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38173794 | Jones has accused Australia of "illegalities" in the set-piece, and said at a function last night that Australia "can't scrummage".
"He's done that to take the heat off his own scrum," Cheika said.
"It's the oldest trick in the book. At the end of the day what goes on on the field is what's going to count."
Listen: I've made bad selection choices - Jones
Australia, who lost 3-0 at home to England during the northern hemisphere summer, head to Twickenham on Saturday having made four changes to the starting XV that lost to Ireland last weekend.
During the June series down under some Australian observers criticised England's scrum, and Jones has replied in kind before Saturday's match.
Jones will also meet with referee Jaco Peyper before the game, but Cheika says he is undecided whether he will do the same.
"We'll decide [later] whether we will go or not," Cheika said.
"I think we're probably better off letting them have their own meeting and see if they can influence the referee.
"I don't think there's anything I can do to influence the referee, I think I'm better off staying quiet."
England are on the verge of equalling a record run of 14 straight wins, but stopping them making history is not a source of motivation for Australia, according to Cheika.
"We are not into rugby to try and spoil someone else's party. We are trying to have our own," Cheika continued.
"I think they have played fantastic this year, they have smashed it." | Australia coach Michael Cheika says Eddie Jones' digs at the Wallaby scrum are designed to deflect attention away from England's frailties in that area. |
36398662 | The claim: Leaving the European Union would make pensioners worse off.
Reality Check verdict: The predictions are based on the Treasury's economic model, which may or may not turn out to be right. There are also things about leaving the EU that could be good for pensioners.
It is based on the report that the Treasury brought out earlier in the week, which predicted very bad things for the economy in the two years after a vote to leave.
The Treasury modelled a "shock scenario" and a "severe shock scenario".
The latest document reckons that somebody receiving the full basic state pension would be £137 worse off in real terms by 2017-18 in the former case and £142 worse off in the latter.
The basic state pension is protected by the triple-lock, which means it rises by inflation, average earnings or 2.5%, whichever is the highest.
So what would be best for people on the basic state pension would be for inflation to be low and earnings to be high, because then they get a bigger increase in the pension, while their spending power is not eroded by inflation.
The pension for 2016-17 went up by 2.9% while the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that inflation will be just 0.9% over that period.
For 2017-18, the OBR reckons the state pension will rise by 2.5% while inflation will be 0.6%. In both years, the pension would rise by considerably more than inflation, increasing the spending power of pensioners.
The Treasury report predicted that there would be higher inflation and lower wages if the UK left the EU, so it is no surprise that could be seen as being bad news for pensioners.
The research goes on to look at what effect the predicted fall in share prices, house prices and company profits would do to the incomes of pensioners with savings, investments or annuities and found it would be negative.
So, in order to accept these figures, you first have to accept the economic model on which it is based, and we have discussed in the past the problems of economic modelling. This model is in the economic mainstream - almost all serious forecasts predict that uncertainty in the first two years would lead to problems for the economy.
But actually, the impact on pensioners is somewhat harder to predict. For example, leaving the EU might well lead to an increase in the amount the government has to pay to borrow money, which should in turn increase the rates offered for the annuities that provide incomes for people who have saved for their retirement.
Similarly, if inflation rises post-Brexit then the Bank of England might have to raise interest rates, which would be good news for pensioners with savings.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | The government has said what it thinks would happen to pensioners if the UK left the European Union, and concluded that they would be worse off. |
35457280 | The Mumbai police Twitter account, launched in December, has turned into a social media sensation, mainly because of its witty tweets.
Ahmed Javed, who retired as the Commissioner of Mumbai Police last week, told the BBC that the wit and humour on the feed was a "conscious decision".
"We decided to bring in humour because that goes well [with the followers]. We also wanted to address a larger number of people, specially the youth," he said.
Mr Javed said he wanted his force to become "more accessible" for the city's residents, but he knew that "a dry and boring [Twitter] account would fail to catch the attention of the youth".
He added that the police had achieved what "it had set out to do on Twitter".
The account has been posting tweets about several issues, but their campaign against drugs has attracted the most attention.
But the Mumbai police is not just receiving appreciation for its tweets, it's getting some interesting responses as well. "We wanted people to get involved and there have been funny responses to our Tweets. We wanted to take serious subjects and package them in a way that the message goes through and people also like them. This was the end result we had in mind," Mr Javed said.
Mr Javed said that the content on their Twitter accounts comes from a joint team of police officers and external consultants.
"We debate and discuss our tweets before posting. We also discuss how to build specific campaigns like #Avoiddrugs and #followtrafficrules," he said.
The police also ran a Twitter campaign against cyber crimes.
And they also found innovative ways to warn people about violence against women. | You don't always associate the Indian police with humour, but that is no longer the case in the western city of Mumbai. |
40895282 | The heat was the result of long-term global warming and a strong El Niño weather phenomenon, the report said.
Global surface and sea temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gases levels were all at record highs, it added.
The report comes after President Donald Trump announced plans for the US to quit the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Mr Trump has previously dismissed climate change as "a hoax".
The international report, State of the Climate in 2016, was compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is based on contributions from nearly 500 scientists from more than 60 countries.
It says that 2016 surpassed 2015 as the warmest year in 137 years of recordkeeping.
"Last year's record heat resulted from the combined influence of long-term global warming and a strong El Niño early in the year," the report said.
"The major indicators of climate change continued to reflect trends consistent with a warming planet."
During an El Niño, a band of unusually warm ocean water develops in parts of the Pacific. The phenomenon affects the climate globally, disrupting weather patterns.
The report said that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide - all the major greenhouse gases that drive global warming - had risen to new heights.
Global annual average atmospheric CO2 concentration was 402.9 parts per million (ppm) which surpassed 400 ppm for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800,000 years, the NOAA said.
"Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity and life on Earth," it added. | A report compiled by a US government agency has confirmed that 2016 was the warmest year on record and the third year in a row of record global warmth. |
36541583 | Funded by the UK government, the RRS Ernest Shackleton normally carries out support work for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
But this summer the ice breaker has been chartered to accompany a luxury liner's voyage in the Arctic.
Critics say it's inappropriate for a vessel dedicated to science to support tourism in such a fragile area.
Global warming has seen a rapid rise in the number of ships travelling through Arctic waters in recent years.
The Northwest Passage - a short cut from Asia to Europe through the Canadian Arctic - first became fully clear of ice in the summer in 2007.
Since then only a handful of ships have travelled the route - 17 in 2015, according to the US Coast Guard.
This summer the Crystal Serenity aims to become the biggest passenger ship yet to attempt to sail through the famous route.
Starting in Alaska, the 32-day voyage will see the 1,700 passengers and crew travel 1,500km across the top of Canada, ultimately ending in New York.
Berths on the 14-deck luxury liner are not cheap, starting at around $20,000 per person and running up to $120,000 for a deluxe stateroom.
While the route is accessible to ships, it is not ice-free and the company behind the voyage has chartered the ice breaker, RRS Ernest Shackleton, from the British Antarctic Survey.
The Shackleton is normally used as a logistic support and research ship for UK scientific activities in the Antarctic.
Critics say that a vessel normally dedicated to science shouldn't be enabling tourism in an area like the Arctic, acknowledged by many to be one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change.
"There is a significant tension between the science and environmental mission of the Shackleton and its participation in an exercise in tourism that has an enormous per capita carbon footprint," Prof Michael Byers from the University of British Columbia told BBC News.
Prof Byers, who holds a chair in global politics and international law, was invited on the trip to give a series of lectures to passengers. He refused, as he believes this summer's trip will only encourage others.
"This voyage is a significant contribution, at least on a per capita basis, to climate change by people who are going to see an ecosystem before it is destroyed by climate change. I find that irony quite terrible," he said.
In a statement, the British Antarctic Survey said it had chartered the Shackleton to Crystal Cruises, the company behind the trip, as the ship would not be deployed in the Antarctic at that time.
"Cruise ship tourism in both polar regions is well-regulated," it said.
The Crystal Cruises brochure says that as well as increasing the safety of passengers, the Shackleton will also "offer a platform from which guests will be able to disembark for landings in the wilderness, kayak in scenic coves, take guided zodiac (inflatable) cruises and view the vast Arctic wilderness from above from one of the two helicopters".
According to BAS, the charter is to "provide operational support to Crystal Serenity as well as the facility to carry additional expert guides and crew. Specialised safety equipment will be onboard. Zodiacs and helicopters are operated by Crystal".
Crystal Cruises say they are taking every precaution to ensure a minimal impact on a fragile environment.
The ship and the ice breaker will both use low sulphur, garbage will be stored or incinerated on board, and waste water won't be discharged until the ship is at least 12 nautical miles from shore.
While environmentalists applaud these efforts they are also concerned that the presence of the RRS Ernest Shackleton is bolstering the appeal of the trip and encouraging tourism on a wider scale.
"It is a concern," said Marcie Keever from Friends of the Earth in the US.
"I'm glad they have the backup safety wise, it feels a little bit like they are putting a gloss on it, they have got something reputable to escort them, it gives them more legitimacy, it doesn't feel very good," she said.
One of the features of this year's voyage will be visits to small and remote communities in the Arctic during visits to port. Prof Michael Byers says this one of the most unappealing aspects of the journey.
"They (local populations) have endemic tuberculosis, sky high rates of diabetes, with people who are living in poverty and desperation," he said.
"The people who are coming off the cruise ships are not in the 1%, but in the 0.1% of the world's financial elite, it is another example of just how extreme this particular voyage is."
Crystal Cruises say they are planning another trip through the Northwest Passage in 2017.
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc and on Facebook. | Concerns have been raised about the participation of a UK science vessel in an Arctic tourist voyage. |
29980841 | The men behind Do They Know It's Christmas are expected to announce the line-up on Monday for Band Aid 30.
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure first gathered a group of musicians together in 1984, raising £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Do They Know It's Christmas was recorded again in 1989 and 2004.
Geldof and Ure will be hoping to gather some of today's most popular music acts including One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.
It is thought the money raised will go towards the fight against Ebola in West Africa.
The original track featured the voices of George Michael, Bono from U2, Duran Duran and Bananarama, among others.
The single was the catalyst for the cross-continent Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia, which raised more than £40m.
The 1989 incarnation of Band Aid was produced by the Stock, Aitken and Waterman stable, largely featuring their artists such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Sonia.
Band Aid 20, marking 20 years of the record, included the likes of Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal, Ms Dynamite, Will Young and Robbie Williams.
Bono, Sir Paul McCartney and George Michael from the original record returned for the collaboration, which was released to raise money for Sudan's troubled Darfur region. | Plans are under way to pull together a host of music stars to create the fourth incarnation of the Band Aid charity single. |
30576515 | Levi-Blu Cassin suffered "catastrophic" internal injuries at his West Midlands home in February 2013.
Parents Danielle Cassin and Mark Piper were convicted of causing or allowing his death - but cleared of murder.
Levi-Blu's grandmother Angela Cassin said: "Nine years for a baby's life - that's absolutely disgusting."
Judge Mr Justice Goss, sentencing, told the pair they were "selfish, neglectful and manipulative".
Cassin, 27, of Frensham Close, Chelmsley Wood, and Piper, 31, of no fixed abode, were on Friday found guilty of causing or allowing the death of their son.
They were cleared of his murder and manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.
Both gave differing accounts of what happened in the hours leading up to Levi-Blu's death and effectively blamed each other for his injuries.
The court was told that post-mortem examinations revealed the toddler's duodenum - where the small intestine meets the stomach - was split in two.
He was was found at the flat his parents shared in Nightingale Avenue, Chelmsley Wood on 20 February 2013.
Sentencing Cassin, Judge Goss told her she "repeatedly lied to, or deceived" those seeking to protect her son.
He said: "You concealed the violence in your relationship and you chose to permit Levi to be exposed to all the attendant risks."
Her failure to address her drug habit meant she put her own "selfish interests above all else", he added.
Sentencing Piper, the judge said: "There is no indication you had your son's interests at heart."
He was a father more interested in playing on his Playstation than in caring for his son.
During their trial, evidence was also presented that showed Levi-Blu sustained less serious injuries two or three weeks before his death.
However, medical experts told the jury it was likely the toddler suffered the fatal injury about 12 hours before his death.
Jurors were told Ms Cassin took heroin and crack cocaine and had wanted to go out "on a session to get drugs" the night her son died.
Mr Piper was described in court as a man "with a propensity to attack children", with one ex-girlfriend saying he had been violent towards her and her son.
Judge Goss said Levi-Blu was "stamped on or kicked" with "very significant force required" to inflict the injuries that killed him.
"Levi would have been in pain, very upset and distressed," he said.
His family must "live with the anguish of not knowing what happened to him".
Solihull Local Safeguarding Children Board has confirmed a serious case review is being carried out and is expected to be published in the spring.
Speaking outside court, Levi's grandmother, Angela Cassin, said: "Nine years for a baby's life - that's absolutely disgusting.
"It's not justice - we don't even know what happened to him."
His aunt, Kirstie Cassin, added: "I don't want people to even think about [those] two.
"Levi was the most special little boy - all he brought us was joy and all he suffered was heartache and pain, and nobody is paying."
Inspector Bob Sutton, from West Midlands Police, said: "Throughout the investigation and trial [Levi's parents] have continued to conceal the truth.
"As parents they were in a unique position of trust and care - they did not meet their responsibilities." | A "selfish and manipulative" couple who both denied delivering the fatal blow that killed their toddler son have each been jailed for nine years. |
35239245 | The Peak District National Park Authority has raised £60,000 by selling 7.54 hectares (18.6 acres) of woodland in separate plots
The new owners, who include a family and a woodland fancier, face restrictions on the use of the plots.
Another six plots of woodland will be marketed in the next few months by an estate agent.
The first woodland plots sold were in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire and were former rubbish sites, quarries or plantations.
Sarah McKay, from the authority, said: "We feel we have done what we can with the woodland.
"We've established or improved them and we feel it is time to return them to the community, at a time where we are also reducing our liabilities in terms of the budget reductions we have to make."
More updates and news from Derbyshire
"The sales will allow us to focus on the protection, improvement and maintenance of our remaining woodlands.''
The Woodland Trust said it would monitor the situation, adding the new owners were subject to the same planning regulations as national parks.
The parkland plots were located near Chapel-en-le-Frith, Hathersage, Newhaven and Baslow in Derbyshire, Wildboarclough in Cheshire and Wetton in North Staffordshire.
All national parks have been facing large cuts in grants - the Peak District authority has lost £3.5m in funding since 2010 - a reduction of 36.5%. | A national park has sold off six small woodlands to "reduce liabilities" at a time of budget cuts. |
38237250 | Sacha Parkin admitted he wrote to SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and also named a young child he said he wanted to abuse.
The 46-year-old, from Perth, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
He was also banned from owning more than one computer and mobile phone.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Parkin had also written in the email: "I'm not being funny. Why are you and your colleagues, including Nicola Sturgeon, being so stupid?"
The police were called in and Parkin was arrested. He told officers he was trying to get help for people who needed it.
Parkin admitted sending an offensive email to Ellen Forson, for the attention of the MP, in which he outlined his sexual attraction to children.
Fiscal depute Lisa Marshall previously told Perth Sheriff Court: "The complainer is the office manager at the SNP office in Alloa and works with Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.
"Miss Forson contacted the police after receiving the email from the accused, which had the subject heading 'How the SNP can help reduce child sexual exploitation.'
Sheriff William Wood prevented further details of the email, which is understood to contain graphic content, being read out in open court.
The court was told that Parkin had recently been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and was now undergoing mental health treatment for his difficulties.
In March this year, Parkin was given a community payback order after he admitted telling the NSPCC charity helpline he had fantasies about abusing and murdering children.
Parkin later told police he was "struggling to control" his thoughts and wanted support. | A paedophile sent a graphic email to an MP offering his expertise to help tackle child sexual exploitation, a court has heard. |
30552144 | The man, Yang Teng, said a Beijing court had decreed that the Xinyu Piaoxiang clinic would have to pay him 3,500 yuan ($560; £400).
The decision has been hailed as a legal milestone by gay rights bodies.
Homosexuality has not been classified as a mental illness in China since 2001 but anti-gay prejudice remains common.
Mr Yang said the procedure involved him being told to have sexual thoughts about men at the same time as receiving electric shocks.
He said that there were also attempts at hypnosis and that the procedures harmed him both mentally and physically.
Mr Yang, also known as Xiao Zhen, told reporters he had agreed to the therapy following pressure from his parents.
However, he previously told the BBC that he underwent the treatment in order to gather evidence for the court case.
"I'm going to take this verdict and show it to my parents so they can see a Chinese court said homosexuality isn't a mental illness," Mr Yang told AFP.
"Someone needs to step up because we must stop such severe transgressions," he added.
The court did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media. However, Mr Yang and his lawyer have briefed several journalists.
The amount awarded by the court did not cover damages for Mr Yang, but did reimburse his "treatment" costs, reports said.
Analysts suggest that attitudes towards homosexuality in China have been slow to evolve because of the one-child-policy as well as heavy societal pressure on young people to get married and produce a family heir.
Correspondents say attitudes are changing however, with an annual gay pride event taking place in Shanghai. | China has ordered a psychiatric clinic to pay compensation to a gay man who was given electric shocks in an attempt to make him heterosexual. |
34561591 | The second leg in Lobamba should have been played on Tuesday but was postponed for what Fifa said were 'logistical reasons' after reports in Swaziland had said the Djibouti squad were stranded in Kenya.
Swaziland's progress to the next round was almost certain after their emphatic 6-0 win in the first leg.
The hosts made sure of the victory in a much tighter home leg at the Somhlolo National Stadium.
Sandile Hlatjwako put the hosts ahead early in the game with a sixth minute strike.
Djibouti made their presence felt with an unexpected equaliser 16 minutes later through Mohamed Issa Liban.
But Sandile Hlatjwako got his second of the game in the 43rd minute to further boost Swaziland's aggregate advantage.
With no more goals in the second half, Swaziland secured an 8-1 win overall to advance to the next knock-out round where they will play Nigeria. | Swaziland are through to the next round of 2018 World Cup qualifying after a 2-1 victory over Djibouti on Saturday, to win 8-1 on aggregate. |
35026593 | The car overturned at the Forgan roundabout on the Tay road bridge at about 08:50.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters used hydraulic cutting gear to remove the trapped driver from the car.
