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37164507 | The woman was being treated for extensive burns at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Police were called to a collision involving the woman's red Vauxhall Corsa at about 05:50 on Tuesday.
Officers have appealed for witnesses to the accident, which happened on the A78 Fairlie to Largs road.
Sgt Ian Thornton, from the Divisional Road Policing Unit, said: "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of the incident, however I would like to speak to anyone who was in the area around the time and may have seen a red Vauxhall Corsa on the road.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact officers at the Divisional Road Policing Unit based at Irvine on 101." | A 46-year-old woman is in a critical condition in hospital after her car hit a lamp post near Hunterston power station in North Ayrshire. |
27320806 | The move was announced by separatist leaders after consulting supporters.
On Wednesday, Mr Putin called for a postponement to create the conditions necessary for dialogue.
Ukrainian authorities say they will disregard the results and that "anti-terror" operations will continue.
Millions of ballot papers have been prepared for the referendum.
By Richard GalpinBBC News, Donetsk
Inside the building which has become the headquarters of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, there was an air of defiance. The leaders of the self-declared "People's Republic of Donetsk" flexed their muscles in front of the world's media, apparently demonstrating they would not be pushed around by Russia's Vladimir Putin.
In total 78 self-appointed "deputies" acting on behalf of those who no longer want to be part of Ukraine had taken the decision to ignore Mr Putin's suggestion that the referendum be postponed.
One of them, a man called Vladimir, told the BBC that they respected the Russian president. "But we have our own opinion and the people want a referendum like they had in Crimea," he said.
The head of the commission organising the referendum even joked that he was delighted Mr Putin had called for a delay. Thanks to the Russian president, he said, everyone even in the furthest corners of eastern Ukraine now knows about it.
The question put to voters is: "Do you support the act of proclamation of independent sovereignty for the Donetsk People's Republic?''
The decision to press ahead with the vote was announced by separatist leaders in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said the decision had been unanimous.
"We just voice what the people want and demonstrate through their actions," he said.
A spokesman for the Kremlin said there was "little information" and that it needed to analyse the situation further.
The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says Mr Putin may turn the separatists' decision to his advantage, claiming it is proof that Russia is not orchestrating events in eastern Ukraine - as claimed by the West.
Moscow has vowed to protect the rights of Ukraine's Russian-speaking population against what it calls an undemocratic government in Kiev.
Ukrainian authorities have rejected activist demands for greater autonomy and troops have been battling to regain official buildings occupied by rebels in the east.
The European Union weighed in on Thursday, warning that "such a vote could have no democratic legitimacy and would only further worsen the situation".
The separatists' decision to hold the referendum comes as a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday shows that a strong majority of Ukrainians want their country to remain unified, even in the largely Russian-speaking east.
In related developments on Thursday:
By Fergal KeaneBBC News, Sloviansk
Sloviansk divided over identity
The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions against several Russian individuals and businesses and threatened wider measures if Moscow interferes further in eastern Ukraine.
Sunday's planned referendum was seen as a potential trigger for that.
Meanwhile Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says there is no sign of a Russian troop withdrawal from the Ukrainian border, which Mr Putin announced on Wednesday.
Unrest in the south and east of Ukraine has worsened since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March.
That followed the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February by pro-Western protesters. | Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine have decided to go ahead with an independence referendum on Sunday, despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it. |
37295666 | Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers said this might be because babies born vaginally are exposed to healthy gut bacteria that play an important role in regulating diet.
The study followed more than 22,000 babies into adulthood.
But experts said there were likely to be many different factors at work.
These include the diet of the mother, whether she had diabetes during pregnancy and whether the baby was breastfed.
Babies born via Caesarean are less likely to be breastfed, and this has been shown to lead to an increased risk of obesity. Children's diets also have an effect on their future weight.
In the UK, about 26% of babies are delivered by Caesarean section - an operation where a cut is made in the tummy and womb to get the baby out. Rates have been rising steadily over the past few years, according to the Royal College of Midwives.
In this study, American researchers from Harvard Medical School and other institutions found that babies delivered by Caesarean were 15% more likely to grow up to be obese after adjusting for a number of factors, including the mother's weight and age.
In families where children were born by different methods, those born by Caesarean were 64% more likely to be obese than their siblings born by vaginal delivery.
But the researchers could not say Caesareans were the cause of obesity or explain the mechanisms behind the link.
Their best guess was that differences in gastrointestinal microbiota, or healthy gut bacteria, between babies born by different methods could have an effect.
Microbiota is the term used to describe the microbes that colonise our bodies and which vary from one person to another. They are linked to some diseases but can also be used to treat disease and promote health.
A technique called "vaginal seeding" can be used to transfer maternal vaginal fluid - which contains the healthy bacteria - to a baby born by Caesarean but doctors say there could be risks with infection.
Dr Simon Cork, research associate in the department of investigative medicine at Imperial College London, said there were many factors to consider in children's risk of obesity - not just their mode of delivery at birth.
"Overall, the literature surrounding this area suggests that there may be a link between Caesarean section and obesity. However, this link is neither fully proven nor understood.
"Most often Caesarean births are as a result of medical necessity, rather than elective, and as such this risk would outweigh any concerns mothers should have regarding the possibility of future weight issues."
Prof Neena Modi, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said more research was needed to find out whether birth by Caesarean was a cause of obesity.
"Caesarean section can be life saving for women and their babies. However many women are now considering Caesarean section where there is no medical indication.
"It is important that they are told about the possibility of increased risk of obesity in their children, to help them make an informed birth choice.
She added: "It is also important for parents to focus on factors that they can influence which definitely impact on their infant's health. This includes maintaining a healthy weight at the time of conception, and throughout pregnancy. " | Babies born by Caesarean are at higher risk of becoming obese, especially compared with siblings born by vaginal delivery, a large study suggests. |
39125341 | Shanique Syrena Pearson, 22 of Vauxhall, threatened Mr Vine and made a gun sign at him during the row in Kensington on 26 August 2016.
She was convicted of driving without reasonable consideration for other road users and using abusive or insulting words or behaviour.
Her appeal will be heard on 18 April.
Pearson, who has a number of previous convictions including assaults and theft, had been warned she could be jailed as she was subject to a suspended sentence when the argument happened.
She has admitted driving an unlicensed vehicle.
The mother-of-one was to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court but the hearing was postponed pending her appeal. | A driver filmed screaming obscenities at BBC presenter Jeremy Vine as he cycled on a narrow road in west London is to appeal against her conviction. |
23395145 | The UK prime minister told the BBC there was a "stalemate" on the ground, but work must continue internationally to try to find a solution.
UK military chiefs have warned of the risks of arming rebel groups.
Mr Cameron said there was "too much extremism" among the opposition, but moderate groups still deserved support.
Syrian government forces have taken the initiative in recent months, and have been bolstered by the capture of the strategically important town of Qusair in the west of the country in June.
Most of the much bigger city of Homs has been recaptured by government troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Washington and London have been looking at ways to increase logistical support for opposition groups and the UK announced last week it was sending £650,000-worth of protective clothing to guard them against chemical and biological attacks.
By Emily BuchananBBC world affairs correspondent
Today's interview shows just how far David Cameron has rowed back from his previous bullish calls for action.
Last November he called on the newly re-elected Barack Obama to address the Syrian crisis as a priority. Then, in December, he pushed the EU for an early review of the arms embargo.
But as the conflict has dragged on and more evidence of the involvement of extremist groups has emerged, discomfort over getting involved in a bitter civil war has grown.
It's unlikely that arming the rebels could now be passed through Parliament with dozens of Conservative MPs opposed.
Although the prime minister still wants to help moderate forces, how that can be achieved is far from clear. He called the conflict a stalemate.
With Russia still supporting President Assad, so too it seems is Western policy on Syria.
But reports have suggested support for supplying weapons to rebel groups is receding, due to strong political opposition and widespread concerns about arms falling into the wrong hands.
Mr Cameron told the Andrew Marr show that President Bashar al-Assad was an "evil" man who was doing "terrible things to his people".
But he also said the UK "should have nothing to do" with elements of the opposition also reported to have committed atrocities.
"It is a very depressing picture and it is a picture which is on the wrong trajectory," he said of the conflict.
"There is too much extremism among the rebels. There is also still appalling behaviour from this dreadful regime using chemical weapons. There is an enormous overspill of problems into neighbouring countries."
He added: "I think he [Assad] may be stronger than he was a few months ago but I'd still describe the situation as a stalemate."
Despite the UK's concerns about the actions and views of some opposition groups, Mr Cameron said the UK had a duty to support those pushing for a "democratic, free and pluralistic" country.
"You do have problems with part of the opposition which is extreme, that we should have nothing to do with. But that is not a reason for pulling up the drawbridge, putting our head in the sand and doing nothing.
"What we should be doing is working with international partners to help the millions of Syrians who want to have a free democratic Syria, who want to see that country have some form of success."
Mr Cameron also said reports in the media that his wife had been a strong influence on his policy were a "total urban myth".
Samantha Cameron visited a refugee camp in Lebanon in March in her role as ambassador for Save The Children, in which she met families and children displaced by the conflict.
It has been suggested that she has since pressed for a stronger humanitarian response.
The UN says the refugee crisis is the worst for 20 years, with 1.7 million forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries and an average of 6,000 people fleeing every day this year.
Mr Cameron said his wife had been "very moved" by what she had seen and heard from people who had lost loved ones and whose communities had been destroyed.
But he added: "She does not influence my policy on this. I have been very passionate about this for a long time." | The Assad government may have got "stronger" in recent months, but more can be done to help Syria's opposition forces, David Cameron has said. |
30898405 | The protests continued on Tuesday in the capital, Kinshasa, and internet connections were blocked following Monday's clashes between opposition supporters and security forces.
Demonstrators say government plans for a census are a ploy to delay elections.
Mr Kabila is constitutionally barred from running for a third term.
The government admits next year's elections could be delayed, but says the census is vital to ensure free and fair elections.
The BBC's Maud Jullien reports from Kinshasa that most shops are closed and internet and text messaging services have been blocked, apparently on the orders of the government.
Hundreds of angry young men burned tyres in several neighbourhoods, looted mainly Asian-owned shops and threw stones at cars, our reporter says.
A town hall in southern Kinshasa, a city with a population of more than nine million, was also set ablaze, AFP news agency reports.
In the poor area of Masina on the city's outskirts, police tried to disperse protesters by shooting into the air, our correspondent says.
Ten people were arrested on Tuesday, AFP reports.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said two policemen and two "looters" had been killed in Monday's clashes in the capital.
Human rights activists said up to 10 people may have been killed.
Opposition figures suggested the number of those who had died may be higher still.
The demonstrators called on Mr Kabila to step down when his term expires and carried placards which said: "Don't touch the constitution".
Hundreds of people also protested on Monday in Goma, the main trading post in the east.
The protests coincided with a debate in the Senate, the upper parliamentary chamber, over government plans to hold a census before elections.
Most senators, including members of the governing party, said they were opposed to the plan because it risked destabilising the country.
The lower chamber, the House of Representatives, approved the plan on Saturday, in a vote boycotted by opposition MPs.
The opposition says this amounts to a "constitutional coup" by Mr Kabila, as it will take about three years for a census to be conducted in DR Congo, which is two-thirds of the size of western Europe, has very little infrastructure and is hit by instability in the east.
DR Congo, formerly known as Zaire, has never had a reliable census since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila took power in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila, who was president at the time, and has won two disputed elections since then.
DR Congo is rich in natural resources, but most people are poor. | At least four people have been killed in protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo calling for President Joseph Kabila to step down next year. |
35779485 | It proved to be a frustrating afternoon for the Dutchman who saw his side fail to make the most of their opportunities.
Ahly are hunting a record-extending ninth Champions League title under the guidance of the 60-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham boss.
African Champions League fixtures and results
The return match is set for Alexandria next Saturday with record eight-time winners Ahly favourites to reach the final qualifying round for the group stage.
Elsewhere, goals just before and after half-time gave Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa a 2-0 home victory over AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville.
It could have been a wider winning margin after Anthony Laffor had a late penalty saved by substitute keeper Tresor Elenga. He had replaced Herve Lomboto who was sent off for the foul which led to the penalty.
Keagan Dolly had put Sundowns ahead with Colombian Leonardo Castro doubling the lead.
The other South African challengers, Kaizer Chiefs, suffered a shock 1-0 home loss to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.
Adama Bakayoko nodded the winner on 51 minutes for ASEC as Chiefs suffered a third loss in all competitions within eight days.
Last Saturday they were bundled out of the South African FA Cup by arch rivals Orlando Pirates and a midweek league loss virtually ended any hopes of retaining the league title.
Zesco United of Zambia were impressive 4-1 home winners over Horoya of Guinea in Ndola thanks to goals from Idriss Mbombo, Jesse Were, Cletus Chota and Maybin Mwaba.
Young Africans of Tanzania look set to secure a last-16 slot after winning 2-1 away to APR of Rwanda in an East African derby. Goals from Juma Abdul Jaffar and Thaban Kamusoko put the Dar es Salaam outfit in control before Patrick Sibomana halved the deficit in stoppage time.
Stade Malien of Mali overcome Coton Sport of Cameroon 2-0 in Bamako and there was a 1-0 home win for Club Africain of Tunisia over Mouloudia Bejaia. | Egyptian giants Al Ahly were held to a 0-0 draw away to Recreativo Libolo in Angola on Saturday as Ahly's new coach Martin Jol launched his African Champions League career in the first leg of their last-32 clash. |
33648602 | At the La Olivilla lynx breeding centre in Santa Elena, in southern Spain, a group of conservationists are in an office, gathered around a TV monitor.
On it they watch an Iberian lynx cub learn to hunt by playing with a domestic rabbit in one of the centre's compounds. The lynx, the size of a small cat, is only a few weeks old but already has the sharply pointed ears and mottled fur that make the species so recognisable.
It swipes playfully at the rabbit with its paws, but still has a long way to go before it graduates to killing its own prey.
When it does, it will probably be released into the wild, following in the tracks of many other animals born in captivity here.
Just over a decade ago, the Iberian lynx, also known as Lynx pardinus, was on the verge of extinction, with only 90 animals registered, in the Andujar and Donana areas of southern Spain.
But an intense campaign over recent years has brought it back from the brink, with 327 lynxes believed to be roaming southern, central and western Spain, as well as parts of Portugal, last year.
"We're on the way to saving the species," says Miguel Simon, director of the Iberlince lynx conservation programme.
"Losing this unique natural treasure would have been as bad for us as losing the Great Mosque in Cordoba or the Alhambra in Granada."
In June, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) improved the status of the Iberian lynx from "critically endangered" to "endangered". In its appraisal, the organisation saw the mammal's recovery as "excellent proof that conservation really works".
Around 140 specimens have been released into the wild, with the Iberian wildcat programme borrowing reintroduction techniques used by German conservationists.
But this success has not been cheap. Between 2002 and 2018, the programme will have received €69m (£49m; $76m) in funding, mainly from the European Union.
Much of that money has gone into three breeding centres in Spain, including in Santa Elena and one in Portugal.
Teresa del Rey Wamba, a veterinarian who works on the conservation programme in southern Spain, says that prior to the animal's recent comeback, a lack of appropriate prey was a major problem, as was illegal hunting.
Clamping down on poaching and encouraging the growth of rabbit populations - the lynx's favoured food - were therefore key, with private landowners, local governments and hunting federations all supporting the programme.
But it is not all good news. Last year, 22 lynxes were killed by vehicles on Spanish roads.
Miguel Simon says that while this is a problem, it also reflects how the lynxes' movement has increased as their numbers have risen.
His team has overseen the installation of underground tunnels, custom-built for the animals to cross busy roads, and more are planned.
Of greater concern however is a recent outbreak across southern Europe of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, a highly contagious virus that has been killing off the lynxes' staple diet since 2011 and reducing their reproductive rate.
In light of this threat, the IUCN decision to take the lynx off the "critically endangered" list was incorrect, according to Emilio Virgos, a lynx expert at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid.
"If all the data we have so far about how lynxes live and survive and reproduce are correct, and we have no reason to think otherwise, the number of lynxes… will drop drastically," he says of the outlook for the next few years.
He warns that extinction is still a possibility within decades.
While Mr Simon is worried about the rabbit virus, he describes such forecasts as "alarmist" and points to an emergency plan to boost rabbit numbers. Its success, he says, will depend in great part on continued funding.
"The battle for conservation of the lynx is never-ending," he says. | An intense conservation campaign has brought the Iberian lynx back to the south of Spain from the verge of extinction barely 10 years ago, Guy Hedgecoe reports from Spain. |
35409201 | It comes amid a Ugandan ban on the recruitment of maids to work in Saudi Arabia after accusations that workers have been mistreated.
The women were staying in a government-run shelter in Riyadh because they did not have money to pay for a flight.
The shelter is for people who have run away from their employers and illegal workers caught by immigration services.
A statement from the Ugandan Embassy in Saudi Arabia said that they found 24 women from Uganda at the shelter in the Saudi capital.
After visiting the shelter, Ugandan ambassador Rachid Yahya Ssemuddu said that "most of the cases involved human trafficking".
"Many of the young girls were brought to Saudi Arabia on promises that could not be met by those recruiting them," he said.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Ethiopia have also banned domestic workers from travelling to Saudi Arabia after reports of abuse.
In efforts to improve working conditions, the Ugandan embassy said it had employed a private company to monitor Ugandan migrant workers.
It was using an internet-based system that would ensure that only licensed Saudi employment agencies recruited Ugandan workers in future.
The poor treatment and abuse of maids in the Middle East is a familiar tale. Benjamin Dix and Lindsay Pollock tell the disturbing story of a young Ethiopian woman who took a job as a domestic help in Saudi Arabia but was treated like a slave.
Read Almaz's story | Seven women stranded in a Saudi hostel have been flown home, Uganda's ambassador to Saudi Arabia says. |
39266003 | It follows the American Civil Liberties Union of California's revelations the police had used surveillance tool Geofeedia to access data from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The ACLU said Facebook had made it "crystal clear" such data was now off-limits.
It called for swift action when there were any violations of the new rules.
In a blogpost, Rob Sherman, deputy chief privacy officer at Facebook, said developers could no longer "use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance".
"We are committed to building a community where people can feel safe making their voices heard," he said.
"Our approach involves making careful decisions every day about how we use and protect data at Facebook."
Last year, the ACLU of California obtained thousands of pages of public records that revealed some 20 law enforcement agencies in the state had acquired social media spying software, such as Geofeedia, that allowed them to track civil rights activists.
The ACLU suggested that "law enforcement should not be using tools that treat protesters like enemies", noting that it had found no evidence of "any public notice, debate, community input or lawmaker vote" about the use of such software.
In November, after the ACLU revelations, Twitter said that using its data to "track or profile protesters and activists is absolutely unacceptable and prohibited".
In response to Facebook's changes, the ACLU of California's technology director, Nicole Ozer, said: "We depend on social networks to connect and communicate about the most important issues in our lives and the core political and social issues in our country.
"Now more than ever, we expect companies to slam shut any surveillance side doors and make sure nobody can use their platforms to target people of colour and activists."
Malkia Cyril, executive director of the Center for Media Justice, said: "When technology companies allow their platforms and devices to be used to conduct mass surveillance of activists and other targeted communities, it chills democratic dissent and gives authoritarianism a licence to thrive.
"It's clear there is more work to be done to protect communities of colour from social media spying, censorship and harassment." | Facebook data can no longer be used by developers to create surveillance tools, the social network has said. |
35205659 | The 36-year-old Plymouth-born ex-Yeovil midfielder took over in a caretaker capacity following previous boss Paul Sturrock's departure on 1 December.
Since then, Yeovil have drawn three of their four League Two matches.
They also beat Stevenage to reach the third round of the FA Cup, in which they have been drawn at Carlisle.
Way, who will have long-serving Terry Skiverton as his assistant manager, remained coy about the length of any contract.
"Everyone's asking that question and that's including myself, with regard to contract lengths and negotiations," he told BBC Somerset.
"But all I'm focusing on is making sure that we win football matches and I think everything else will fall into place.
"I am honoured and privileged to become manager of Yeovil Town. I am ready to take this club into battle and secure our Football League status.
"I have shown the same passion and commitment as a manager that I did when I played. feel the players have given everything for me since I have taken charge and the supporters have shown a lot of love and respect."
Yeovil currently stand just two points adrift of safety, ahead of Saturday's home game against fellow strugglers York City. | Yeovil Town, the Football League's bottom club, have confirmed the appointment of Darren Way following six games in charge as interim boss. |
17416299 | The pair, along with prop Adam Jones, are among an exclusive group of Wales players to have won three Grand Slams.
The third clean sweep in eight seasons was sealed with a 16-9 victory over France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
"It's just great for this group of players," said Jenkins.
The experienced trio were in the 2005 and 2008 Grand Slam sides, while Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams and Gerald Davies achieved the same feat in Wales' so-called golden era of the 1970s.
Jenkins, 32, Adam Jones and Ryan Jones, both 31, are among a Wales team well-represented by young players, including 21-year-old Alex Cuthbert, who scored the only try of the game to gain revenge for the World Cup semi-final defeat against France in October 2011.
"It wasn't the best of games [with] a lot of kicking involved. Our defence stood out and we managed to grind out a win," said prop Jenkins who took over as captain for the second half after Sam Warburton's withdrawal with a shoulder injury.
"We knew they [France] were going to be good. They've played well all Championship and it was up to us to perform on the day.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"The occasion didn't quite get to us as they would have hoped.
"The atmosphere was unbelievable and it's great for us to win another Grand Slam.
"The coaches give us freedom to go out and play. We're quite a close group [and] the World Cup obviously brought us tighter.
"Our loss to France spurred us on today to get revenge and it's a great achievement for us."
Jones, who captained the Grand Slam winning side of 2008, was a half-time replacement for current skipper Warburton, who suffered a shoulder injury.
And Jones said the victory over France capped a memorable Six Nations campaign for Warren Gatland's side.
"For nine weeks they've been nothing short of superb," said Jones of his team-mates.
"They came into this campaign possibly as favourites with a goal and they've worked incredibly hard and they've achieved it.
"I take my hat off to every single one that's played even the smallest role. Everyone's contributed to this.
"It's something we'll reflect on and treasure and will be ours for years." | Wales veterans Gethin Jenkins and Ryan Jones believe the Grand Slam is just rewards for Wales' efforts during the Six Nations campaign. |
38514742 | On Wednesday the military said all forms of co-operation were on hold, with things needing "to be improved".
But Wiranto, who goes by one name, said the suspension related only to a language-training programme.
The row relates to "teaching materials" at an Australian army language facility, officials say.
Indonesia's military chief said the materials included "unethical stuff" that discredited the military.
How close are Australia and Indonesia?
It is not the first time official statements about the matter have contradicted one another.
Earlier, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said relations with Australia remained "in a good condition". He confirmed he had sanctioned the suspension despite his spokesman denying he had any part in the decision.
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne, meanwhile, said she was confident co-operation would soon be restored.
Indonesia's army spokesman Maj Gen Wuryanto had said the halt in co-operation came into force in December.
Military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo said the teaching materials in question were "about soldiers in the past, East Timor, Papuan independence and 'Pancasila'", a reference to Indonesia's founding philosophy.
A low-level separatist conflict has simmered in Papua province for almost half a century.
Senator Payne said an official inquiry into the dispute would be completed soon.
"I would hope at the conclusion of the inquiry, when we're able to indicate to Indonesia the steps that have been taken in Australia to address any of these concerns, we'll be able to discuss resuming the relationship across the board then," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC).
She said the issue of Papua was raised by Indonesia, but she said Australia "of course" recognised Indonesia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity".
