormice met EU rules and it criticised "negative reporting" of the matter.
When completed, the tubes will be solid mesh to stop the dormice falling out.
As dormice live in trees as opposed to on the ground, their routes have to stretch between trees instead of along underpasses used by, for example, hedgehogs and badgers.
Newts, toads and slow worms have also been given new ponds along the £90m route, which is due to open next month.
The specialist work has been carried out by Rhondda Cynon Taf council and contractors Costain, who were legally required to outline wildlife protection plans before the bypass was approved.
The Welsh Assembly Government has funded the bypass, including the dormice bridges.
A Rhondda Cynon Taf council spokesman said: "The council and Costain, its contractor in delivering the bypass, is proud of the working relationship it enjoys with the Countryside Council for Wales and the Environment Agency, who required the ecological work to be carried out before planning permission could be secured for the road.
"Both statutory bodies fully endorsed the ecological work undertaken by the team which enabled planning permission for the road to be built.
"Such measures are now commonplace across the country and adhere to the current legislation in protecting species of this nature."
As part of the specialist work, trees have been cleared along the route and new ponds dug for the relocation of newts and other amphibians.
Costain also employs a principal ecologist who works closely with the Countryside Council for Wales and an ecological adviser from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
Other species provided for include badgers, bats and marsh fritillary butterflies.
Reaction to the bridges was mixed among local residents.
Clair Mugridge of Church Village said: "I think it's a great idea to try and preserve their population."
But shoppers in nearby Talbot Green were less impressed, with one man telling the BBC the scheme was a "waste of money", while a woman thought at first it was a joke.
"I find it quite hilarious really, with this recession and the money that we need elsewhere," she said.
The bypass is due to open on 7 September, more than 20 years after the need between Church Village, Llantwit Fardre and Tonteg was first identified to ease congestion on the A473.
Earlier this month the route was opened to the public for the first time when thousands of people walked 8km from Gwaun Miskin to Tonteg and back.
The CCW said the threatened dormice had the highest level of protection afforded to them via the EU Habitats Directive.
It said: "The [dormouse] bridges will hopefully raise public awareness of the presence of dormice and wildlife issues in general. Its disappointing to see this reported negatively by some media.
"The environmental mitigation cost needs to be taken in the context of the overall cost of the scheme.
"To not provide adequate mitigation for dormice would have risked possible infraction proceedings and fines from the European Union." | Dormice will be able to cross a new bypass safely, thanks to three special bridges costing £190,000. |
39855687 | Reports of trouble were received at areas including the High Street, railway station and near Inverurie Academy from about 20:00 on Monday.
As many as 30 young people - some believed to have travelled from outlying areas - were involved.
Police said several people were issued with anti-social behaviour fixed penalties.
There were no reports of injuries.
Six people were previously charged in connection with anti-social behaviour following reports of youths congregating in Inverurie on Friday and Saturday.
Sgt Willie Murdoch said: "This kind of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.
"A team of officers are investigating these incidents and several lines of enquiry are being pursued including examination of CCTV.
"Anyone identified as being involved in disorderly behaviour will be apprehended and there will be consequences for those involved." | Disturbances involving about 30 youths in an Aberdeenshire town were pre-arranged, police believe. |
29044130 | Naghemeh King and her husband Brett were freed from custody in Madrid on Tuesday after efforts to extradite the couple to the UK were abandoned.
Speaking after her release, she said: "All I could do was just cry and pray."
Earlier it emerged that five-year-old Ashya, who has a brain tumour, can receive treatment at the Proton Therapy Center in Prague.
Police efforts to track down Ashya began after his parents took him from Southampton General Hospital without doctors' consent last week, in order to seek proton beam treatment abroad.
The Kings were arrested in Spain on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview, Mrs King told the BBC's Jon Kay: "What could I do in a prison cell? I could not do much, really."
Asked how angry the couple were, Mr King said: "I wouldn't say angry, I'm just missing my son so much.
"My heart is aching for my son and anger can't come in at the moment because I've just got these feelings that I've got to see my son's face."
Mrs King added: "I just want to wet his mouth because he can't drink through his mouth, I want to brush his teeth, I want to turn him side to side every 15 minutes because he can't move.
"I just want to do all those things I was doing from Southampton, I want to do it for him here."
In an emotional press conference, Brett King said: "They arrested us and directly they took my son away and said he was not allowed to have any visitors.