Only one vehicle was involved in the crash. The woman was taken to Ninewells Hospital where she is being treated for her injuries. | A woman has been cut free from her car after a crash on the A92 in Dundee. |
32763804 | The station, which will serve the town centre, is part of an £11.5m project funded by the Welsh government.
Delivered by Network Rail, it features a new station building, 150m platform to fit up to six carriages, a car park, a waiting shelter and bicycle storage.
The 07:38 BST Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town was the first train to arrive at 08:41 BST.
The station is located on the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff line and will be served by the existing hourly service.
Transport Minister Edwina Hart said: "The Ebbw Vale railway line is very popular, with some 300,000 journeys annually.
"Together with our investment in the track, the new Ebbw Vale Town station will improve access to jobs and services for more people along this busy route." | The first train is pulling into the newly reopened Ebbw Vale town train station on Sunday. |
32025647 | He told BBC Wales that the stress of two months of negotiations led to him suffering a heart attack 48 hours after the deal was finally struck.
In a new report on coalitions, Mr Morgan said stable deals depend on securing the backing of party members.
He advised leaders to "take your time".
The report - Working Together - has been published by the Electoral Reform Society as opinions polls suggest another hung parliament after the general election in May.
Writing in the report, Mr Morgan said many Labour members "profoundly distrusted" Plaid Cymru, but had to "ventilate the steam" of their "intense dislike" to reach agreement.
"Coalition is not abhorrent, and it doesn't make a country ungovernable," he wrote.
Mr Morgan said "legitimacy and negotiation" were key to successful coalitions, recommending special party conferences be held to agree the manifesto promises being dropped for the sake of a deal.
His hospital admission shortly after the 2007 coalition deal was said at the time to have been for "gastric problems".
Plaid Cymru ministers served in a coalition government with Labour in Cardiff Bay from 2007 to 2011.
Cardiff Central Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott, who has served as a junior minister in the UK coalition government, said in the report they had proved it could work.
"There have been problems between the parties, but they have been resolved and the Government has held together to the very end," she said. | Former First Minister Rhodri Morgan has admitted that coalition negotiations with Plaid Cymru after the 2007 assembly election "could have been fatal" for him. |
37234400 | Most UK police can retire at 60, but new rules mean Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officers will have to work to 65 in future.
The Civil Nuclear Police Federation (CNPF) said it has been left "dismayed" and wants ministers to "intervene".
There are some 1,250 CNC officers guarding nuclear sites around Britain.
The CNPF has said officers could not fully protect the public from terrorism if they worked beyond 60.
The changes to the pension ages for the force were brought in as part of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.
The standard retirement age for almost all police forces is 60, with many able to leave on a full pension in their 50s.
But under the new laws affecting public service workers - due to take effect next April - CNC officers will have to work until they are 65, and eventually 68, to receive their pension.
The CNPF had asked the High Court to rule that its officers should be exempt from the retirement age rise.
That claim was contested by the Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA).
But the case was dismissed at the High Court in London on Wednesday by Mrs Justice Nicola Davies.
CNC officers - almost all of whom carry firearms - protect nuclear sites and nuclear material in transit across the UK.
The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 created an exemption for those working for a "police force" but the judge said, in legal terms, the CNC officers were not "members of a police force" - unlike almost every other police officer in the UK.
She said the CNC was a police force in the "wider and colloquial" sense but there were "distinct and distinguishing differences" compared to forces governed by the Home Office.
She pointed out that the CNCPA, which had opposed the courtroom challenge on legal grounds, shared the CNPF's view that 60 would be a better retirement age for policy and operational reasons.
But she said the High Court was "not concerned" with policy arguments - the "sole issue" was whether the CNC was a police force as defined in law by the new Pensions Act.
In her ruling the judge referred to comments made by lawyers representing the government that "no final decision" had been made on the terms of the CNC's future pension scheme.
CNPF chief executive Nigel Dennis has said it is almost physically impossible for a CNC officer to serve beyond the age of 60.
Speaking after the ruling, he said the court's decision left ministers with a "major headache".
"If we cannot get a more reasonable decision then I suspect an imposed unattainable retirement age will soon lead to difficulty in recruiting and in retaining our highly trained police officers." | Representatives of a police force which protects British nuclear sites have lost a High Court challenge over a new pension scheme. |
32215568 | Sheen will star in the biopic In High Places, which will tell the story of the mountaineer's ill-fated expedition to Mount Everest in 1924.
Mallory was last seen near the summit with fellow climber Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine. His body was found in 1999.
Kelly Macdonald will play Mallory's wife Ruth, and Andrew Scott, best known as Sherlock's Moriarty, will also star.
He will appear as Mallory's friend and fellow climber Noel Odell, reported Screen Daily.
Writer and director James McEachen described the biopic as "an epic story about the uncompromising nature of character and the sometimes overwhelming power of dreams."
He said: "I have been fascinated by George Mallory for as long as I can remember. That led directly to my own Himalayan climbs in the 90s, including leading an expedition to 27,766 foot Makalu in 1992.
"It was this direct experience that gave me a deep-seated respect for the bold imagination and war-hardened bravery that Mallory and his companions displayed in their quest for the summit of Everest - long before the age of Gore-Tex and titanium."
Shooting is due start in South Tyrol, India, London and Cologne later this year. | Michael Sheen is set to play British climber George Mallory on the big screen. |
38179767 | She first became a household name in 2005 when she finished as the second runner-up in Super Girl, a Chinese TV singing contest similar to Pop Idol.
She made a lasting impression with her impressive vocal range and was even nicknamed the "Dolphin Princess" - "dolphin notes" is Chinese slang for being able to hit the high notes.
Although she is yet to make an impact internationally, she regularly performs English-language tracks and was once even a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
But the music video of her latest single "Dust My Shoulders Off", an upbeat track produced by Timbaland, may help her get one step closer to her dream of international stardom.
Its success will be critical for Zhang, being the first single from her first English-language album, scheduled for release in April. It has had more than 5.8 million views on YouTube and the single reached top five in the iTunes chart, a first for a Chinese artist.
The video parodies iconic art pieces, from Edvard Munch's The Scream to Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and has delighted viewers with its creativity and humour.
"I am a Chinese singer, but this song targets the English-speaking audience. The video needs to be about something that people across different cultures can understand," Zhang told the BBC.
She and production staff spent 48 hours non-stop shooting the video, and it was not a comfortable experience.
"I was painted over and over again throughout the production. It was painful to remove the makeup. My face was swollen after we finished the shooting for the second painting."
But it is a sharp contrast to videos from most Chinese-language artists.
"Stars have to be beautiful or sexy in Chinese-language music videos, or the stars' dance moves have to be shown clearly," said the video's Taiwanese director, Liao Jen Shuai.
"I told her that I have to let the audience remember your cool and fun personality. I have to let them know you are a brave singer who loves challenges. To break into the US market, this is the thing that matters."
This represents a more sophisticated approach, but does it mean that the time is ripe for a Chinese breakthrough in the Western music industry?
"Historically, it's been really difficult for international artists to make a global impact," said Mark Mulligan, a music industry analyst with media consultancy firm Midia.
He points out that streaming eased access for international artists who sing in English - some Swedish musicians found success like this. But there is a downside.
"It makes everybody essentially just look like American-style artists," he added.
Many of Zhang's songs are ballads and she has become known in China for her emotive performances.
"Artists have to ask themselves who they are, what they represent and what kind of unique qualities they have. It is not a must for artists to copy everything from Western stars," said Joanna Huang, former vice-president of international record company EMI in the China region.
She points out that Asian record companies, including Korean and Japanese ones, did try to try to crack the international market by hiring big-name producers and releasing English albums, but to little effect.
She thinks integrating unique cultural elements into music production may be part of the answer.
She cites the example of Babymetal, a Japanese metal band featuring three teenage girls. Even though the band caters to a niche market, it has been received positively by Western audiences.
"Metal does not originate from Asia. But they manage to mix the kawaii [cuteness] and heavy metal elements together."
Music industry insiders say artists like Zhang have to craft a clever strategy.
Appearing on reality television shows and chat shows and synchronising music with apps are some ways Chinese artists can get "in front of Western audiences who otherwise wouldn't otherwise find you", Mulligan said.
But Huang also sees opportunities in the expansion of China's technology and entertainment businesses and suggests that singing theme songs for upcoming films is one way of getting a foothold.
Zhang is already the voice of a promotional song for upcoming blockbuster The Great Wall.
More collaboration with expanding telecommunication companies is also an option that could see phones and tablets made by Chinese manufacturers carrying their music - and this has already started happening.
For Joanna Huang, this is the moment to strike.
"Over the last century, there has never been a better moment for Chinese-speaking music stars to try breaking into the global market."
Additional reporting by Zoe Chen | Jane Zhang is a pop megastar in China but her latest single breaks the mould of China's pop industry and could help her become its first global superstar, writes Grace Tsoi of BBC Chinese. |
35647886 | Dutt was sentenced for firearms offences linked to the 1993 Mumbai blasts which killed 257 people and injured 713.
He was convicted of buying firearms from the bombers but said the weapons were necessary in order to defend his family during the Hindu-Muslim rioting of 1993.
The actor was moved to the Yerwada jail in May 2013 to finish his five-year jail term.
But owing to his good behaviour and positive activities like running a radio programme, he was recently granted a remission of 144 days.
His early release, however, has sparked outrage with critics saying that Dutt had already been granted an unreasonable number of parole and furlough leaves owing to his celebrity status.
Meanwhile, there is intense interest in the media about his life inside the jail.
Dutt lived in a 8x10ft (2.4m x 3m) cell and wore the white uniform of prisoners. He had a 100 sq ft garden in front of his cell, where he was allowed to stroll under the watchful eyes of four guards.
According to a former fellow inmate, the actor had been resigned to his fate of the unavoidable jail time, but knew he could be released early if he behaved well.
He was lodged in a high-security cell next to the "faansi" ward, which houses prisoners on death row, and was generally not allowed to interact with other prisoners owing to security concerns.
If he walked to the common area, he would be accompanied by four policemen. If he interacted with other prisoners, the conversations would be listened into.
"I would speak to him often as I was working as the librarian at the prison," said the former inmate.
"Baba, as he is affectionately known, would borrow at least two books every week. He used to read extensively, mainly Hindi literature from Munshi Premchand."
The former inmate added that the actor would "remain immersed in newspapers".
"He had little else to do. In the common area, we had one TV set for every 150 prisoners. But since Baba's cell was a high-security one, he did not have that luxury," he added.
Hitesh Jain, Dutt's lawyer, said that the actor also developed a "spiritual inclination" during his time in the prison.
"He was doing a lot of spiritual reading. These are the things which keep a person encouraged, and provide strength to pass the whole term," said Jain.
Speaking about his daily schedule, officers at the Yerwada prison said that Dutt would wake up at six in the morning. He would take a shower after which he would be served tea and breakfast.
The jail staff would then bring him material to make bags from newspapers. He would spend most of his mornings working, earning 45 rupees (47p; 66 cents) for 100 bags. A little before noon, he would be taken to the radio studio where he would present a programme on 'Radio YCP' (Yerwada Central Prison), the jail's internal radio station.
Soon after, policemen would escort him to the common area where he was allowed to interact with other prisoners and exercise with them.
He would then return to his cell at around 14:00, have lunch and remain there for an hour before again hosting his programme on the radio station.
Dinner would be served by 17:30 and the actor would stay locked in his cell from 18:00 until the next morning.
His radio programme was popular among the inmates.
"He would write his own scripts, and would usually speak about reforms during his radio sessions," a jail officer said.
"He would speak about prison life, how the prisoners could survive it, and how their rehabilitative processes should be once they leave prison."
The officer added that the actor would often repeat his dialogues from popular Munnabhai films and play songs to entertain his listeners.
The actor definitely made some fans with his radio skills.
"Baba might be a big deal outside those prison walls, but inside, he was one of us. He even met my wife and mother during one of their prison visits," the former fellow inmate said.
"My family was elated on meeting him, but to me, and to all of us prisoners, he was ordinary. Prison does that to you. The barracks snatch your worth and render you ordinary, irritatingly ordinary, even if you are a superstar."
Puja Changoiwala is a Mumbai-based independent journalist. Her book on crimes in Mumbai will be published later this year | When actor Sanjay Dutt left a prison in the western Indian city of Pune on Thursday, he walked away with some experience of making paper bags and being a radio disc jockey. |
36449027 | The photographs, scarves and videos tell the remarkable story of Leicester City's rise from relegation candidates to champions of England.
Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The organisers set about in 45 days to put together this amazing exhibition."
The free-to-enter show runs until September.
Tracing the journey month by month, it explores how people around the world reacted to the unlikely success of the team, who were 5,000-1 outsiders to win the Premier League Trophy at the season's outset.
Archivist John Hutchinson said he used photos and social media posts from during the season to retell the story.
"We enjoyed collecting the memorabilia and we have more than 50 items from the season from signed shirts to Captain Morgan's rum (named after Leicester City captain Wes Morgan) to Claudio Ranieri's bell through to clapper boards.
"You can relive the whole fairytale season again … after 132 years we have been waiting a long time for this so come in and enjoy it," Leicester City club ambassador Alan Birchenhall said.
He said there was also an area for people to add to the exhibits over the summer with their drawings, photos and stories.
"I have never known a season like this. What has happened has been truly historic and this exhibition really captures that magnificent achievement." | An exhibition of memorabilia from Leicester City's Premier League winning season has opened in the city's New Walk Museum. |
38800083 | Ibrar Ali, from Selby, North Yorkshire, was injured by a road-side bomb in Iraq and lost his lower right arm, but re-trained and returned to active service.
He was part of the Walking with the Wounded trip which trekked to the South Pole with Prince Harry in 2013.
The seven-day challenge finished on Manly beach, Sydney, Australia.
The endeavour had started on 23 January in Antarctica.
Mr Ali, originally from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, who left the Army in 2013, finished alongside RAF veteran Luke Wigman.
Mr Ali finished the challenge with a final four-hour marathon as the sun was rising over Manly beach, he wrote on social media.
"All the support from family and friends has kept us moving when our bodies really wanted to give up", he said.
Mr Ali added: "For Luke and I to complete this shows that rehab works but it needs to be better. That's why I did this crazy challenge - to get word out about the DNRC for current and future servicemen and women."
The challenge involved 295km of running and 59 hours of flight time.
Marathon locations
Money raised through the challenge is to help fund the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, being built near Loughborough that is to open in 2018. | A former army captain has run a marathon on every continent in a week to raise funds for an armed forces rehabilitation centre. |
34061901 | The local authorities in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Orkney and Shetland are to hold a summit aimed at addressing the issue.
Ministers and officials from the Scottish government and the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) are among those also involved.
Councils have already tried individual initiatives to ease the problem.
Launching the initiative ahead of the 7 October summit, the councils said the challenge had been recruiting and retaining "sufficient numbers of high-quality teachers to provide the best possible education" for pupils.
This is in the face of low application numbers for teaching jobs, and rising pupil numbers.
The objective of the new drive is to find a resolution to teacher recruitment and retention on a local and national level.
Consideration will be given to issues such as whether pay weighting should be introduced for those in the north and north east, similar to that given in London, and a national campaign to promote teaching.
The event has been led by Aberdeen City Council.
Council Leader Jenny Laing said: "Many councils in the north and north east of Scotland are experiencing higher than normal levels of teacher shortages - particularly at senior management levels.
"Whilst not yet at crisis levels it is nevertheless a serious issue that we want to tackle now to protect the interests of pupils.
"We urge the Scottish government to work with us on finding a solution at a national level. This is a case where one-size does not fit all councils."
In 2013, Aberdeenshire Council sent staff to Canada and Ireland to try to recruit new teachers.
Last year, Aberdeen City Council offered to pay the tuition fees of staff who want to become primary school teachers in a bid to tackle the shortage.
And earlier this month, the first teachers took advantage of an offer of free accommodation for six months to teach in Moray.
The council teamed up with a local developer to provide 10 new two-bedroom properties for new recruits.
The local authority said there had been a significant increase in the number of applicants for teaching posts.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "We are committed to ensuring schools have the right number of teachers with the right skills.
"That is why we acted to safeguard teacher posts for the next year by committing a £51m package of funding for Scotland's local authorities to maintain teacher numbers and pupil-teacher ratios at 2014 levels in 2015-16.
"In each of the last four years the Scottish government has also increased student teacher numbers.
"We welcome the opportunity to engage with local authorities to discuss potential further action to address the issue of teacher recruitment. We look forward to receiving the invitation to the summit and a representative from the Scottish government will attend."
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) welcomed the announcement of the joint summit.
General secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The EIS is willing to engage constructively with councils to explore ways to improve processes for teacher recruitment and retention.
"Attracting teachers to some parts of the country - for example rural or remote areas or areas with a lack of affordable housing - is an ongoing challenge for a number of local authorities.
"While pay and conditions for teachers will continue to be agreed nationally through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, it is open to local authorities to explore additional incentives or other means of attracting qualified teachers to come and work in their schools."
And Scottish Parent Teacher Council executive director Eileen Prior said of the news: "Our children deserve no less."
There are a number of possible explanations for the problems in northern Scotland.
For example, the cost of housing in some parts of the north east - an important factor in the overall cost of living - may deter people from moving there if they know their salary would go further in another part of the country.
In rural areas, it can be a challenge to find the right person for any skilled job.
Young people from rural areas who want to become teachers will usually have left home at 18 to study - many may simply not fancy returning to a rural community, at least while they are in their 20s or 30s.
It is important to distinguish between the drop in the overall number of teachers in Scotland in recent years and the all-too-real challenge some councils face filling advertised vacancies.
Read more from Jamie | Six councils in the north east and north of Scotland have united to tackle teacher shortages in their schools. |
36514110 | It is unusual for any Formula 1 boss to openly admit their team have made an error; and from Ferrari's Maurizio Arrivabene - any Ferrari team principal, for that matter - it is rarer than most.
But after the Canadian Grand Prix, there was no mistaking Arrivabene's message when he was asked about the fateful strategy decision that probably cost Sebastian Vettel victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.
"We overestimated the degradation of the tyres," Arrivabene said. "This is the reason we called him in. It was the wrong decision."
And so it was.
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Ferrari, who have talked themselves up - and been talked up by Mercedes - but, before the weekend in Montreal, had only flattered to deceive.
Around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, though, they finally looked like the real deal.
Vettel missed out on pole position by less than 0.2 seconds, and had to be content with third on the grid behind Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. But he was optimistic of a decent race, and his blistering start made a win look on.