Senator Payne also denied a claim that Australia had tried to recruit Indonesian officers in the past.
The allegation was made by General Gatot during a speech in November, according to the ABC.
"Every time there is a training programme - like recently - the best five or 10 students would be sent to Australia. That happened before I was chief so I let that happen," he was quoted as saying.
"Once I became chief commander of the national forces, it did not happen again. They will certainly be recruited. They will certainly be recruited."
Senator Payne said this was "not the case and it is something which we would not countenance, of course".
Indonesian special forces group Kopassus trains with the Special Air Service in Perth, according to local media.
The countries' navies had been expected to take part in multinational training exercises next month.
"Whether or not we will continue with the joint exercise, I will have to get back to you on that," First Admiral Jonias Mozes Sipasulta, from the Indonesian navy, told the ABC.
Bilateral relations have been tense at times in recent years, and have been suspended before, although there had been recent signs of improvement.
Military co-operation between the two nations covers a number of areas, including border control and counter-terrorism. | Indonesia has not suspended all military co-operation with Australia, its security minister says, contradicting earlier statements. |
36339681 | Those included 56 passengers from 12 different countries, with 30 Egyptians and 15 French nationals among them, according to the airliner.
One Briton was also among the travellers.
There were seven crew members and three Egyptian security staff on board.
66
people on board - 56 passengers, seven crew members and three security personnel
30 Egyptians
15 French citizens
2 Iraqis
1 from Britain, Canada, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and Portugal
The Belgian father-of-three, 56, was travelling to Cairo for a business meeting, media in Belgium reported.
The head of a logistics company, Mr Supre came from the village of Watervliet in eastern Flanders, close to the Dutch border.
Mr Osman, a 40-year-old geologist and father of two, grew up in Carmarthen in South Wales but is thought to have recently moved to Jersey.
He was the eldest son of the late Dr Mohamed Fekry Ali Osman and wife Anne.
His father had moved to South Wales from his native Egypt to work as a consultant in ear, nose and throat surgery.
Richard Osman was an executive for Jersey-based mining company Centamin and had previously worked in Australia and Egypt.
Canadian media said one of the victims was Ms Hamdy, an executive with IBM originally from Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan, but who had relocated to Cairo.
A family friend told the National Post that Ms Hamdy, a mother of three boys aged between 11 and 16, had been visiting family in Paris.
"I asked her son: 'How do you want people to remember her?'" the family friend, Haleh Banani, told the National Post. "He said, 'As a kind, loving woman, who helped a lot of people.'"
EgyptAir had initially said only one Canadian was on board, but Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said there were two.
Multiple reports identified the Chadian citizen on board as Mr Mahamat.
A spokesman for Chad's embassy in France, Muhammed Allamine, told the BBC, without confirming his name, that he had just lost his mother.
"He was going to Chad to mourn his mother. He [was] going to give condolences to his family."
Mr Allamine added that the man had been a student at France's leading military academy in Saint Cyr.
Egyptian media identified the couple as being from the city of Mahalla, in northern Egypt. They were reportedly in France where Ms Mossad had sought cancer treatment.
They were returning to Egypt after a month in the French capital, the reports said. They had three young children, who had remained in Egypt.
The mother and son had gone to France for a wedding, friends said.
Mr Shabana, in his 20s, had recently got engaged and his wedding was due later in the year.
The company Procter and Gamble said Mr Helal had managed one of its plants in Amiens, France, and was on board the flight.
He joined the company in 2000 in his native Egypt, it said. He earned a mechanical engineering degree from The American University in Cairo in 1999, the Associated Press news agency reports, quoting his LinkedIn profile.
Media in Normandy, France, said Mr Hess, 51, almost missed the flight after losing his passport days earlier. It was later found in the street in the town of Evreux, where he lived, a community website said (in French).
A minute's silence was held on Friday to remember Mr Hess, a freelance rock photographer, the website said
Father Pierre, who lived in Paris, and son Quentin, who was based in London, were travelling together following the death of Edith, Pierre's wife and Quentin's mother, Le Figaro newspaper reported (in French).
A spokesman with Algeria's foreign ministry said an Algerian-born woman, Nouha Saoudi, her husband Faycal, daughter Joumana and son Mohammed had been on board.
He said Nouha Saoudi had been naturalised as a French citizen in the western city of Nantes.
Separately, media in France say an unnamed couple in their 40s from Angers, close to Nantes, as well as their two children, were passengers. It is unclear if they are referring to the Bettiche family.
EgyptAir had said on Thursday there were only three children on board.
Reports said the couple from Angers owned a market stall, and that one of their children was a baby.
In an interview late on Thursday, Angers mayor Christophe Bechu said: "They were lovely people, with whom no-one had any problems at all, who'd been here in Angers for some time."
Kuwait's foreign ministry named Mr al-Muteiri, a Kuwaiti national, as one of the MS804 passengers, but did not give more details.
The Guardian reported that he was an economics professor and a father of two, who was travelling to Cairo for a three-day conference.
Portuguese media quoted the government as saying the 62-year-old civil engineer was the only Portuguese passenger on the flight.
He was due to travel from Cairo to Accra in Ghana for a conference, the Correio da Manha newspaper reported (in Portuguese).
Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper and AP reported that Ms al-Khawaga, a Saudi national who worked at her country's embassy in Cairo, was one of the victims.
She had worked in Cairo for 13 years, AP said, and had been following up on her daughter's medical treatment in Paris.
The Cairo-based Lebanese film director Osman Abu Laban wrote on his Facebook page that he had lost four members of his family in the crash - his uncle and aunt, as well as his cousin and his cousin's wife.
Sources have confirmed for the BBC that the pilot's name was Mohammed Saeed Ali Ali Shaqeer, and his co-pilot was Mohamed Ahmed Mamdouh Ahmed Asi.
EgyptAir said on Thursday that the pilot had had 6,275 hours of flying experience, while the co-pilot had spent 2,766 hours in the air.
One of the air hostesses was named as Yara Hani. Relatives and friends commemorated here at a church service in Cairo on 21 May.
Egyptian media identified the other crew members as Mervat Zakaria, Samar Ezz El-Din and Mahmoud El-Sayed Mansour.
If anyone is concerned about relatives or friends following the disappearance of the flight, they can call this free number provided by EgyptAir: +202 259 89320 | Sixty-six people were on board the EgyptAir flight MS804 that went down over the Mediterranean on 19 May. |
40105387 | There were 64,645 mortgage approvals for house purchases in April, the Bank of England said, a 2% fall on the previous month.
Mortgage lenders have told of a fall in demand, despite the low rates on offer.
One theory is that landlords might have brought forward purchases, to avoid the latest in a series of tax changes.
From 1 April, the amount of tax relief they could claim on mortgage payments was reduced.
The Bank of England figures also reveal that it continues to be difficult for savers to get a decent return. The interest paid on variable Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) averaged 0.39% - a new record low.
Interest paid on instant access savings accounts was just above a record low.
Meanwhile, the rate of growth of consumer credit - such as credit card borrowing, loans and overdrafts - remained at more than 10% a year in April.
Authorities, including the Bank, have said they remain vigilant over these rising unsecured debt levels. | Fixed mortgage rates have fallen to new lows, but home loan approvals have also fallen to their lowest level since September. |
18293155 | Thirteen factory workers were forced off a bus and executed by shabiha members in a village near Qusair, in the west of the country, they said.
Correspondents say the video shows a group of bodies with hideous injuries.
The UN Human Rights Council has meanwhile begun an emergency session to discuss the violence in Syria.
It is expected to blame pro-government forces for last week's massacre in Houla, in which more than 100 people died, including 49 children.
On Thursday, a Syrian government investigation into the killings blamed armed rebel groups seeking to trigger foreign military intervention.
The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, dismissed the finding as a "blatant lie", for which there was no factual evidence.
On Thursday evening, activists posted on the internet two videos showing the bodies of the 13 men who they said had been killed in al-Buwaida al-Sharqiya, a village between Qusair and the city of Homs, earlier that day.
Satellite clues to Houla massacre
Houla: How a massacre unfolded
Timeline: Syria's massacres
One video showed a group of bodies sprawled on the ground, with hideous injuries consistent with their having been shot dead at close range in the head or stomach, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Another video showed the bodies laid out on the floor of a building, with relatives grieving over them, our correspondent adds.
Activists said the murdered men were workers from a fertiliser factory whose bus was intercepted by shabiha members. They first of all robbed the workers, then took them off the bus, forced them to chant pro-government slogans and executed them, the activists added.
The account cannot be independently verified, but twice in the past week, UN ceasefire observers on the ground have corroborated similar claims from activists - most recently the killing of 13 men in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, and before that, the massacre in the Houla area of Homs province.
Residents of the village of Taldou said the shabiha had been sent into their village early on Saturday after the Syrian army unleashed a barrage of heavy weapons late on Friday in response to a local anti-government protest.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said most of the 108 victims had been shot at close range or stabbed. No more than 20 had been killed by tank and artillery fire preceding the raid, it added.
The UN Human Rights Council, the world's top human rights body, is
meeting in emergency session to discuss Syria
and is expected to condemn the Houla massacre in the strongest possible terms.
A draft resolution refers to "the wanton killings of civilians by shooting at close range and by severe physical abuse by pro-regime elements and a series of government artillery and tank shellings of a residential neighbourhood", and demands that Syria allow in human rights investigators and aid agencies immediately.
But the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the 47-member council has no real power. It cannot impose sanctions on Syria, neither can it order the UN Security Council to act.
And, our correspondent adds, with continued disagreement within the UN - neither Russia nor China supported the council meeting - and continued fighting in Syria, the prospect of an end to human rights violations, let alone the prosecution of those responsible, seems a very long way off.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to face pressure over Syria from the leaders of Germany and France when he visits Berlin and Paris. Russia has blocked Security Council action against Syria's government.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is meanwhile scheduled to meet representatives of the Syrian opposition in Turkey.
Mr Hague told the BBC that the situation was so grave and deteriorating so rapidly that all options were still on the table.
He warned that military intervention would have to be on a much bigger scale than in Libya and have to have "very broad international support". | Activists have released a video which they say shows another mass killing of civilians by a pro-government militia in Syria - the third in a week. |
38209990 | ACS, which is based at Perth Airport, offers pilot training and engineering and maintenance services for private and commercial operators in Scotland.
Glasgow Airport-based Cloud Global specialises in aviation recruitment, aircraft leasing and aviation support.
The purchase of ACS will create an operation with a combined turnover of £3.5m and a workforce of 20.
The deal will see Cloud Global utilise ACS to maintain its existing fleet of 10 aircraft.
Cloud Global said ACS managing director Allan Falconer would be leaving the business to "pursue other commercial opportunities".
He will be replaced by Cloud Global director Graeme Frater.
Mr Frater said: "This is a very positive development for both businesses.
"We had been looking for an opportunity to expand and it was clear from our previous dealings with ACS that the company provided a very good fit with our business model.
"Our strategy of developing various divisions has proven very successful and this deal will allow us to explore new opportunities to add to our client list which includes such prestigious names as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Apollo Aviation Group and IAS Medical Ltd." | Perth Airport operator ACS Aviation has been bought by aviation firm Cloud Global for an undisclosed sum. |
30209544 | The four companies are said to have rigged prices for eight years. BASF and Standard bank were also sued in the first lawsuit of its kind in the US.
The four defendants declined to comment.
Modern Settings, a Florida-based maker of jewellery and police badges, said purchasers lost millions of dollars.
The Florida company filed the complaint in Manhattan federal court.
Platinum and palladium are used in jewellery, cars and dentistry.
The companies were accused of having conspired since 2007 to rig the twice-daily platinum and palladium fixings.
It is alleged that the companies illegally shared customer data and then used that information to engage in front running.
Front running is a form of market manipulation in which traders profit by using information about their clients' trading intentions.
Traders will often know how a particular client order will affect the market and can place their own trades ahead of that order to benefit.
The four companies in this case are also accused of manufacturing "spoof" orders.
Last month , the London Metal Exchange said it will take charge of platinum and palladium price fixing, and use a new electronic platform from the 1st December.
However, the lawsuit said those changes "have come too late".
Goldman, HSBC and Standard Bank declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for BASF, the world's largest chemicals maker, said the group could not comment because it had not been notified of the complaint.
International regulators have tightened scrutiny of pricing benchmarks in recent years.
The tighter regulation comes after a currency trading scandal and the Libor scandal, which fixed a benchmark interest rate. | Goldman Sachs and HSBC are among four platinum and palladium dealers to be sued in New York for allegedly fixing the price of the metals. |
38575404 | Fe wnaeth Meri Huws ei sylwadau ar raglen y Post Cyntaf, sydd yr wythnos hon yn ceisio darogan sut le fydd Cymru mewn 40 mlynedd a hynny fel rhan o ddathliadau pen blwydd BBC Radio Cymru.
Yn ôl Meri Huws, bydd sicrhau rhagor o gyfleon addysg Gymraeg yn golygu y bydd rhan helaeth o'r boblogaeth o dan 30 oed yn gwbl ddwyieithog erbyn 2057.
"Byddai hynny yn golygu fod cyrraedd y nod o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn canol y ganrif yn bosib," meddai.
"Buaswn i yn disgwyl ein bod ni wedi cyrraedd y miliwn o siaradwyr. Dyna yw'r nod, dyna mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei ddweud sy'n mynd i ddigwydd, dwi yn gobeithio ei fod e am ddigwydd a dwi ddim yn gweld pam na ddyle fe ddigwydd."
Ym mis Awst 2016 fe gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ei nod o sicrhau miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn canol y ganrif.
Er mwyn cyrraedd y nod hwnnw, mae Meri Huws yn dweud bod angen gweithredu nawr i gynyddu y nifer sy'n medru'r iaith. Mae'n cyfaddef bod yna her, ond dywed mai'r ateb yn syml yw newid y system addysg.
"Os ydyn ni'n hollol o ddifrif ynglyn â'r miliwn, mae'n rhaid i ni chwyldroi y system addysg o nawr ymlaen."
Ychwanegodd bod angen cyflwyno addysg Gymraeg i bob plentyn o dan saith oed.
Meddai: "Dwi'n credu fod hynny yn bosib, dwi'n credu fod e'n dderbyniol. O wneud hynny, buaswn ni yn dechrau meithrin cenhedlaeth o bobl ifanc oedd â'r iaith Gymraeg yn rhan o'u pecyn sgiliau nhw o'r dechrau."
Ychwanegodd Meri Huws ei bod yn falch bod yna alw cynyddol am addysg Gymraeg a bod twf aruthrol wedi bod yn y deugain mlynedd diwethaf.
"Ond, mae hi'n drist nad ydyn ni ar bob achlysur yn gallu cwrdd â'r galw yna," dywedodd.
"Mae angen i ni sicrhau bod yr awdurdodau lleol yn gallu cyflawni, mae'n rhaid i ni roi yr adnoddau iddyn nhw."
Ychwanegodd bod rôl amlwg gan Lywodraeth Cymru i roi arweiniad yn y maes a dywedodd ei bod yn credu bod yna awydd clir gan weinidogion i ymateb i'r galw.
Ond mae'r Comisiynydd yn galw am ymateb strategol cliriach.
"Nid fan hyn, fan draw, hap a damwain, mae'n rhaid i ni feddwl yn strategol ynglŷn ag addysg yng Nghymru. Dyw e ddim yn mynd i ddigwydd trwy rhyw ddamwain," ychwanegodd.
Wrth ymateb fe ddywedodd Alun Davies, Gweinidog y Gymraeg: "Yn amlwg ein nod ni mewn 40 mlynedd yw i gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr. Yn dilyn yr ymgynghoriad ar y Strategaeth ddrafft, rydym bellach yn y broses o ddatblygu'r strategaeth iaith derfynol a fydd yn gosod y cyfeiriad hirdymor i gyrraedd y nod.
"Rydym eisiau creu un strategaeth ar gyfer y Llywodraeth gyfan. Bydd hynny yn cynnwys cyfres o ddangosyddion a fydd yn ein galluogi ni i fonitro cynnydd tuag at gyrraedd y miliwn yn ogystal â chynnydd yn nefnydd y Gymraeg.
"Wrth gwrs bydd datblygu'r system addysg i greu siaradwyr Cymraeg i'r dyfodol yn rhan greiddiol o'r strategaeth derfynol. Bydd y Strategaeth Iaith newydd yn adeiladu ar y Strategaeth Addysg Cyfrwng Cymraeg cyfredol ac yn cynnwys targedau ar gyfer ehangu a gwella'r ddarpariaeth.
Bydd nifer o faterion yn cael sylw o ran y maes addysg, gan gynnwys:
• cynyddu darpariaeth addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg drwy gefnogi awdurdodau lleol i gynllunio drwy eu Cynlluniau Strategol y Gymraeg mewn Addysg;
• cyflwyno un continwwm o ddysgu Cymraeg, y bydd disgwyl i bob ysgol ei ddefnyddio o 2021;
• cynllunio'r gweithlu er mwyn cynyddu nifer yr athrawon sy'n dysgu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
"Yn ogystal â'r maes addysg, bydd y strategaeth derfynol yn rhoi sylw i faterion sy'n dylanwadu ar gyfleoedd pobl i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg yn eu bywydau bob dydd, boed yn y cartref, y gweithle, yn gymdeithasol neu mewn hamdden," meddai'r Gweinidog. | Dywed Comisiynydd y Gymraeg bod yn rhaid "chwyldroi" y system addysg, er mwyn sicrhau y bydd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn canol y ganrif. |
34824375 | For most of last year and much of this, IS's focus has been on taking and holding territory in the Middle East. For its leaders in Raqqa and Mosul, that is still the priority.
But the militants are well aware of their transnational appeal to violent jihadists in Europe and elsewhere.
As they reel under the daily onslaught of US-led coalition airstrikes, haemorrhaging one leader after another, they are increasingly looking to direct or inspire attacks further afield.
In June, IS claimed a gun attack at a Tunisian beach resort in Sousse that killed 38 tourists, 30 of them British.
In October Turkey blamed a suicide attack killing 102 people in Ankara on IS. Later that month, IS's Sinai affiliate claimed to have brought down a Russian airliner, killing all 224 people on board.
On 12 November, IS claimed the bomb attack on the Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut that left 44 people dead. And then came Paris, with at least 120 dead and over 300 injured.
Paris attacks: What we know
Fear stalks Paris
These are not isolated, lone wolf, spur-of-the-moment attacks.
Although not necessarily difficult to execute, these attacks still took planning, preparation, training, sourcing of weapons and explosives, reconnaissance of the target and the careful recruitment of so-called "martyrs" - fanatical young men prepared to carry them out in the full knowledge they will probably die doing so.
This is far more reminiscent of al-Qaeda's modus operandi in the early 2000s, going for big publicity, high-casualty attacks that make headlines around the world.
Western counter-terrorism officials had recently come round to the conclusion that while there were still people aspiring to such grand-scale attacks, the prevailing threat was more likely to come from "self-starters", people like the murderers of British soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich near London in 2013.
In the light of what has happened in Paris and elsewhere, they may now be revising that assessment.
How will Paris cope?
A new type of terrorism?
There is also another factor here. The 1000-mile (1,600km) Turkey-Syria border used to present little obstacle to the thousands of would-be jihadists coming from Europe to swell the ranks of IS.
While the border is still porous in places, much of it on the Syrian side is now controlled by the YPG, a Kurdish militia opposed to IS.
So the "window" through which new recruits can cross has narrowed considerably. Iraq is not a realistic transit route for European jihadists to reach Syria, Jordan's border is closed and in Lebanon there is a high risk of being caught by security forces.
The net result is that IS's online recruiters have recently been encouraging their followers to stay in their own countries and plan attacks there, rather than attempt the risky journey to Syria.
In the short term at least, this will translate into a heightened chance of terrorist attacks here in Europe. | Friday's Paris assaults mark a new and frightening watermark in the steady expansion of attacks attributed to or claimed by the so-called Islamic State. |
40325788 | Well, they've all been chosen as 50 of the films children should watch before they turn 11.
Film industry experts picked the movies which most benefit a child's development and creativity.
The list, put together by education charity Into Film, also allows for the nostalgia factor when choosing which films families want to watch together.
The Must See Movies Before You Grow Up campaign - run in conjunction with the UK video industry - is split into five categories: Classics, thrills and chills, heroes and villains, kids rule and adventure.
Old favourites like Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are included alongside popular recent films like The Lego Movie and Kubo and the Two Strings.
Roald Dahl is well represented on the list, with films of his books The Witches, The BFG and Fantastic Mr Fox also among those picked.
The oldest film chosen is Disney's 1941 animation Dumbo, with a handful selected from last year including Trolls and The Secret Life of Pets.
Others selected include Night at the Museum, Shrek, Free Willy, Star Wars: A New Hope and Babe.
Into Film's chief executive Paul Reeve said he hoped that watching the films would help foster "a love of movies that can last a lifetime".
He added: "Film entertains, educates and inspires. The Must See Movies list of the 50 films every child should see before they reach the age of 11 has been selected by our panel to do all of those things."
All 50 films - the full list of which can be seen on the Into Film website - are being distributed by retailers this summer.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | What have these films got in common - The Lion King, Annie, Toy Story, E.T., Paddington and Frozen? |
13017881 | Outlets operate under tight Communist Party control. The opening-up of the industry has extended to distribution and advertising, not to editorial content. However, there is leeway for independent coverage that is not perceived as a threat to social stability or the Party.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has described President Xi Jinping as the "planet's leading censor and press freedom predator".
The Communist Party has taken repression "to new heights", the group said in its 2016 World Press Freedom Index. "Journalists were spared nothing, not even abductions, televised forced confessions and threats to relatives."
Beijing tries to limit access to foreign news by restricting rebroadcasting and the use of satellite receivers, by jamming shortwave broadcasts, including those of the BBC, and by blocking websites.
Overseas Chinese-language news outlets that are not state-owned are blocked in mainland China. However, international English language websites like the BBC are often available to view. But content that is contrary to Communist Party rhetoric is filtered and English-language news sites can be filtered at times of tension.
Fears that the media in Hong Kong would lose their independence when the territory reverted to Chinese control in 1997 have generally not been borne out. Hong Kong still has editorially-dynamic media, but worries about interference remain.
TV is available in most homes and the sector is competitive, especially in cities. There are more than 3,300 local, regional and national TV channels.
State-run Chinese Central TV (CCTV) is China's largest media company. Its dominance is challenged by provincial TVs, which are on the air nationally via satellite. China is a major market for pay TV, which is almost entirely delivered by cable. All of China's 2,600-plus radio stations are state-owned.
There are around 1,900 newspapers. Each city has its own title, usually published by the local government, as well as a local Communist Party daily.
China spends hugely on TV, radio, online and press outlets targeted at international audiences, aiming to extend its political influence and boost its image. It is less keen to allow foreign players into the domestic market.
With 731 million users (China Internet Network Information Centre, CNNIC, January 2017), China has the world's largest internet-using population.
The CNNIC says 92.5% of China's online population can access the internet via a smartphone.
There are three powerful online giants, known collectively as "BAT": Baidu is the top search engine; e-commerce leader Alibaba has allied with Sina, which operates the Weibo microblog platform; and Tencent owns instant messenger WeChat.
Because of official censorship, Weibo is losing some of its appeal as a forum where relatively uncensored news can be shared.
WeChat, Tencent's take on the WhatsApp instant messenger, has more than 846 million monthly active users, making it the most popular social media platform in China.
China has the world's largest online video market. Streaming platforms, including market leader iQiyi, Youku Tudou and Sohu have a huge following and pose a challenge to traditional TV.
An extensive web filtering system, dubbed the "Great Firewall of China", blocks tens of thousands of sites using URL filtering and keyword censoring.