"We want to help our son get through this bad time because he hasn't got too many months to live and we're locked away in a cell - we're just trying to speed things up to help him."
The couple are believed to be on their way to see their son in hospital in Malaga.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said a cancer specialist will be flown out to Spain to give Ashya's parents advice on the best course of action.
The Proton Therapy Center said it has received full medical reports from Southampton Hospital and Ashya is required to undergo two cycles of chemotherapy before he could be treated in Prague.
That is expected to take several weeks but afterwards Ashya would be able to travel to the Czech Republic.
Proton Therapy uses a form of radiation that targets cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue virtually untouched.
Ashya had major surgery to successfully remove a brain tumour on 24 July and a further operation on his brain on 22 August.
As a result of these procedures he was unable to speak, unable to eat or drink on his own and relied on a food pump.
Following his disappearance from Southampton Hospital last Thursday, Hampshire Constabulary obtained a European arrest warrant on the grounds the Kings had neglected their son.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) withdrew the warrant on Tuesday.
In a statement, the CPS said the risk to Ashya's life "was not as great or immediate as had been originally thought".
The statement read: "Mr and Mrs King did take certain steps to safeguard the health of Ashya, for example it appears they had ordered specialist foods to care for Ashya, and had managed to charge the food pump using their car battery."
Dr Pete Wilson, chief paediatrician at Southampton General Hospital, has told the BBC the Kings' departure from the hospital with Ashya came after they questioned the planned treatment for their son.
The University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust took the view that in Ashya's case proton beam treatment was of "no proven significant benefit" over standard radiotherapy and would make no difference to the likelihood of his survival.
He said: "When [the doctors] were asked directly by the family what would happen if we refused any treatment they were told that in exceptional circumstances, as doctors, we would need to act in Ashya's best interests and that may need going to the court.
"[A threat] wasn't made. A question was asked what would happen if we refused treatment.
"Refusing treatment for a child is exceptionally serious. This is a young lad who has a very, very good chance of survival if he receives rapid treatment.
"We are very clear that the message that we were giving them was consistent and that we got it across.
"I think there are cases where the family just disagrees with us. That is their right. But it our duty as doctors to do the best for the patient."
Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said the Home Office had been in discussions with Hampshire Constabulary about the force's handling of the investigation.
Hampshire Police Commissioner Simon Hayes said the force had been correct to pursue the arrest warrant.
Mr Hayes said: "I'm confident with the evidence that I have that it was the right thing to do.
"Hampshire Constabulary were given information by Southampton General Hospital that said Ashya was in grave danger and he needed to be found for his life to be saved."
An internal inquiry into the case has begun at the hospital, the BBC understands. | The mother of Ashya King has said she prayed in prison she would be reunited with her child. |
36009761 | The film was nominated for 11 awards going into the Los Angeles ceremony, but only won three including prizes for its stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.
Following on from his Oscar win in February, Leonardo DiCaprio won best male performance for his role in The Revenant.
Mad Max: Fury Road's Charlize Theron won best female performance.
Will Smith was given the MTV Generation award, recognising his film career. Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, who presented Smith with his award, praised the star as "a champion for diversity in Hollywood".
"[He] blazes a path for actors by showing that someone of any colour can play any role, and can open any movie and win any award and be the biggest freaking movie star in the whole world," she said.
Accepting his award, Smith joked the honour was "code for the old dude award".
He added: "This is absolutely beautiful. I released my first record when I was 17. I'm 47 years old now. This June marks 30 years in this business."
British actress Ridley beat her Star Wars co-star John Boyega to win the breakthrough performance award, while Driver was voted best villain for his role in the franchise.
Chris Pratt and Amy Poehler also collected awards for best action and best virtual performance respectively, while Oscar-winning Amy Winehouse film Amy was voted best documentary and Straight Outta Compton won best true story.
Bridesmaid's star Melissa McCarthy received the comedic genius award and said although she was the first woman to achieve the feat, she was "certainly not the first one to deserve it".
Ryan Reynolds collected two awards - best comedic performance for his role in comic book movie Deadpool, and best fight for a sequence in the film with Ed Skrein.
Among the other quirky category winners were Pitch Perfect 2's Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine for best kiss, and Jennifer Lawrence for best hero for her part in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
The awards will be screened on MTV in the UK on Monday evening. | Star Wars: The Force Awakens was named movie of the year at the 25th MTV Movie Awards on Saturday. |
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