It was the sort of start that helped form the legend of one of Ferrari's biggest heroes, Gilles Villeneuve, back in the late 1970s and early '80s - on a completely different scale than every other car on the grid.
The new rules introduced this year, restricting the assistance drivers can receive from both the pit wall and in the car, have made this sort of disparity possible again.
Hamilton is suffering at one end of the spectrum; Vettel benefiting at the other. And in Canada, the four-time champion got off the line as if powered by a rocket, and was past both Mercedes within 100 metres or so.
From there, he tried to run the start of the race as he did in his Red Bull days - build a quick lead with a blistering first couple of laps and then hold it, eking out the tyres, keeping his rivals at arm's length.
Hamilton admitted to being impressed by the Ferrari's initial pace, but a fastest lap by the world champion on lap three made it obvious it would not be that easy. And from there Hamilton was comfortably able to sit within 1.5 seconds of the Ferrari - the smallest margin a driver can allow before risking wrecking the fragile Pirelli tyres.
Still, track position is critical in F1, especially between cars that are relatively evenly matched, even on a circuit on which overtaking is as common as it is in Montreal.
Critically - and oddly - Ferrari chose to surrender it.
It made sense on a micro level - the virtual safety car was enforced while Jenson Button's smoking and broken McLaren-Honda was recovered, and Ferrari took the opportunity afforded by everyone being held to a slow pace to make a pit stop that as a result would cost less time than normal.
But on a macro level, it was a misjudgement.
Hamilton did not stop - and would only do so once. So to get the lead back and win the race, Vettel would now have to a) pass the two Red Bulls while also trying to close down Hamilton's lead; b) prevent Hamilton from closing in on him after the Briton's sole pit stop when the Mercedes would have fresher tyres; and c) catch and then pass a fundamentally faster car in the final stint of the race.
That was always going to be a long shot.
There were echoes here of the first race of the season in Australia, when Vettel was again leading unexpectedly after a stunning start, and Ferrari again chose to surrender it.
Back then it was by switching to super-soft tyres when the race was stopped, forcing themselves to stop again, while Mercedes went for tyres that would get them to the end of the race.
If Vettel was cross at losing his second potential win in seven races, he hid it very well.
"We have very strong people on board making decisions and I don't want them to be criticised," he said.
"With hindsight it is always very easy, but I will always defend what we did."
It's not hard to see at times like this why Ferrari love Vettel. Like Michael Schumacher before him, he believes that if hard words are to be said, it should be behind closed doors; anything else is counter-productive.
Ferrari technical director James Allison - who has worked with an elite group of drivers that includes Schumacher and Fernando Alonso - recognises this as one of Vettel's greatest strengths.
"I have worked with two guys who really, really understand the value of being in a team and one was Michael and the other is Sebastian," he told BBC F1's Tom Clarkson last season.
The positives for Ferrari go beyond Vettel's attitude, though. Most importantly, they were genuinely quick again, even if not quite on Mercedes' pace.
It has been an odd season for the Maranello team. Mercedes have always insisted their concern about Ferrari is genuine, saying the car has real speed, but that circumstances had prevented them showing it.
You could see what they meant. First there was the strategy bungle in Australia. Then in Bahrain an engine failure on the formation lap for Vettel and a bad start for team-mate Kimi Raikkonen put them out of the fight for victory.
In China, Vettel and Raikkonen collided at the first corner; in Russia, Vettel was taken out on the first lap by Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat. In Spain, they bungled Vettel's strategy trying to pass the Red Bulls.
But the longer it has gone on, the more it has looked like Ferrari were not quite there.
They would appear to be quick in practice, only for Mercedes to stretch ahead in when it mattered.
In both Spain and Monaco, they mysteriously lost pace in qualifying, blaming not getting the difficult-to-manage Pirelli tyres in the right operating window.
Their understanding of the tyres' vagaries does seem behind that of Mercedes - and perhaps this led to their mistake on Sunday.
Before Canada, Ferrari's average qualifying deficit to Mercedes was only 0.075secs less than it had been in 2015 - and was a still-massive 0.779secs.
For Montreal, they introduced a new turbo, and it seemed to make a big difference, Vettel qualifying only 0.178secs off pole, and was strong - if not quite Mercedes fast - in the race.
"We desperately wanted to win," Vettel said. "We didn't, but we showed the car is quick, it has potential. We are moving forward with a lot of confidence. The team is on a great path."
It will take more races to judge whether Canada was a one-off. But at least Ferrari have something to hang on to again.
"Look where the car and engine were in 2014 and look where we are now," Vettel said. "The team is making immense progress and we are challenging an opponent who two years ago was supposed to be untouchable. There will be a point when we start to be ahead."
Four weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton had just crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix with team-mate Nico Rosberg and was staring down the barrel of a 43-point deficit in the championship with nearly a quarter of the season gone.
Two races later, that deficit has been cut to just nine points, after two very different but equally-impressive victories in Monaco and Canada.
In both, Hamilton owed his win to a stroke of fortune - in Monaco, a bungled pit stop by Red Bull; in Montreal, a strategic blunder by Ferrari.
But in each case, Hamilton still had plenty to do, and has performed his task with the sort of judgement and expertise that befits a three-time world champion.
Even after falling nearly two race wins behind Rosberg after a troubled first four races, there was always the sense that somehow Hamilton would come through in the end this year.
That now looks a much less arduous task than it did after Rosberg's four opening victories, even if there are pot holes ahead for Hamilton.
The turbo and hybrid failures he suffered in qualifying in China and Russia mean he is already short of engine parts and by inevitably exceeding his permitted allowance, he will receive grid penalties at some point.
But he has now taken pole at every race in which he has not suffered a mechanical problem in qualifying; and won two straight in impressive style.
"I'm really overwhelmed to think just how difficult this season was before these last two races," he said.
"I'm super-focused. I felt that was one of my best races for a while, maybe not as good as the last one, but I'm still really happy with it." | The starkness of the comment was striking. |
32154635 | Today the Liberal Democrats set out their proposals to treble paternity leave. They believe it is good for families and good for businesses.
And they took Nick Clegg to a soft play area in Scotland to ensure nice pictures to go along with the story.
However, when the Liberal Democrat leader was interviewed, paternity was one of the last subjects he was asked about.
Door knocking
Instead the first question centred on Nick Clegg's own parliamentary seat.
A poll by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft has suggested that the Liberal Democrats are currently trailing behind Labour in Sheffield Hallam, and that Mr Clegg could be in danger of losing his place in the Commons.
He was quick to fire back saying he was sure he would retain his seat.
"I am confident but not complacent that I am going to win," Mr Clegg insisted.
"And I will be out knocking doors this weekend."
It is a reminder that this is not one election - hundreds are being held across the UK and every constituency matters. Particularly when it is your own.
Both Nick Clegg and the UKIP leader Nigel Farage know they face battles to get elected.
But both also have a responsibility to be seen supporting their party's candidates and drumming up support more widely around the country.
In the case of Nick Clegg he has been very busy, travelling to key areas in England, Scotland and Wales in the first few days alone.
It is all part of the Lib Dems' plan for their big yellow battle bus to clock up a lot of miles between now and polling day.
The campaign team wants Mr Clegg to be the most "visible and accessible" of the party leaders.
He is viewed as a key asset as they try to improve their wider poll ratings.
In the last election he made a particular mark in the televised leaders' debates - cast your mind back if you can to a time when they talked about 'Cleggmania'.
As he prepares to face the cameras again Nick Clegg is working out a strategy for the studios.
'Watchable spectacle'
At this election there will be seven leaders involved in the next debate rather than three. And in his own words the Lib Dem leader is not the "new kid on the block".
"I hope it will be a watchable spectacle," he says. "Although seven politicians talking over each other might not be."
If Nick Clegg is right in his view that newcomers tend to do best there will be plenty of other leaders vying for the spotlight.
The deputy prime minister may be best presenting himself as an established and now experienced political figure, a calm presence in the centre of the pack.
But with so many on the stage it will be much harder for any one leader to stand out. Election campaigns are tricky things for any party to plan.
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand | Weeks of opportunities to sell your message but you are always at the mercy of the news agenda. |
33215534 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The British number one played superbly to win 6-3 6-4 in just 64 minutes at the Aegon Championships in London.
Murray, the top seed, had earlier finished a rain-delayed semi-final, beating Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
"I played better as the week went on and hopefully I can continue that into Wimbledon," the 28-year-old said.
"I tried to play each point and come up with some great shots. I had to play that way if I wanted to win today."
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The Scot also won the title in 2009, 2011 and 2013, and he will hope to repeat his effort of two years ago when he went on to make it a grass-court double at Wimbledon.
"It's great preparation obviously, but I think it has only happened six times where someone has won Queen's and gone on to win Wimbledon," Murray added.
"There are no guarantees that winning here gives you a Wimbledon title."
He can head to the All England Club in confident mood after dismantling the big-serving game of 6ft 8in Anderson.
Having resumed his semi-final against Troicki at 11:00 BST with the score at 3-3, the Briton wrapped that match up in a clinical 65 minutes and returned two hours later to face Anderson.
The South African, ranked 17th, had looked impregnable on serve as he made it through the draw but he found Murray's returns just too testing.
Anderson made 78% of his first serves in the opening set but even that was not enough as Murray broke in game four, a brilliant backhand winner setting up the chance before Anderson netted a volley.
A forehand winner made it 4-1 after just 17 minutes, and a ferociously focused Murray pumped his fist before heading to his chair.
There was simply no let-up as he closed out the first set and proved similarly clinical when his chance arose in the second.
A clever finish at the net and a thumping forehand return opened the door at 2-2, and break point was converted with a lob followed by a drop shot that was verging on the cruel.
On he pressed, producing another beautiful lob and and a heavy backhand winner to move to the verge of victory.
A swinging serve out wide completed a masterful display and brought Murray his 34th career title, and his fourth at the venue where he claimed his first ATP match win 10 years ago.
"I need to train well the next five, six days, prepare as well as I can," said Murray. "It gives me that little bit of confidence going in there.
"It's been a really good start, but it's a long way to go before Wimbledon even starts, and then all sorts of things can happen during Slams."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Andy Murray joined the likes of John McEnroe and Boris Becker as a four-time Queen's Club champion with an impressive victory over Kevin Anderson. |
39730103 | Ramush Haradinaj, 48, is wanted by Serbia for alleged war crimes in 1999.
Detained on a Serbian arrest warrant as he flew into France in January, he was released on condition that he did not leave the country.
A court in Colmar in eastern France ruled on Thursday that he was now free to leave France.
The decision prompted delight among the former prime minister's supporters outside the court as well as in Kosovo's capital, Pristina.
Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said he was grateful to France for handling the case but criticised what he called Serbia's "ill-intended allegations".
Serbia called an immediate cabinet meeting to discuss the court's decision, which cannot be appealed.
The case has heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.
Ramush Haradinaj, now an opposition leader in Kosovo, was arrested by police at Basel Mulhouse Freiburg airport, close to the Swiss and German borders on 4 January.
Serbia has accused the former Kosovo Liberation Army commander of overseeing a campaign of torture and murder against ethnic Serbs during the 1998-99 conflict.
He has been tried and acquitted twice at the UN tribunal at The Hague, although Serbia said it had further evidence involving civilian murders which it was asked to hand to the French court.
Mr Haradinaj has consistently denied the allegations, and stepped down as prime minister after just 100 days to face the charges. | A French court has refused to extradite a former prime minister of Kosovo who served as a rebel commander during the conflict with Serbia. |
37296490 | The budget airline will run two flights a week from Glasgow International to Lisbon, Valencia, Zadar (Croatia) and Palanga (Lithuania).
The new twice-weekly route from Glasgow Prestwick will be to Barcelona Girona.
There will also be five new routes from Edinburgh Airport to Barcelona Girona, Ibiza, Milan, Porto and Vigo.
Ryanair said the new routes would help deliver about two million customers per year and support about 1,500 jobs at Glasgow and Prestwick airports and 1,800 jobs at Edinburgh Airport.
The airline said it would also add six new summer routes next year from Glasgow International to Alicante, Brussels, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Malaga and Sofia.
It is also increasing the frequency of flights to Berlin to six times a week.
From Prestwick, Ryanair will also increase the frequency of summer 2017 services to Ibiza, Palma and Tenerife.
A new summer route to Warsaw will leave Edinburgh Airport three times a week, and there will also be more flights to Palma, Rome and Tenerife. | Ryanair has announced new routes flying from Glasgow International, Prestwick and Edinburgh for its summer 2017 schedule. |
37884016 | Gabon will host the Africa Cup of Nations in January but its domestic footballers are unhappy with their working conditions.
"Our objective remains the same - that's to say, a strike if the players aren't listened to," Remy Ebanega, who heads up Gabon's footballers union (ANFPG), told BBC Sport.
The new season was set to start on 5 November.
Ebanega says that several players have received anonymous threats in recent days.
These have come to their mobile phones from unregistered numbers.
Chief among the ANFPG's four main demands is the back payment of salaries dating from present day back to 2013.
The ANFPG also wants to see the introduction of a standard contract for players, a charter for professional players and the introduction of a litigation chamber.
Some league players say they have gone 11 months without being paid.
Players from the club in question, Akanda FC, protested outside the house of their club president last week, so prompting the president to accuse them of trespassing.
On Friday - Erwim Nguema, Rodrigue Moundounga and Vladimir Aworet - were called before a court in Libreville where they were advised as to how they could conduct their protests in future.
Several players from other clubs went along to show their support to the players.
Gabon is an oil-rich nation with one of Africa's highest GDPs per capita.
The 2017 Nations Cup hosts suffered a set-back to their preparations on Friday, when it was confirmed that Jorge Costa had been removed as Gabon's national coach.
Technical director, Jose Antonio Garrido, takes charge on a temporary basis. | The start of the Gabon league championship has been delayed until 19 November but the threat of a local player strike remains. |
28277287 | The 26-year-old Belgium international has signed a three-year deal.
Pocognoli has won 12 caps but was not selected for the World Cup after missing the final six weeks of the season through injury.
West Brom head coach Alan Irvine said: "He's joined us with a real hunger to prove himself at Albion and get back into the international set-up."
Pocognoli won the Dutch title with AZ Alkmaar and has also played for Genk and Standard Liege in Belgium.
Irvine added: "Sebastien is an experienced left-back who has played at a high level for many years."
He becomes the club's fourth summer signing, after deals for Craig Gardner,Joleon Lescott and Chris Baird. | West Bromwich Albion have signed left-back Sebastien Pocognoli from Hannover 96 for an undisclosed fee. |
39016477 | Wits, who are challenging for the Premier League title in South Africa, scored first after 27 minutes from a Daine Klate free-kick to level the aggregate score.
Sifiso Myeni then made it 2-0 on the day, 3-2 overall with a second goal for Wits a minute after half-time, although a goal from Saint-Louisienne's Philean 12 minutes from time gave the visitors hopes of pulling off a shock victory.
Cuthbert Malajila proved to be Wits' hero, scoring a decisive goal with four minutes remaining to seal a victory for the hosts, and earn them a tie against Egypt's Al Ahly in the round of 32.
In the pick of the other second leg results on Saturday, Tanzania's Young Africans also progressed, despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Ngaya Club of Comoros. The Tanzanians had done enough in the first leg to go through 6-2 on aggregate.
Zanaco of Zambia were 1-0 winners at APR of Rwanda to secure their place in the next round after their home leg had ended 0-0.
Significant prize fund
The African Champions League has an increase in total prize money this year, soaring from $5.7m (£4.6m) to $10m, a 119.30% increase.
The group phase - where the cash kicks in - has been expanded from eight to 16 clubs with participants guaranteed at least $550,000 (£440,000) each.
For clubs dreaming of going all the way and succeeding where Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa did last year, the "carrot" is a $2.5m (£2m) first prize.
Sundowns are among nine clubs given byes on merit into the round of 32, with record eight-time champions Al Ahly another. | South African Premier League side Bidvest Wits overturned a 2-1 deficit against Reunion's Saint-Louisienne to win the home leg of their African Champions League preliminary round tie 3-1 and advance 4-3 on aggregate. |
38582711 | The former CEO of Exxon Mobil told his Senate confirmation hearing the intelligence report on Russian tampering "clearly is troubling".
His comments came after Senator Marco Rubio pressed Mr Tillerson to admit Mr Putin's role in the cyber-breach.
Mr Tillerson's reported good ties with Mr Putin have alarmed some in the US.
The 64-year-old former corporate titan faced tough questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.
In a heated exchange, Mr Rubio grilled him on whether intelligence reports about Russia's involvement in hacks on the US election were accurate and if Mr Putin had directed the attacks.
Mr Tillerson said he had no inside information on the detailed intelligence about Russia's hacking, but he had read the declassified US report released last week on the issue.
The Florida senator suggested that Mr Putin was responsible for war crimes because of Moscow's support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and bombing of Aleppo.
But the Texan multimillionaire told Mr Rubio he would not describe Mr Putin as a war criminal.
"I would not use that term," Mr Tillerson said. "Those are very, very serious charges to make and I'd want to have much more information before reaching that conclusion," he added.
The Florida senator - who was one of Mr Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination - said he had "serious concerns" about Mr Tillerson as America's top diplomat.
In other testimony: Mr Tillerson said:
It looks like secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson has his work cut out for him if he wants to win the support of Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
In a blistering 10 minutes of questioning, the former presidential candidate, who was once belittled by Donald Trump as "little Marco", peppered the president-elect's chosen man with a series of questions about his views on Russia.
Mr Tillerson's answers clearly didn't satisfy Mr Rubio, who said they were "discouraging", as he shook his head throughout the exchange.
Given the narrow majority Republicans have in the Senate, if Mr Rubio - and a handful of other Republicans - fail to back Mr Tillerson, his nomination could be on shaky ground.
In fact, the Florida senator, through his position on the confirmation committee, could join forces with Democrats to delay or even derail Mr Tillerson's bid to be secretary of state before it reaches a vote in the full Senate.
With Mr Trump's relations with Russia in the US political spotlight over the past few days, it's Mr Tillerson's nomination that may be in the greatest jeopardy.
While Mr Tillerson was grilled by senators in Washington DC, up in New York Mr Trump was rejecting claims that Russian intelligence agencies have compromising information about the president-elect.
In his first news conference in nearly six months on Wednesday, at Trump Tower, Mr Trump dismissed the allegations against him as "fake news" and "phony stuff" crafted by "sick people".