Thousands of cyber-police watch the web and material deemed politically and socially sensitive is filtered. Blocked resources include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and human rights sites.
The use of circumvention tools, including virtual private networks (VPNs), became harder after China strengthened its firewall to allow it to intercept data traffic to and from individual IP addresses. This was coined the "Great Fire Cannon" when it came into effect in 2015. | China is the largest media market in the world, and has the world's largest online population. |
37076430 | The fire at Little Plumstead Hospital, near Norwich, broke out at 01:45 BST on Sunday.
There were more than 50 firefighters at the scene at the height of the blaze.
Station manager Duncan Ashworth said: "It's a beautiful building, and a very complicated building. All of the internal structures have burnt away."
The blaze engulfed the entire 60m (197ft) by 20m (67ft) building.
The red brick building, built as a hall in 1889, opened as a hospital in 1930 and has been unoccupied since the 1990s. No-one was in the building when the fire broke out.
Mr Ashworth said it was not yet known how the fire started and an investigation was under way.
"Because it was so well developed by the time we got here, we are obviously going to speak to people, early witnesses, to try to establish the most likely area but at the moment, it's going to be difficult to pinpoint that exactly," he said.
Firefighters are still at the scene dampening down. | A former mental health hospital has been destroyed after a large fire ripped through the 19th Century building. |
39604792 | The already-relegated club slumped to a 26th League One defeat of the season through goals from Jake Forster-Caskey and Ricky Holmes.
Reece Mitchell replied in stoppage time for bottom-placed Chesterfield before Forster-Caskey had a penalty saved.
Chesterfield needed a fine save by Thorsten Stuckmann in the 16th minute to keep out a Holmes free-kick from just outside the box.
Joe Rowley almost gave Chesterfield the lead in the 35th minute but two minutes later, Charlton scored when Forster-Caskey was given too much time to fire a 20-yard shot into the bottom-left corner.
Chesterfield should have equalised in the 47th minute when Kristian Dennis robbed Ezri Konsa but blazed over from 12 yards and Charlton took advantage when Holmes' free-kick was deflected past Stuckmann in the 57th minute.
Dennis rattled the bar in the 74th minute and Mitchell converted a rebound before Forster-Caskey's last-gasp penalty was saved after he was fouled by Jon Nolan.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Chesterfield 1, Charlton Athletic 2.
Second Half ends, Chesterfield 1, Charlton Athletic 2.
Penalty saved! Jake Forster-Caskey (Charlton Athletic) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the centre of the goal.
Jon Nolan (Chesterfield) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Penalty Charlton Athletic. Jake Forster-Caskey draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Jon Nolan (Chesterfield) after a foul in the penalty area.
Kristian Dennis (Chesterfield) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Chesterfield 1, Charlton Athletic 2. Reece Mitchell (Chesterfield) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
Laurence Maguire (Chesterfield) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jordan Botaka (Charlton Athletic).
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Johnnie Jackson replaces Josh Magennis.
Substitution, Chesterfield. Jack Brownell replaces Dan Gardner.
Attempt blocked. Jon Nolan (Chesterfield) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Jordan Botaka (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high.
Ezri Konsa Ngoyo (Charlton Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Hand ball by Reece Mitchell (Chesterfield).
Corner, Chesterfield. Conceded by Ezri Konsa Ngoyo.
Corner, Chesterfield. Conceded by Jason Pearce.
Foul by Reece Mitchell (Chesterfield).
Nathan Byrne (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Kristian Dennis (Chesterfield) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Josh Magennis (Charlton Athletic).
Jon Nolan (Chesterfield) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jake Forster-Caskey (Charlton Athletic).
Foul by David Faupala (Chesterfield).
Jason Pearce (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Dan Gardner (Chesterfield) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt saved. Laurence Maguire (Chesterfield) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
David Faupala (Chesterfield) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jason Pearce (Charlton Athletic).
Tom Anderson (Chesterfield) hits the bar with a right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Joe Rowley (Chesterfield) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jake Forster-Caskey (Charlton Athletic).
Foul by Ricky Holmes (Charlton Athletic).
Paul McGinn (Chesterfield) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Kristian Dennis (Chesterfield) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Lee Novak replaces Joe Aribo.
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Jordan Botaka replaces Karlan Ahearne-Grant because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Karlan Ahearne-Grant (Charlton Athletic) because of an injury. | Chesterfield set an unwanted club record after being beaten at home by Charlton. |
33445245 | The UK government recently announced plans to scrap the Renewables Obligation scheme early.
UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has said ending the scheme meant energy bills would not need to rise.
But Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing, who chaired the summit, has accused the Conservatives of ignoring Scottish concerns.
The event was attended by more than 200 people from businesses and organisations, according to the Scottish government.
The UK government has said that ending the subsidy scheme, which was funded by a levy on household fuel bills, was likely to mean about 2,500 planned onshore turbines would be cancelled.
Ending the subsidy was part of a manifesto commitment by the Conservative party ahead of the general election in May.
It had been due to end in April 2017 - but will now cease a year earlier.
When she announced the move last month, Ms Rudd said: "We are driving forward our commitment to end new onshore wind subsidies and give local communities the final say over any new wind farms.
"Onshore wind is an important part of our energy mix and we now have enough subsidised projects in the pipeline to meet our renewable energy commitments."
But the Scottish government has said that ending the subsidy will disproportionately affect Scotland, which leads the UK in onshore wind power.
Industry body Scottish Renewables has warned the change could put up to £3bn of investment in Scotland at risk, and called for UK ministers to reconsider.
Speaking after the summit, Mr Ewing said: "Delegates this morning spoke about the damage this will cause the rural economy - many of the shops and business that are vital to these communities.
"Over the next few weeks DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) will be seeking the views of those affected and I strongly encourage anyone with an interest to respond on this to ensure our concerns are heard.
"We will continue to make representations to both the UK government's energy department and to the Scotland Office, feeding back from what I heard at the summit and the many meetings I have had with representatives from the industry." | A green energy summit has been held in Glasgow to discuss the impact of plans to end onshore wind farm subsidies. |
37339389 | Known as imperial measures - because they were defined in law in the early 19th Century and spread across the British Empire - these units have a place in our collective vocabulary and history, but could they be about to make a comeback in every day commercial use following the vote to leave the EU?
Although steps towards metrication began nearly a decade before the UK joined the EU in 1973, the gradual adoption of a French measurement system has become synonymous with European integration in the eyes of many and Brexit a priceless opportunity to inch away from it.
Since June's Brexit vote, a number of companies, ranging from butchers to wine merchants, have said they would relish the chance to be able to trade in imperial units.
Simon Berry, chairman of Berry Bros & Rudd, has gone as far as to say it is his lifetime's ambition to sell champagne in pint-sized bottles - currently outlawed in the UK - and in his words to reclaim it from "rules-obsessed bureaucrats".
Campaigner Warwick Cairns says people feel this way because imperial measurements are not only easily understandable but inherently popular.
"There is something about feet and inches that feel part of our identity and culture," he says. "They make sense on a human scale, they make sense on a cultural scale. It is part of us."
A brief history of weights and measures
Mr Cairns, who represents the imperial-supporting British Weights and Measures Association and is the author of a book about the issue, insists that people should not be required to use either system, because modern technology can easily accommodate both.
"This is the chance for people to be free to use whatever measures they please," he says.
"Take my bathroom scales. If I want to weigh myself in kilograms, I can. Flick the switch the other way, and I can weigh myself in stones and pounds. There is no reason why you can't do that."
Controversial attempts by the EU - aided and abetted by successive British governments - to make the UK move to a single metric system officially came to an end in 2008, when Brussels agreed to the continued use of pints (for draught beer and cider), pounds and miles, alongside metric units.
Current laws require traders to use metric measurements when weighing packaged or loose goods for sale in England, Wales and Scotland but still allow them to sell goods in imperial quantities and display prices in imperial as long as they do not "stand out more" than the metric signs alongside them.
The rules are not rigorously enforced today, after public and political furore over the prosecution of the "metric martyrs", a group of market traders convicted 15 years ago of selling goods using only imperial measures.
But they are still seen, by both sides of the argument, as a dog's breakfast ripe for reform.
Advocates of metric say it is perfectly feasible for the two systems to co-exist but does not make commercial sense.
"The current measurement muddle aids only our competitors," says Derek Pollard, the chairman of the UK Metric Association.
With 90% of the UK's trade taking place with metric countries - the US being the stand-out exception - he says the UK would be at a big disadvantage if it reverted.
"To compete effectively, we need a single, logical and universal measurement system that everyone understands and is familiar with," Mr Pollard says.
This view is shared by the UK Weighing Federation, which speaks on behalf of companies manufacturing, installing and repairing commercial scales and associated equipment - including components, instrumentation and software.
Not only, it says, are most imperial measuring scales now consigned to people's lofts or on display in museums, but the equipment used to test commercial weights to guarantee their conformity with technical and safety standards - a procedure known as type approvals - is not available for any mass switch back to imperial.
"All measuring equipment is designed to record in metric," says its president, Nick Catt.
"If you want to be a manufacturing country and want to have a strong connection with Europe, then you have to follow the European norms and rules.
"Otherwise it would be chaos and it would be consumers who lose out."
Having a dual system of metric and imperial would, he says, involve a "phenomenal" cost to retailers, which would inevitably be passed on to customers - an outcome at odds with the deregulatory impetus behind Brexit.
"It would just not be practical," Mr Catt says.
"You would have to teach kids in schools what pounds are.
"We are talking about an era that is gone, and we can't turn the clock back that far."
The act of Brexit, in and of itself, will not see "lb" signs springing up all over the UK.
For that to happen, Parliament would need to repeal the current regulations, dating back to the mid-1990s, obliging traders to sell their products in metric weights.
As far as the government is concerned, such a change is not on the horizon while it focuses on reassuring investors the UK is open for business globally after the Brexit vote.
"Businesses can already use imperial units alongside metric, or on their own for draught beer and cider, bottled milk and road traffic signs," a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said.
"This is national legislation and there has been no change to the law since the referendum result."
While the issue is unlikely to be the first port of call for MPs as they seek to decouple the UK from 40 years of EU-related legislation over the coming years, there is a body of opinion within Parliament that would support such a move.
In 1998, 89 MPs signed a parliamentary motion opposing compulsory metrication and the prosecution of traders continuing to use imperial.
The motion, which also pledged its support for the "use of customary UK measures", shows imperial measures have friends in high places.
Among those to sign were Jeremy Corbyn and Philip Hammond - then humble backbenchers but now Labour leader and Chancellor of the Exchequer. | Not giving an inch, going the extra mile, entering the final furlong, piling on the pounds and doing the hard yards - the English language is rich with phrases derived from the units British people use to measure distances, sizes and quantities. |
40418917 | Coleraine's Peter Chambers will compete in the lightweight single sculls.
Fellow Coleraine man Joel Cassells will race in the lightweight pair with partner Sam Scrimgeour.
Enniskillen's Holly Nixon will stroke the women's quadruple sculls and Belfast's Rebecca Shorten will do likewise for the women's eight.
Chambers returns after missing the second World Cup in Poznan but takes part in the lightweight singles sculls rather than the double sculls as Englishman Will Fletcher is currently injured.
Lightweight men's pair duo Cassells and Scrimgeour continue their partnership as they fine tune their race plan ahead of September's World Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.
Illness to Jess Leyden forced the women's quadruple sculls to miss Poznan after they'd won a bronze medal at the European Championships in May.
Leyden is replaced by Alice Baatz and she joins regulars Nixon, Beth Bryan and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne.
Shorten will once again stroke the women's eight in Lucerne as they hope to continue their progress that saw them claim a silver medal in Poznan. | Four Northern Ireland rowers have been included in the Great Britain squad for the third and final World Cup regatta of the season in Lucerne next month. |
39926119 | The BBC reported in February that Lewis-based Hebridean Sea Salt was the subject of a probe by local authority environmental health officers.
It has now emerged that its product is no longer stocked by a supermarket and cannot be bought online.
There is no activity at its factory or on its social media sites.
The BBC has been unable to contact the owner Natalie Crayton for comment.
The probe by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's environmental health department is understood to have been prompted by concerns raised by a former employee.
Hebridean Sea Salt was formed six years ago and became a well-known brand in delis and shops across the country.
It began as a small operation before successfully securing orders from high street stores such as Sainsburys, which had been offering the product at its 360 stores in a deal worth £180,000.
Hebridean Sea Salt had also been making inroads into international markets.
The company has had financial backing from the public purse with Highlands and Islands Enterprise contributing £174,573 to expand the business. | A sea salt business appears to be no longer in business following the launch of an investigation into the authenticity of its product. |
38004782 | The Bevan Foundation outlined what it thinks Wales' economic priorities should be, following an invitation for views from the Welsh Government.
They include all public sector employers paying workers the voluntary Living Wage within a year.
The Welsh Government said it will consider the report.
In October it was announced the UK voluntary Living Wage was to rise to £8.45 per hour.
The foundation's submission said despite Wales' good performance "some major challenges remain."
These are highlighted as a shortage of jobs in some part of the country.
For example Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff have barely half the number of jobs per head of working-age population compared with the UK average.
The report said where there has been employment growth, much of the increase has been in self-employment, part-time working and temporary jobs.
The report said wages, especially low wages, have been stagnant over the last six years with some parts of Wales experiencing a decrease in earnings.
In Blaenau Gwent earnings have not kept up with inflation, meaning the average worker is more than £70 a week worse off than in 2002.
Brexit was said to pose a new challenge, with concerns about the consequences for Wales' 500 foreign-owned companies and its £1 billion of exports each quarter.
The Bevan Foundation recommends that the Welsh Government's economic policies should promote "inclusive growth".
This involves combining the aim of growing prosperity, such as increasing employment, with the aim of increasing inclusion, such as addressing low wages.
The report said: "The Welsh Government has made good progress in encouraging the adoption of the voluntary Living Wage in the public sector, including the NHS, further education colleges and some local authorities."
But it adds that "much more could be done to increase take-up."
The foundation calls on the Welsh Government to require all public sector employers to pay the voluntary Living Wage to workers within a year, and to sub-contractors by 2019.
Inclusive growth should also address inequalities in the labour market.
The report states less than half of disabled people are in work, as are less than two-thirds of people from an ethnic minority.
The report concludes by saying: "Although Wales' economy and employment have made good progress, there are still too many people in Wales for whom a secure, decently paid job is just a pipedream.
"We welcome the Welsh Government's commitment to prosperity for all, and recommend that its commitment be turned into reality."
The Welsh Government said it welcomed the report.
A spokesman said: "We will consider it along with the others we have received as we take forward our work to build the confident, bright, prosperous and dynamic economy all parts of Wales deserve.
"We are also developing a fresh approach to improving prosperity in the south Wales valleys, which is being driven by a new ministerial taskforce." | There are too many people in Wales for whom a "secure and decent paid job is just a pipedream," a think tank has said. |
36306331 | Actor Brian Cox appears in two of the films, a comedy, The Carer, and a western, Forsaken, which also stars Donald and Kiefer Sutherland.
Braveheart actor Angus Macfadyean will bring his first film as a director, Macbeth Unhinged, to the festival.
The film is a modern, black and white retelling of the Shakespearean tragedy.
Scot Dougray Scott will be starring in the apocalyptic thriller The Rezort.
The 70th edition of the film festival runs from 15-26 June. It will include feature films, shorts, documentaries and animations.
The opening night gala will feature the world premiere of Jason Connery's drama Tommy's Honour, about Scottish golfing pioneer Old Tom Morris and starring Peter Mullan and Jack Lowden.
It is based on a true story and focuses on Morris's turbulent relationship with his son, Tommy.
The festival will close with the world premiere of Gillies Mackinnon's Whisky Galore, featuring Gregor Fisher, James Cosmo, Kevin Guthrie, Sean Biggerstaff and Eddie Izzard.
Mark Adams, artistic director said: "We are delighted to once again cast the spotlight on great Scottish talent at this year's festival. It speaks so much about the breadth and variety of filmmakers, craftspeople and performers that our selection of projects featuring local talent shines so brightly."
Natalie Usher, director of screen at Creative Scotland, said: "EIFF is a key event in Scotland's cultural calendar, offering audiences inspirational, world-class cinema.
"EIFF is recognising and celebrating the wealth and depth of home-grown filmmaking talent supported by Creative Scotland."
The festival will also have a special screening to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting and a world premiere screening of the newly 4K restored Highlander, attended by the film's star Clancy Brown. | The Scottish films to be screened at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival have been announced in Cannes. |
38006546 | Suzie McCash, from Tynemouth, rang police and calmly explained that "Mummy's got her eyes closed" and that she could not talk.
A recording of the call was released by Northumbria Police, who said she almost certainly saved her mother's life.
Rowena McCash was treated in hospital and has made a full recovery.
The GP suffered a severe allergic reaction at home last month and went into respiratory arrest.
Suzie dialled 999 and described her mother's situation to police call handler Adam Hall, who guided paramedics to the family home in Tynemouth.
The youngster earlier received a bravery award and was reunited with the police and ambulance service staff involved in the drama.
Dr McCash said: "I feel incredibly fortunate for how brave and clever Suzie was and I am incredibly proud of her.
"She's so amazing. Everyone thinks their children are amazing, but this is something else.
"Suzie tells me I fell on the floor and that I just wouldn't get up again.
"At some point I got to the sofa, but we don't quite know what happened after that.
"I'm so grateful to the police, especially the police call handler, who was just so calm."
Paramedic Jamie Frend, who treated Dr McCash before taking her to hospital, said: "When we arrived Suzie made a beeline for me and gave me possibly one of the most professional and succinct handovers regarding her mum that I have ever had. From a child, it blew me away.
"She said Mum was possibly having a reaction to something, that she had taken her medication twice and it hadn't worked.
"She also told me how Mum had presented before the 999 call and during the call, which gave me a good picture of what was happening."
Supt Nicola Musgrove said: "Suzie's mum stopped breathing altogether but paramedics were able to stabilise her.
"Had it not been for the quick actions of Suzie she would undoubtedly have died." | The mother of a four-year-old girl who called 999 when she suffered a near-fatal allergic reaction has described her daughter as "brave and incredible". |
39723939 | West Heslerton, near Malton, has a 21-bedroom mansion, pub, petrol station, 43 homes and 2,116 acres of land.
The village has been owned by the same family for more than 150 years and was put on the market after the death of the most recent owner.
Cundalls estate agents said it had been acquired by Norfolk-based farming and property investment company, Albanwise.
Read more about this and other stories from across North Yorkshire
A spokesman for the firm said the company was due to complete the purchase on Friday and had already had meetings with residents.
The sale price has not been disclosed.
The estate had been inherited by Eve Dawnay in the 1960s but the family decided to sell after her death in 2010.
At the time it was put on the market, residents of the village described it as the "end of an era".
Miss Dawnay was known to have kept rents in the village at a low level which Cundalls said had helped the village remain vibrant.
The estate produces an annual income of about £388,000. | An English village put up for sale in 2016 with a £20m price tag has been sold. |
38376878 | The extension into Bay of Nigg, which will provide a facility for oil industry decommissioning work, is due to be completed in 2020. Work on the project will begin early in 2017.
Other improvements included in the expansion are aimed at attracting cruise ships to the port.
Aberdeen Harbour Board described the project as a "major new chapter" in the port's history.
Board chief executive Colin Parker said: "We are delighted that, after six years of detailed planning and extensive consultation with our many stakeholders and the regulatory authorities, we are now in a position to approve commencement of construction.
"Aberdeen Harbour Board, in partnership with Dragados UK, a main contractor, will develop facilities over the next three years that will represent a step change in the marine support capabilities in Scotland.
"These will transform the port's ability to accommodate the trend for larger vessels we are witnessing across a whole range of industries.
"The expansion will afford existing customers the opportunity to diversify and expand their interests, whilst attracting new customers and markets to the port, including up-scaled decommissioning activity, a more significant share of the available cruise vessel fleet and larger more cost-effective commercial vessels."
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: "This is excellent news for Aberdeen and the Scottish maritime industry, as the signing of the construction contract means this nationally significant project can now get underway in earnest.
"The significant investment will bring jobs and business to Aberdeen, supporting the local and national economy.
"The historic harbour will be transformed to accommodate larger vessels, opening up potential new revenue streams and offering customers world-class marine support facilities.
"These are exciting times for Aberdeen Harbour."
However, residents from the Torry area who formed the Battle for the Bay of Nigg Committee say they remain against the plan.
A member of the group, Renee Slater, told BBC Scotland: "The size of it is massive.
"Dolphins, porpoises and seals use the harbour, it's a beautiful place.
"The images are a Disney-esque parody."
The Battle for the Bay of Nigg Committee is concerned that if the proposals are carried through they will threaten local wildlife and have a detrimental effect on surrounding roads and open space. | A £350m expansion of Aberdeen harbour has been approved. |
39635353 | The Dens Park club, second bottom in the Premiership, sacked Paul Hartley on Monday.
The Dark Blues' next fixture is away to Motherwell, who are one place and two points above them, on 29 April.
"Yes, we're in a poor position at the minute but, equally, we're not far off of [seventh-placed] Kilmarnock," said McCann, 42.
"I'm excited. I appreciate the opportunity, I'm not going into anything lightly.
"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.
"This opportunity was just too good to turn down."
Dundee are on a run of seven straight defeats, with Hamilton Academical climbing above them after Saturday's 2-0 win at Dens Park.
Scot McCann, who had a previous coaching spell at Dunfermline Athletic, has worked as a pundit covering Scottish football for Sky Sports.
Managing director John Nelms said McCann was "first choice" for the job and the new manager insists the current Dundee squad is "absolutely good enough".
"I am surprised at the position they're in," he said.
"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 and 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 also said he was "massively confident" of getting Dundee away from relegation trouble.
He 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.
And McCann's former Falkirk and Scotland team-mate Jackie McNamara has backed Dundee's appointment.
"Neil has got great experience in the game," the former Dundee United and Partick Thistle boss told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.
"I don't think Neil would do this if he wasn't confident. The feelings he has for the club, the affinity he has with them, I don't think he would even consider it if he didn't feel he was confident of getting a reaction from the players inside the dressing room.
"He's obviously an intelligent lad, he's got good ideas in the game. He's quite a fiery character, Neil. I always thought he'd go into management.
"There's five massive games there for them to keep them in the division. They're capable of doing that." | Dundee have appointed former player Neil McCann as their interim manager until the end of the season. |
32106787 | The tour coach came off the A83 in Argyll at the Rest and Be Thankful. It rolled down an embankment before coming to rest beside Loch Restil.
Of the 52 people on board, 23 were initially taken to hospital.
One of the six still being treated in hospital is reported to be in a serious but stable condition at Glasgow's Southern General.
Two patients at the Western Infirmary and three at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley are in a stable condition. | Six patients are still in hospital being treated for a range of injuries, following a coach crash on Thursday. |
29168382 | They said their process is fast, clean and cheap. It can store energy from the sun and wind.
Writing in the journal Science, the Glasgow researchers said their process is thirty times faster than the current method.
Without using any more energy, it is claimed to store the hydrogen in a carbon-free liquid.
Prof Lee Cronin, of the university's School of Chemistry. said: "The process uses a liquid that allows the hydrogen to be locked up in a liquid-based inorganic fuel.
"By using a liquid sponge known as a redox mediator that can soak up electrons and acid we've been able to create a system where hydrogen can be produced in a separate chamber without any additional energy input after the electrolysis of water takes place.
"The link between the rate of water oxidation and hydrogen production has been overcome, allowing hydrogen to be released from the water 30 times faster than the leading PEME process on a per-milligram-of-catalyst basis." | Researchers at Glasgow University have claimed a breakthrough in producing hydrogen fuel from water. |
36734377 | The figure represents a 54% increase compared with the previous year.
There has been a high-profile legal challenge to whether parents should have to pay fines for taking children on holiday during the school term.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "Children should not be taken out of school without good reason."
The Department for Education figures include parents who have taken their children on term-time holidays - and the figures show that a high proportion of parents paid the penalty fines within 28 days.
But there were more than 21,000 cases where parents did not pay and were prosecuted - and in another 17,000 cases the penalties were dropped.
The figures show how fines for parents have become more common - with almost a fivefold increase in penalties over the past five years.
A separate set of figures, based on Freedom of Information requests carried out by the Santander bank, estimated that the fines levied last year amounted to £5.6m.
In May the High Court ruled that a father did not have to pay a £120 fine to Isle of Wight Council after he took his daughter to Florida.
The court ruled that Jon Platt had no case to answer because, overall, his daughter had attended school regularly.
But the council has since been told it can apply to challenge the decision.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "The rules are perfectly clear - children should not be taken out of school without good reason.
"That is why we have tightened the rules and are supporting schools and local authorities to use their powers to tackle unauthorised absence.
"The evidence shows that every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil's chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances - vindicating our strong stance on attendance.
"A child who is absent also impacts teachers, whose planning of lessons is disrupted by children missing large portions of teaching." | There were 151,125 penalty notices issued to parents in England for their children's term-time absence from school during 2014-15. |
32714802 | The PM will tell the National Security Council a counter-extremism bill will be in the Queen's Speech on 27 May.
The bill will include new immigration rules, powers to close down premises used by extremists and "extremism disruption orders".
Mr Cameron will say a "poisonous" extremist ideology must be confronted.
In other political news;
The proposals were first set out by Home Secretary Theresa May before the general election.
But the Conservatives were unable to secure the backing of their then Liberal Democrat coalition partners for the measures.
There is likely to be some opposition in the new Parliament on the grounds that some of the plans could infringe people's right to free speech, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said.
The measures are also expected to introduce banning orders for extremist organisations who use hate speech in public places, but whose activities fall short of it being proscribed as a terror group.
Home Secretary Theresa May told BBC Radio 4 Today the government wants to "bring people together to ensure we are living together as one society".
She said: "What we are proposing is a bill which will have certain measures within it, measures such as introducing banning orders for groups and disruption orders for individuals, for those who are out there actively trying to promote this hatred and intolerance which can lead to division in our society and undermines our British values.
"But it will be part of a bigger picture , a strategy which will also have as a key part of it actually promoting our British values, our values of democracy, rule of law, tolerance and acceptance of different faiths."
The measures, she added, will focus on "extremism of all sorts... that is seeking to promote hatred, that is seeking to divide our society, that is seeking to undermine the very values that make us a great country to live in".
According to details given by Mrs May at last year's Conservative Party conference, such orders would apply if ministers "reasonably believe" a group intended to incite religious or racial hatred, to threaten democracy, or if there was a pressing need to protect the public from harm, either from a risk of violence, public disorder, harassment or other criminal acts.
The granting of a ban, which would be subject to immediate review by the High Court, would make membership or funding of the organisation concerned a criminal offence.
The extreme disruption orders could be imposed on individuals, using the same criteria.
Policymakers have debated the definition of extremism ever since Tony Blair's government looked at new laws after the 7/7 Tube and bus attacks in London a decade ago.
There are, potentially, two key challenges for the government in creating anti-extremism laws and tools.
First, can a definition of extremism that leads to someone facing restrictions, such as a ban on using social media, withstand legal challenges - particularly on human rights grounds?
Secondly can such bans work in practical terms without tying up the resources of the security services.
MI5, for instance, already has triage-like systems to prioritise watching the most dangerous people: it can't monitor everyone with dangerous views.
That aside, this package of measures is part of a potentially significant shift in focus.
Ministers want tools to marginalise, restrict and silence these voices because disrupting their influence may buy time to intervene and bring someone back from the edge before it's too late.
Under the government's plans, the Charity Commission will be given more power to "root out charities who misappropriate funds towards extremism and terrorism", and broadcast regulator Ofcom will be able to take action against channels broadcasting extremist content.
The terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe last August in response to the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
Ministers responded by introducing new orders that can block British fighters from returning to the UK and give police the power to seize the passports of people suspected of plotting to join the fighting abroad.
Mrs May will tell the National Security Council - which meets weekly and is chaired by the prime minister - that the government will empower institutions to "challenge bigotry and ignorance".
Mr Cameron will say the new powers will make it harder for people to promote extremist views.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'," he will say.
"It's often meant we have stood neutral between different values. And that's helped foster a narrative of extremism and grievance."
The Conservative government will "conclusively turn the page on this failed approach," he will add, saying the UK must confront "head-on the poisonous Islamist extremist ideology".
Jonathan Russell from the Quilliam Foundation think tank, which challenges extremism, said the measures would tackle symptoms, not causes.
He told Today there was a danger of "negatively" altering the balance between national security and civil liberties.
And on the government's plans, he added: "I don't think it will tackle radicalisation. I don't think it will change the numbers of people who are attracted to this poisonous ideology. And I don't think it will attack the ideology itself." | David Cameron is to set out a string of new powers to tackle radicalisation, saying the UK has been a "passively tolerant society" for too long. |
36143832 | 11 May 2016 Last updated at 13:11 BST
He was badly wounded and needed specialist care from a team of vets.
Lofo's mum had been killed by poachers for her horn in Kruger National Park, one of the world's biggest animal reserves.
Rhino poaching is a huge problem there and in other parts of Africa.
The poachers also attacked the baby rhino and tried to take his horn.
Amazingly he managed to escape and was found by the Kruger team after five days of searching.
Experts at a special rhino orphanage called Care for Wild Africa have been taking care of him ever since.
'Rhino mum' Petronel Nieuwoudt, named him Lofo - because he was lost and then found.
Watch his amazing story here...
Pictures courtesy of Care for Wild Africa | In February 2016, a baby rhino called Lofo was rushed to an animal rescue centre by helicopter. |
34313695 | It was the smallest-ever audience for an opening episode, down from 8.4 million last year.
Those who tuned in saw the staff facing redundancy, Lady Mary embroiled in a blackmail plot, and arguments over the future of the village hospital.
Butler Mr Carson revealed he "desired to live as closely as two people can" with housekeeper Mrs Hughes.
Critics were largely positive about Julian Fellowes' show, with some reservations.
In his review, The Times' Andrew Billen said he found the opening episode "comfortingly pleasurable, even during the substantial stretches when it is not very good."
Ceri Radford expressed similar sentiments in the Daily Telegraph, saying that while the drama had never "quite measured up" to its first series, the episode provided "an enjoyable if flawed finale to the convoluted tale of the Crawley family's fortunes".
"This bodes well for an autumn of cosy Sunday evening entertainment, even if it often feels more like farce than tour de force," he went on.
The Guardian's Sam Wollaston was less impressed, writing: "There is some very tedious business about a hospital, but it's really just a way... to provide Dame Maggie Smith with a few of her withering putdowns.
"Thank heaven there's not much more of this."
The Sun's Leigh Holmwood agreed that Dame Maggie's character "is still hogging the best lines", adding that Sue Johnson's Denker "continues to be a great addition to the show, spreading spiteful gossip that comes back to haunt her".
"Enjoy it while it lasts," he told his readers.
ITV will not be disappointed with the opening night viewing figures, as the statistics are becoming an increasingly unreliable snapshot of audience interest.
The X Factor made headlines last month when its opening episode attracted 7.6 million viewers, down by a million compared to 2014. But once catch-up and on-demand viewing was counted, the figure jumped to 9.6 million.
Similarly, Doctor Who recorded lower-than-expected audiences on Saturday, when Peter Capaldi's return to the Tardis drew 4.6 million people to BBC One.
But an analysis of last year's series by ratings body BARB showed that, on average, viewership increased by 39% in the week after an episode was broadcast. | The sixth and final series of Downton Abbey drew 7.6 million viewers to ITV as it returned on Sunday night. |
39254087 | The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) said 78 veterans had died since the beginning of the year, out of 1,100 remaining worldwide.
The site - set to open in September - still needs £2m in donations and events are being held to raise the cash.
IBCC director Nicky Barr described the shortfall as "heartbreaking".
She said: "I personally feel we've let them down. We are losing veterans at such a rate and we are desperate to see the centre open."
Bomber Command crews were tasked with attacking Germany's airbases, troops, shipping and industrial complexes connected to the war effort.
The Lincoln attraction is to honour their efforts with exhibitions, information and accounts from aircrew and survivors.
Officials said fundraising efforts had been hampered by a number of break-ins at the site, including one at the weekend.
Thieves took items intended for a forthcoming open day, including two generators, food and drink.
They also shredded a wreath left at the base of the memorial spire.
125,000
Aircrew served in Bomber Command in World War Two
364,514 operational sorties flown
55,573 aircrew killed in action
25,611 killed flying from Lincolnshire
70% of aircrew were killed, taken prisoner or injured
Almost half of the 125,000 Bomber Command lost their lives and it is estimated between 300,000 and 600,000 civilians died as a result of large-scale area bombing near the end of the war.
Mrs Barr said "these boys were forgotten after the war, and were publically ignored".
She added: "And yet, night after night they went up and faced the biggest risks of any unit in World War Two.
"For us as a nation to have turned our back on them is a very sad injustice, and we've got an opportunity to put it right while they are still alive." | Millions of pounds are still needed to complete a memorial and visitor centre to bomber aircrew before the last veterans die. |
33666314 | Construction on the new lane, which runs alongside part of the existing canal, started less than a year ago.
The 72km (44 mile) route allows two-way traffic and can accommodate larger vessels.
Several container ships from around the world successfully navigated it on Saturday as part of a trial run.
Helicopters and naval vessels escorted the ships as part of the security operation.
The Sinai Peninsula, which borders the canal, is a base for Islamic militants, who have killed hundreds of people since the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
The original Suez Canal opened almost 150 years ago and links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says the expansion of one of the world's busiest shipping routes will boost trade and increase employment across the country.
It currently handles 7% of global sea-borne business, and is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign currency income.
$8.5bn
raised for canal expansion project
$13.2bn
projected revenue by 2023 (up from $5.3bn)
72km of new channel and bypasses
97 ships a day by 2023 (up from 49)
11-hour southbound transit (down from 18)
12 months to complete project by Aug 2015
Work on the second waterway is estimated to have cost about $8.5bn (£5.4bn) and is being carried out by the army around the clock.
It will be formally inaugurated on 6 August - one year after construction started - meeting an ambitious target set out by Mr Sisi.
The project has been labelled "a rebirth" for Egypt by the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Adm Mohab Mameesh.
But it does have its critics. Some experts are dubious about the revenue projections and believe the money should have been spent elsewhere.
"It's a patriotic project first of all, and that's very difficult to quantify," Cairo-based investment analyst Angus Blair told the BBC.
On Saturday, Adm Mameesh also revealed plans to build another canal near East Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea.
It is expected to cost around $60m and will be 9.5km (6 miles) long, Reuters reports. | The first cargo ships have passed through Egypt's second Suez Canal, amid tight security, ahead of the new waterway's official opening next month. |
38262491 | From April, employers with a wage bill of more than £3m a year will pay 0.5% on payrolls to fund apprenticeships.
Subsea UK said plans to give public sector employers equal access to the funds could cost jobs rather than create them.
Ministers said the move had followed consultation with employers.
The new levy, announced in the UK government's Autumn Statement in November 2015, aims to raise £3bn a year for apprenticeships across the UK.
Scotland's share of the levy under a funding formula for devolved administrations will be £221m next year.
Subsea UK chief executive Neil Gordon said the money raised should be invested in new and improved training and initiatives "to stimulate the desired increase in apprenticeships and not off-set to fund existing programmes".
He also warned that businesses would simply see the new tax as a bottom line cost which could have an impact on existing jobs, given the "fragile state of the oil and gas sector and continuing pressure on costs".
Mr Gordon said: "This levy is designed to create opportunities for employment through training and development.
"For our industry to achieve a real step-change in the number and quality of apprentices, we need to ensure that the training and delivery mechanism will support the development of the right type of apprenticeships to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry now and in the future."
He added: "The Scottish government has obviously not listened to industry."
Scotland's Employability and Training Minister Jamie Hepburn said all of the funds raised through the levy would be used to support skills, training and routes into employment.
He also highlighted that funding for apprenticeships and wider skills would be set out as part of the overall Scottish budget on 15 December.
Mr Hepburn said: "While the levy settlement forms part of the Scottish block grant, its proceeds will largely be replacing existing apprenticeship funding.
"This means that the £221m is not additional funding but largely replaces existing UK expenditure through the new tax.
"We understand that for employers, paying this levy is new and they want to see how those funds are being used.
"We have consulted with employers and are using the findings from that and wider discussions to finalise our response to the introduction of the levy in Scotland."
The Scottish Conservatives said the SNP had "blown a golden opportunity to invest in Scotland's future workforce" by failing to ring-fence levy funds.
Leader Ruth Davidson said: "The Scottish Conservatives have been clear that every penny of this funding should be spent on developing a skilled workforce to help boost our economy.
"I said last month that Scotland could become the skills capital of Europe, but instead we will miss the opportunity to make a real difference unless the SNP performs a very quick U-turn." | Subsea industry leaders have criticised a decision by the Scottish government not to ring-fence funds raised from the new Apprenticeship Levy. |
36669137 | The 45-year-old has not been offered the role or spoken to the Football Association since the weekend.
Hodgson resigned after four years in charge following the shock Euro 2016 last-16 defeat by Iceland on Monday.
Southgate was considered as a possible temporary appointment while the FA searched for a successor to Hodgson.
BBC Radio 5 live senior football reporter Ian Dennis said the England job is "not what Gareth Southgate wants at this stage" either on a permanent or interim basis.
Media playback is not supported on this device
On Tuesday, chief executive Martin Glenn said the FA wants a new manager in place for the opening World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on 4 September.
However, if the right man was not available by then he said former England defender Southgate would be the "obvious choice" as an interim boss - and did not rule out appointing a foreign manager.
Arsene Wenger is thought to be among those in the FA frame, with his Arsenal contract due to expire at the end of the season.
Former Paris St-Germain coach Laurent Blanc - who managed France from May 2010 to June 2012 - is also reportedly a name interesting the FA.
Earlier on Wednesday, West Ham co-chairman David Gold said Hammers boss Slaven Bilic would not be tempted by the England job, while on Thursday Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers ruled himself out of the running.
The selection process will be led by Glenn, FA board member David Gill and technical director Dan Ashworth. They plan to conduct a widespread consultation process before narrowing down the contenders.
Southgate, who has been in charge of the Under-21s since 2013, has also managed Middlesbrough, taking them down to the Championship in 2009.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | England Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate has no interest in succeeding Roy Hodgson as boss of the senior national team. |
36499637 | The regulator, The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has already warned that up to 670,000 consumers face such fees.
In a survey of people withdrawing cash from their pension, Citizens Advice found those with smaller funds were paying proportionately larger charges.
Those with pension pots of less than £20,000 typically paid £1966 in fees.
The regulator is planning to introduce a cap of 1% on such fees, from March 2017.
But Citizens Advice said even that cap would be too high.
It is calling for a standard £50 charge to cover the providers' administration costs.
"The threat of excessive charges can also put people off making the right pension choices for them," said Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice.
"A standard £50 exit fee across all types of pensions will mean consumers can make the most of the pension freedoms."
The survey was based on 500 people who had taken money out of their pensions since April 2015, when the pension freedoms began. | Withdrawing money from a pension fund can cost savers up to 10% of their retirement fund, according to Citizens Advice. |
31822176 | It hasn't been so cheap to visit the 19 countries that make up the eurozone since 2007.
Europe's economy growing more slowly than the UK and fears over Greece leaving the single currency are behind the rise.
It comes at the most popular time of year for young adults to book holidays.
Daisy Parker from travel association Abta says: "For the under-30s, with the pound at a seven-year high and day-to-day prices coming down in the eurozone, it's a great time to travel to Europe."
The pound is also currently struggling at it's lowest point for a year against the dollar making trips to the America more expensive.
So let's do some maths.
Say you planned to spend £500 during a trip to Spain.
That could get you up to 700 euros at the moment. Compare that to last year you'd be lucky to get near 600 euros.
For people buying bigger items like a car from Germany or a holiday home in France the difference can now run into thousands of pounds.
Some currency analysts expect things to get even better by the summer holidays.
RBS economist Sebastian Burnside says things can change quickly.
"So has it reached its peak? No-one knows for sure what will happen to currencies, but there'll be many more bumps in the road before a long-term solution to the Greek bailout crisis is reached.
"Recent history shows that the pound has benefited from that uncertainty."
If you plan on heading further away from home the pound is also flying strong against both the South African Rand and the Australian Dollar.
Eighteen months ago I reported from Sydney for Newsbeat about the expense of following the British and Irish Lions.
Back then you couldn't get much more than Aus $1.50 to the pound but now it's closer to Aus $2.00 making an expensive trip a touch more affordable.
The question arises should we wait for the pound to get stronger? That's a tricky one.
With a general election around the corner that brings uncertainty to the money markets no matter what the result.
There are also the other advantages to booking now according to Daisy Parker from Abta.
"Booking this far in advance gives you time to save for your holiday as well as the advantage of widespread availability, with your choice of where to stay much less restricted than booking last minute."
Of course it's important to remember that the place you exchange your money to go on holiday often makes just as big a dent as variations in the currency.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | An extra 16% free cash to go on holiday sounds pretty good because that's what you'll get if you're planning on heading to Europe this year. |
34085951 | 29 August 2015 Last updated at 08:15 BST
Like our farms in the UK, Australia has farms especially for crocodiles where the animals are looked after and raised in a similar way to cows or sheep.
Recently lots of big fashion companies have been buying up the crocodile farms, and now around 80% of them are owned by the fashion industry.
This is because they want to use the crocodile's skin to make things like handbags, shoes and belts, which can sell for thousands of pounds.
The crocodiles in these farms are not endangered or protected at the moment.
Ricky has been investigating this one. | There's been an increase in the number of fashion companies buying up crocodile farms in Australia. |
33390998 | Drug dealer Anton Levin, 24, from Dagenham, east London, was found dead at a flat in Southend in November.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard the killing involved rival drug gangs.
Danielle Russell, 26, was jailed for 11 years and six months and two boys - aged 16 and 17 - were sentenced to 10 years and four months each. They had all been found guilty of manslaughter.
All three were also found guilty of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm on another man and guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Mr Levin was stabbed and died at Russell's flat in St Ann's Road on 19 November.
He had just graduated from Greenwich University.
The court was told Russell lured Mr Levin and his friend Abdullatif Abdulkadir to her flat.
There the two teenagers - one from Thurrock and the other from Basildon - and a 27-year-old man, who has now fled the country, were waiting for them.
Mr Abdulkadir told the court his friend was stabbed in the femoral artery.
Judge Christopher Bell said the killing was part of a pattern he had seen across Essex - of drug dealers coming out of London and encroaching on the turf of existing drug gangs in the county.
He also praised the "outstanding police work" that led to the arrest of the young men, two days after the attack.
Ch Insp Simon Werrett said: "This was another unnecessary death linked to gang activity in Essex.
"The defendants have never any shown remorse for the attack and the needless loss of life." | A woman and two teenage boys have been jailed following a drugs turf war which led to the stabbing of a man in Essex. |
33791846 | Almost 650 ballot papers were sent out across the city in April without the names of the Labour, Green and Yorkshire First candidates.
The EC said it had assessed the officer as not meeting "performance standards" as a result of printing errors.
Hull City Council said it would prevent similar incidents in the future.
Labour's Karl Turner and the Green Party's Sarah Walpole were left off 484 postal ballot packs for the Hull East constituency in the UK parliamentary election.
While Yorkshire First's Colin Worrall, who stood in the Bransholme West Ward, was omitted from 164 ballot papers for the local election.
In its report, the EC said: "...Although the errors did not affect the outcome of the election, this could have resulted in those voters concerned not having the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice.
"In addition, the errors could have affected the confidence of those standing for election in the management of the process and the result."
In a statement, the authority said the ballot papers were incorrectly cut by an external printing company and the firm had now put measures in place to "prevent such an episode occurring in the future".
"The council acted immediately on both occasions when problems with the ballot papers were identified.
"We have put our own steps in place with Presiding Officers and Inspectors to identify and prevent any similar incidents occurring in future elections." | A returning officer for the 2015 general and local elections in Hull did not meet the Electoral Commission's (EC) standards, the watchdog has said. |
37961409 | Services delayed earlier in the day are now able to run as normal, according to National Rail.
Roads closed in the area have now also been reopened.
The incident happened as sports fans travelled to Cardiff for major rugby and football matches.
Wales' rugby team took on Argentina at the Principality Stadium at 17:30 followed by a World Cup qualifier between the football side and Serbia at Cardiff City Stadium.
British Transport Police says the incident is not being treated as suspicious. | Rail lines between Swansea and Cardiff have been reopened after a woman was hit by a train at Pencoed. |
39895558 | A new study suggests less dust means more solar radiation hits the land surface, which reduces wind speed.
That lack of wind in turn leads to an accumulation of air pollution over heavily populated parts of China.
The researchers found that reduced dust levels cause a 13% increase in human-made pollution in the region.
Hundreds of millions of people across China continue to be impacted by air pollution from factories and coal-fired power plants.
Studies suggest that the dirty air contributes to 1.6 million deaths a year, about 17% of all mortalities.
But this new research says that the human-induced pollution is being made worse or better by naturally occurring dust that blows in from the Gobi desert.
Using models to simulate 150 years of wind and dust patterns in the region, the researchers found that the dust deflects significant amounts of sunlight.
Without it, more heat from the Sun hits the land. Differences in the temperatures between land and sea cause the winds to blow. Without the dust, the land warms up more and that changes the temperature differential with the sea leading to weaker breezes - and more air pollution.
"There are two dust sources. One is the Gobi and the other is the highlands of north-west China, but we found the Gobi had much more influence," said lead author Yang Yang, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington State, US.
"Less dust in the atmosphere causes more solar radiation to reach the surface. It weakens the temperature difference between the land and the sea and impacts the circulation of the winds and causes a stagnation over eastern China and that causes an accumulation of air pollution."
The decreases in dust emissions are considerable, varying by almost a third. The impact on winds speeds are quite small by comparison, a reduction of barely more than one-tenth of one mile per hour.
However, when this takes place on a large scale over a wide region, the small change in speed means a 13% increase in the amount of air pollution over eastern China during the winter.
Another study has recently shown a link between declining Arctic sea ice and a major air pollution event in China in 2013.
The authors of the new study believe that both theories could be true.
"Our study has the same mechanism: the weakening of winds causes more pollution, and what is behind this needs to be studied," said Yang Yang.
"We have two views on this kind of weakening of wind. They found the sea ice, we found the dust-wind interaction can also lead to weakening of the wind. I think both of them are important."
The researchers believe that the study may inform broader questions about how natural and human-created aerosols interact.
Many parts of the world, in addition to China, are now suffering from increased levels of air pollution and understanding how dust, winds and emissions work together may help limit some of the worst impacts of dirty air.
One of the key lessons from this study is that the absence of dusty conditions could mean the air you are breathing is worse for you, not better.
"You're damned if you do, damned if you don't," said Prof Lynn Russell from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California.
"Dust emissions can impair visibility, but they are not so harmful in terms of air quality," she told BBC News.
"If it's not a dusty year, you may be happy and spending more time outdoors because you don't have this dust in the way, but you are actually going out to spend more time in more toxic air."
The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook. | Airborne dust is normally seen as an environmental problem, but the lack of it is making air pollution over China considerably worse. |
39411798 | The 33-year-old went 2-0 down against Poland's Adam Stefanow, before getting on the board with a break of 61.