Russia has called the allegations "pulp fiction" and a "clear attempt to damage relations".
In his Senate statement, Mr Tillerson warned that Americans should be "clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia".
"Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests. It has invaded Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war.
"Our Nato allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia," he continued, adding: "But it was in the absence of American leadership that this door was left open and unintended signals were sent.
It is Mr Tillerson's connections to Russia that have drawn the most flak in recent months.
He has forged multi-billion-dollar deals with Russia's state oil company, Rosneft, spoken out against international sanctions imposed on Moscow and in 2013 was awarded an Order of Friendship by the Kremlin. | It is a "fair assumption" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind US election hacks, secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson has said. |
39020393 | It happened on the Newtownards-bound carriageway, at the junction with the Green Road, at about 23.20 GMT on Saturday.
Three men were also taken to hospital but their injuries are non-life threatening.
Two men, aged 22, were arrested. One remains in custody.
The vehicles involved were a red Audi and a blue Renault.
Insp Jonathan Francey appealed to anyone who witnessed the collision or who saw either of the vehicles involved travelling in the area before the collision to contact police. | A woman in her 30s is in a critical condition in hospital after a crash involving two cars in Bangor, County Down. |
35559439 | The US researchers analysed nearly 1.4 million users of the open source program-sharing service Github.
They found that pull requests - or suggested code changes - made on the service by women were more likely to be accepted than those by men.
The paper is awaiting peer review.
This means the results have yet to be critically appraised by other experts.
The researchers, from the computer science departments at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and North Carolina State University, looked at around four million people who logged on to Github on a single day - 1 April 2015.
Github is an enormous developer community which does not request gender information from its 12 million users.
However the team was able to identify whether roughly 1.4m were male or female - either because it was clear from the users' profiles or because their email addresses could be matched with the Google + social network.
The researchers accepted that this was a privacy risk but said they did not intend to publish the raw data.
The team found that 78.6% of pull requests made by women were accepted compared with 74.6% of those by men.
The researchers considered various factors, such as whether women were more likely to be responding to known issues, whether their contributions were shorter in length and so easier to appraise, and which programming language they were using, but they could not find a correlation.
However among users who were not well known within the community, those whose profiles made clear that they were women had a much lower acceptance rate than those whose gender was not obvious.
"For outsiders, we see evidence for gender bias: women's acceptance rates are 71.8% when they use gender neutral profiles, but drop to 62.5% when their gender is identifiable . There is a similar drop for men, but the effect is not as strong," the paper noted.
"Women have a higher acceptance rate of pull requests overall, but when they're outsiders and their gender is identifiable, they have a lower acceptance rate than men.
"Our results suggest that although women on Github may be more competent overall, bias against them exists nonetheless," the researchers concluded.
Despite various high profile initiatives, tech firms continue to face challenges in terms of the diversity of their staff, in terms of both gender and ethnicity, particularly in more technical careers.
Just 16% of Facebook's tech staff and 18% of Google's are women according to figures released in 2015.
However the researchers' findings are still encouraging, computer scientist Dr Sue Black OBE told the BBC.
"I think we are going to see a resurgence of interest from women in not only coding but all sorts of tech-related careers over the next few years," she said.
"Knowing that women are great at coding gives strength to the case that it's better for everyone to have more women working in tech.
"It was a woman - Ada Lovelace - who came up with the idea of software in the first place, we owe it to her to make sure that we encourage and support women into the software industry," Dr Black added. | Computer code written by women has a higher approval rating than that written by men - but only if their gender is not identifiable, new research suggests. |
40157450 | Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012.
Traces of a chemical linked to a plant-based poison were found in his stomach.
Mr Perepilichnyy, a commodity dealer and trader, had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a $230m (£150m) Russian money-laundering operation shortly before his death.
The inquest will try to establish if he was unlawfully killed and, if so, who may have been responsible.
His widow Tatiana Perepilichnaya gave evidence at the Old Bailey behind a screen in order to protect her identity.
The mother of two denied her husband had fallen out with an "organised crime syndicate in Russia" and said they moved to England for a change of lifestyle.
"I know if there were any threats or problems Alexander would have told me.
"In 20 years of marriage Alexander never had bodyguard or security, so our life in Russia and our life in England never varied. It's the same."
She said she was unaware of a man taking out an advert in Russia in 2011 accusing her husband of cheating him out of "a lot of money".
Mr Perepilichnyy was a dealer on the Russian stock exchange, the court heard.
Mrs Perepilichnaya said: "I just knew he was interested in that business. I didn't know what commodity meant."
The Russian was originally thought to have died of natural causes, but traces of a chemical that can be found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later found in his stomach.
At an earlier hearing, Hermitage Capital Management claimed Mr Perepilichnyy may have been killed for helping it uncover hundreds of millions of US dollars in a Russian money-laundering operation.
A pre-inquest review in January 2016 was told Mr Perepilichnyy's death had parallels with the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Another hearing in June of the same year was told Interpol had been investigating Mr Perepilichnyy's suspected previous involvement with Russian criminal gangs.
The inquest is expected to last three weeks. | The widow of a Russian whistleblower who may have been poisoned has told an inquest he never feared for his life. |
34445975 | The warning comes in a report by David Hinchliff who investigated the deaths in Corfu in 2006 of Bobby and Christi Shepherd, from Horbury near Wakefield.
An inquest jury ruled in May they were unlawfully killed by a faulty boiler.
In his new report, Mr Hinchliff says: "There is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken."
The document, which has been sent to senior government ministers, travel agents group Abta and the Federation of Tour Operators, says the government must push for a new EU-wide safety standard.
He also called for:
The inquest jury also ruled that travel firm Thomas Cook had breached its duty of care after seven-year-old Christi and six-year-old Bobby were overcome by fumes while on holiday with their father and his partner at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in October 2006.
Mr Hinchliff said Thomas Cook should lead the way with improving safety and raising awareness across the industry.
Thomas Cook said in a statement: "As a company we are now reviewing his report and the suggestions he has made for both the wider travel industry and for Thomas Cook.
"We will continue to work with the travel industry and ABTA to identify possible improvements that may be appropriate for implementation across the industry.
"We are already working with Sharon Wood [the children's mother] on a new initiative to raise awareness about carbon monoxide in order to tackle some of the issues head on."
An ABTA spokesman added: "We have received a copy of the coroner's report regarding the inquest into the deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd and are reviewing it in detail.
"We will consider the points raised in the report very carefully and we will provide feedback to the coroner by the date requested."
Mary Creagh, the family's MP in Wakefield, said: "I welcome the fact the coroner is pushing the UK government to institute new carbon monoxide standards in the UK and across Europe and is also pushing the holiday industry to better protect travellers."
The Labour MP said 43 holidaymakers had died of carbon monoxide poisoning since Christi and Bobby's deaths.
"The family's dearest wish is that this sort of tragedy does not happen to anybody else," said Ms Creagh. | More tourists could die from carbon monoxide poisoning unless the government and holiday industry do more to protect them, a coroner has said. |
34687862 | Now, after a 3-1 defeat that sent Chelsea towards the bottom of the Premier League after their sixth loss in 11 games and left Liverpool fans singing "you're getting sacked in the morning", the grim statistics and questions are piling up around Mourinho.
Not in the eyes of Mourinho himself. He was asked after the loss whether he thought this would be his final game in charge and his instant response was: "No."
While all eyes turned towards Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who always has the final word on these matters, Mourinho insisted his immediate plan was to go home "to find a sad family".
He then wanted to watch the Rugby World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand - before mapping out Sunday's training session for the midweek Champions League meeting with Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge.
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Abramovich is the great unknown factor in the debate surrounding Mourinho and whether he has any future at Chelsea. The Russian oligarch has never hesitated to act in the past, but here he is dealing with a manager who brought Chelsea the title only six months ago.
And yet, there has been an unease around Mourinho since the start of the season, from the delayed return to pre-season that appears to have left his players off the pace, through the row with team doctor Eva Carneiro on the opening day of the campaign against Swansea when she angered him by going on to treat Eden Hazard, on to a run of results unprecedented in his glittering career.
Mourinho has cut a troubled, tormented figure at odds with authority once more, recently fined £50,000 by the Football Association and given a one-match suspended stadium ban after comments about officials following the 3-1 home loss to Southampton.
While those within Chelsea's boardroom may raise an eyebrow and have concerns about potential damage to the club's image - coach Silvino Louro and midfielder Nemanja Matic were also sent off at West Ham - the bottom line is results, and three defeats in a week is hardly a safety net for Mourinho as he clings to his job.
The loss to Liverpool, something that always causes Mourinho particular pain, came after that defeat at West Ham and the Capital One Cup exit on penalties against Stoke. It was by far the most damaging because these are games Mourinho has specialised in winning.
Chelsea are a results-driven club under a results-driven owner. That title win a few months ago may buy Mourinho time but no manager survives consistently poor results under Abramovich, irrespective of past record and reputation.
Mourinho can at least count on the backing of Chelsea's fans. They chanted his name loudly and at length after Christian Benteke's goal confirmed this latest loss, making it clear who they want in charge and that they still believe Mourinho is "The Special One".
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The mood at Stamford Bridge in the immediate aftermath of defeat was calm - particularly in the light of Abramovich's recent backing for the manager.
This was the first time Abramovich has ever made such a move and Chelsea's owner was 100% behind the man he brought back. It was a pledge made with real commitment.
But it was also clear results had to improve and it may yet be that the next two or three league games may be the tipping points rather than this loss.
Even then it may not be a case of Mourinho being dismissed. This is, of course, a possibility but it may even be that Abramovich could offer further backing to his manager when the transfer window opens in January.
The lack of unrest among the paying public may play in Mourinho's favour as Abramovich makes his calculations.
There is also no suggestion that the relationship between manager and owner has broken down, as it did when Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007.
Abramovich, however, has never appeared the sentimental sort and there can be no doubt this wretched, totally unforeseen sequence of bad results has put Mourinho in danger.
As Chelsea's fans filed into Fulham Broadway it was all still up for grabs.
Again this is a question that would no doubt figure in the considerations within Chelsea's boardroom as they pore over the future direction of the club.
There may be, as Liverpool are experiencing now with Jurgen Klopp, a bounce from a fresh face in the technical area - but Chelsea are currently under the command of one of the finest and most successful coaches in the world.
Would replacing Mourinho, with his proven track record of success, improve Chelsea long-term? Would it not simply be an act of panic after the first run of this kind in a great manager's career?
The difficulty Mourinho currently has to deal with is that, because of his own successes, this is a scenario with which he has never had to contend - namely providing the sort of guidance and approach that moves a team out of trouble from near the bottom of the table.
It is new territory for Mourinho but it would be an insult to his intelligence and ability to suggest this was beyond him. There is no guarantee of a meaningful, long-term uplift should they get rid of him.
Chelsea would be in danger of acting in haste and repenting at leisure.
This would be another factor very much in Mourinho's favour if Chelsea owner Abramovich is seriously contemplating a change.
Pep Guardiola has always been favoured by Abramovich but he is not going to leave Bayern Munich in mid-season and Chelsea's modus operandi, with that willingness to change managers with regularity, may not be to his liking.
The same would surely apply to Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, a talented but hugely combustible character who might not reduce the stress levels should he take over from Mourinho. He is unlikely to leave La Liga at this stage of their season.
Carlo Ancelotti is currently available after leaving Real Madrid but would the man who brought a historic Premier League and FA Cup double to Chelsea in 2010 really want to work for the club again after being unceremoniously sacked at Goodison Park at the end of the following season, having failed to deliver silverware? Probably not.
Klopp would have been right in the frame but that ship has sailed now after he was snapped up by Liverpool following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.
When Mourinho left in 2007, Avram Grant stepped out of the shadows to succeed him but it was regarded as the work of Chelsea's experienced players to guide them to the 2008 Champions League Final, where they lost to Manchester United on penalties.
So would Chelsea seriously consider sacking Mourinho then going down the "interim manager" route that brought them success before?
Guus Hiddink won the FA Cup in 2009 after a spell as temporary coach following the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, while Rafael Benitez won the Europa League in 2013 after replacing Roberto Di Matteo, who had won the Champions League only six months before his dismissal.
Hiddink, 68, is available now but is damaged goods after a failed spell in charge of the Netherlands. He is not likely to figure in any potential discussions.
The names of former manager Andre Villa-Boas and ex-Liverpool boss Rodgers, who worked as a youth coach at Chelsea, have also been mentioned but they cannot carry any real weight.
This surely still leaves Mourinho as the strongest option in a fight he insisted he was ready for, even after defeat by Liverpool.
New Liverpool manager Klopp described himself as "The Normal One" when asked to compare himself to "The Special One" Mourinho on the day of his appointment.
The problem for Mourinho is that defeats like this are now becoming normal - and they must improve.
While Klopp was a blur of animated activity in the technical area throughout Saturday's game, Mourinho cut a subdued figure, only bursting into life at perceived injustices.
Mourinho gave fourth official Lee Mason a quizzical glance and a few words when Klopp confronted him face-to-face on several occasions, clearly questioning what would happen if he behaved in a similar manner.
He was also visibly infuriated, with great justification, when Liverpool's Lucas escaped a second yellow card for a blatant trip on Ramires having already been booked.
As Klopp high-fived his backroom staff after Benteke made it 3-1, there was almost an air of desperation about Mourinho as he clapped his hands in an attempt to galvanise his beaten players - but like a hapless driver trying to start a car with a flat battery.
He then stood with his hands in his pockets as the formalities of defeat were played out.
Mourinho side-stepped a series of questions about his future in his immediate after-match interview - but showed small flashes of the old defiance in a later briefing, insisting he will fight on and he does not expect to lose his job.
As history tells us, that is a matter for Roman Abramovich. | Chelsea's meeting with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge was billed as the game manager Jose Mourinho must not lose if he wanted to keep his job. |
36088709 | Two teams of celebrities will meet on 5 June to raise money for Unicef.
Mourinho will be assisted by Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce, with Soccer Aid co-founder Robbie Williams as coach.
"I want to be the first one to win the Soccer Aid trophy for both teams," said the Portuguese, who coached Rest of the World to a 4-2 win in 2014.
"Sam and I will make a very good partnership and it will be a great feeling for Claudio to finally lose a match."
Ranieri, manager of Premier League leaders Leicester City, added: "It is a great honour that Robbie Williams has asked me to manage the Rest of the World XI and I'm looking forward to helping them defend their title." | Jose Mourinho will manage England against Claudio Ranieri's Rest of the World side for this summer's Soccer Aid match at Old Trafford. |
10327921 | A huge police operation was mounted and three weeks after her disappearance in February 2008, the youngster was found hidden in the base of a divan bed in a flat in Batley Carr.
She was being held by her stepfather's uncle, Michael Donovan.
The subsequent arrest of Donovan and the child's mother Karen Matthews led to one of the most notorious cases of child abuse.
In court it emerged the pair had planned the kidnap in order to claim a £50,000 reward being offered by a national newspaper.
The schoolgirl had been "drugged, subdued and hidden from public view".
Matthews, then 33, was convicted in December 2008 and jailed for eight years for her part in the kidnapping.
Donovan, who was aged 40 at the time, was given the same prison sentence.
After the trial it emerged the abuse and neglect of Shannon started long before she went missing.
The BBC's Panorama programme learnt the youngster was well known to Kirklees social services and had been put on the "at-risk" register years before she disappeared.
The programme claimed she was later removed from the register because she was not considered to be at risk of significant harm.
Former neighbours said they had raised concerns about the family with social services but nothing appeared to be done.
Matthews' cousin Vicky Saunders, who contacted the authority on two separate occasions, said: "To me I feel let down with it."
She added: "They could have done more to help Karen but they weren't there for her."
Claire Wilson, a former neighbour when Matthews lived at Batley Carr, said: "We just kept reporting it but nothing seemed to be getting done.
"We were saying that something's going to happen to those children. How can you leave them in those conditions because the house was filthy, it stank."
Now 17 months after the investigation was first launched, Kirklees Council has published a long-awaited report looking at whether the kidnap could have been prevented. | When nine-year-old Shannon Matthews vanished after a swimming trip with her school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, her mother pleaded hysterically for her "beautiful, princess" daughter's safe return. |
36027169 | The 17-year-old boy was arrested after a 34-year-old man was shot in the shoulder outside the Jolly Roger pub in All Hallows Road, Easton on Saturday.
A 15-year-old boy and a man, 29, also arrested on suspicion of the same offence were bailed on Monday.
Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to contact them. | A third person arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting outside a pub in Bristol, has been released on bail. |
32270655 | Police took the security measure after shots were heard near the seat of the US Congress.
Police also investigated a suspicious package, thought to be the gunman's suitcase, on the lower west terrace of the Capitol building.
Congress is not in session so there were few lawmakers about.
However, the annual Cherry Blossom festival and sunshine attracted tourists.
Those inside the building were reportedly told to stay there and visitors outside to take cover.
"Confirmed: self-inflicted gunshot by neutralized subject," Capital Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said in a statement.
There appears to have been no sign of terrorist intent, according to police.
Nearby streets were cordoned off as an investigation continued.
It was the latest in a series of security incidents in Washington DC in recent years.
In 2013, a woman tried to drive her car past a security gate at the White House. She was shot dead in the subsequent car chase. | The US Capitol in Washington DC was in lockdown for nearly two hours after a gunman shot himself outside the building on Saturday afternoon. |
20209275 | The funeral for Mohammed Rafia was held at a military hospital in the capital with soldiers carrying his coffin.
He had gone missing from the north-eastern Barzeh area on Friday night.
Mr Rafia's family received his body on Sunday. They said there were bullet wounds in the head, neck and shoulder.
The 30-year-old actor had become well-known across the Arab world for his role in a TV series about Syria under French colonial rule.
That, though, was several years ago when Syrian TV was challenging Egypt and Lebanon with the quality and popularity of its shows and films.
But since the uprising against Mr Assad began last year, he became known for something else - his very public support for the Syrian leader.
On YouTube, Mr Rafia can still be seen backing the Syrian government line in eloquent English that the protesters and opposition fighters are nothing but terrorists.
That is why he was killed - both his friends and enemies say.
An extremist rebel group says it killed him, though this cannot be verified.
Opposition sources accuse him of passing information to the government. Some even say he was a member of the feared shabiha - the paramilitaries that have carried out many atrocities in the name of the government.