Selby levelled with a 136 and although Stefanow, 23, won the fifth frame, the Englishman went on to win the final three frames on Monday.
England's Judd Trump began his title defence with a 5-0 whitewashing of compatriot Jason Weston.
Home favourite Ding Junhui beat England's Sean O'Sullivan 5-3, but fellow Englishman Joe Perry suffered an early exit at the hands of Iran's Hossein Vafaei, who won 5-2. | World number one Mark Selby is through to the second round of the China Open after a poor start in Beijing. |
38964958 | U's winger Brennan Dickenson drilled wide early on before the hosts took a 13th-minute lead when George Elokobi picked up possession 25 yards out and curled a superb shot over stranded Wycombe goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.
Colchester keeper Sam Walker twice denied Wycombe's Paris Cowan-Hall while Alex Jakubiak's low cross-shot flashed across the six-yard box as the Chairboys pushed for an equaliser.
Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa blasted over at the second attempt from close range just before half-time after his first effort was blocked.
Walker saved Akinfenwa's weak close-range header just after half-time and Elokobi made an acrobatic goal-line clearance to deny Cowan-Hall while at the other end, Blackman pushed Kurtis Guthrie's low attempt around the post midway through the second half.
Michael Harriman nodded Guthrie's header off the line and Wycombe defender Joe Jacobson was sent off with two minutes remaining after being shown a second yellow card as Colchester claimed victory.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Colchester United 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Second Half ends, Colchester United 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Attempt blocked. Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Owen Garvan.
Foul by Kurtis Guthrie (Colchester United).
Max Müller (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
George Elokobi (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Brennan Dickenson (Colchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Second yellow card to Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) for a bad foul.
Tarique Fosu-Henry (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Kurtis Guthrie.
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Sam Wood replaces Marcus Bean.
Attempt blocked. Kurtis Guthrie (Colchester United) header from very close range is blocked.
Corner, Colchester United. Conceded by Max Müller.
Foul by Owen Garvan (Colchester United).
Marcus Bean (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Colchester United. Tarique Fosu-Henry replaces Sean Murray.
Attempt saved. Sean Murray (Colchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Drey Wright (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution, Colchester United. Drey Wright replaces Chris Porter.
Foul by Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers).
Richard Brindley (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Owen Garvan (Colchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Richard Brindley (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers).
Corner, Colchester United. Conceded by Jamal Blackman.
Attempt saved. Kurtis Guthrie (Colchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Foul by Marcus Bean (Wycombe Wanderers).
Kurtis Guthrie (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Brennan Dickenson.
Attempt blocked. Owen Garvan (Colchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Garry Thompson replaces Alex Jakubiak.
Corner, Colchester United. Conceded by Max Müller.
Chris Porter (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Colchester moved into the League Two play-off places with a 1-0 win over Wycombe. |
35574144 | Officers were called to the property after the woman was found dead at 13:10 on Friday, 12 February.
A "major investigation" is now under way, with police reviewing CCTV and conducting door-to-door inquiries.
Det Supt David McLaren, from Police Scotland's major investigation team, said officers believe the woman may have worked as a prostitute.
He said: "There is no doubt that this incident will raise concerns in Aberdeen and the wider community but I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the public that a significant police investigation has commenced and all efforts will be made to trace the person or people responsible.
"A priority for us is establishing the woman's recent movements, identify who she may have been in contact with and ultimately determine what happened to her prior to her being found on Friday afternoon.
"Investigations are at a very early stage however a line of inquiry at this time is the suggestion that the woman may have been involved in prostitution and as such Police Scotland is actively engaging with support groups nationally.
"I am appealing for anyone who may have any information that would assist us with our inquiry to speak to us. We would ask that people remain vigilant and follow personal safety advice." | Police have launched a murder inquiry after the death of a woman in a flat in Aberdeen's Union Terrace. |
36454839 | Aqib Mazhar, from the Forest Fields area of the city, was stabbed in an attack on Russell Road on Wednesday evening.
Mohamud Alasow, 18, of Hamilton Road, Nottingham and Junaid Farrukh, 21, of Heathermead Close, Oakwood, Derby, have been charged with murder.
The two men are due before Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Monday.
A 23-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released without charge.
Mr Mazhar died in hospital from his injuries, Nottinghamshire Police said. | Two men have been charged after a 21-year-old was fatally stabbed in Nottingham. |
38814180 | The 20-year-old striker came through the Stadium MK academy and previously spent time on loan with Nuneaton Town.
He played against Yeovil in the Football League Trophy in December, one of 12 games for MK Dons this term, and impressed Glovers manager Darren Way.
"We know he's a real threat behind a back four and he's got an eye for goal," Way told the club website.
Tshimanga is Yeovil's fifth January arrival and joins Tottenham's Shayon Harrison and West Bromwich Albion's Andre Wright on loan at the club.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Yeovil Town have signed Kabongo Tshimanga from Milton Keynes Dons on loan until the end of the season. |
36023778 | The Foxes secured their place in Europe's top competition for the first time at the weekend and need three more wins to guarantee the Premier League title.
Leicester, who this time last season were fighting relegation from England's top flight, are seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham.
"Leicester is no more a fairy tale, now is reality. Welcome in Europe Mr Claudio Ranieri," tweeted Buffon, who was coached by his fellow countryman at Juventus from 2007-09.
Ranieri's achievements with Leicester dominated the front of the Italian sports newspapers on Monday, despite a full weekend of Serie A fixtures including Juventus' win against AC Milan.
The 64-year-old last managed in Italy in 2012, when he was sacked by Inter Milan, prior to that he resigned after a two-year spell with Roma and was also dismissed by Juventus.
"Ranieri's rise to the throne," wrote La Gazzetta dello Sport, "Another victory, the tears and the miracle of Vardy."
While Corriere dello Sport wrote: "The lesson of Ranieri: You can bring an outsider a step from the title, you can cry with joy, you can talk about emotions." | Italy and Juventus goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon has welcomed Leicester City and his former manager Claudio Ranieri to the Champions League. |
38343245 | Lee Nolan strangled Katelyn Parker, 24, with her own hair straighteners after she called him "gay" in August 2015.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has now found "significant failings" in the way police handled previous allegations against Nolan.
Detectives from Greater Manchester and Kent police received official warnings.
The IPCC said Nolan was allowed to "remain at liberty" and went on to kill Ms Parker in Heywood, Greater Manchester, despite two unrelated allegations of rape and one of making threats to kill.
The watchdog found the threats to kill allegation was not progressed by either police force.
There was confusion over which force would investigate the complaint as Kent Police thought Nolan had been in Manchester at the time, but Greater Manchester Police were unaware of this.
Two separate rape allegations were also subject to "severe delays and poor communication", the IPCC ruled.
The detectives were found to have cases to answer for misconduct and were subject to "management action".
In February Nolan was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum sentence of 18 years.
Rachel Cerfontyne, deputy chairman of the IPCC, said a "lack of organisation and inadequate communication" meant "grave offences" were not investigated.
"While it is impossible to know the full consequences of this failure, we do know that Nolan remained at liberty and went on to commit murder, albeit unrelated," she said.
"It is essential that forces have protocols in place which ensure effective policing nationwide. I strongly recommend an urgent review of current policies and practices and will be taking this forward with relevant policing bodies." | Two detectives have been disciplined after police failed to properly investigate rape allegations against a man who went on to murder a woman. |
39492034 | Elizabeth Hart-Browne, 27, denies murdering Stephen Rayner, who was found in a pool of blood outside their flat in Acton, west London, last September.
Ms Hart-Browne told the Old Bailey she had suffered abuse at the hands of her 25-year-old partner.
She said he often took on the persona of notorious criminal Charles Bronson.
Giving evidence, the defendant described an attack in October 2015 when Mr Rayner arrived drunk at the family home and threatened to kill her.
She said: "He had a fascination with Charles Bronson. He would take on that persona sometimes when he was angry.
"His whole accent changed, his whole being would change and I couldn't get through to him."
Describing another attack in 2015, the defendant said Mr Rayner punched and bit her after he misunderstood a phone conversation she had with his father.
She said: "He had his hands around my throat.
"His dad was still on the phone when he was attacking me going 'I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her'."
Mr Rayner was arrested for the alleged assault days later but, in the meantime, the mother-of-two took out an insurance policy, the court heard.
When asked why she had done so Ms Hart-Browne said: "Because I believed I was in danger of him killing me and I didn't want my kids to be left with nothing."
James Scobie QC, defending, read out an exchange of text messages between the couple in which Ms Hart-Browne said she loved Mr Rayner as he was being sought by police.
However, Ms Hart-Browne explained at the time that she "did love him", adding: "I did not want my family to fall to pieces."
The trial continues. | A jewellery designer accused of murdering her boyfriend took out life insurance because she feared he was going to kill her, a court heard. |
37211496 | The statutory prison term recommended for offenders had ranged from between three months and three years.
The cabinet has approved plans to impose jail terms of between five and seven years, with harsher sentences if the procedure leads to death or deformity.
FGM has been illegal in Egypt since 2008 but it remains widespread.
The procedure involves the partial or full removal of the external sex organs, ostensibly to control women's sexuality.
It is practised by both Muslims and Christians in a number of African countries and in parts of the Middle East.
In May, an Egyptian teenager who had undergone FGM died of complications, prompting the UN to call on Egypt for tougher action. | Egyptian authorities are to increase the penalty for those who force women into genital mutilation (FGM). |
35818042 | A Wada independent commission revealed a state-sponsored doping programme in Russian athletics in November.
Athletes have called for Wada to widen its investigation to other countries and sports.
To do this, Reedie said Wada would need help to increase its current budget, which is approximately $26m (£18m).
"If full-blown investigations are to become the norm, then we must of course seriously explore greater funding," he said.
"I have heard ever-more vociferous calls for a slice of the millions of dollars that are paid for sport television revenue to be provided to the anti-doping cause.
"This is a bold idea. I put it to the leading sport federations and broadcasters. Now is the time to look at this seriously.
"I also think that major sport sponsors should start to consider how they might help fund clean sport."
The World Olympians Association, which represents Olympic athletes, has backed calls from Beckie Scott, chair of the committee that represents athletes at Wada, to widen its investigations.
Wada director general David Howman has said his organisation's effectiveness was limited by a lack of resources.
"When I started at Wada, Wayne Rooney was being paid $4m a year by Manchester United," Howman told the BBC last year. "He's now being paid something like $30m.
"We were getting $20m when he first started, we're now getting $30m." | Sponsors and broadcasters should help fund the fight against doping, says World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) president Sir Craig Reedie. |
33954206 | Tony Hughes took the title of Worthing International Birdman after flying just over 106m (347ft) at the two-day event in West Sussex.
The annual contest involves people throwing themselves off the town's pier in machines and various costumes.
Mr Hughes was raising money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and won £10,000 for his leap into the English Channel. | A former world hang-gliding champion has claimed the top prize for launching himself from the end of Worthing Pier. |
34395319 | Warren Gatland's team scored tries through scrum-half Gareth Davies and hooker Scott Baldwin, with 13 points from fly-half Dan Biggar's boot, but missed a bonus point.
But Fiji struck back after the break with Vereniki Goneva rounding off a stunning 60-yard move.
Fiji paid for small mistakes, with Ben Volavola missing two easy penalties.
The result means Wales will reach the quarter-finals if Australia beat England at Twickenham on Saturday.
However if Stuart Lancaster's team beat the Wallabies, Wales will probably need to beat Australia on 10 October.
England's final game later that evening is against Pool A minnows Uruguay and a bonus-point win is almost a formality for the hosts in Manchester.
If England finish on the same number of points as Gatland's team, Wales will go through thanks to their 28-25 win at Twickenham.
However, if Australia also finish on the same number of points as England and Wales then the top two will be decided on points difference.
If Wales had scored four tries and won a bonus point, it would have meant England needing to gain a winning bonus point against the Wallabies.
But Wales never looked like being in that position, and were made to work hard for the win. Fiji came at them strongly after the interval as the home team lost a little of the composure they had shown in the first half.
Fiji resisted Wales' rapid start for seven minutes before Scarlets scrum-half Davies threw an outrageous dummy and touched down between the posts.
But with their scrum creaking in the face of a ferocious Fijian onslaught, Sam Warburton's men struggled to subdue the Pacific Islanders.
Fiji stood up well to Wales' driving line-out, and broke dangerously from their own half with Crusaders-bound fly-half Volavola and wing Asaeli Tikoirotuma embarrassing defenders with their elusive running.
But Wales established some control before the interval when the outstanding Biggar was involved twice in a move which ended with hooker Baldwin squeezing over for Wales' second try.
Fiji's resistance turned into downright aggression after the break as Wales' kicking game lost its accuracy and the visitors ran at Wales with relish.
When Goneva's sublime try was converted by Volavola, Wales' lead was down to four points and they were showing the effects of just four days' rest after their win over England.
Biggar restored order with two penalties to take his tournament tally to 36 points before limping off with cramp.
But despite Gareth Davies and Alex Cuthbert closely missing out on further tries, Wales were happy with the win.
Scrum-half Gareth Davies got the nod, but Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton and Dan Lydiate all had good shouts, as did Fiji's Goneva.
Wales: Matthew Morgan; Alex Cuthbert, Tyler Morgan, Jamie Roberts, George North; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Gethin Jenkins, Scott Baldwin, Tomas Francis, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (capt), Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Ken Owens for Scott Baldwin (54), Aaron Jarvis for Gethin Jenkins (66), Samson Lee for Tomas Francis (49), Luke Charteris for Bradley Davies (13-26; 66), Justin Tipuric for Dan Lydiate (68), Lloyd Williams for Alex Cuthbert (19-26), Rhys Priestland for Dan Biggar (72), James Hook for Matthew Morgan (70).
Fiji: Metuisela Talebula; Timoci Nagusa, Vereniki Goneva, Levani Botia, Aseli Tikoirotuma; Ben Volavola, Nemia Kenatale; Campese Ma'afu, Sunia Koto, Manasa Saulo, Tevita Cavubati, Leone Nakarawa, Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Akapusi Qera (capt), Netani Talei
Replacements: Viliame Veikoso for Sunia Koto (74), Peni Ravia for Campese Ma'afu (76), Leeroy Atalifo for Manasa Saulo (76), Nemia Soqeta for Tevita Cavubuti (68), Malakai Ravulo for Dominiko Waqaniburotu (68), Henry Seniloli for Nemia Kenatale (70), Joshua Matavesi for Vereniki Goneva (70), Kini Murimurivalu for Levani Botia (74). | Wales took a huge step closer to the World Cup quarter-finals by beating Fiji in a breathless Pool A clash. |
40248066 | China-based company Mobike is bringing 1,000 bikes to Manchester and Salford as part of plans to expand into European cities.
The scheme features an accompanying app which uses GPS technology to show riders where the nearest available bike can be found.
It will be launched on 29 June and is backed by both councils.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham welcomed the scheme and said he was keen to take a "positive approach to promoting cycling" in the region.
However, he said Mobike was an "untested idea in the UK" and would be kept "under review".
"We're conscious that our city centre is a complex and busy area already, so Transport for Greater Manchester has been working hard to establish a voluntary code of working with Mobike to make sure the service operates in a way that doesn't inconvenience other road users, pedestrians or city centre traders," he said.
"If successful, it could play an important part of our long-term plans for cycling in the region and for making travel easier and more sustainable."
Users will be required to leave a deposit. While the exact price is yet to be finalised, a Mobike spokesman said it was likely to be about £49.
Riders are encouraged to use the bikes for short journeys at a cost of 50p per half-hour.
Mobike said its distinctive silver and orange bikes would initially be deployed at "high-traffic locations" such as Metrolink stations and retail parks.
London's "Boris Bikes" have been running for more than six years, while a similar scheme in Liverpool has also proved successful. | A bicycle-hire scheme - similar to London's "Boris Bikes" - is to be launched in Greater Manchester. |
10212687 | Ofcom said they had received "a handful" of complaints about the act, which saw Mr Starr swallow a lightbulb among other items.
Some viewers were concerned that it would encourage children to try dangerous behaviour.
An Ofcom spokesman said they were investigating the complaints.
Mr Starr - also known as The Regurgitator - appeared on Monday night's Britain's Got Talent semi-final but failed to win a place in this weekend's final.
He was seen appearing to swallow and then bring up a succession of objects, including coins, a lightbulb, a mobile phone and an engagement ring belonging to judge Amanda Holden.
He swallowed the ring along with a padlock and key, and the ring re-emerged entwined within the lock.
ITV1 broadcast a warning before the act was shown, urging people not to try the stunts at home. | Complaints about Britain's Got Talent are being looked at by the media watchdog after viewers raised concerns about glass swallower Stevie Starr. |
36758130 | Police were called to an address in Porcher Way shortly after 16:00 BST on Friday.
A 66-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The woman has since been bailed but Lincolnshire Police have been granted extra time to question the man. Police appealed for witnesses. | A murder investigation is under way after a man's body was recovered from a house in Boston. |
37541097 | His wife Claire went into labour several hours before kick-off, but Cushing chose to be on the sidelines as Man City won 1-0 after extra time.
After the win he said he did not know if his daughter had been born yet.
But Cushing had time to collect the silverware and get back for the birth.
Victory completed a domestic double for City, seven days after the club claimed its first Women's Super League title. | Manchester City Women boss Nick Cushing made it back in time for the birth of his third child on Sunday after overseeing his side's Continental Cup final win over Birmingham. |
40850009 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Neymar, 25, joined the French club for 222m euros (£200m).
Bartomeu says the money will be spent with "prudence, rigour and serenity".
Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele and PSG's Julian Draxler have been linked with moves to the Nou Camp.
Neymar's departure from Barcelona breaks up the feted attacking trident he formed with Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez.
He scored 105 goals in four seasons at Barca, winning seven major trophies including the Champions League once and La Liga twice.
The player said he moved to France for a "bigger challenge", and denied it was motivated by money.
Speaking at the World Congress of Penyes, Bartomeu said: "He wanted to leave. We didn't agree with that decision but no player is bigger than Barca." | Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said "no player is bigger than Barca" - four days after they sold Brazil forward Neymar to Paris St-Germain for a world record fee. |
35770615 | The massive event has been organised by influential spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to celebrate the 35th anniversary of his Art of Living Foundation.
But the decision to hold it on the floodplains of Delhi's main river has angered environmentalists, and led to a large fine for the festival's organisers.
The BBC's Ayeshea Perera in Delhi explains more about the festival and what the controversy is all about.
The World Culture Festival is a three-day event which will take place in Delhi from 11 March. It is being organised by the Art of Living Foundation, a global organisation claiming to offer a series of self development programmes, founded by Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The festival, held to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the foundation, will feature music, dance and theatre performances from over 3,000 artists.
Several dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and heads of state from several countries, are expected to attend.
Confirmed guests include former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and the Japanese and Norwegian culture ministers.
Organisers say they want the event to bring global cultures, music and arts together, to demonstrate the "power of peace".
Events include yoga and meditation camps as well as the stage performances.
The cumulative total of 3.5 million people is expected over all three days of the festival, with numbers fluctuating through the day.
The Delhi police will help maintain law and order at the grounds, but organisers have told the BBC that they are deploying a volunteer force of close to 2,000 people who will help with crowd control and keep the venue clean.
Earlier, the Delhi police expressed fears of a potential stampede at the venue, prompting India's defence minister to deploy the army to build several temporary bridges, media reports say.
There will also be 650 bio-portable toilets and 1,200 waste bins at the event venue, organisers say.
There has been concern about the environmental impact of the event, because it is being held in an ecologically sensitive area, on the floodplains of the river Yamuna. A floodplain is the area adjacent to a river, considered to be a part of the river bank.
Organisers have erected a 1,200ft (365m) stage for the performances, built separate structures for visiting dignitaries, and also constructed several large bridges, all of which have required the use of heavy machinery. They have cleared all the vegetation in the area, and the ground has been filled and levelled.
Environmentalists have alleged that all this construction, along with the fact that so many people are expected to attend, will cause irreversible damage to the ecology of the area.
They approached India's environmental watchdog, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and asked it to cancel the event.
One of the activists who filed the petition, told an Indian newspaper that the 1,000 acres (400 hectares) being used for the event was once marshland, and now does not even have a "single blade" of grass.
The NGT criticised the Art of Living Foundation as well as the various government departments that granted permission for the event without making the prerequisite environmental checks.
A team it had earlier sent to assess the damage said the construction had most likely left a "permanent footprint" on the area.
The court said all government authorities had failed in their duties in this regard and fined the Art of Living Foundation a preliminary amount of 50 million rupees ($744,262; £523,172).
However it has allowed the event to go ahead.
The Art of Living foundation has denied that their event has caused environmental damage.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has told Indian media that he would rather go to jail than pay the fine. | A three-day cultural festival, expected to attract 3.5 million visitors and a host of local and international dignitaries, is due to begin in Delhi on Friday. |
37111962 | Heath, on his 32nd birthday, and 31-year-old Schofield won their semi-final in 31.899 seconds to qualify for their second Olympic final in a row.
"We had a really good, solid run-out," said Heath, who partnered Schofield to bronze in the event at London 2012.
Britain's Rachel Cawthorn failed to reach the final of the K1 500m, finishing sixth in her semi-final.
The men's 200m final will begin at 13:40 BST on Thursday.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Great Britain's Liam Heath and Jon Schofield qualified fastest for the Olympic 200m kayak sprint final. |
40341125 | The 5-2 winner, ridden by James Doyle for trainer Richard Hannon, triumphed as favourite Churchill finished fourth.
That was the day's second win for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin team, after Ribchester took the Queen Anne Stakes, with Sound And Silence successful in the concluding Windsor Castle Stakes.
Meanwhile, filly Lady Aurelia landed the King's Stand Stakes.
Barney Roy was runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May to Churchill, who went on to win the Irish version.
But Hannon's colt proved the better of the two this time, winning by a length, with stablemate Thunder Snow in third as the Aidan O'Brien-trained Churchill finished out of the places.
Doyle put his finger to his lips as he passed the winning post - with victory doubly pleasant as it came weeks after Saeed bin Suroor, another Godolphin trainer, had complained of having the jockey imposed on him.
The internal strife at Godolphin, which saw chief executive John Ferguson depart, was a memory and the jockey said: "It's been an up-and-down season and when I knew I'd got the ride on this fellow, I was pretty excited."
On a sweltering day with temperatures reaching 30C, Royal Ascot did not enforce its dress code in the Royal Enclosure, letting racegoers remove jackets for the first time in the event's history.
Favourite Ribchester, ridden by William Buick for trainer Richard Fahey, got the Godolphin ball rolling.
The 11-10 chance won in a course record for the straight mile - 40 years to the day since Sheikh Mohammed celebrated his first winner as an owner.
Ribchester won by a length-and-a-quarter from Mutakayvef, with Deauville in third.
"He has to be the best horse I have ever trained," Fahey said. "He broke the track record here today and that's not being disrespectful to the others, but he is just exceptional."
Michelle Payne, the only female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, was fifth of the 16 runners on 66-1 outsider Kaspersky as the rider made her Ascot debut.
Rajasinghe (11-1) set another course record, when winning the Coventry Stakes for two-year-old horses.
Jockey Stevie Donohoe, riding for trainer Richard Spencer, got the best of a photo finish from runner-up Headway.
Lady Aurelia ran out a dominant Royal Ascot winner for the second year running.
The 7-2 shot, who won the Queen Mary Stakes last year, landed the King's Stand Stakes this time by three lengths from Profitable for American trainer Wesley Ward.
Winning jockey John Velazquez had few worries as he stepped in for Frankie Dettori who was ruled out of the meeting earluer in the day with an injured shoulder.
Ward said: "Lady Aurelia is very special. To win like this, to duplicate what she did last year - a once-in-a-lifetime horse."
BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
Barney Roy's win meant a lot to all concerned. There was a nagging feeling that he had never really had the chance to show his true metal in the 2,000 Guineas, but today he proved what he is worth.
Richard Hannon insisted such a dramatic turning of tables on Churchill, well beaten in fourth, didn't feel so much like revenge as putting the record straight.
But that defeat had clearly been niggling James Doyle whose celebration was, by his feet-on-the-ground standards, quite extravagant. This was only Barney Roy's fourth run: better still can be expected in the future.
Lady Aurelia blew away her rivals in spectacular style to show herself the "world-class sprinter" Wesley Ward told BBC Sport that she was in the run-up.
Ironically, her time was 0.01 seconds outside the course record, so was the only one of the major races not to break the clock. But this was a three-length win, so what would have happened if she had been pressed?
You had to feel for Frankie Dettori. OK, he has won many Royal Ascot races, but being ruled out of such a plum ride on the morning of the race must be galling.
Thomas Hobson, the 4-1 favourite trained by Willie Mullins, won the Ascot Stakes under a cool ride from Ryan Moore.
Mullins is more associated with jump than flat racing but took this race with Moore for the third time in six years, and said afterwards that he would aim the Rich Ricci-owned winner at the Melbourne Cup in November.
Godolphin rounded off a memorable day with a 1-2 in the final race as Sound And Silence beat stablemate Roussel.
It was a second winner of the day for Buick and a first for trainer Charlie Appleby.
"The horses have been in great nick all year and they've had a great preparation," said Buick.
The Queen will travel straight from giving the Queen's Speech and the State Opening of Parliament to attend the second day of racing at Ascot.
Highland Reel heads the runners in Wednesday's feature race, the Prince of Wales's Stakes (16:20 BST).
The five-year-old, who will be ridden by Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O'Brien, bids to follow up his triumph in the Coronation Cup at Epsom earlier this month.
Highland Reel renews rivalry with Jack Hobbs, having finished last behind the John Gosden runner in unsuitably rain-softened conditions in the Dubai Sheema Classic in March.
Josephine Gordon will bid to become only the second female jockey to ride a winner at the Royal Ascot meeting.
Gay Kelleway, now a trainer herself, triumphed on Sprowston Boy in the Queen Alexandra Stakes 30 years ago.
Gordon, last season's champion apprentice rider, will be on Dream Castle for Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor in the opening Jersey Stakes (14:30 BST).
Commentary of first four races on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. All times BST
14:30: Jersey Stakes (Group 3) 7f
15:05: Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) 5f
15:40: Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) 1m
16:20: Prince of Wales's Stakes 1 1/4 m
17:00: Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) 1m
17:35: Sandringham Stakes 1m | Barney Roy won the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot as Godolphin celebrated an opening-day treble. |
38863431 | Prosecutor Francois Molins said he is thought to have travelled to Paris from Dubai on a tourist visa last month.
Police are trying to establish if the man acted alone or under instructions, he added.
The machete-wielding attacker was critically injured after he was shot by French soldiers in a bid to stop him.
One of the soldiers received minor injuries when the man tried to enter the museum.
At the time of the incident, hundreds of visitors were inside the Louvre, which is home to numerous celebrated art works, including the Mona Lisa.
President Francois Hollande praised the soldiers' actions, saying "this operation prevented an attack whose terrorist nature leaves little doubt".
He told reporters at an EU summit in Malta on Friday that he expected the suspect to be questioned "when it is possible to do so".
Fewer foreigners visit Paris galleries
Freedom under threat in France
Timeline: Attacks in France
Prosecutor Molins said the Egyptian man had no identity papers but mobile phone data showed he had arrived in Paris on 26 January after acquiring a one-month tourist visa in Dubai.
However, he cautioned, the authorities have not yet formally established the suspect's identity.
Egyptian security sources though say they have identified him, Reuters news agency reports.
He was believed to have been staying in the capital's 8th district (arrondissement) which was searched in a police raid earlier on Friday.
There, he bought two machetes from a shop selling guns.
According to the prosecutor, the attacker, armed with the machetes, approached four soldiers guarding the entrance to crowded shops beneath the Louvre just before 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT).
When the soldiers challenged him, he attacked two of them while shouting in Arabic "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest"). One of them shot him at least three times, hitting him in the stomach.
"The attacker fell to the ground, seriously wounded. He has been taken to hospital and is fighting for his life," the prosecutor said.
He was carrying a rucksack which contained paint spray cans - but no explosives.
The guards on patrol outside the museum were just some of the thousands of troops lining the streets as part of the stepped-up response to a series of attacks in France since 2015.
Though still hugely popular, the Louvre has suffered a drop in visitor numbers amid fears of a militant attack.
A series of assaults by gunmen and suicide bombers claimed by so-called Islamic State killed 130 people in November 2015.
In January of the same year, 17 people were killed in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and linked shootings.
Last July, 86 people were killed when a lorry ploughed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice.
Security has become a theme of the French presidential election in April, which sees far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist independent Emmanuel Macron leading the polls. | French authorities say they believe the man who tried to attack the Louvre museum in the capital Paris on Friday was a 29-year-old Egyptian man. |
12973062 | A banjo, accordion, double bass, violin, guitar, trumpet, mandolin, drums, marching drums, a mini piano, a saw and a broom are all used in creating their distinctive sound.
Musically speaking, comparisons could be made to Zach Condon's Beirut, but that would be omitting Three Beards' desire to play music influenced by events close to home.
"We're into this whole Eastern Anglian tradition," said James Barnard, who plays banjo.
"The Darkness did a song about Black Shuck and we're trying to mine that bestial dark heart of East Anglia, using DIY products."
James is one of the three founding members of the band. And yes, they all had beards.
When they were offered their first gig as a three piece the name seemed like a good idea, and it has stuck despite their numbers swelling.
Double bass player Sue Hewlett was next to join.
"A few of us were at Norwich Arts School together - lots of us have London connections but we're grounded in Suffolk," she said.
It can be difficult to co-ordinate the schedules of eight band members but they manage to get together for a weekly practice in London.
Gigs are less regular, but the band aim to make each one memorable.
"When we do live shows we do a procession and a march and base that on East Anglian morris traditions, like the straw bear or Plough Monday and we'll pagan it up a bit," said Simon.
"We got a bit fed up with people saying we're klezmer music or gypsy music, so we invented our own tradition."
Sue added: "We had one gig over Christmas where we got our good friend Elliott to wear a bear suit.
"We strapped lots of foliage to him and he was lead along with a lead or a chain. Lots of people were burning hands full of joss sticks and there were some pyrotechnics."
Simon said: "We're hoping after a few years it will become a proper tradition and Eastern Anglian will be at Cecil Sharp House or something."
"And we don't play Suffolk enough," said James. "We want to put the 'folk' in 'Suffolk'."
Three Beards performed live for BBC Introducing in Suffolk on 31 March, 2011.
You can listen to their session and interview by downloading the podcast - available for a month after the show was broadcast. | With eight members and a smorgasbord of instruments, Three Beards are not your typical Suffolk band. |
39161954 | A group of five entered the studio at the building in central London at around 19:30 GMT on Friday.
The BBC News Channel was using the studio at the time, but the intruders were not seen on air.
It is understood the intruders left of their own accord. A BBC spokeswoman said no one was hurt.
The spokeswoman said: "We take security very seriously and are urgently investigating how several individuals were able to gain access to a studio.
"No one was hurt and there was no interruption to broadcasts.
"We have already taken further security measures and will take any other necessary steps." | The BBC is investigating after several people gained unauthorised access to one of its studios during a live broadcast at Broadcasting House. |
39115877 | Zoe Morgan, 21, and Lee Simmons, 33, were found stabbed near Cardiff's Queen Street store on 28 September, 2016.
Andrew Saunders, 21, of no fixed abode, researched methods of killing in the days before the attack.
He previously admitted their murders at Cardiff Crown Court.
The court heard Saunders was jealous of the couple who started a relationship in July 2016 after he and Miss Morgan split up.
After making threats to kill the pair in the weeks before, he waited for them outside the Matalan store before launching his attack at about 05:50 BST.
Witnesses saw him attack Mr Simmons first, stabbing him "in a frenzy" as he pleaded for him to stop.
He then moved on to Miss Morgan telling her "I'm coming for you next" as she tried to help her boyfriend.
He chased her down the street, eventually catching up with her outside the Boots store where he stabbed her several times.
Sentencing Saunders, Mrs Justice Nicola Davies described the killing as "savagely violent conduct".
She said: "Whatever your mental state, you took the lives of two people. You robbed the families of Lee Simmons and Zoe Morgan of a much-loved son and a much-loved daughter."
She added there was a "significant degree of planning" before the killing as he bought the two knives he used and a rifle in the days before the attack and searched the internet for ways to kill.
Afterwards, he phoned his mother telling her what he had done and sent a text message to his father saying: "Thanks for being a pathetic, useless father. Just killed two people, cheers."
When he was arrested, he confessed to officers: "I'm sorry, you know sometimes, you just snap."
Speaking after the hearing, Det Insp Mark O'Shea, of South Wales Police, said Saunders was a "cold, calculating" killer who had planned his crimes over a number of weeks.
He added he deserved to spend the majority of his life in prison where he could reflect on the gravity of his offences.
Kelly Huggins, from the Crown Prosecution Service, described the killing as a "brutal, unprovoked and premeditated attack" and said Saunders showed no concern for witnesses who were subjected to a "frightening scene of violence".
In a statement, Miss Morgan's family said their lives had been changed forever by their daughter's murder.
It read: "I hope that every day Saunders is thinking about what he has done to us and what he has done to our beautiful daughter. We will think of Zoe for the rest of our lives."
Lee Simmons's family said no sentence or punishment would ever compensate for the loss of his life and they would never be able to forgive Saunders for "selfishly taking Lee away from us".
Both families added they were disappointed with the length of sentence given to Saunders. | A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new partner outside the Matalan store where they worked has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years. |
39772547 | The incident happened on the A939, south of the Lecht Ski Centre, at about 12:40.
The woman was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in a Coastguard helicopter.
It is understood her injuries were not serious. | A 60-year-old woman has been airlifted to hospital after her car plunged hundreds of feet down a gully near an Aberdeenshire ski centre. |
35219168 | But it has recommended that a second round run-off should go ahead as planned on 17 January.
The people of Haiti are choosing a president to succeed Michel Martelly.
Mr Martelly postponed the run-off vote that was due to be held on 27 December after street protests against fraud in the first round turned violent.
President Martelly is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.
The candidate he backed, banana exporter Jovenel Moise, won 33% of the vote in the first round on 25 October.
In the run-off, he will face ex-state construction company head Jude Celestin, who came second with 25%.
The opposition alleged widespread fraud in the presidential and legislative vote in October.
The commission assigned last month to look into the allegations said there were widespread irregularities.
It recommended legal action against poll workers and other people involved in fraud, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Whoever wins will face a daunting task when taking over from Mr Martelly in February. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Americas.
Since it was devastated by an earthquake in 2010, the country has relied largely on international donations and foreign aid from the United States and other countries. | A commission investigating disputed presidential and legislative elections in Haiti says the October vote was "stained by irregularities". |
33608826 | Stephen Timms said the 18 new MPs who were among the 48 rebels should focus on supporting the party.
The Commons backed the Welfare Reform and Work Bill by 308 to 124 votes.
Former Labour home secretary David Blunkett said the party was suffering post-election "emotional trauma".
The SNP said it was "disgraceful" that Labour had not joined it in opposing the bill.
Labour had told its MPs to abstain on the bill, which includes plans to limit child tax credit to two children.
Rebels included leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn and London mayoral candidates Sadiq Khan and David Lammy.
First Harriet Harman took a stand - saying Labour had to wake up and listen to voters on welfare.
Then she compromised - tabling an amendment designed to sidestep a row. And then almost 50 rebels ignored her instructions.
Were she Labour's permanent leader, her authority would be in tatters.
But it's not about her; she'll be gone by the autumn.
The real question is: could any of her would-be successors persuade the party that welfare must be reformed now?
Would they want, or dare, to try?
Read the full article
Mr Timms told BBC Radio London the rebellion was "smaller than quite a lot of people expected", and included a number of MPs who regularly defy the party whip.
He added: "There were also a number of newer members who broke the whip and I hope as we go into the summer recess they will conclude that they really want to be supporting our party's efforts to replace the current government rather than undermining them."
But one of the new-intake rebels, Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens, told BBC News she did not agree, saying the bill, which include £12bn in welfare cuts, was focusing on working families.
She said she did not criticise any of her colleagues for the way they had voted but that there "may be a new approach" when a new leader is in place in September.
Apart from Mr Corbyn, all the leadership contenders - Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall - followed Ms Harman's lead and abstained.
Ms Stevens said they had "no choice" as they were bound by collective responsibility.
Ms Harman has faced criticism for her stance, with many MPs saying she should have been more outspoken in her opposition to curbs on child tax credits and cuts to other in-work benefits.
A Labour amendment seeking to derail the legislation was defeated by 308 votes to 208.
Mr Corbyn denied he was fuelling a split in the Labour Party, saying the revolt had "strengthened" Labour's position against the Conservatives.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme society ought to be "deeply concerned" about child poverty and deprivation levels.
During a five-hour debate, Labour MP John McDonnell said he would "swim through vomit" to oppose the legislation.
Reacting to the vote, Labour MP Diane Abbott tweeted: "Just voted against Tory welfare bill. Sorry for colleagues who knew it was wrong but abstained. We weren't sent to Parliament to abstain."
Conservative MP and chief secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands tweeted: "47 Labour rebels on welfare tonight. Huge. Biggest Labour rebellion for some time. Leadership crisis without actually having a Leader!"
Mr Blunkett, who also served as work and pensions secretary, said the party was in "emotional trauma", and was "not debating enough about where we go from here".
"Last night again focused on us being divided," he said, adding that the Welfare Bill was "clearly not a moment for setting out the alternative".
MPs who won their seats in May were "very lucky" and should ask themselves "why others didn't", he added.
The bill, which also seeks to lower the overall household benefit cap from £26,000 a year to £20,000 outside of London, and £23,000 in London, as well as to train a further three million apprentices, has now cleared its first parliamentary hurdle and will move on to more detailed scrutiny.
In a passionate debate, Conservative MPs lined up to support the measures.
As well as Labour MPs who did not support the bill, it was opposed by the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens.
SNP employment spokeswoman Hannah Bardell said: "Labour had the perfect opportunity to join the SNP in a progressive coalition to oppose the Tories - but with some honourable exceptions they sat on their hands."
On Twitter, SNP MP Pete Wishart said it was "apparent" that Labour and the SNP together could have defeated the bill.
Tim Farron, in his first Commons speech as Liberal Democrat leader, said his party was voting against the "unfair, unwise and inhuman" proposals.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said Labour was beset by "internal fear and loathing" and that the bill would put welfare funding on a "more sustainable footing" while protecting those most in need.
Speaking after the vote, he said: "Nearly 50 Labour MPs have defied their leadership and opposed our welfare reforms which will move our country from a low wage, high tax and high welfare economy to a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society.
"It's clear that Labour are still the same old anti-worker party - just offering more welfare, more borrowing and more taxes."
Abbott, Diane - Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Abrahams, Debbie - Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth
Ahmed-Sheikh, Tasmina - SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire
Anderson, David - Labour MP for Blaydon
Arkless, Richard - SNP MP for Dumfries and Galloway
Bardell, Hannah - SNP MP for Livingston
Black, Mhairi - SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Blackford, Ian - SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Blackman, Kirsty - SNP MP for Aberdeen North
Boswell, Philip - SNP MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Brake, Tom - Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington
Brock, Deidre - SNP MP for Edinburgh North and Leith
Brown, Alan - SNP MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Burgon, Richard - Labour MP for Leeds East
Butler, Dawn - Labour MP for Brent Central
Cameron, Dr Lisa - SNP MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Campbell, Gregory - DUP MP for East Londonderry
Carmichael, Alistair - Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland
Chapman, Douglas - SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife
Cherry, Joanna - SNP MP for Edinburgh South West
Clegg, Nick - Lib Dem MP for Sheffield Hallam
Clwyd, Ann - Labour MP for Cynon Valley
Corbyn, Jeremy - Labour MP for Islington North
Cowan, Ronnie - SNP MP for Inverclyde
Crawley, Angela - SNP MP for Lanark and Hamilton East
Davies, Geraint - Labour MP for Swansea West
Day, Martyn - SNP MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Docherty, Martin John - SNP MP for West Dunbartonshire
Dodds, Nigel - DUP MP for Belfast North
Donaldson, Jeffrey M - DUP MP for Lagan Valley
Donaldson, Stuart - SNP MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Dowd, Peter - Labour MP for Bootle
Durkan, Mark - SDLP MP for Foyle
Edwards, Jonathan - Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Farron, Tim - Lib Dem MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale
Fellows, Marion - SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw
Ferrier, Margaret - SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West
Flynn, Paul - Labour MP for Newport West
Gethins, Stephen - SNP MP for North East Fife
Gibson, Patricia - SNP MP for North Ayrshire and Arran
Glindon, Mary - Labour MP for North Tyneside
Godsiff, Roger - Labour MP for Birmingham, Hall Green
Goodman, Helen - Labour MP for Bishop Auckland
Grady, Patrick - SNP MP for Glasgow North
Grant, Peter - SNP MP for Glenrothes
Gray, Neil - SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts
Greenwood, Margaret - Labour MP for Wirral West
Haigh, Louise - Labour MP for Sheffield, Heeley
Harris, Carolyn - Labour MP for Swansea East
Hayman, Sue - Labour MP for Workington
Hendry, Drew - SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Hosie, Stewart - SNP MP for Dundee East
Hussain, Imran - Labour MP for Bradford East
Jones, Gerald - Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Jones, Helen - Labour MP for Warrington North
Kaufman, Sir Gerald - Labour MP for Manchester Gorton
Kerevan, George - SNP MP for East Lothian
Kerr, Calum - SNP MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Khan, Sadiq - Labour MP for Tooting
Kinahan, Danny - UUP MP for South Antrim
Lamb, Norman - Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk
Lammy, David - Labour MP for Tottenham
Lavery, Ian - Labour MP for Wansbeck
Law, Chris - SNP MP for Dundee West
Lewis, Clive - Labour MP for Norwich South
Long Bailey, Rebecca - Labour MP for Salford and Eccles
Lucas, Caroline - Green MP for Brighton, Pavilion
MacNeil, Angus Brendan - SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Marris, Rob - Labour MP for Wolverhampton South West
Maskell, Rachael - Labour MP for York Central
Mc Nally, John - SNP MP for Falkirk
McCaig, Callum - SNP MP for Aberdeen South
McDonald, Andy - Labour MP for Middlesbrough
McDonald, Stewart - SNP MP for Glasgow South
McDonald, Stuart C - SNP MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
McDonnell, Dr Alasdair - SDLP MP for Belfast South
McDonnell, John - Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington
McGarry, Natalie - SNP MP for Glasgow East
McInnes, Liz - Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton
McLaughlin, Anne - SNP MP for Glasgow North East
Meacher, Michael - Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton
Mearns, Ian - Labour MP for Gateshead
Monaghan, Carol - SNP MP for Glasgow North West
Monaghan, Dr Paul - SNP MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Moon, Madeleine - Labour MP for Bridgend
Morris, Grahame M - Labour MP for Easington
Mulholland, Greg - Lib Dem MP for Leeds North West
Mullin, Roger - SNP MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Newlands, Gavin - SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Nicolson, John - SNP MP for East Dunbartonshire
O'Hara, Brendan - SNP MP for Argyll and Bute
Osamor, Kate - Labour MP for Edmonton
Oswald, Kirsten - SNP MP for East Renfrewshire
Paisley, Ian - DUP MP for North Antrim
Paterson, Steven - SNP MP for Stirling
Pearce, Teresa - Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead
Pugh, John - Lib Dem MP for Southport
Rimmer, Marie - Labour MP for St Helens South and Whiston
Ritchie, Margaret - SDLP MP for South Down
Robertson, Angus - SNP MP for Moray
Salmond, Alex - SNP MP for Gordon
Saville Roberts, Liz - Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Shannon, Jim - DUP MP for Strangford
Sheppard, Tommy - SNP MP for Edinburgh East
Sherriff, Paula - Labour MP for Dewsbury
Siddiq, Tulip - Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn
Skinner, Dennis - Labour MP for Bolsover
Smith, Cat - Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood
Stephens, Chris - SNP MP for Glasgow South West
Stevens, Jo - Labour MP for Cardiff Central
Stringer, Graham - Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton
Thewliss, Alison - SNP MP for Glasgow Central
Thomson, Michelle - SNP MP for Edinburgh West
Weir, Mike - SNP MP for Angus
Whiteford, Dr Eilidh - SNP MP for Banff and Buchan
Whitford, Dr Philippa - SNP MP for Central Ayrshire
Williams, Hywel - Plaid Cymru MP for Argon
Williams, Mr Mark - Lib Dem MP for Ceredigion
Wilson, Corri - SNP MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Wilson, Sammy - DUP MP for East Antrim
Winnick, David - Labour MP for Walsall North
Wishart, Pete - SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire
Wright, Iain - Labour MP for Hartlepool
Zeichner, Daniel - Labour MP for Cambridge | Labour MPs who defied the leadership over the government's Welfare Bill have undermined the party's attempts to regain power, its work and pensions spokesman says. |
35539089 | German police have so far rejected as speculation the reports that the controller turned off an automatic safety system shortly before the crash.
But unnamed sources have told German media that a human signalling error may have led to the two passenger trains colliding on a single track on Tuesday.
Controllers ensure trains run safely.
Unanswered questions
In focus: Bavaria's railways
The trains crashed head-on while both were travelling at about 100km/h (62mph) east of Bad Aibling, a spa town about 60km south-east of Munich.
A teenage girl as well as both train drivers and two train guards were among those killed.
Eighteen people were seriously hurt.
Investigators will have to find out why a train that left Holzkirchen travelling east to Rosenheim was on the single track at 06:48, four minutes after it was due to reach its next stop at Kolbermoor, where it would have met the westbound train on a double track.
The westbound train from Rosenheim to Holzkirchen would have left Kolbermoor at 06:45 and would have been expected to be on the single track at the time of the accident.
The controller's role was initially highlighted by newspaper group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), which quoted sources suggesting the safety system had been switched off to allow the eastbound train through on the single track line because it was several minutes late.
That would also have made the automatic braking system inactive. That braking system, known as PZB, is supposed to kick in when a train runs through a red light and was installed after a 2011 disaster at Magdeburg in which 10 people died.
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, citing a well-informed source, alleged that when the signal controller had realised his mistake it was too late.
A police spokesman rejected the theory as "pure speculation".
"Discard that, we reject that," a spokesman told local broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Police said the controller had been questioned on Tuesday as part of the inquiry but insisted there was no immediate suspicion towards him.
However, as the investigation was in its early stages, nothing could be ruled out. It has also emerged that the automatic system was tested last week.
Investigators have so far found two "black box" data recorders and are looking for a third.
Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters on Wednesday that the first black box had already been analysed. No technical fault or evidence of driver error had been found on the westbound train, he said.
But the eastbound train's data recorder may be of more importance, as it was travelling late when the two trains crashed head-on.
Police said on Wednesday that the search for victims in the wreckage had been completed. None of those being treated in hospital was in a life-threatening condition, they added.
The trains collided in a hilly and densely wooded region near the Mangfall river, and the difficult terrain made the rescue operation difficult.
A 160-tonne crane arrived at the scene of the disaster on Wednesday, as salvage workers prepared to remove the two mangled trains from the track. The work was expected to last at least two days.