Other opposition groups have distanced themselves from his killing.
His family and friends say he simply wanted peace and hated the killing on both sides.
His death is another sign of the abyss of personal hatred and violence into which Syria has fallen. | The funeral has been held in Damascus of a well-known Syrian-born Palestinian actor, believed to have been killed by rebels because of his support for President Bashar al-Assad. |
34647501 | Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were arrested in 2013 in the Dominican resort of Punta Cana.
Police said their plane was carrying 26 suitcases stuffed with 680kg (1,500lb) of cocaine.
The two pilots and two other Frenchmen on board were found guilty of drug trafficking. They denied the charges.
According to French news channel BMFTV, the pilots had previously worked for the French navy and were helped by former intelligence agents to leave the Dominican Republic.
The channel said that the ex-intelligence agents helped the pilots, who were under house arrest, reach a boat off the Dominican coast.
From there they sailed to the French Antilles and then flew to Paris.
The French government said it had nothing to do with their escape.
The pilots' lawyer, Jean Reinhart, told AFP news agency that Fauret and Odos had returned to France "not to flee justice but to seek justice".
Mr Reinhart said the two were not "escapees" as they had not escaped from jail.
They had been barred from leaving the country but had not been sent to prison because they were appealing against their convictions, Mr Reinhart explained.
He said that Fauret and Odos had contacted the French magistrate in charge of their case and were keen to clear their name.
Fauret and Odos along with Nicolas Pisapia and Alain Castany were about to leave the Dominican Republic on board a Dassault Falcon 50 jet when the suitcases full of cocaine were discovered on board.
Six months after the four were arrested, 22 people were detained over a massive cocaine haul found on an Air France flight from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to Paris. | Two French pilots who were sentenced by a court in the Dominican Republic to 20 years in prison have fled the country. |
30126954 | National Express stops at almost 1,200 bus stops across the country, but 436 have so many restrictions they prevent drivers from using their lifts to carry wheelchair users aboard.
This means that some disabled people are left unable to travel by coach.
Disabled People Minister Mark Harper says the situation is "unacceptable".
He is now leading calls for councils to make bus stations and stops more accessible.
Obstacle course
"It is simply unacceptable that in the 21st Century more is not being done to make coach stations and stops more accessible to disabled travellers," he said.
"There is little point in making sure buses themselves are accessible if those who operate the places where people are collected from are not doing what they can to help.
"This isn't just about doing what's right - it's also about recognising the business case - as disabled people and their household have an annual spending power of £200 billion."
The entire National Express fleet of 550 vehicles is wheelchair accessible - meaning wheelchair users can be carried at the front of their coaches.
Wheelchairs are brought on to the coach using a lift which requires a clear space for a three metre extension from the side of the vehicle.
But at a third of bus stops, objects - such as lamp-posts, bollards, railings, public seating or signs - prevent the lift from operating.
Wheelchair user David Redgewell, 47, from Alvestone, in Gloucestershire, said the lack of accessibility at some bus stops had forced him to change buses and added many hours to his trips.
"A business trip from Bristol to Perth took 14 hours instead of 12 because I had to change in Glasgow as the coach parking bays in Perth were too shallow for the lift to be used," said the disability issues campaigner.
"When I went from Bristol to Ilfracombe in June, I had to take a detour via Barnstaple because Ilfracombe doesn't allow a disabled ramp to be lowered. And in London I couldn't get to Earls Court directly because there isn't access for the coach lift.
"It can be very frustrating and annoying because often the coaches are accessible, but the bus stops are not."
Tom Stables, National Express managing director said: "We carry millions of passengers every year and are absolutely committed to getting people where they want to go whatever their circumstances.
"We hope that with the backing of the government that more station and bus stop owners will listen and take action in this crucial area."
Local authorities have a legal responsibility to comply with the Equality Act by making reasonable adjustments for disabled travellers.
Some 84% of buses and coaches in England meet new regulations to make them properly accessible to disabled people - ahead of a deadline by 2020.
Virtually all London's 8,500 buses are now fully low-floor accessible. | More than one third of bus stops used by the UK's main coach operator cannot accommodate wheelchair users, despite its fleet being able to carry them. |
39197969 | Thomas has been replaced by The Only Way Is Essex star Lydia Bright just days before Sunday's finale.
He had been set to battle it out with Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, Paralympic medallist Kadeena Cox, and Emma Parker Bowles to be crowned champion of the winter sports competition.
The 42-year-old is the fourth celebrity to withdraw from this year's series.
Model Caprice suffered an illness, Olympian Sir Bradley Wiggins broke his leg and Vogue Williams pulled out before an episode even aired.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "Gareth Thomas has withdrawn due to personal reasons."
Bright replaces Thomas as she was the last to be eliminated. | Former Wales rugby international Gareth Thomas has quit Channel 4 show The Jump for "personal reasons". |
36940756 | The researchers, at the University of Dundee, analysed medical records from more than half a million British women.
They argue the operations could directly affect fertility or there may be a "behavioural" explanation.
Experts said the findings might lead to new treatments, but advised women not to have their tonsils and appendix taken out unnecessarily.
The study found that for every 100 pregnancies in women who had had no procedures there were:
One of the researchers, Dr Sami Shimi, said most doctors were wrongly taught that having an appendix removed damaged fertility.
He told BBC News: "This [study] is very important in reassuring young women that appendicectomy will not reduce their chances of future pregnancy.
"More importantly, looking at both the appendix and tonsils together, this study confirms beyond doubt that removal of inflamed organs or organs likely to suffer from repeated inflammation, in women, improves their chances of pregnancy."
Explaining the findings, published in Fertility and Sterility, is more of a challenge.
One biological possibility is that regularly infected tonsils or appendixes raise levels of inflammation in the body, which affects the ovaries and womb.
The Dundee team favour a behavioural explanation such as women enjoying more "liberal sexual activity", being both more likely to get pregnant and have pelvic inflammatory disease, which could lead to an appendix being removed.
More research is needed to figure this out.
Prof Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is an interesting paper which suggests that surgical removal of the appendix or tonsils (or both) in young women is associated with an increase in their fertility later in life.
"There are several explanations which may account for these observations, one of which is that the removal of these tissues makes an alteration to their immune system which has an impact to some aspect of the reproductive process (such as how their embryos implant in the womb).
"If true, this may ultimately give doctors and scientists some new ideas for novel drugs or therapies to enhance women's fertility.
"But to suggest that infertile women have their tonsils or appendix removed as a way of improving their chances is a step too far at this stage."
Follow James on Twitter. | Women who have had their appendix or tonsils removed appear to be more fertile, a 15-year study suggests. |
37470974 | The 22-year-old played two first-class and seven T20 matches in 2016, having signed a professional deal in June.
Walter, who took the new ball in the latter stages of the T20 Blast, has taken eight wickets across all formats.
"It has always been a dream of mine to play for Essex," Basildon-born Walter told the club website.
"I haven't been part of the staff for long, so the opportunity to do that for a further year was something I jumped at." | Essex all-rounder Paul Walter has signed a contract extension, keeping him with the Division Two champions until the end of the 2018 season. |
37889002 | Newcastle's 2-1 victory was their seventh consecutive league win and strengthened their position at the top of the table.
But Warnock felt Cardiff should have had a late penalty after defender Sean Morrison was fouled by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
"It's an absolutely nailed-on penalty and I'm so disappointed," Warnock said.
"The linesman is 20 yards away, the referee is quite close and we're all waiting for him to point to the spot and the linesman gives a free-kick the other way.
"At this level officials have got to be better educated to know when a penalty's given.
"There were a few contentious decisions that didn't go for us but all credit to the players, I thought they were super.
"When you see the effort that my team put in and to be let down by people who should know better."
Goals from Christian Atsu and Yoan Gouffran gave Newcastle a 2-0 half-time lead.
Cardiff had chances, with Craig Noone, Rickie Lambert and Sol Bamba all failing to hit the target from promising positions before Peter Whittingham scored with 13 minutes left.
"I thought we looked a good decent side in the second half," Warnock added.
"They [Newcastle] started to panic and we had some good chances.
"You could tell the relief when the whistle goes because they knew only one team was going to score in the second half. We deserved better."
The Bluebirds, who are a point above the relegation zone, resume their Championship campaign at home to high-flying Huddersfield Town on Saturday, 19 November. | Cardiff City "deserved better" from their Championship game at Newcastle United, according to boss Neil Warnock. |
28981684 | So who will benefit from this policy, how did it come about and are schools ready?
All state-funded schools in England, including academies and free schools, will have a legal duty to offer free meals for all children in Reception to Year 2, under the Universal Infant Free School Meals policy.
Until now around 367,000 children in this age group whose parents are on benefits or earn less than £16,190 have been eligible for free school meals.
Under the new policy an extra 1.55m children will be entitled to a free hot meal every lunchtime, bringing the eligible total to more than 1.9m youngsters
The scheme is expected to save parents about £400 per year per child.
Schools are legally required to provide meals that comply with the government's School Food Standards which are intended to ensure children get the nutrition they need across the school day.
The guidelines to schools say the government expects that pupils will routinely be offered a hot meal option.
"Where schools are not in a position to offer hot options from September 2014, they should be working towards doing so as soon as possible."
The government says schools should offer free school meals to all infant pupils but will not be expected to make take-up mandatory.
Schools will still have the freedom to set their own policies on packed lunches, says the guidance.
The government has budgeted for an 87% uptake of the lunches - but Schools Minister David Laws has told the BBC this might be lower to begin with as parents of more fussy eaters decide whether their children will eat them. Some may decide to continue to provide a packed lunch every day.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg launched the plan at last autumn's Liberal Democrat conference.
Free school meals for all pupils up to age 11 were recommended in a review of school food for the government by the founders of the Leon restaurant chain.
They said packed lunches were nearly always less nutritious than cooked meals, adding that free lunches for all children would raise academic standards.
The Department for Education has promised the meals will be fully funded by central government. It says this year it will pay a flat rate of £2.30 for each meal taken by newly eligible pupils.
The government is also spending £150m to improve kitchens and dining facilities.
In addition small schools will get £22.5m to extend or improve kitchen facilities.
In May the then education secretary Michael Gove and schools minister David Laws denied reports of a rift within the coalition over the policy.
In a joint article for The Times newspaper they said the plans had "cross-party support".
Earlier reports suggested senior officials at the Department for Education feared the money for upgrading kitchens was insufficient.
Leaked emails suggested officials believed school kitchen improvements would cost £50m more than the £150m allocated, with a knock-on effect on wider school budgets.
In March a former adviser to the education secretary called the idea "dumb" and a "bad gimmick". Dominic Cummings said it had not been properly thought through or costed and would cause chaos.
Schools minister David Laws countered that a serious amount of work, including pilots, had gone into the policy.
In July a survey by BBC Radio 5's Drive programme asked all 152 councils in England about their budgets for implementing the policy.
Of the 99 that replied, 34 said they did not have enough money for the scheme despite being told it was fully government-funded.
Some local authorities said they were having to raid their maintenance budgets while others were passing costs on to the schools themselves.
Essex County Council has reported a £3m shortfall while 190 schools in Leeds are being asked to help find half the cost of the shortfall in the city.
One Leeds head said he had been planning to spend the money on tablet computers for pupils but would not now be able to do so.
In April a BBC Daily Politics investigation found more than 2,700 schools in England would not be ready to serve the free hot meals.
Freedom of Information figures obtained by the BBC suggested more than 1,700 schools had no kitchen at all. So their hot meals will have to be delivered by external caterers or cooked at nearby schools and transported.
Some may offer cold food such as sandwiches to begin with - though the guidelines say that schools should be working towards providing hot meals.
Some schools said they lacked big enough dining rooms so lunchtimes would have to be staggered.
Others said they used their halls for PE at lunchtime and the new meals policy would mean an end to these activities.
Mr Clegg says that although some English primary schools may have "some difficulties" in providing the meals he insists that the scheme is "well-funded" and "well-researched".
He has said pilots in Durham and Newham have shown the policy not only saves families money but has a dramatic educational impact, particularly on poorer children who are not receiving free school meals.
Mr Clegg also believes free school meals for all infant schoolchildren have a "very significant social impact because it gets children sharing lunch together during the middle of the school day".
Money is being provided for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to emulate the English scheme, but as education is a devolved issue, it is up to people running schools in each country to decide whether to spend the money on free lunches.
The Scottish government has decided to provide free school meals for all children in Primary One to Three from January 2015, following trials in five local authority areas.
In Wales all primary schoolchildren are entitled to a free school breakfast.
A review of school food for the Department for Education recommended all primary pupils should get free school meals.
Co-author Henry Dimbleby has said he hopes Mr Clegg's announcement will "be the first step on the road to free school meals for everyone".
The National Union of Teachers also wants the policy to be extended to all primary pupils.
General secretary Christine Blower says children "do not stop being hungry at seven years of age". | From this term, all infant pupils in England's schools will be entitled to a free hot meal at lunchtime every day. |
21069750 | They say it is a result of significant increase in loss of human lives from attacks by wild animals.
The problem is especially acute in buffer zones between human settlements and national parks.
In recent years, Nepal has developed a successful protection programme for many endangered species.
The Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal has more than 500 rhinos, up from half that figure few years ago, and more than 125 tigers.
The Bardiya National Park in the west now has more than 80 elephants, almost 10 times as many as there were in the 1990s.
In the Himalayas, the numbers of endangered species like snow leopards and red pandas have been growing as well.
And the country has nearly 24% of its land area as protected areas, including national parks, conservation areas and wildlife reserves.
With all these achievements in nature conservation, however, Nepal has also witnessed a rising number of human deaths and property losses because of wildlife.
In the last five years, more than 80 people have been killed by wild elephants while 17 of the animals died in retaliatory killings, according to forest ministry officials.
Last month, local people in Chitwan, southern Nepal, staged a strike and demanded that a rogue elephant be killed after it had taken the lives of three people.
A few months ago, a leopard in western Nepal caused terror as it killed more than a dozen people within a matter of weeks.
In eastern Nepal, herds of wild elephants continue to rampage, demolishing human settlements and raiding crops.
Meanwhile, common leopards are increasingly attacking children and livestock in the hilly region.
Further north, in the trans-Himalayan region, locals continue to complain about snow leopards preying on their livestock.
Although forest ministry officials are yet to compile the latest data on these losses, they do admit that such incidents have gone up remarkably.
"Before, we used to record about 30 human deaths because of wildlife attacks annually but in the past few years the figure appears to have risen significantly," said Forest Ministry spokesman Krishna Acharya who, until recently, headed Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
He added: "The time has now come for us to determine how many such wildlife species we can have in our protected areas."
WWF's Nepal country director, Anil Manandhar, said the problem had become quite serious.
"This is now something that could become the biggest threat and setback for Nepal's success in wildlife conservation," he explained.
Wildlife experts say human settlements known as buffer zones around national parks have become flashpoints for human-wildlife encounters.
"The numbers of rhinos and tigers are increasing in the national park and they are moving out in search of food and space. Meanwhile, the increasing human population needs more of the natural resources available, and that competition creates conflict," said Mr Acharya.
Most of Nepal's national parks and protected areas are either in the Himalayan region or in the Tarai area, the southern plain land that border India.
Yet, wildlife-related loss of lives and properties are also increasingly being seen in the mid-hill region, geographically located between the Himalayas and Tarai plain land.
Conservationists point at the growing number of attacks on children and livestock by common leopards because this region has seen huge success in community forestry.
"We have been hearing complaints from farmers that community forests have more wildlife than in some national parks and therefore they are suffering losses of lives and properties," said Yam Bahadur Malla, country director for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Nepal.
He also suggested it was necessary to scientifically demarcate the boundaries of national parks, as some species involved in the attacks were sometimes found outside the existing boundaries.
Forest ministry officials, however, said the chances of expanding existing protected areas were very slim because Nepal had already made huge swathes of land available for nature conservation.
Mr Acharya said the details of plans to limit wildlife growth were yet to be worked out but he added that one of the ideas would be to relocate some of the wildlife species.
"We have listed nine such species that can be trans-located from where there are quite many of them to where there are very few and such species include animals involved in conflicts with humans," he said.
Mr Acharya also hinted that Nepal will now not commit to protect more wildlife than the amount its protected areas could sustain.
"For instance, we have said we will double the number of tigers to 250. But as we cannot expand our protected areas, we will not be able to commit more than that," he said.
"Nor can we add new conservation areas." | Officials in Nepal have said they will now have to put a cap on the growth of wildlife including endangered species like tigers and rhinos. |
37882652 | The National Star College, which operates in south west England, has opened its first Welsh college in Mamhilad, near Pontypool.
SNAP Cymru says sharing its expertise could improve provision elsewhere.
It could also mean people were not forced to move in order to continue their education, the charity added.
The further education college offers a specialised sensory-based curriculum for young people with complex and multiple learning disabilities, with an emphasis on learning through the creative arts.
Speaking to the Newyddion 9 programme, Lindsay Brewis from SNAP Cymru said the expertise of National Star, which has its main campus in Gloucestershire, should be used as a "resource for the community".
She said: "We need every single further education college to learn from centres of excellence such as National Star College and take up some of their methods and techniques - take forward their ideas and put them into practice locally, so that for the vast majority of young people with additional needs and disabilities, the local college will be the best college."
Making sure young people could received their education locally was crucial, she added.
"When these young people lose the link with their community, we do them a grave disservice," she said.
Morgan Jones, who lives near Corwen, Denbighshire, left Wales aged 16 to go to the National Star campus in Cheltenham.
He has returned and now lives in Ruthin, where he works at Denbighshire council's computer technology department.
He told Newyddion 9 going to the college "changed his life" and helped him get a job, as well as letting him live independently.
"I've always said I wanted my mum and dad to be parents, and not carers," he said.
But he added he would have liked to have had his education closer to home.
"There is demand in Wales for a place like National Star," he said. "Certainly, I would have liked to stay in Wales." | A disability education charity says a specialist college for young adults with additional learning needs could help boost resources in Wales. |
38877091 | Flight QR920 landed on Monday after 16 hours and 23 minutes, slightly quicker than expected.
The Boeing 777-200LR jet was showered with water cannons on arrival - a tradition for airlines on new routes.
Carriers like to talk up these records, but how are they measured and do they really matter?
Longest (time) or furthest (distance) are the two key distinctions to make, but it's not as simple as it might sound.
Qatar Airways' new route maybe the longest by time. But the 14,535km (9,032 miles) trip is not the longest existing flight by distance - a claim currently held by Air India's Delhi to San Francisco route which is 15,127 km.
The distance between two cities doesn't vary for airlines of course, but they might choose to take alternate routes. For example, a carrier might choose to avoid flying over certain countries which can alter how far a plane flies from point A to point B.
But regardless of the route, flight time is dependent on headwinds or tailwinds.
For example Qatar's return leg form Auckland to Doha is is expected to take about 18 hours because of headwinds.
"The longest flying time doesn't always correspond with the longest distance," says Ellis Taylor of Flightglobal.
"Of course, from a passenger perspective, the flying time is probably the best measurement."
Record-breaking flights may make headlines. But new long-haul flights mean nothing if they're treated as a standalone route, says Mr Taylor. Rather, it's what a new route brings to the airline's existing network.
"On its own, it wouldn't be viable to fly between Auckland and Doha, but Qatar is focusing on the passengers from Auckland going on to Europe, Africa, the US or elsewhere," says Mr Taylor.
"In that light, even though it may take some time for the route to stack up from a profit perspective, it may help the economics of its wider network."
Historically, most of the major long-haul routes have been serviced by legacy airlines like Singapore Airlines and Australia's Qantas.
But adding new routes have allowed newer airlines like Qatar, and perhaps most notably Emirates, to expand their business very rapidly.
"It's also about reach for Middle East airlines striving to outdo each other," says Geoffrey Thomas of Airlineratings.com.
Longest flight records will continue to change hands as airlines launch new routes, and the range capability of aircraft improves.
Last year, for example, Qantas revealed it would fly direct between Perth and London from March 2018, a flight that will take 17 hours.
The price of fuel and the types of planes which airlines buy will be the determining factors in opening new routes
"With the arrival of the 777-8X in 2022, new records such as flights from Sydney to New York and Sydney to London will be set," says Mr Thomas. "The 777-8X will be the ultimate long haul airliner."
But remember, for routes to be viable, they also require people to buy tickets.
That depends on passengers being willing to sit in their seats for 16, 17 or maybe 18 hours at a time. How long that desire will last (especially for travellers cramped up in economy) is something airlines will monitor carefully. | Qatar Airways has launched what it says is the longest current non-stop commercial route, after completing a journey from Doha to Auckland. |
22539500 | The off-spinner, 30, has been named in the squad for this week's double header at The Grange in Edinburgh.
He is currently tied with John Blain on 41 wickets.
Gordon Drummond is in the 13-man pool after relinquishing the captaincy and Freddie Coleman is included after making 64 against Essex on Sunday.
New captain Kyle Coetzer skippers the side, with Preston Mommsen, who has scored 130 runs in two games against Hampshire and Essex in the YB40 without being dismissed, as vice-captain.
Five of the six players cleared to represent Scotland through a change in the rules on eligibility in January are selected.
All-rounder Rob Taylor is included after performing well for Leicestershire, while there is a place for Northamptonshire wicketkeeper David Murphy.
Matt Machan, Neil Carter and Iain Wardlaw will also be looking to make an impact.
"It will be an immense honour and a fantastic occasion which will fill me with pride leading out my country against a cricketing powerhouse like Pakistan," said Coetzer.
"More importantly though, we are seeing this as a great opportunity to showcase our skills and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world."
The second one-dayer takes place on Sunday.
Scotland squad: Kyle Coetzer (capt), Preston Mommsen (vice-captain), Richie Berrington, Neil Carter, Freddie Coleman, Josh Davey, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Matt Machan, David Murphy (wk), Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw. | Majid Haq will have the opportunity to become Scotland's leading wicket-taker in one-day international matches on Friday when they face Pakistan. |
39132678 | The University of Cambridge team used two types of stem cells and a 3D scaffold to create a structure closely resembling a natural mouse embryo.
Previous attempts have had limited success because early embryo development requires the different cells to coordinate with each other.
The researchers hope their work will help improve fertility treatments.
It could also provide useful insights into the way early embryos develop.
However, experimentation on human embryos is strictly regulated, and banned after 14 days.
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Once a mammalian egg has been fertilised, it divides to generate embryonic stem cells - the body's "master cells".
These embryonic stem cells cluster together inside the embryo towards one end, forming the rudimentary embryonic structure known as a blastocyst.
The Cambridge team, whose work is published in the journal Science, created their artificial embryo using embryonic stem cells and a second type of stem cell - extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells - which form the placenta.
Lead researcher Prof Magdalena Zenricka Goetz said: "We knew that interactions between the different types of stem cell are important for development, but the striking thing that our new work illustrates is that this is a real partnership - these cells truly guide each other."
However, the researchers say their artificial embryo is unlikely to develop into a healthy foetus as it would probably need the third form of stem cell, which develops into the yolk sac that provides nutrition.
The same team recently developed a technique that allows blastocysts to develop in the lab up to the legal limit of 14 days in the UK.
They have already grown these artificial mice embryos to the equivalent stage, and they are now working on using the same technique to develop artificial human embryos.
If they are successful, it could open the door to experimenting on embryos beyond the current 14-day limit.
Prof Jonathan Montgomery, an expert in health care law, at University College London, said: "It wouldn't, obviously, be within the current regulatory framework, although we would need to think carefully about how we should oversee it.
"It is early days, but if they do manage to not only create the partnership that's needed to get started but also the nutrition that's needed to sustain it, you could see that we are contemplating the opportunity of developing human embryos for quite a substantial period in vivo."
Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, of The Francis Crick Institute, said some structures seen in early embryos had failed to develop.
This, and other problems, would need to be solved before the technology could be developed further.
He also said it was unlikely that human equivalents could be developed because the necessary cells from human embryos were not available. | Scientists have created "artificial embryos" using stem cells from mice, in what they believe is a world first. |
38841198 | The 46-year-old victim suffered serious abdominal wounds in the attack early on Tuesday morning at the Britannia Hotel on Dialstone Lane in Offerton.
She was taken to hospital where she remains in a "serious but stable" condition, police said.
The 47-year-old man was arrested in Leeds on Thursday and is being held in police custody for questioning.
Ch Supt Wayne Miller said officers "believe this was an isolated incident... but our investigation continues as we follow a number of lines of inquiry".
"I would urge anyone who may have been staying at the hotel or was in the area at the time to contact us," he added. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over the shooting of a woman at a hotel in Stockport. |
13502845 | The region is often described as "oil-rich", but after the 2009 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in The Hague, most of the oil fields now fall outside Abyei's borders.
It does still produce oil, but the real issue here is more ethnic than economic.
Abyei is claimed by a southern group, the Dinka Ngok, and northern nomads, the Misseriya.
The Misseriya spend part of each year grazing their cows in the area as part of a great trek into greener pastures which takes them deep into South Sudan, which is due to formally become independent from the north in July following decades of conflict.
There are several prominent Dinka Ngok in both the Sudan People's Liberation Army, which fought for the south's independence, and in the SPLM, its political wing.
Armed groups of Misseriya were often used as a proxy army by Khartoum during the civil war.
The north fears alienating the Misseriya, who also live in the combustible neighbouring state of Southern Kordofan.
So both Khartoum and Juba have strong reasons to care about a seemingly insignificant patch of land.
Tensions in Abyei grew once a referendum scheduled for January on whether to join the north or the south did not take place.
There was no agreement on whether the nomadic Misseriya were eligible to vote.
A string of clashes followed, but this latest incident, involving direct confrontation between the northern and southern armed forces, is by far the most serious.
Following what they described as a "southern ambush" on their men on Thursday, the northern army seized control of Abyei town, the capital of a disputed border region, on Saturday.
To drive the point home about who is now in charge, President Omar al-Bashir issued a decree dissolving Abyei's joint administration, which was headed by a southerner.
The US and the UN condemned what they essentially characterised as a southern provocation followed by a northern over-reaction.
The UN Security Council made it clear these events would not affect southern independence on 9 July.
But nobody can say for sure whether it will be a peaceful divorce.
There are three main scenarios for what could happen next:
The most likely is that the north will keep control of Abyei.
They would start from a very strong position in the negotiations about the region's future, which would please the Misseriya.
However the south might be able to score some negotiating points since Abyei was taken by force.
A second possibility is that the northern troops will withdraw after some time.
The UN Security Council said a northern official, Amin Hassan Omar, made this commitment to it.
If this is the case, the northern armed forces will have shown their superiority, not least in terms of equipment, over the south.
The northern army rolled into Abyei with numerous tanks, following aerial bombardments and shelling, easily dispersing a numerically inferior opposition.
This reinforced the prevailing wisdom in Sudan that the southern armed forces do not have the technology or training to fight a conventional battle with the north.
That is perhaps a useful message for the north to hammer home, in the light of the charged negotiations taking place on Abyei, as well as on other issues like economic resources, and in particular oil.
The last possibility is a return to all-out conflict.
US Senator John Kerry, who has visited Sudan several times, describes the country as "ominously close to the precipice of war".
This could be triggered by a southern military response to the northern takeover of Abyei, or further northern moves.
But the initial southern public statements have been cautious, calling on the UN to get Khartoum out of Abyei, rather than threatening to counter-attack.
The southern army is stretched, as it has to deal with several rebellions, including in Unity State just over the border from Abyei.
The south firmly believes Khartoum is funding the rebellions, a charge the northern authorities have always denied.
Campaigner John Prendergast of the US-based Enough Project sees domestic political reasons why Khartoum might want to fight.
He says the influential former head of National Security, Nafie Ali Nafie, has won an internal struggle for control of President Bashir's National Congress Party's direction.
"Nafie is escalating in Darfur, Abyei, and throughout the south, seeking to address Khartoum's political problems with military force," he told the BBC.
"If the Security Council fails to grapple with this trend, we will see full-scale national war in Sudan by the time the south becomes an independent state on July 9th."
Influential Sudanese journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Salih goes further.
"What is now taking place [in Abyei] is by all standards a war between two countries," he wrote.
He believes the solution is to give the region a special status under President Bashir and Southern President Salva Kiir, and remove all armed elements from it other than UN peacekeepers.
The African Union mediation lead by former South African President Thabo Mbeki will undoubtedly have its own ideas on how to end the crisis too.
The US has already explicitly linked progress on Abyei to removing Sudan from the list of countries it believes sponsors terrorism.
But northern politicians believe the US has gone back on several promises to improve its relationship with Khartoum in the last few years, weakening US leverage.
Whatever happens next in Abyei and in north and South Sudan, there is no doubt the clash between the two armed forces has brought the spectre of a devastating new war considerably closer.
Journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Salih asks the question on everyone's mind.
"Shall we now sacrifice peace for which we paid so dearly for a limited piece of land in which both sides have undeniable rights?" | Abyei town may not look like much - a few low brick buildings scattered amongst thatched huts and dusty tracks - but this normally sleepy place is raising fears of a new Sudanese war after northern forces seized control over the weekend. |
40863787 | The Bears reached 361 in their second innings after a 97-run stand from Keith Barker (62 not out) and Chris Wright (41), leaving the hosts 327 to win.
Chris Woakes and Barker then tore through Middlesex's top order with three wickets each to leave them 45-6.
Steven Finn hit an entertaining 31, but Middlesex were all out for 136.
Under the stewardship of new sport director Ashley Giles and first-team coach Jim Troughton, Warwickshire had previously endured a nightmare Division One campaign, including four defeats by an innings.
However, the return of Woakes, after two months out with a side strain, provided a welcome boost for the Bears as the 28-year-old England all-rounder hit a half-century to go with his five wickets in the match.
There were also fine performances from debutant paceman Ryan Sidebottom, who took 4-29 in the first innings, on his first-ever visit to Lord's, and a career-best knock of 71 from 21-year-old batsman Matthew Lamb.
Despite taking 19 points from the capital, Warwickshire still face an uphill battle to avoid relegation, sitting 31 points behind sixth-placed Middlesex.
The hosts' plight was not helped by opener Nick Gubbins batting at eight after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up, but it mattered little as five of their top six batsmen made single figures.
Their hopes of retaining the County Championship title now appear to be over, with leaders Essex holding a huge points advantage over the London side.
Warwickshire first-team coach Jim Troughton told BBC WM:
"The Great Escape tune was playing in the dressing-room after the game. We know we have a lot to do but we showed what we are capable of. It's a great win for us - but it's just one win and we need to follow it up.
"When we turned up and saw the pitch we knew it would be lively and far from a typical Lord's pitch, but to bowl them out in a session in their second innings was a brilliant effort. it really was the stuff of dreams for Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled very well and fully deserved his wickets.
"In the morning Barks and Wrighty batted really well to build our advantage and, with bad weather around and the forecast bad for tomorrow, we were even starting to think are we going to have to pull out here?
"But it worked out perfectly. Woakesy showed his class and Barks with the new ball was pretty much unplayable. And an hour after the game ended it was raining." | Warwickshire finally claimed a first County Championship win of the season with a 190-run victory over defending champions Middlesex at Lord's. |
35221168 | In cities like Sheffield and Hull almost a third of workers can expect higher wages, the living standards think-tank says.
But it fears that could see "one wage towns" where employers cope with higher salaries for their most junior staff by failing to put up pay for more experienced workers.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said the policy could cost 60,000 jobs.
Paul Harrison, managing director of Sheffield coach firm Central Travel, told the Today programme: "I believe long term we'll probably have to lay people off unless we can put up prices with schools and colleges."
The minimum wage for over-25s will be raised to around £9 by 2020. The Treasury describes this as a National Living Wage.
The Resolution Foundation was mentioned by the Chancellor George Osborne when he announced the higher wage in the summer budget.
It wants city regions that are to be given extra powers - like Manchester and Sheffield - to help businesses with planning and skills shortages.
Share of workers affected by 2020
Hull - 31%
Sheffield - 28%
London - 14%
Oxford - 13%
The Foundation's head Torsten Bell said many firms didn't know how to respond, and local politicians needed to take action.
He said: "They should be focusing on raising awareness in local businesses in their area, particularly in those businesses most affected."
A government spokeswoman said: "The independent Office for Budget Responsibility expects the National Living Wage to cost business just 1% of corporate profits. This will be offset by cutting corporation tax to 18% and reducing national insurance contributions for smaller firms."
Several large employers including Sainsbury's and Lidl have pledged to put up pay before the new rules come in. | Politicians must act to make sure a higher minimum wage does not leave thousands stuck for years on the lowest possible pay, according to the Resolution Foundation. |
37832754 | The video, filmed by the 27-year-old Smith but leaked to the media in September, showed him laughing while retired gymnast Luke Carson mimicked Islamic prayer practices.
Smith, who won pommel horse silver at Rio 2016, later said he was "deeply sorry" for his "thoughtless actions".
Carson was given a reprimand.
Smith, who won pommel horse silver at the Rio Games earlier this year, is one of Britain's best known gymnasts and won the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
He is currently taking a break from the sport and is touring as a guest celebrity on the Keep Dancing stage production.
British Gymnastics chief executive Jane Allen said her organisation had "no choice but to act responsibly" when dealing with Smith and Carson.
"It is regrettable that following a historic summer of achievement, the organisation finds itself in this difficult position with two high-profile members in breach of our standards of conduct," she said.
"Whilst both individuals showed remorse following the incident, we hope they use their profile to have a positive impact on sport and communities."
Former British gymnast Craig Heap, who captained England to Commonwealth Games team gold in 1998 and 2002, said he feared for Smith's safety after he revealed he had received death threats.
Heap also said he worried about Smith's "errors of judgement".
"We all do daft things," said Heap, now a pundit for BBC Sport.
"The problem is, when you become as successful and as famous as he is, there is always someone wanting to sell a story. When you are in a position of being a role model to young people, you have got to be extra careful."
British Gymnastics said Smith's ban was a "cumulative penalty" because of a previous breach of its rules on conduct.
He was reprimanded in June for posting an image on social media of an American gymnast, who was 16 when the photograph was taken, accompanied by a comment British Gymnastics said was "unbefitting to a participant".
In April, he apologised for questioning the judging at the British Championships, where he was beaten to pommel gold by Max Whitlock.
The Briton missed last month's Olympic and Paralympic celebrations to visit two London mosques "to learn more about the Muslim community".
Smith said he had previously been "ignorant to people's religion" and added on Facebook that it was his responsibility "as someone of sporting influence" to exercise freedom of speech "in good taste".
Carson's reprimand will stay on his record for two years, but the 27-year-old from Northern Ireland, who retired in 2015, is still able to coach. | Four-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith has been given a two-month ban by British Gymnastics for appearing to mock Islam in a video. |
37476088 | Louise Wright, 29, was cycling to work when she was dragged under Adam Haywood's beer delivery truck in July 2014.
Prosecutors said Haywood, 31, from Whitwell in Derbyshire, failed to check his mirrors before turning left at traffic lights in Nottingham.
He was found guilty of causing death by careless driving by a majority verdict.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and has been banned from driving for two years.
A judge also ordered him to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,500 in costs.
Speaking after the verdict, Ms Wright's mother Sharon Brown said: "Nobody is a winner in this. It is just tragic what has happened. I do feel the right verdict has been reached and the sentence was fair.
"I don't get to spend any more time with her, I don't get to spend a future with her, I don't get to witness her being a wife, a mother, I don't get to be a grandmother.
"Just one short moment in time, one lapse of concentration. You think to yourself, 'what if?'. If she'd just chosen a different route... we might not be here.
"Just one short moment and it's changed everything."
Judge Jonathan Bennett said he had to "balance justice and mercy".
"There are no winners in this particular case," he said.
The trial at Derby Crown Court heard how Haywood had stopped at the lights when Miss Wright cycled down the left side of his lorry and waited near the front of his vehicle.
Jurors were told it is not illegal for a cyclist to come up the inside of a lorry, but the Highway Code recommends not to do so.
The prosecution claimed Miss Wright would not have realised Haywood intended to turn left as he did not have his indicators on.
Mr Haywood told the jury he could not remember if he had put on his indicators, but that was his normal practice.
Jurors were told there is nothing in law to say that a driver must indicate, but the Highway Code says they should.
In his evidence he claimed he checked his mirrors before turning left but did not see Miss Wright, and he believed she must have been in his blind spot.
Miss Wright was killed instantly in the accident, which happened at the junction of Lower Parliament Street and Pennyfoot Street in Nottingham city centre on 3 July 2014. | A lorry driver has been found guilty of killing a cyclist who was dragged under the wheels of his truck at a junction. |
39783204 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The Sharks make six changes, with 23-year-old prop James Flynn starting for the first time this season.