In case signals fail, German railways are fitted with a final safety guard to prevent crashes.
Cab signalling known as PZB (Punktfoermige Zugbeeinflussung - or "intermittent train control") will set off an alarm in the driver's compartment when the train approaches a red light. If the driver does not respond by pressing a button, the train will brake automatically.
Who operates the signals? | A signal controller is at the heart of the German investigation into a Bavarian train disaster which claimed 10 lives, media reports say. |
37371852 | Molly-Mae Wotherspoon was attacked by an American pit bull named Bruiser at a house in Daventry, Northamptonshire, in October 2014.
Mother Claire Riley, 23, admitted owning a dangerously out of control dog and grandmother Susan Aucott, 55, admitted being in charge of one.
Both were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court to two years.
Live updates on this story and more in Northamptonshire
Jailing them, judge Mrs Justice Carr told the pair Molly-Mae was savagely attacked by the pit bull in "a tragic and totally avoidable incident".
The court heard Aucott, an alcoholic, was looking after her granddaughter at Riley's former home in Morning Star Road when the dog attacked the baby.
James House, prosecuting, said the pit bull broke free from his cage in the kitchen and opened the door to the lounge to reach baby Molly-Mae on the floor.
It grabbed the six-month-old by her head.
Aucott threw herself across the baby but it was too late.
Molly-Mae suffered injuries to every limb and puncture wounds to her brain.
She died from severe blood loss due to the head wounds, a post-mortem examination showed.
The dog was put down at the scene.
The court heard Riley knew her dog was aggressive and jealous of her baby and it had been kept away from Molly-Mae.
However, the baby's cries made it "an object of prey", the court heard.
A vet who treated the American pit bull - a breed banned in the UK - said Bruiser was one of the most dangerous dogs she had seen.
In June, Aucott, of Alfred Street, Northampton, admitted being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog resulting in death.
She was jailed for two years but will be released on licence after one year. She was also banned from owning a dog for ten years.
Riley, of Merrydale Square, Northampton, admitted owning a dangerously out of control dog on the first day of her trial later in June.
She was sentenced to two years, one of which she will serve in prison before being released on licence, and was banned from owning a dog for 10 years.
The recommendations of a Serious Case Review into the death of Molly-Mae are expected to be examined by Northampton Safeguarding Children Board officers next month. | The mother and grandmother of a six-month-old baby girl mauled to death by the family dog have been jailed. |
34801258 | The plea for clarity was contained in a letter sent to Scottish Secretary David Mundell from Holyrood's devolution committee convener Bruce Crawford.
It highlighted that an agreement on the fiscal framework was likely to be delayed until "at least December".
Earlier this week, MPs voted in the House of Commons to back the bill.
In its letter, the committee said: "We are pleased to see the improvements you have made to the bill as many of these are in direct response to the recommendations we made (carers, new benefits and top-up benefits)."
It also said that progress was being made to reach an "acceptable resolution" in a number of areas, including some on welfare.
However, it added that there were other areas where the bill "still falls short", including on employment provisions, definitions of disability and the Crown Estate.
The committee said: "The definition of disability contained in the bill is overly restrictive and would not provide a future Scottish Government with the power to develop its own approach to disability benefits in the future."
It added: "You will note that we are not yet in a position to make any comments on many of the financial provisions in the Bill (such as on income tax, borrowing, assignment of VAT etc). This is because these will be part of the fiscal framework on which agreement has not yet been reached and looks like being delayed until at least December 2015.
"We reaffirm our view that an agreement to the non-legislative fiscal framework is vital and of equal importance as agreement on the provisions in the bill itself.
"That is why it is critical that this committee and others are provided with a copy of the final draft agreed between the two governments in sufficient time to enable adequate scrutiny to take place before the question of the legislative consent to the bill is put to the Scottish Parliament next year." | A cross-party committee of MSPs believes the Scotland Bill cannot be given the go-ahead until the funding package linked to it is fully known. |
18986870 | The striker left the Leeds training base in Cornwall earlier this week to hold talks with the Canaries.
He joined United from Livingston in 2008 and scored 41 goals in 191 games.
"He is a player I have admired for a number of years now and he's at a good age at 24," Norwich manager Chris Hughton told the club website.
"He's also got that international experience with Scotland and is used to playing in big matches both with his country and at Elland Road."
The Premier League club had an approach for Snodgrass rejected last week but have managed to capture the forward, who won both Leeds fans' player of the year and players' player of the year awards last season.
Before the deal was finalised, United boss Neil Warnock said: "Negotiations [over a new contract] have been going on for weeks.
"I was hoping he would have had a change of heart and I can honestly say that in all my time in football, I've never worked as hard in trying to keep a player.
"He was offered the best contract, the captaincy, and we would have built a team around him so I am very disappointed.
"He's made it clear what he wants to do and he's had his head turned. He wants to play in the Premier League. He believes his Scotland international career may be better served in the Premier League, but I'm not so sure."
Norwich are also in talks to sign Sunderland defender Michael Turner, who | Norwich City have signed Leeds United captain Robert Snodgrass for an undisclosed fee, handing the 24-year-old a three-year deal. |
35381591 | Collins, 18, who becomes the second signing of the January window for Scott Sellars' Wolves Under-21 squad, moves to Molineux for an undisclosed fee.
The Wales Under-19 international has scored three goals for Newport, for whom he has made the majority of his 22 appearances from the bench.
Collins was wanted by another Championship side Burnley last summer.
After rejecting a bid of £40,000, plus add-ons, the Welsh club then also turned down an improved £65,000 transfer deadline-day offer from the Clarets.
Collins ended up working in McDonald's, after initially being released in 2014 by Newport, following the reformed club's promotion back to the Football League.
Wolves have also added teenage Swindon Town winger Will Randall to their under-21s squad this month, also for an undisclosed fee.
The up-for-sale club, who lie 10th in the Championship, sold Benik Afobe to Bournemouth in January for close to £10m, having previously added Polish forward Michal Zyro to the first-team squad.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Wolves have completed a deal to sign teenage striker Aaron Collins from League Two side Newport County. |
38199637 | Team boss Toto Wolff said the search would start on Monday, with a decision expected by the end of 2016.
"It is a huge loss because we had the quickest driver set-up over the last three years," Lauda told Sportsweek.
"I need a driver for the first test in February when the new car is ready."
He added: "We have to train him on the simulator and into the team, so we should have a decision before the end of the year."
Rosberg retired five days after beating British team-mate Lewis Hamilton to clinch his first world title.
Hamilton, a three-time world champion, has said he "doesn't care" who is picked as the German's replacement.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, Lauda added: "Nico and Lewis were pushing each other. Lewis won two championships and Nico won one. Now we have to find a better man than Nico because we want to continue to win.
"This is a big problem for us to find a replacement, so I cannot tell you now because we have to think about it, contact everybody and make proper research into who we are going to put in the best car in Formula 1.
"We have the best car to offer but at the moment no driver. The other drivers, or the majority certainly, have 1 December contracts for next year so really we have to do good research, who is there, what and when and then we will take a decision, but it will take a while."
Lauda retired from F1 in 1979 before coming back to win the 1984 World Championship. He quit the sport as a driver on a permanent basis a year later.
Asked about Rosberg's decision to retire, he said: "I was really surprised - this was never on my radar that this could happen.
"I spoke to him afterwards to find out because I did this twice in my career and I really wanted to make sure it was not a quick decision which he might regret and I wanted to find out how sure he is.
"Of my question 'how sure are you?' he said '1,000%'. Then I knew that it is over - you cannot convince him any more." | Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda wants to "give a Christmas present" to a driver after the shock retirement of world champion Nico Rosberg on Friday. |
35302268 | It tied for the most nominations with black comedy The Lobster and period drama Brooklyn, with all three contenders for the best film award.
Its veteran stars Sir Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling also received nods for best actor and best actress.
The awards, relaunched after a three-year break, will take place at London's Television Centre on 7 February.
High-Rise, starring Tom Hiddleston and based on JG Ballard's dystopian novel, completed the line-up in the best film category.
45 Years, based on a short story by David Constantine, shows the lives of married couple Kate and Geoff as they prepare for their 45th wedding anniversary.
But their stability is threatened when a letter arrives about Geoff's ex-fiancee, whose body has been discovered decades after her death.
It also up for best British film at the Bafta film awards.
London Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands said: "The talent in this year's shortlist is exceptional and we are pleased to be shining a light on Britain's outstanding creativity by celebrating the British Film Industry at the Evening Standard's British Film Awards."
Saoirse Ronan has been shortlisted for the best actress award for Brooklyn, based on Colm Toibin's novel, with writer Nick Hornby in the running for best screenplay.
Olivia Colman and Colin Farrell, who appear together in The Lobster, are on the shortlist for the award for comedy in a film or performance.
Emma Thompson is also up for the award in that category for The Legend of Barney Thomson, with the film Bill, directed by Richard Bracewell and written by Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, completing the shortlist.
Idris Elba has been shortlisted for best actor for playing an African warlord in Netflix film Beasts of No Nation, competing with Michael Fassbender who has been nominated for his roles in Steve Jobs and Macbeth.
Dame Maggie Smith, star of Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van, has been shortlisted for best actress alongside Emily Blunt, for crime drama Sicario.
Amy, about the life of late singer Amy Winehouse, has been shortlisted for best documentary alongside My Nazi Legacy and Palio.
A new award for blockbuster of the year will be voted for by members of the public, with the top 10 UK box office hits of 2015 in contention: Avengers: Age of Ultron; Fifty Shades of Grey; Furious 7; Inside Out; Jurassic World; Home; Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2; Minions; Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were launched in 1973 and last took place in 2013. | Marital saga 45 Years has been shortlisted for three Evening Standard British Film Awards. |
38870533 | As Livi drew 2-2 away to Alloa, who started the day in second, the Diamonds overwhelmed Peterhead 4-1.
It means Livi have a 10-point lead over the Lanarkshire outfit.
Brechin City were held 2-2 at home by Stenhousemuir, the same scoreline as Queen's Park hosting East Fife, while Albion Rovers beat Stranraer 3-0.
Stranraer's win means they move to within a point of Stenny at the foot of the table.
Craig Malcolm put Stranraer ahead on 21 minutes and doubled his tally with 11 minutes left before Steven Bell netted a third.
Alloa and Livi went into the game as the top two in the division and Jordan Kirkpatrick gave the hosts the lead with a superb 25-yard strike after 25 minutes.
But Daniel Mullen levelled for Livingston just before the break.
Liam Buchanan netted his 22nd goal of the season shortly after the restart as the leaders inched ahead, but Dylan Mackin earned the Wasps a valuable point four minutes from time.
Airdrieonians fell behind when Rory McAllister scored his 17th goal of the season, but Jack McKay and Ryan Conroy replied after the break to put the Diamonds in front.
Andy Ryan's powerful finish and a stoppage-time solo goal from Scott Stewart rounded off a emphatic comeback.
Andy Jackson put Brechin in front after only three minutes at Glebe Park when he fired in Ally Love's through ball.
However, Willis Furtado responded with a curling effort from the edge of the box.
Oliver Shaw put Stenhousemuir ahead just after the quarter of an hour mark, but Dougie Hill replied shortly after the restart to earn City a share of the spoils.
That was despite the Warriors going down to 10 men after David Marsh earned his marching orders for yellow bookable offences on 74 minutes.
Two goals in seven first-half minutes put Queen's Park in a dominant position against East Fife, with Dario Zanatta scoring the opener with a neat finish before Anton Brady doubled Park's lead with a powerful strike.
Chris Duggan halved the deficit four minutes after the restart before a close-range effort from Scott Robinson secured a point for the Fifers. | Airdrieonians took advantage of a draw between leaders Livingston and Alloa Athletic to move into second spot in the Scottish Championship. |
37847409 | The firm, which is in the midst of being taken over by US telecoms giant AT&T, owns Warner Brothers film studios, the cable TV channels HBO, the Cartoon Network and CNN.
Revenues rose 9% to $7.2bn (£5.8bn) in the three months to the end of September, with net income of $1.47bn.
AT&T is paying $85.4bn for the firm.
Time Warner's shares are currently trading around $89 a share, well below the $107 a share offer price, suggesting investors are doubtful that the deal will be approved by regulators.
A US Senate subcommittee responsible for competition is set to hold a hearing on the merger this month.
The tie-up would combine AT&T's distribution network, which includes 130 million mobile phone customers and 25 million pay-TV subscribers, with content from the Warner Brothers film studios and the cable TV channels HBO, the Cartoon Network and CNN.
There are concerns that because AT&T already owns mobile phone, broadband and cable TV networks, allowing it to control the shows as well might mean less choice for consumers and lead to higher prices.
Speaking after the third quarter results, Time Warner chief executive and chairman Jeff Bewkes said the merger was "a great outcome" for shareholders and would drive "long-term value well into the future" for the firm. | Superhero film Suicide Squad and higher fees from pay TV providers helped drive higher-than-expected quarterly profit and sales at Time Warner. |
31746020 | He was a judge on Australia's version of The X Factor between 2010 and 2012.
The announcement was made in a ceremony at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday morning.
Australia was given a special entry to the 60th edition of the competition, to be held in Vienna, Austria.
Sebastian has since had eight top ten albums and two number one singles in his country.
The singer said he was "pumped" to be performing at the competition.
"It's Eurovision, it's huge and keeps growing here in Australia which is nice," he told Australia's ABC news.
He has yet to choose a song to perform.
The annual song contest is hugely popular in Australia - three million watched the competition in 2014.
The European Broadcasting Union said the country had been given a pass to the final "to not reduce the chances" of the semi-final participants.
Australia will be allowed to vote in both semi-finals, as well as the grand final.
Australians have participated in the competition before, representing other countries. Olivia Newton John sang for the UK in 1974 - coming fourth - as did Gina G in 1996. Jane Comerford represented Germany in 2006. | Guy Sebastian has been chosen to represent Australia at its debut Eurovision Song Contest in May. |
31085569 | The Rt Rev Philip North's consecration was led by the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu at York Minster.
However, in a break from tradition, some parts of the service were overseen by the Bishop of Chichester.
Dr Sentamu said he had not led those parts of the service to "demonstrate respect" for the new bishop's views.
The service saw the Rt Rev Martin Warner lead two other bishops in "laying hands" on the new bishop.
The Bishop of Chichester also presided over the service's Communion, at the request of the archbishop.
Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Dr Sentamu said he was "delegating, not abdicating" his position in the service and his decision was "not an indelible pattern to be adopted by me or anyone else in the future".
"I have decided to delegate part of my function at his ordination to other bishops who share his theological conviction regarding the ordination of women," he said.
"It is my prayer that the Church of England's gracious magnanimity, restraint and respect for theological convictions on this matter may help others to substitute love for fear and hope for despair."
Speaking before the service, the Rt Rev North said "the thing about Anglicans is that we can hold difference together and we can hold very diverse views on all sorts of things and still work together".
He said that beginning with last week's consecration of the Church's first female bishop, the Rt Rev Libby Lane, "the Archbishop of York has set two wonderful precedents".
"First, he consecrated the first woman bishop, which was an occasion of really wonderful joy and was the answer to the prayers of many Anglicans," he said.
"My consecration sets another precedent, which is to make it possible that those who cannot accept this development in the Church's life to remain as loyal Anglicans."
He said that while only three bishops would take part in the "laying on of hands", that only showed that the Church was "honest".
"We are saying yes, there is a division here and there are different opinions on this, but we're also saying we can work around those opinions and still be one family."
Source: Church of England
The Rt Rev North has become a suffragan - or assistant bishop - in the Diocese of Blackburn and replaces the Rt Rev John Goddard, who retired in July.
The bishop was born in north London and studied history at the University of York.
He has previously been forced to turn down an appointment as bishop because his new flock did not accept his views on the ordination of women. | A service to consecrate the new Bishop of Burnley that was changed to take into account his opposition to female bishops has taken place. |
35915056 | Yu Shaolei, an editor at Southern Metropolis Daily, posted a resignation note online, saying he could no longer follow the Communist Party line.
He also uploaded a message wishing those responsible for censoring his social media account well.
Chinese media outlets are subject to censorship, with government control tightening in recent years.
Mr Yu, who edited the cultural section of the newspaper, posted a photo of his resignation form on his Sina Weibo microblog account on Monday evening.
Under the "reason for resignation" section, he wrote: "Unable to bear your surname".
This was a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping's tour of state media outlets in February, when he said journalists must give absolute loyalty to the Communist Party, and "bear the surname of the Party".
Mr Yu's post was quickly deleted, although a cached copy was still viewable on monitoring sites online.
He wrote: "I'm getting old, and my knees can't stand it after so many years [of kneeling]."
He added what appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek apology to the censors responsible for monitoring his social media account.
"To the person responsible for watching my weibo feed and notifying their superiors about what to delete, you can heave a sigh of relief now, apologies for causing you stress over the last few years, and I sincerely wish your career will head in a new direction."
When approached by the BBC, Mr Yu said he did not wish to comment further, and that he had said everything he wanted to say on social media.
It is not known if he has received any admonishment from the authorities, the BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing reports.
A columnist at the same paper, Li Xin, who disappeared in mysterious circumstances in Thailand after claiming he had been forced to inform on fellow journalists, is now back in police custody in China, our correspondent adds.
And last month, a front-page editor at Southern Metropolis Daily was fired after the headlines on one of the newspaper's front pages, when combined with a headline from another story, allegedly contained a veiled criticism of the government's demand that media "bear the surname of the Party".
In recent weeks, China detained more than 20 people following the publication of a letter calling on President Xi to resign on state-backed website Wujie News.
Those detained included journalists linked to the website, employees at a related technology company, and prominent columnist Jia Jia, who has since been released.
Two overseas Chinese dissidents also say their relatives have been detained in connection with the letter.
Wen Yunchao, who lives in the US, said he believed his parents and his brother had been detained because authorities were trying to pressure him to reveal information. But he told the BBC that he knew nothing about the letter.
Meanwhile, German-based writer Zhang Ping, also known by his penname Chang Ping, said three of his siblings had been detained and that Chinese police had demanded that he stop writing in German media.
Mr Zhang said he had written about the letter, but had no other connection to it.
Authorities in China said they were investigating Mr Zhang's relatives on suspicion of arson. | A top journalist at a Chinese newspaper says he is resigning because of the authorities' control over the media. |
32366727 | The National Child Abuse Investigation unit was unveiled by Police Scotland Chief Constable Stephen House and Education Minister Angela Constance.
The unit, based in Livingston, will help local divisions investigate child sexual abuse.
It will investigate both current and historical allegations, as well as online child abuse.
Sir Stephen said: "Child abuse, including child sexual exploitation, is a complex, challenging area of policing and we owe it to all those affected, whether now or in the past, to thoroughly investigate each and every report we receive.
"To be clear, the abuse and neglect of children is an issue for all of our communities. This is unacceptable.
"Children and young people should be allowed to live their lives without the fear of abuse or exploitation. We will proactively target those who pose a risk to children and work with our partners to ensure that support is available for victims."
Paul Carberry, Action for Children Scotland director of service development, said protecting children from abuse was not just a job for the police.
He said: "Adults from all walks of life must be equipped to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation, not just listening to what children are saying but seeing what is evident in their actions or behaviour."
The creation of the unit was announced in October in response to concerns following the child sex exploitation revelations in Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, where an investigation found at least 1,400 children were abused between 1997 and 2013.
Matt Forde, NSPCC Scotland's national head of service, said there was no reason to believe Scotland was immune from the the widespread sexual exploitation of children which had been seen in English towns and cities such as Rotherham.
Last November, a Glasgow City Council report found 97 children in the city had been identified as being victims of, or at risk of, sexual exploitation. | A national task force aimed at tackling child sex abuse in Scotland has been formally launched. |
40369464 | Wrth gofnodi rheithfarn naratif dywedodd y crwner nad oedd tystiolaeth o fwlio yn achos Nyah James o ardal Blaenymaes, fu farw ym mis Chwefror.
Cyn y cwest roedd teulu'r ferch, oedd yn ddisgybl yn Ysgol Bishop Gore, Abertawe wedi dweud eu bod o'r farn bod bwlio wedi bod yn ffactor.
Dywedodd y Ditectif Gwnstabl Paul Harry wrth y cwest nad oedd yr heddlu wedi dod o unrhyw dystiolaeth o gwbl o fwlio.
Ychwanegodd bod ffrindiau Miss James wedi dweud wrth yr heddlu ei bod hi wedi anafu ei hun yn y gorffennol a'i "bod yn casáu ei hunan".
Ym mis Mai, fe ymddangosodd brawd Nyah, Jordan Clements, o flaen llys am anfon negeseuon sarhaus i bedwar merch roedd o'n credu oedd yn gyfrifol am farwolaeth ei chwaer.
Fe wnaeth y dyn 20 oed bleidio'n euog i anfon negeseuon sarhaus ond dywedodd y barnwr fod marwolaeth ei chware wedi dylanwadu yn fawr ar ei ymddygiad.
Ar ôl ei marwolaeth fe wnaeth Heddlu De Cymru rybuddio pobl i ystyried yr effaith y gall negeseuon ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol eu cael ar eraill. | Mae crwner wedi penderfynu fod merch 14 oed o Abertawe wedi marw ar ôl gorddos o boenladdwyr, ond nad oedd yna ddigon o dystiolaeth i brofi ei bod wedi bwriadu lladd ei hun. |
33333094 | This landlocked country in central Africa has a harsh climate, suffering both drought and flooding - food shortages are common.
Its people have endured decades of corruption, civil unrest and mass influxes of refugees from neighbouring states like Sudan and Nigeria.
Chad is a potent symbol of what work is still needed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - the first of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The target - to halve the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 (£0.80) a day was met five years ahead of schedule in 2010.
But this was a global, rather than a national target and China's extraordinary growth accounts for a significant part of that.
The Sub-Saharan region of Africa has made progress, cutting poverty rates by 35%, but millions here risk being left behind.
They include people like Bami, aged 50, who has nine children and lives near the town of Mongo.
When I met him he was out with his family, breaking holes in the parched earth with a hoe, while his family walked behind him planting millet seeds.
It looked like back-breaking work, and with temperatures rising well above 40C, progress was slow.
If it doesn't rain, his family will go hungry - he told me his dream was to own a plough.
This is a basic example of how to help take a family out of poverty - a plough enables them to grow food to sell or to stockpile.
Six out of 10 people in Chad live in extreme poverty and it will require major investment in agriculture, education and infrastructure if that is to change.
Rapid population growth is adding to the pressures on a fragile and underdeveloped healthcare system.
The population of 12.5m has doubled since 1990 and is set to double again by 2040.
Growing up in Mongo: What's it like to live in one of the world's poorest towns?
Malnutrition is the most pernicious consequence of poverty.
It is the failure to get adequate healthy food to lead a normal, productive life.
Malnutrition makes individuals more susceptible to infection and ill health and is a significant factor in nearly half of all child deaths globally.
From conception to a child's second birthday is the most crucial period of cognitive and physical development.
Pregnant mothers who are malnourished are more likely to give birth to low-weight babies who risk dying in the first weeks of life.
Chronic malnourishment in young children puts them at risk of stunted growth or "stunting".
This is an irreversible condition where the body and brain never fully develop; it means children are less likely to do well at school or get good employment.
One in four of the world's children is stunted, so it has an impact not just on individuals but on whole economies.
In Chad, rates of stunting are even higher.
So what is being done?
The immediate priority of health teams here is to target the most severely malnourished children - those whose lives are in immediate danger.
There are now 500 nutrition centres across Chad, double the number four years ago.
Unicef has helped fund the expansion as well as paying for the training of health workers and for vaccination programmes, along with aid partners such as the International Rescue Committee.