Bath, who need a bonus-point win and fourth-placed Leicester to get nothing at Worcester in order to reach the play-off spots, make four changes..
Luke Charteris, Anthony Watson and Nathan Catt are all absent.
They miss out along with Semesa Rokoduguni, so Matt Banahan, Beno Obano, Dave Attwood and Tom Ellis come in.
With Flynn starting at loose-head prop for Sale, Ross Harrison switches to tight-head.
Andrei Ostrikov returns in the second row with Ben Curry coming in at flanker and captain Josh Beaumont starting.
In the backs, Bryon McGuigan starts on the wing in place of Josh Charnley and Johnny Leota replaces Mark Jennings at inside centre.
Phillips, 34, - who announced his retirement in April - makes his final appearance at scrum-half while Magnus Lund and Peter Stringer are on the bench ahead of their departure from the club at the end of the season.
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder told BBC Radio Bristol:
"It would be really nice to make the play-offs but we are relying on someone else. You want your destiny in your own hands.
"But there's a lot of pride at stake for us. Sale are going to want to win too. We are playing for the club and personal pride.
"We have got to raise the bar this summer and set better standards for ourselves."
Sale: Haley, Solomona, James, Leota, McGuigan, MacGinty, Phillips, Flynn, Webber, Harrison, Evans, Ostrikov, B Curry, T Curry, Beaumont (capt).
Replacements: Neild, Pope, Ferreira, Nott, Lund, Stringer, Jennings, Charnley.
Bath: Homer; Banahan, Clark, Tapuai, Brew; Priestland (co-capt), Fotuali'i; Obano, Brooker, Knight, Stooke, Attwood, Ellis, Louw (co-capt), Faletau.
Replacements: Batty, Marfo, Palma-Newport, Garvey, Grant, Cook, Ford, Fruean.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips makes his final appearance for Sale Sharks before his retirement this summer. |
39974811 | Taking questions in a live BBC Wales Ask the Leader special at Rhos, near Wrexham, he admitted that people needed better paid jobs.
He added that millions of the poorest people were being taken out of tax by an increase in the personal allowance.
Mr Cairns said his party was committed to supporting vulnerable people.
"Getting a job is absolutely the best way out of poverty," he said.
"But also I recognise that people need better paid jobs and the national living wage gave close to a seven percent increase to the lowest paid over the last year - so that is a positive step."
Mr Cairns said the commitment to increase the personal tax allowance to £12,500 by 2020 "will take millions of the poorest people, poorest earners, out of paying tax altogether".
The Welsh secretary also insisted Theresa May was the best person to negotiate the right Brexit deal for the whole UK economy with the remaining European Union member states.
"There could be 27 nations lining up to oppose us and on that basis we need a strong leader in order to be challenging them," he said.
Mr Cairns also backed the prime minister's pledge to hold a free vote of MPs on fox hunting and that he supported ending the ban.
"I will vote to repeal the ban because it doesn't work as it is," he said. "Even Tony Blair who was the prime minister who committed to introducing it says he regrets it".
He added: "I think there's a whole host of things that we can do that would be more effective in achieving what people want to achieve".
There is no doubt what this election is about for the Conservatives. Theresa May has repeated "strong and stable" and it does not seem as though she will stop any time soon. The prime minister is determined to make this election about Brexit and how a vote for the Tories means a vote for her to have a "strong hand" at the negotiating table with the EU. An added dimension to this election is the potential for the Conservatives to make significant gains in Wales.
Recent polling data from the Wales Governance Centre suggests the Conservatives may be on course to become the largest party in Wales, a huge electoral breakthrough which would see the Labour Party losing its position as the dominant party in Wales, which it has held since 1922.
More from Nye | Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns has defended the UK Government's record on poverty, saying he believed the best way out of it is to "get a job". |
28532525 | They say the information came from the plane's flight data recorders, which are being analysed by British experts.
However, it remains unclear who fired a missile, with pro-Russia rebels and Ukraine blaming each other.
Many of the 298 people killed on board flight MH17 were from the Netherlands.
Dutch investigators leading the inquiry into the crash have refused to comment on the Ukrainian claims.
Heavy fighting has prevented an international police force composed of Dutch and Australian officers from reaching the crash site for a second consecutive day.
Ukraine's army said on Monday it had managed to capture two towns near the wreckage in its bid to win back territory from the hands of the rebels.
The international delegation was stopped in Shakhtarsk, a town some 20 miles (30km) away from the area where flight MH17 was brought down.
The town was reportedly struck by shelling, causing residents to flee in cars.
"We are sick and tired of being interrupted by gunfights, despite the fact that we have agreed that there should be a ceasefire," said Alexander Hug, the deputy head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) team in Ukraine.
They had hoped to secure the site so that the wreckage and human remains can be examined by international crash experts. Most of the bodies have been removed, many of them repatriated to the Netherlands.
Ukrainian security spokesman Andrei Lysenko told reporters on Monday that the plane suffered "massive explosive decompression" after it was hit by fragments he said came from a missile.
The Dutch team leading the investigation into flight MH17 won't be happy that a Ukrainian security official has apparently jumped the gun on the black box data results. I'm told there were Ukrainian investigators in the room at the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Farnborough last week when they checked that data, so it seems reasonable to assume this official knows something.
But still, the Dutch are hoping to publish their own more detailed and more rounded report later this week, pooling together everything they've learned so far.
Several former accident investigators have said to me that the black boxes will only tell us so much. To state the obvious, they are designed to highlight mechanical problems, not identify missile attacks. The flight data recorder could pick up evidence of an aircraft decompression, but it won't necessarily tell us why. The cockpit voice recorder may also pick up the sound of an external explosion.
In the end, experts will need more than the black boxes to work out what happened. They'll need to see the wreckage, the bodies and the American satellite data which the US says shows a missile was fired from rebel territory.
It's also worth remembering, even if all the black box data appears to tally with a missile strike, it won't tell us who fired it. Both sides in this conflict possess the same weapon.
Earlier, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said the downing of the Malaysia Airines jet could constitute a "war crime".
She demanded a "thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation" into the "shooting down" of the jet.
Ms Pillay spoke as the latest UN report on Ukraine suggested at least 1,129 people have been killed and 3,442 wounded in the Ukraine conflict since mid-April.
The conflict has displaced more than 200,000 people, many of whom have fled east to neighbouring Russia.
In other developments: | Security officials in Ukraine say the downed Malaysia Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine suffered an explosive loss of pressure after it was punctured by shrapnel from a missile. |
34051153 | Phil Bale made the claim in a letter to the Welsh Language Society - Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg - about Cardiff's Local Development Plan (LDP).
Calling the comment "completely ignorant", the group said Welsh was "vital" to the city's social fabric.
The council said "technical" wording concerning planning guidance in the letter had been taken out of context.
Mr Bale survived a leadership challenge at the annual general meeting of Cardiff's Labour group in May.
He wrote in the letter: "On the basis of the evidence presented, this response comes to the conclusion that the use of the Welsh language is not part of the social fabric [of the city], in accordance with national guidelines.
"This means that it is not considered that development proposals which are noted in the Plan materially affect the linguistic balance communities across Cardiff, at the expense of the use of the language.
"As a result, I understand it is not considered that any specific policies are necessary in the plan to deal with the specific interests of the Welsh language."
Local Cymdeithas yr Iaith chair Carl Morris criticised the comment, in a letter to the Planning Inspectorate.
"It must be said that this claim is daft and completely ignorant, and obviously raises questions which need to be answered in terms of the attitude and the policy of the authority and its officers," he said.
"We are not of the view that the remark reflects the support of the present leader of the Council for the language, but rather the ignorance of officers in the planning department.
"We ask you to insist that the County, in its development plan, considers the Welsh language in terms of its status, requirements in terms of new schools and education provision, and its place in our communities."
A Cardiff council spokesman said the LDP was currently being considered by the Welsh government's planning inspector.
The spokesman said: "The wording that is quoted by the Welsh Language Society is technical language taken from a national planning guidance document.
"Unfortunately, the wording has been used selectively in this instance, as it fails to show the full context on how the wording was used in this planning document."
The spokesman added that is was "disappointing" that the issue had been raised so late, and "ample opportunity" had been been given for everyone to comment through the consultation process. | The Welsh language is not part of Cardiff's "social fabric", according to the city's council leader. |
36865749 | Media playback is not supported on this device
No wonder he says his time at Meadow Lane has been "a rollercoaster".
Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson came and went as director of football, as did Munto Finance and Sol Campbell - and that is just the tale of a few months in Edwards' decade-long association with the East Midlands club.
He now works as fitness and conditioning coach - a job that he once mixed with being part-time cook - but also remains part of the playing squad at the age of 36.
"That is the thing with Notts, you have to muck in. You have the job you have to do, but also you know you have to go a bit beyond it. You do it for the love of the club," he says.
Ahead of his testimonial match at Meadow Lane against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the defender looks back at the bosses, the good times and bad during 350 matches at Notts.
Possibly the most turbulent time of Edwards' career came when former England boss Eriksson arrived after Middle East consortium Munto Finance took over the club of the summer of 2009.
There was a five-year plan to take the club into the Premier League, but it came to nothing and ended with the club heavily in debt and a £1 takeover.
"He (Eriksson) was queen of everybody's hearts, the dressing room really took to him," Edwards said.
"He was honest with the boys about the troubles off the pitch. He came and told us that we couldn't pay the milk bill. He tried his best to get the club that investment and to get the security."
During that time, Edwards lost his place to former England defender Campbell, who arrived on a five-year deal, but spent just one month and played one game for the Magpies before leaving by mutual consent.
"I like to say that I got him out of the team the next game. To say that I got an ex-international out of the team is a nice thing to keep with me," Edwards said.
After two years away from Meadow Lane between 2012 and 2014, Edwards returned to Notts County looking to expand his horizons beyond the pitch.
It led to a job on the coaching staff, and inadvertently as part-time chef under then manager Shaun Derry when budgets were having to be cut.
"I remember having a meeting with Shaun and Greg Abbott and they were looking at me saying 'we are not going to a hotel before games, we are going to eat on the coach'," he recalls.
"It was my second day in the job and I could feel the heat, a stack of bricks on me and I felt I had to pipe up and say something.
"I said that I could cook, make the food. My wife and kids got back after school and work and there is a stack of pans in the kitchen. They just asked what the hell I was doing?"
A takeover saga and culinary tales are just part of Edwards' story at Notts.
Plenty has also happened on the field. He was part of the League Two title-winning side that won promotion under Steve Cotterill in 2010.
Then there is the highlight of playing for Notts County, the oldest Football League club in the world, when they were invited to inaugurate Juventus Stadium - home of the Italian giants who adopted Notts' black and white stripes in 1905.
Edwards was later discarded, subsequently brought back, then went down with the Magpies in 2015.
John Sheridan, his 21st boss at Notts - and fourth last season, has brought hope of better times again after a period of upheaval, in which they finished 17th in League Two.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Edwards.
"Off the back of last season, we need to get foundations in place and kick on from there. Hopefully we can get promotion again."
"Notts fans have been brilliant - success and failures, we have shared it together," he said. | Mike Edwards has played for 21 managers in 10 years at Notts County, was there when they had no money for milk and has even cooked pre-match meals for the team. |
39888470 | The 35-year-old, who played 297 times for the Sky Blues between 2003 and 2011, also captained the club.
Doyle left City for a four-year spell with Sheffield United before joining Portsmouth in July 2015.
He scored three goals in 96 games in his time at Fratton Park, captaining Pompey to this term's League Two title.
Doyle will be the only member of the City playing staff who has experience of playing for City at their former home at Highfield Road.
Coventry will play in the fourth tier at the Ricoh Arena next season after being relegated from League One.
City's first summer signing increases the club's number of contracted players to 15, following the end-of-season release of nine men - Nathan Clarke, Kevin Foley, Vladimir Gadzhev, Andy Rose, Ruben Lameiras, Marcus Tudgay and three of their Under-23 squad, Kyle Spence, Jack Finch and Jacob Whitmore.
Defender Jordan Turnbull and striker Stuart Beavon have the option to leave the club before 31 July, due to existing clauses in their current contracts.
City are also in talks over new deals with seven players - goalkeeper Lee Burge, defenders Chris Stokes, Ryan Haynes, Dion Kelly-Evans and Devon Kelly-Evans, midfielder Gael Bigirimana and top scorer George Thomas.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Coventry City midfielder Michael Doyle will re-sign for the Sky Blues six and a half years after leaving when his Portsmouth contract expires on 30 June. |
35834786 | The US firm has announced two timepieces - one targeted at each sex - powered by Google's Android Wear.
Samsung, Nixon and Fossil have also revealed new software-powered models at the Baselworld trade show. Swatch's Tissot brand unveiled its first "connected watch" too, which links up to smartphones but does not run apps.
The launches coincide with a decline in traditional watch sales.
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry recently reported a "steep decline" in revenues, with January's 1.5bn Swiss francs ($1.6bn; £1.1bn) representing an 8% drop on the same month's sales in 2015.
The business group has blamed a "troubled economic situation" for the fall.
However, research firm Futuresource Consulting has reported that global smartwatch shipments now outnumber those of traditional Swiss watches.
"Many consumers are still not sure how a smartwatch will benefit them in terms of lifestyle and practicality," said its report, timed to coincide with the event in Basel.
"[But] ongoing advancements by the integrated chip manufacturers means they can go smaller - which opens up the market for more petite, women's watches, effectively increasing their total available market."
Smartwatch manufacturers that use Google's Android Wear have limited ability to customise the operating system's features, so much of their efforts are focused instead on design.
Michael Kors - whose devices are manufactured by Fossil - focused on their exclusive digital watchfaces and "glamorous style" at its launch rather than on technical specifications.
Fossil also unveiled two new smartwatches under its own brand - the Fossil Q Wander and Q Marshal - which it said were slimmer than its first-generation models.
California-based Nixon, however, had one trick up its sleeve for its first Android Wear watch - the Mission. It is water-resistant to 100m (328ft) - a record for the category - and still able to accept voice commands.
That allows Nixon to target the device at surfers, who need that level of protection because of the force with which they sometimes hit the waves.
Tissot has taken a different approach with its Smart-Touch.
The watch links up to a smartphone via Bluetooth when commanded to do so and can then provide navigation directions by moving its hands.
In addition, it can use the phone to synchronise itself to the local time zone.
The watch can also trigger an alarm on a fob, with which it is sold, in order to find mislaid keys.
Another unusual feature is a solar panel - used to recharge its battery, which is said to last up to a year before it needs to be swapped out.
"Swatch Group is the only Swiss watchmaker able to do a smartwatch on its own," boasted the firm's chief executive Francois Thiebaud.
But one attendee had doubts about its chances.
"It's difficult to see how Tissot can scale this to deliver the breadth of functionality that an open platform like Android or Tizen can offer," said Ben Wood from the CCS Insight consultancy.
"Swatch's only chance for success would be to bring this functionality to its wider range of watches."
Elsewhere at the show, Samsung revealed a tie-up with the jeweller de Grisogono to release a "limited edition" version of its Gear 2 watch.
The Tizen-powered device distinguishes itself from the standard edition by featuring more than 100 black-and-white diamonds. Its price has yet to be announced.
LVMH's watch chief also provided an update on its Android-based Tag Heuer Connected watch, which was launched in November.
At a press conference, Jean-Claude Biver said that 20,000 units had been sold so far and that his firm planned to manufacture a further 60,000 before the year's end.
"We totally underestimated demand, we were too cautious," he said.
"Next year, we'll have a real collection, a new version with six to eight models."
US manufacturer Movado has also announced plans to make more devices as part of a partnership with HP, following 2015's launch of the Movado Bold Motion.
It said it now planned to release models under the Coach, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger, and Scuderia Ferrari brands.
Despite all the activity, one expert said it was important not to overstate the sector's impact.
"I don't believe smartwatches have affected the high-end watch market in any appreciable way," said Ariel Adams, editor of A Blog to Watch.
"Although, I have heard anecdotally from brands that lower-end watches - $1,000 (£691) and under - are becoming affected.
"This Baselworld is all about partnerships, fashion and what I call brand cross-pollination," he added.
"It's mostly a marketing play, and I cannot find any brands here that speak fluently as to what people actually do with smartwatches and why people would want one."
Apple - which is thought to be the world's bestselling smartwatch-maker - is not exhibiting at Baselworld.
However, the firm has a press event on Monday in California where it may make related announcements. | Michael Kors has become the latest fashion brand to offer smartwatches. |
35511757 | West Midlands Fire Service was alerted to the fire on Stafford Street, Willenhall, at about 08:15 GMT on Saturday.
Roads were closed while the fire was extinguished, and residents were advised to keep doors and windows shut due to large amounts of smoke.
Nobody is believed to have been injured in the fire, a spokesman said.
A spokesman for the fire service said a cause had not yet been established, but a fire investigation officer would examine the site once it was deemed safe. | Twelve crews of firefighters dealt with a blaze at a derelict factory in the West Midlands. |
34859661 | New figures have revealed that more than 6,300 people in the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway were treated outwith the region in 2014.
MSP Jim Hume, who obtained the figures through a parliamentary question, said the figures were "frankly shocking".
The Scottish government said there were "very good reasons" for treating people outside their board area.
Across Scotland more than 100,000 people travelled to another area to receive treatment in 2014, including to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank.
It is the only hospital in Scotland to carry out heart transplants and it is home to the busiest lung surgery unit in the UK.
Mr Hume said: "It's frankly shocking that thousands of patients across South Scotland were referred for hospital treatment outwith their area last year.
"There are a number of reasons why patients may be referred to other parts of Scotland for treatment.
"But in general, patients should be able to attend hospital appointments as close to their homes as possible - the difficulty of travelling further afield is not only inconvenient but can also aggravate the very health conditions they are being referred for."
He called on the Scottish government to "act now" to ensure key services are provided at local hospitals.
However Health Secretary Shona Robison said specialist care was provided in the most appropriate environment - regardless of board boundaries.
She added: "In many cases it is easier for a patient to go to a hospital in a neighbouring board area, because it is nearer to their home.
"There are many other patients who start their care in their own area and are then referred to a regional centre for specialist treatment. For example, the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, which is a world-class national centre providing treatments such as heart transplants and cardiac bypass surgery."
She said that last month the government announced a £200m investment to create six new elective treatment centres "throughout Scotland" which would deliver about 22,000 more procedures annually by 2025.