At the under-fives nutrition centre in Mongo, which is part of the town hospital, babies receive fortified milk while older children are given sachets of a peanut paste.
These are short-term fixes, but they can save many lives.
Zenaba Zakaclia, aged 19, brought her son to the hospital a week ago.
Noura Adef, who's almost two, had measles and was severely malnourished.
He had no energy and spent his time lying on the bed or in his mother's lap.
In just four days I could see that his condition had dramatically improved and once his measles infection is cleared he will be able to return home.
Efforts are also being made to help families deal with chronic malnutrition, where children may not appear physically ill or hungry, but they are not thriving.
Breastfeeding for the first six months of life helps build the immune system and it is the best defence against infant malnutrition.
But only 3% of Chad's children are exclusively breastfed - one of the lowest rates in Africa.
The health centres also organise cooking demonstrations for new mothers, teaching them the nutritional values of different locally available ingredients.
One in six children in Chad die before the age of five, the third highest rate globally, behind Sierra Leone and Angola.
One in 15 women will die in childbirth.
In September, the UN General Assembly will vote on the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global targets that will replace the MDGs from next year.
Unicef's spokesman in Chad, Manuel Moreno, told me there had been some progress within the country, but much more was yet to be done.
"Millions of children in countries like Chad risk being left behind.
"We have to ensure that we reach the most vulnerable and the poorest, otherwise we will be failing future generations.
"That means providing quality education and health services which are accessible.
"The MDGs show that the issues of extreme poverty and hunger can be addressed - we simply need to be more ambitious."
Instead of eight goals and 21 targets, the SDGs are vast: 17 goals and 169 targets and shift from trying to address the effects of poverty to targeting its root causes.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said last September that there were too many targets to communicate effectively and they risked "sitting on a bookshelf gathering dust".
But Unicef is pleased that the SDGs will address key issues not covered by the MDGs, including ending child marriage and violence against children. | On every global measure of poverty, health or economic development, Chad is near the bottom. |
35172022 | They were injured at the World Cup and have not played for Dragons since.
Jones said back three player Amos and centre Morgan are close to fully fit.
"I'm sure they'll be keen to get a few games under their belt before that [the Six Nations] so we'll see them soon," he said.
"They feel fine and it's a question of getting them up to the physical strength they were before the injuries. They're not far away."
Twenty-one-year-old Amos suffered a shoulder injury in Wales' 28-25 World Cup win over England at Twickenham.
Morgan, 20, underwent shoulder surgery after a second-half injury in Wales' quarter-final defeat by South Africa.
The injuries to Amos and Morgan were among those that have denied Dragons an entire three-quarter line of highly regarded talent his season.
Wing Tom Prydie was the latest to suffer after centre Jack Dixon's kidney damage suffered in the summer.
Prydie, 23, will miss the rest of the season because of a knee problem while Dixon was initially not expected to return until February, 2016.
Adam Hughes rejoined on loan amid Dragons' troubles and has since become a permanent signing and could play wing as well as centre for the rest of the season.
"It's great to have him back here, he's been such a positive influence since he's returned," Jones told BBC Wales.
"We're hoping to get players back with Tyler and Jack Dixon being quality centres, but Adam is as suitable to the wing as he is to centre so it's great to have him." | Newport Gwent Dragons head coach Kingsley Jones is confident Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan will recover from injury in time to bid for Wales Six Nations places. |
38152861 | The 46-year-old will sign a four-year contract it is reported will earn him between £1.5m and £2m per year.
Southgate, who had a four-game stint as interim manager following Sam Allardyce's departure, was interviewed last week by a five-person panel.
The decision to appoint the former England Under-21 coach as permanent boss will be ratified at a Football Association board meeting.
England won two World Cup qualifiers - 2-0 against Malta and 3-0 against Scotland - and drew 0-0 in Slovenia during Southgate's short spell in interim charge.
They also drew 2-2 with Spain in a friendly.
Wednesday's FA board meeting is also likely to dedicate a large amount of time to discussing football's historical sexual abuse scandal and safeguarding measures in the sport.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Gareth Southgate will be confirmed as permanent England manager on Wednesday. |
11990088 | The UK honours system is overseen by the Cabinet Office Honours and Appointments Secretariat.
The Foreign Office has responsibility for the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List which recognises service overseas, or service in the UK with a substantial international component.
UK nationals or citizens from the 15 Commonwealth realms such as Australia, Canada and Jamaica can be nominated for an honour.
Honorary awards for foreign nationals are recommended by the foreign secretary.
Orders for chivalry are made after a personal decision by the Queen.
The honours list consists of knights and dames, appointments to the Order of the British Empire and gallantry awards to servicemen and women, and civilians.
Nominations, submitted either by government departments or by members of the public, are divided into subject areas and assessed by committees comprising independent experts and senior civil servants.
Their assessments are passed to a selection committee that produces the list, independently of government, that is submitted to the Queen through the prime minister.
The Queen informally approves the list and letters are sent to each nominee. Once a nominee accepts the proposed honour, the list is formally approved.
The honours are published in the official Crown newspaper, the London Gazette, twice a year - at New Year, and in mid-June on the date of the Queen's official birthday.
The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood at St James's Palace then arranges investitures for the recipients to be presented with their medals by the Queen or other members of the Royal Family.
Private nominations, made by individuals or by representatives of organisations to the Cabinet Office, traditionally make up about a quarter of all recommendations.
The honours list does not cover peerages. Starting in May 2000, peers nominated by political parties have been vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. The commission is involved in making recommendations for non-party affiliated peerages.
An outgoing prime minister also has the right to draw up a dissolution or resignation honours list on leaving office, which is then submitted to the Cabinet Office for approval.
In recent years, however, political donations made by a number of recipients have become the subject of media scrutiny.
In a November 2011 response to a parliamentary committee's inquiry into the honours system, the Cabinet Office noted that all candidates for senior awards are "checked against the lists of donations maintained and made public by the Electoral Commission.
"The Main Honours Committee must satisfy itself that a party political donation has not influenced the decision to award an honour in any way; the committee must be confident that the candidate would have been a meritorious recipient of an honour if he or she had not made a political donation."
A Parliamentary and Political Services Committee comprising a majority of independent members and the chief whips of the three major parties was set up in 2012 to considers honours for politicians and for political service.
But in the same year the Commons Public Administration committee urged the government to review the way the whole honours system is administered. It called on ministers to set up independent bodies to nominate recipients for awards and decide when they should be withdrawn, suggesting the government's "lack of willingness to clarify and open up the process" was damaging public confidence.
Honours have sometimes been forfeited. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases where a recipient's actions "raise the question of whether they should be allowed to continue to be a holder of the honour".
The Queen's art adviser Anthony Blunt, stripped of his knighthood in 1979 after being revealed as a Soviet spy, and jockey Lester Piggott, who lost his OBE after he was jailed in 1987 for tax fraud, are among those to have had honours annulled.
In 2012, former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin - heavily criticised over his role in the bank's near-collapse in 2008 - had his knighthood removed, while entertainer Rolf Harris was stripped of a CBE in March 2015, following his conviction for indecent assault.
Meanwhile, a list of 277 people who had turned down honours between 1951 and 1999, and who had since died, was made public by the Cabinet Office following a BBC Freedom of Information request. The list included the authors Roald Dahl, J G Ballard and Aldous Huxley, and the painters Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and LS Lowry.
The honour of knighthood comes from the days of medieval chivalry, as does the method used to confer the knighthood: the accolade, or the touch of a sword by the sovereign.
Although Knights Bachelor do not comprise an order of chivalry, knighthood is a dignity which has its origins in Britain in Saxon times. They are styled "Sir" (except for clergymen who do not receive the accolade) and their wives "Lady".
Women receiving the honour are styled "Dame" but do not receive the accolade.
The honour is given for for a pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity.
The rank of Knight Commander (KBE) or Dame Commander (DBE), Order of the British Empire, commonly appears on the Diplomatic Service and Overseas list. It can be given to Britons based abroad or in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals.
The Order of the Bath is an order of chivalry and was founded in 1725 for service of the highest calibre. The order has a civil and military division and is awarded in the following ranks: Knight Grand Cross (GCB), Knight Commander (KCB) and Companion (CB).
The Order takes its name from the symbolic bathing which in former times was often part of the preparation of a candidate for knighthood.
This Order was founded by King George III in 1818 and is awarded to British subjects who have rendered extraordinary and important services abroad or in the Commonwealth. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG), Knight or Dame Commander (KCMG or DCMG) and Companion (CMG).
This is awarded for service of conspicuous national importance and is limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name.
King George V created these honours during World War I to reward services to the war effort by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions.
The ranks are Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE).
They are now awarded for prominent national or regional roles and to those making distinguished or notable contributions in their own specific areas of activity. The honour of an MBE, in particular, can be given for achievement or service in the community.
The medal was founded in 1917 and was awarded for "meritorious" actions by civilians or military personnel, although the recipients did not attend a royal investiture.
It was scrapped in 1993 by former Conservative Prime Minister John Major, as part of his drive towards a "classless" society.
Nearly two decades on, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced its revival, and from 2012, to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, about 300 will be awarded annually to community volunteers.
By 1896, prime ministers and governments had increased their influence over the distribution of awards and had gained almost total control of the system. Therefore, Queen Victoria instituted The Royal Victorian Order as a personal award for services performed on her behalf.
Today this honour is still awarded in recognition of services to the royal family. The ranks are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), Knight or Dame Commander (KCVO or DCVO), Commander (CVO), Lieutenant (LVO) and Member (MVO).
Associated with the Royal Victorian Order is the Royal Victorian Medal which has three grades: gold, silver and bronze. The circular medal is attached to the ribbon of the Order.
More than one grade may be held by the same person and the medal may be worn along with the insignia of the Order itself.
Founded in 1883 by Queen Victoria, the award is confined to the nursing services. Those awarded the first class are designated "Members" (RRC): those awarded the Second Class are designated "Associates" (ARRC).
It is said that the suggestion for the founding of this decoration was made to Queen Victoria by Florence Nightingale.
This is awarded for distinguished service in the police force.
This honour is given to firefighters who have displayed conspicuous devotion to duty. | British honours are awarded on merit, for exceptional achievement or service. |
26823817 | Pint or cigarette (sometimes both) in hand, the UK Independence Party leader attacks today's politicians for being mechanical and overly on-message.
Like regulars throughout the nation's boozers, he states his opinions without much recourse to political correctness.
He inspires affection and respect among those who agree with him on cutting immigration and leaving the European Union.
But, true to his image as an outspoken saloon bar philosopher, he gets into plenty of fights.
The latest - a televised debate with Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg - was not of his making. Mr Clegg, positioning himself as the spiritual head of Britain's Europhiles, dared Mr Farage to slug things out. He accepted, gladly.
As UKIP regularly out-polls the Lib Dems and continues to record strong showings in Westminster by-elections, he is keen to go further. He wants to win the most UK seats in May's European elections and then go on to gain the party's first MPs at Westminster at the 2015 general election.
These ambitions show UKIP has come a long way under Mr Farage.
Profile: Nick Clegg
But what is his story?
Nigel Paul Farage was born on 3 April 1964 in Kent. His stockbroker father, Guy Oscar Justus Farage, an alcoholic, walked out on the family when Nigel was five-years-old.
Yet this seemed to do little to damage his conventional upper-middle-class upbringing. Nigel attended fee-paying Dulwich College, where he developed a love of cricket, rugby and political debate.
He decided at the age of 18 not to go to university, entering the City instead.
With his gregarious, laddish ways he proved popular among his clients and fellow traders on the metals exchange. Mr Farage, who started work just before the "big bang" in the City, earned a more than comfortable living, but he had another calling - politics.
He joined the Conservatives but became disillusioned with the way the party was going under John Major. Like many on the Eurosceptic wing, he was furious when the prime minister signed the Maastricht Treaty, stipulating an "ever-closer union" between European nations.
Mr Farage decided to break away, becoming one of the founder members of the UK Independence Party, at that time known as the Anti-Federalist League.
In his early 20s, he had the first of several brushes with death, when he was run over by a car in Orpington, Kent, after a night in the pub. He sustained severe injuries and doctors feared he would lose a leg. Grainne Hayes, his nurse, became his first wife.
He had two sons with Ms Hayes, both now grown up, and two daughters with his current wife, Kirsten Mehr, a German national he married in 1999.
Months after recovering from his road accident, Mr Farage was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
He made a full recovery, but he says the experience changed him, making him even more determined to make the most of life.
The young Farage might have had energy and enthusiasm to spare - but his early electoral forays with UKIP proved frustrating.
At the 1997 general election, it was overshadowed by the Referendum Party, backed by multimillionaire businessman Sir James Goldsmith.
But as the Referendum Party faded, UKIP started to take up some of its hardcore anti-EU support.
In 1999, it saw its first electoral breakthrough - thanks to the introduction of proportional representation for European elections, which made it easier for smaller parties to gain seats.
Mr Farage was one of three UKIP members voted in to the European Parliament, representing the south-east of England.
The decision to take up seats in Brussels sparked one of many splits in the UKIP ranks - they were proving to be a rancorous bunch.
Mr Farage scored a publicity coup by recruiting former TV presenter and ex-Labour MP Robert Kilroy-Silk to be a candidate in the 2004 European elections, but the plan backfired when Mr Kilroy-Silk attempted to take the party over.
It was a turbulent time for UKIP but in that year's elections it had increased its number of MEPs to 12.
In 2006 Mr Farage was elected as leader, replacing the less flamboyant Roger Knapman.
He was already a fierce critic of Conservative leader David Cameron, who earlier that year had described UKIP members as "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists".
Mr Farage told the press that "nine out of 10" Tories agreed with his party's views on Europe.
Asked if UKIP was declaring war on the Conservatives, he said: "It is a war between UKIP and entire political establishment."
At the 2009 European elections, with Mr Farage becoming a regular fixture on TV discussion programmes, UKIP got more votes than Labour and the Lib Dems and increased its number of MEPs to 13.
But the party knew it could do little to bring about its goal of getting Britain out of the EU from Brussels and Strasbourg - and it had always performed poorly in UK domestic elections.
In an effort to change this, Mr Farage resigned as leader in 2009 to contest the Buckingham seat held by House of Commons Speaker John Bercow.
He gained widespread publicity in March 2010 - two months before the election - when he launched an attack in the European Parliament on the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, accusing him of having "the charisma of a damp rag" and "the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk".
It raised Mr Farage's profile, going viral on the internet, but made little difference to his Westminster ambitions. He came third, behind Mr Bercow and an independent candidate,
Mr Farage's chosen successor as leader, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, was not suited to the cut and thrust of modern political debate and presentation, and UKIP polled just 3.1% nationally.
But there was a far greater personal disaster. On the day of the election an aeroplane carrying Mr Farage crashed after a UKIP-supporting banner became entangled in the tail fin.
He was dragged from the wreckage with serious injuries.
After recovering in hospital, he told the London Evening Standard the experience had changed him: "I think it's made me more 'me' than I was before, to be honest. Even more fatalistic.
"Even more convinced it's not a dress rehearsal. Even more driven than I was before. And I am driven."
Mr Farage decided he wanted to become leader again and was easily voted back after Lord Pearson resigned.
Europe, and particularly migration to the UK from EU countries, has been a growing political issue since the enlargement of 2004.
Mr Farage has increased UKIP's focus on the immigration impact of being in the EU.
In doing so he wants to be seen as tribune for the disenfranchised, not just the older, comfortably off middle classes alienated by rapid social change caused by mass immigration, but working-class voters left behind in the hunt for jobs and seemingly ignored by the increasingly professionalised "political class".
At last year's local elections in England UKIP won more than 140 seats and averaged 25% of the vote in the wards where it was standing.
It has come second in parliamentary by-elections in Eastleigh and in Wythenshawe and Sale East.
Under pressure from many in his own party - some fearful of UKIP's rise - to address the EU issue, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has promised an in-out referendum on the membership if his party wins the next election.
But Mr Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and, of course, Nick Clegg have all said they would prefer to remain "in" rather than "out".
Mr Farage stands four-square against this.
UKIP is aiming to win the most votes, and seats, at the European elections. From polling just 0.3% at the 1997 general election, it would represent amazing progress.
Mr Farage, who professes a love of all things European, except the European Union, and other "homogenising" projects, would certainly raise a glass or two to that. | Nigel Farage revels in being "the man in the pub", the political outsider who, to adopt an old beer-advertising slogan, "reaches the parts other politicians cannot reach". |
38372332 | The centres, sometimes run by private firms, vet GP referrals and decide if patients should receive hospital care.
The British Medical Association (BMA) called them "inefficient" and a "block between the GP and patient treatment".
NHS Clinical Commissioners said "in many cases" the centres "provide a useful and effective role".
All but 12 of the 209 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England responded to a BBC Freedom of Information (FoI) request. Sixty-one of them said they used some form of referral management centre.
These centres were introduced in about 2003 and were designed to reduce NHS spending by limiting unnecessary referrals to hospital. However, one GP claimed cancer diagnoses were being delayed because of the extra bureaucracy.
Since 2005 there has been a 10-fold increase in the use of referral centres.
A BBC investigation revealed there had been a rise in referrals being rejected for administrative, rather than clinical reasons, with delays due to administration queries rising from 28% in 2013-14 to 41% last year.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, from the BMA, said: "It's a blunt instrument which is not sensitive to the needs of the patient and is delaying patient care.
"It has become totally mechanistic. It's either administrative or not necessary for the patient. It's completely unacceptable. Performance seems to be related to blocking referrals rather than patient care."
MPs in North Durham have complained about a centre which is paid £10 for every referral letter it blocks.
Some doctors in England are being offered thousands of pounds by CCGs to cut the number of patients being referred to hospital.
About £19m was spent on the centres in 2015-16 and about two-thirds of the CCGs which responded to the BBC FoI request were not able to say whether the system was saving the NHS any money.
Referral management centres
One doctor in north-east England, who wished to stay anonymous, told the BBC: "The system is dangerous.
"In one case referral of a patient to a dermatologist was rejected by the referral management system. It turned out to be a cancer…That was a disaster."
In May, Tracy Jefferies had her referral to surgically strip her varicose veins rejected by Devon Referral Support Services.
The reason given was that she did not meet new criteria for treatment because Northern, Eastern and Western (NEW) Devon CCG changed its policy on treatment of the condition.
She said: "The swelling never went down and at night I could barely move. There wasn't a time in the day I wasn't in pain for it.
"I was told on the phone I did not meet the criteria to get treatment on the NHS. I was gobsmacked.
"I had to borrow money from my dad to pay for the treatment privately. So far I've spent over £2,000."
NEW Devon CCG said: "Unless an exceptional case is presented, the CCG will not fund the treatment of varicose veins."
The organisation which represents CCGs, NHS Clinical Commissioners, said: "CCGs will balance the cost of commissioning referral management centres with the benefit they provide to GPs and patients in terms of peer review, education, caseload management and choice.
"Ensuring patients get the best possible care against a backdrop of increasingly squeezed finances is one of the biggest issues CCGs face, but we know that clinical commissioners are working hard to improve local services by making responsible, clinically-led decisions in partnership with GPs, patients and providers."
Watch BBC Inside Out's investigation into rationing of the NHS at 19:30 BST on BBC One, Monday 16 January. | NHS patients face "dangerous" treatment delays due to a 10-fold increase in "crude, expensive" referral management centres, doctors have warned. |
29676084 | Xolile Mngeni, who was convicted of killing Mrs Dewani while she was on honeymoon in 2010, had been serving a life sentence for her murder.
His death comes amid the trial in Cape Town of Briton Shrien Dewani, who denies arranging his wife's murder.
Mngeni died in the hospital section of Cape Town prison, officials said.
South Africa's correctional services department has said it will make a full statement about his death on Sunday.
The death of Mngeni comes 12 days after Bristol businessman Mr Dewani went on trial.
Mr Dewani, 34, faces five charges including murder and lying about the circumstances of his wife's death.
He denies any involvement in the killing, which happened in the Gugulethu area of Cape Town.
Reports suggest prosecutors in South Africa had spoken to Mngeni but had not planned to call him as a witness in the trial because of the poor state of his health.
Mngeni, 27, had been diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, which was removed in 2011. His trial was repeatedly delayed while he had surgery.
He was denied parole in July this year after officials ruled he could receive appropriate medical care at Goodwood Prison, in Cape Town.
Mrs Dewani was kidnapped at gunpoint and shot dead in the Gugulethu township on 13 November 2010 while on honeymoon in South Africa.
Mr Dewani, who was kidnapped alongside her, was later released unharmed.
Mngeni was charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping three days after her death and was convicted on 19 November 2012 of firing the shots that killed Mrs Dewani, having denied the charges.
In court, Mngeni was described as a "merciless and evil person" who deserved the maximum sentence by the trial judge.
"He had no regard to her right to freedom, dignity, and totally disregarded and showed no respect to her right to life by brutally killing her with utter disdain," Judge Robert Henney said.
Mngeni is one of three men to have been jailed in connection with the murder of Mrs Dewani.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo was sentenced to 18 years following a plea bargain.
He told South African authorities he had been approached by Mr Dewani, who offered him about $2,100 (£1,340) to organise the killing and make it look like a carjacking.
Tongo said he then recruited Mngeni and a third man, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, to carry out the killing.
In August 2012, Qwabe was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of Mrs Dewani. | A man jailed for the murder of Anni Dewani has died in prison, South Africa's correctional services department has said. |
35399125 | For the Joe called upon to get the drinks, was Joe Gilmore from the north of city who made his name at London's Savoy Hotel.
He poured drinks for Charlie Chaplin - who left his wife at the door as he had a sup.
Joan Crawford loved whiskey sours, Ernest Hemmingway liked punch, Laurel and Hardy romped through the menu.
When Joe was behind the American Bar, times were good and the stars knew their secrets were safe.
The former head barman at the Savoy died on 18 December aged 93 years.
Joe was one of a family of 10 and grew up on the Limestone Road in north Belfast.
In 1938, when he was 16, he got the boat for London with two white shirts and a couple of pounds.
Joe's nephew, Michael Cunningham, said he started in the American Bar in the Savoy when he was 18 years old.
The American was to cocktails "what Saville Row was to suits", said Michael.
"He met the great and the good there - George Bernard Shaw, Sinatra, Churchill.
"Joe always knew what people wanted. Joan Crawford loved whiskey sours, Hemmingway liked platters of punch, Laurel and Hardy drank through the menu to find a drink they liked."
Savoy archivist Susan Scott said his position would have been the envy of many.
"During the war was a very good time to be in the Savoy, because a lot of American stars stopped off in Britain on their way out to entertain the troops.
"There was a huge influx of celebrities in the hotel at that time and everyone got to know the bartender.
"So he got to know all sorts of people during the war - even Ronald Regan, who was only an actor in those days.
"Everybody knew him, he had such a twinkling smile and came across immediately as friendly and approachable. "
The first drink that Neil Armstrong had after landing on the moon was Joe's Moonwalk which is still for sale in The Savoy.
Joe made it up and the Savoy sent it off in a flask.
"He got a letter from Neil Armstrong thanking him and saying it was the first drink the astronauts had when they came out of quarantine," said Michael.
Charlie Chaplin would come to the Savoy with his wife - as women were not allowed in the American Bar at that time, he would leave her at the door whilst he supped a martini or two.
In the 1970s, Princess Margaret invited Joe to Mustique and even paid for his flight, just so that he could mix cocktails for her.
His secret, said his nephew Michael was that although the drink flowed freely, his lips were forever sealed.
He poured the drink, but never dished the dirt.
"He was very, very discreet," he said.
"He probably knew stories that would make your hair stand up, but he would never disclose any information," he said. | When Frank Sinatra croons: "Set 'em up Joe" in One for My Baby, the words set a few hearts a-flutter in Belfast. |
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