None are planned for the south of Scotland. | Thousands of patients from the south of Scotland have to travel to another part of the country for medical treatment. |
32112433 | Washiqur Rahman was attacked close to his home in Dhaka's Begunbari area, a police official told AFP news agency.
Two students at an Islamic seminary have reportedly been arrested.
Last month, Avijit Roy, a US-based writer who had criticised religious intolerance, was killed in a machete attack while he was visiting Dhaka.
His death sparked fresh concerns for freedom of speech in Bangladesh, where several secular-minded writers have been targeted by militants.
Mr Rahman was killed on a busy street in Dhaka. Two of the suspected attackers, armed with meat cleavers, were caught near the scene.
The suspects told police they had targeted Mr Rahman because of his anti-Islamic writing, a police official told the Associated Press news agency.
Mr Rahman blogged under a pen-name, Kucchit Hasher Channa, or Ugly Duckling. According to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, he had criticised irrational religious beliefs.
Imran Sarker, the head of a network of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, told AFP news agency that Mr Rahman was "a progressive free thinker".
Asif Mohiuddin, a Bangladeshi blogger who survived an attack in 2013, said he had often talked to Mr Rahman about "criticising fundamentalist groups".
"I liked him for his satire, his sense of humour. He was a wonderful blogger and I'm very... upset right now," he said.
Last month's attack on Mr Roy prompted massive protests from students and social activists, who accused the authorities of failing to protect critics of religious bigotry.
A man accused of threatening to kill Mr Roy on social media was arrested in that case.
Farabi Shafiur Rahman, described as a "fundamentalist blogger", was said by police to be linked to Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Bangladesh.
Mr Roy's wife was also badly injured in the attack. | A blogger has been hacked to death in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, a month after a prominent atheist writer was killed in a similar attack. |
35338631 | Members of the Scottish Parliament's economy committee were responding to huge challenges in the sector caused by the drop in the price of oil.
The committee made a number of recommendations aimed at protecting North Sea jobs.
It said it hoped a sustainable industry could emerge from the downturn.
In recent months, oil has plunged to its lowest price in 12 years, with a barrel of international benchmark Brent crude dropping below $28 in Monday's trading.
Six thousand jobs have been lost offshore - 30,000 in support industries and 30,000 in the service sector, according to one union estimate.
In a bid to protect the industry and the skilled workforce, the MSPs said there should be no rush to begin decommissioning.
Committee convener Murdo Fraser MSP, said Scotland's oil industry had a "vital status" within the Scottish and UK economy.
He said: "The challenges the industry is facing as a consequence of the significant and sustained fall in the price of crude oil represent a serious threat to our economic wellbeing, especially to the livelihoods of those employed in the industry and those communities who depend on it.
"In our evidence sessions, we heard from the trade unions, industry representatives and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce about the impact and what needs to be done.
"What was clear to the committee is that there is a shared determination to protect and promote the industry, to secure a sustainable future in the face of current challenges.
"We call on all those involved to continue to work together to maximise the economic recovery of oil and gas rather than rush to decommissioning."
Deputy convener Dennis Robertson MSP, who was criticised for claiming the industry was "booming" earlier this month, said: "In light of recent job losses, there is also a real fear that many highly-skilled workers may be lost to the sector.
"It is important that the industry reflects on this point to ensure that essential skills are retained in the workforce when the downturn stabilises with the possibility of recovery in the future."
Scottish Labour said the government should undertake an "urgent assessment of the oil jobs crisis on the wider economy" in light of the report.
Public services spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: "The jobs crisis in the North Sea has seen thousands of jobs lost not just in the North East but across Scotland and the whole of the UK in the supply chain.
"How many more reports does the Scottish government need to see before it understands how serious the situation is, and acts accordingly?" | The oil industry, trade unions and government must work closely to get the most out of the North Sea before decommissioning, MSPs have said. |
10878123 | The collection of 40 paintings - plus films, sculptures and photographs - focuses on the period from 1940 to 1983.
Works have been brought in from countries around the world - including Canada, Scotland and Japan.
The exhibition runs at Atlanta's High Museum of Art until 9 January.
"It's become a really interesting area for investigation because you have Dali's career which spans almost all of the 20th century, but historically people have really only looked at the 1930s," exhibition curator Elliott King told the Associated Press. "It was almost like he died in 1940."
The exhibition includes photos by American photographer Philippe Halsman showing the artist displaying what King describes as Dali's "wacky showman" side.
Atomic explosion
The exhibition also reflects two recurring influences on Dali's later work - his return to the Catholic Church and nuclear physics.
One work that illustrates this theme is Santiago El Grande - which shows a crucifixion scene and a horse rearing up above an atomic explosion.
Another is The Madonna of Port-Lligat - showing the Madonna and Child breaking into particles. The painting is on loan from a museum in Japan and has not been seen in the US since 1951.
The work Assumpta Corpuscularia Lapilazulina - which features Dali's wife as the Virgin Mary - has been in private collections and has not been exhibited since 1959.
The exhibition also includes the 1960 documentary film Chaos and Creation - an early example of video art which includes pigs, popcorn and a motorbike. | An exhibition of late works by artist Salvador Dali opens this weekend in Atlanta, including several pieces not seen in the US for half a century. |
35766608 | They want the statue torn down, arguing that Rhodes, a 19th Century businessman and politician in southern Africa, represented white supremacy.
About 150 protesters took part in the march which gathered at Oriel College, the home of the statue.
The university said it was happy to talk to campaigners about inclusivity.
The Rhodes Must Fall march took in All Souls College, The Old Indian Institute, Rhodes House and Wellington Square.
Campaigners argue Rhodes' views are incompatible with an "inclusive culture" at the university.
Organiser Femi Nylander said: "We want to see an apt coherent engagement with what we've been saying.
"This is a man who was one of the founders of apartheid. To a lot of Africans he's as bad as Hitler.
"We're opening the debate about colonial legacy. We're not trying to suppress anything, we're not trying to erase history, but [we don't accept] a facade on a building on one of the most iconic streets in Oxford, with a man who went to South Africa and killed a lot of black people."
A university spokesperson said: "We are working with black and minority ethnic students on many initiatives towards greater inclusion and representation... and we would very much like Rhodes Must Fall to be involved.
"We hope they will accept our standing invitation to meet with senior staff and help shape the plans for an ever-more inclusive university."
Rhodes was a student at Oxford and a member of Oriel College in the 1870s. He left money to the college on his death in 1902.
A scholarship programme in his name has so far been awarded to more than 8,000 overseas students. | Campaigners have taken to the streets calling for the removal of a statue of the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes at an Oxford University college. |
36617471 | Some mortgage brokers and estate agents say that potential buyers could delay any purchase owing to the uncertainty that is likely to follow the result.
There is less consensus on what the effect might be on the cost of mortgages and house prices.
The share prices of house builders took a big hit in early trading following the result.
Ahead of the vote, the UK Treasury said that over the next two years, house prices could end up being 10-18% lower compared with where they would have been had the vote been to remain.
"When there is uncertainty it affects confidence and people put off making decisions. Those who were thinking about buying property may now decide to leave that decision to say next year, in the hope that property prices will fall in the meantime," said Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients.
If the Treasury prediction is true, such a change would be good news for first-time buyers, but not for existing homeowners, particularly if they have bought recently.
Predictions of how far the pound would fall have so far been an overestimate, so there is clearly a possibility that the change in house prices may be less dramatic. Any forecasts of property prices are notoriously difficult.
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Geography will also play a major part in any change - with the UK having a wide range of regional property markets.
The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) previously estimated that house prices in London could see the biggest change. It said prices would be £7,500 lower on average over the next three years than they would have been had the vote been to remain.
Elsewhere, it said house prices could see a slower rate of increase, rising by £2,300 less.
All eyes will be on the Bank of England when it comes to assessing the cost of a mortgage.
If inflation rises, the Bank of England may consider raising interest rates, making mortgages and loans more expensive to repay. During the campaign, the Treasury forecast a rise of between 0.7% and 1.1% in the cost of a mortgage. This would filter through to rental costs too.
Any shock to the UK economy may lead the Bank of England to consider a cut in rates. In that case, the cost of lending could actually fall.
David Tinsley, from Swiss bank UBS, said the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was expected to make interest rate cuts and extend its quantitative easing programme.
"We expect the MPC will cut policy rates to zero and make further asset purchases, in the first instance of £50-75bn, not later than February 2017," he said.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney made it clear in a speech that no quick decisions would be made.
Mortgage brokers say that any change should be viewed in the context of historically low mortgage rates at present.
"The banks and building societies still have incredibly low rates and mortgage acceptance criteria is better than it has been for years," said Aaron Strutt, of Trinity Financial mortgage brokers.
"One of the biggest problems is confidence, particularly as we have political and economic instability. People still need houses to live in and while we have a functioning banking system they will have options."
David Hollingworth, of London and Country mortgages, said: "Borrowers will be struggling to understand whether this [result] could mean an increase in base rate or whether it might precipitate a cut.
"With sterling plunging the expectation will be for rising inflation which would typically lead to rising interest rates. However, fragility in the economy could well see the base rate held or even fall.
"If funding costs for lenders were to rise then that could put upward pressure on mortgage rates whether base rate were to shift or not. The only certainty at the moment is that borrowers have a range of extremely competitive fixed rate deals on offer." | Commentators suggest the lull in the UK property market will continue following the UK's vote to leave the EU. |
32164745 | Cabinet members held talks on Thursday over a report outlining the work needed to push the deal forward.
The authority says it could "unlock significant new money" for "major infrastructure" projects.
Cardiff council's economic development chief, Neil Hanratty, said in the report local business would be "at the heart" of any deal.
Chancellor George Osborne said, when outlining March's Budget, that talks would begin towards setting up a City Deal in Cardiff.
City deals, such as that established in Glasgow, are UK government agreements which give cities funding and control over how to create economic growth.
Cardiff council says the money would be used to support "capital investment in major infrastructure priorities" for the city-region.
Mr Hanratty said in the report Cardiff Business Council (CBC), which acts a link between the council and local businesses, would need to be "reviewed" as part of any deal.
The report recommends considering "formalising arrangements" with the CBC's interim board in order to make the body "fit for purpose". | The proposed £1bn Cardiff City Deal to help the Welsh economy grow has been discussed by Cardiff council. |
36425859 | The ferry MV Coruisk was used for the route before being redeployed to CalMac's Oban-Mull route.
People on Skye have complained that the two smaller replacement ferries have been prone to disruption.
Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said MV Coruisk's return would be welcomed.
A CalMac spokesperson could not confirm the redeployment, but said the company was looking at all options to improve reliability on the Mallaig to Armadale route.
Mr Blackford told BBC Radio Scotland that the Coruisk was ideally suited to operating on the Skye route while the replacement vessels' operation was dictated by tidal conditions.
But the MP added that he did not want the situation to be "a fight between Skye and Mull" and wanted all ferry routes to have the appropriate vessel. | Caledonian MacBrayne is to reverse its decision to change the ferry operating on its Mallaig to Armadale on Skye service, BBC Scotland understands. |
38805163 | Alexandre Bissonnette faces six counts of first-degree murder and five of attempted murder.
The 27-year-old briefly appeared in a Quebec City court over Sunday evening's attack, during evening prayers at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre.
Vigils have been held across Canada to commemorate those killed and injured.
More than 50 people were at the mosque when the shooting erupted just before 20:00 on Sunday.
Nineteen people were wounded - all men - and of five people still in hospital, two were in a critical condition.
Quebec provincial police have released the names of all six victims who were killed:
Quebec attack: Who were the victims?
Quebec Muslims 'emotionally destroyed'
Who is Alexandre Bissonnette?
Mr Bissonnette did not enter a plea as he appeared in court on Monday, wearing a white prison-issue jump suit, his hands and feet shackled.
The suspect was arrested in his car on a bridge leading from Quebec City to Ile d'Orleans, where he called police to say he wanted to co-operate with the authorities.
According to local media, Mr Bissonnette studied political science and anthropology at Laval University, whose campus is about 3km (two miles) away from the mosque.
Francois Deschamps, an official with an advocacy group, Welcome to Refugees, said the suspect was known for his far-right views.
Mr Bissonnette was "unfortunately known to many activists in Quebec for taking nationalist, pro-Le Pen and anti-feminist positions at Laval University and on social media," Mr Deschamps posted on the organisation's Facebook page.
A man of Moroccan heritage who was also arrested after the attack, Mohamed Khadir, is now being treated as a witness.
Thousands of people, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, braved the cold at a vigil near the mosque to lay flowers and candles that flickered in the snow.
The streets were packed tight, and residents flowed by foot from the streets surrounding the mosque as police still blocked the roads to cars directly around the site of the attack.
Few carried signs but those that did called for unity among Quebecers. "Tous unis", French for "all together", was a popular phrase.
Ali Dahan, one of many who came to pay his respects, said the vigil sent a strong message against intolerance. "Such racist people can affect all possibility of progress," he said.
"But they lose because you see all the people out here today and they show their solidarity."
The vigil was a balm for the Muslim community, which has sometimes felt it bears the brunt of political rhetoric in the province.
Mr Trudeau and Mr Couillard both described the shooting as a terrorist attack.
Addressing the more than one million Muslims who live in Canada, Mr Trudeau said: "We are with you.
"Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours. Know that we value you."
The shooting came amid heightened global tensions over Mr Trump's travel ban on immigration from seven Muslim countries.
On Tuesday the US administration pointed to the Quebec attack as further justification for the new president's policies.
"We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.
"It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be pro-active, rather than reactive when it comes to our nation's safety and security."
The mosque has been a target of hate crimes in the past, including last summer when a pig's head was left on its doorstep during Ramadan.
Mohamed Labidi, vice-president of the Islamic centre, said the victims had been shot in the back.
"Security at our mosque was our major, major concern," Mr Labidi said tearfully. "But we were caught off-guard."
The predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec has welcomed thousands of immigrants from Arab countries and other nations.
But there has been a longstanding debate over the "reasonable accommodation" of immigrants and religious minorities. | Canadian police have charged a French-Canadian student over the fatal shooting of six Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Quebec. |
39546564 | Many areas in England and Wales reached at least 20C, the Met Office said.
The East Midlands and parts of East Anglia were among the sunniest areas, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have been cooler at 16C and 15C.
Forecasters said temperatures would return to spring levels by Monday - dropping by as much as 10 degrees.
In Somerset, firefighters said they used bolt croppers and cutters to free a woman whose leg was trapped in a sunlounger.
She was also given oxygen and an ambulance was called.
In Leicestershire, a country park suffered a "devastating" fire - which may have been caused by a barbecue or a discarded cigarette butt.
Forecasters warned people not to get caught out by the sun, which can be as strong in April as in August and September.
Temperatures are forecast to cool on Monday, however.
BBC Weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker said: "Over the next 24 hours those areas that were warmest today will experience at least a 10 degree drop.
"Today warm air was wafting in from France; tomorrow cooler air will be streaming in from the north Atlantic." | Parts of the UK have had the hottest day of the year so far - with temperatures hitting 25.5C in Cambridge. |
35856211 | Yorkshire lost openers Alex Lees and Adam Lyth early on and spinner James Tredwell took three wickets to reduce the champions to 88-5 in Abu Dhabi.
However, Ballance (105) and Will Rhodes (95) put on 125 for the sixth wicket before Ballance was trapped lbw.
Rhodes missed out on his century as Yorkshire posted 275 before James Harris saw out an over in reply.
Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bat but, aside from England batsman Ballance and Rhodes, Lyth (13) and Andrew Gale (23) were the only men to make it into double figures.
The MCC rallied with the new ball following Ballance's departure, as Jake Ball picked up the wicket of Andrew Hodd, while Graham Onions removed Steven Patterson and Jack Brooks in consecutive balls.
Rhodes came close to hitting his maiden first-class ton during his final-wicket partnership with Karl Carver but was caught behind off the bowling of Rikki Clarke.
Middlesex seamer Harris saw out the one over the MCC had to face in reply from Brooks before stumps.
Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add alerts for the Six Nations, cricket scores, your football team and more. | Gary Ballance scored a century for Yorkshire on the opening day of the Champion County game against the MCC. |
37942255 | The train operator, which runs services between Scotland and London, ran a recruitment fair at Addiewell Prison, West Lothian, this week.
More will be held in prisons across the UK every three months.
Virgin Trains said it wanted to help end the "revolving door syndrome" of reoffending. It is also encouraging other companies to take part.
The company has been actively recruiting ex-offenders since 2013.
Twelve people with convictions were employed by Virgin Trains in 2014 as part of the contract for the West Coast route.
There are currently 27 people working in the business who were recruited through the programme, the firm said.
Kathryn Wildman, who leads recruitment on the West Coast line, said going into prisons had proved a successful way of finding "talented candidates" for jobs in the company.
She said: "This isn't just about helping society and giving people a chance to turn their lives around. It's hiring the best people no matter what their background is.
"We'd urge other employers who might be thinking about this to give it a go."
Virgin Trains has established partnerships with HM Prison Service, the Scottish Prison Service and private prison operators to work with inmates who are nearing the end of their sentences.
Scotland's Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: "Supporting people into work when they come out of custody is an essential part of their reintegration, and helps to reduce the chances of them offending again.
"We are working with the public sector, including the Scottish Prison Service, and private businesses to make it easier for people with convictions to find employment.
"Virgin Trains are very supportive of this work and I am delighted to hear of this latest partnership with HMP Addiewell to tackle the barriers which prevent people from turning their lives around." | West Coast Mainline operator Virgin Trains is planning to double the number of ex-offenders it employs. |
40703909 | Three key judicial reforms have been passed by Poland's parliament, prompting days of demonstrations across the country.
Before they become law, they require approval by the president.
The changes have also set Poland's right-wing government on a collision course with the European Union.
The European Commission had threatened to impose sanctions this week if the reforms were not scrapped. European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, had warned of a "black scenario that could ultimately lead to the marginalisation of Poland in Europe".
"As president I don't feel this law would strengthen a sense of justice," Mr Duda said in a statement broadcast on national television. "These laws must be amended."
He said he was vetoing two of the new laws but approving a third, which gives the justice minister the right to name the heads of Poland's lower courts.
The Law and Justice (PiS) government has strongly rejected claims that the reforms are a move towards authoritarian rule and has expressed disappointment at Mr Duda's decision to wield a veto.
Mr Duda had already intervened last week in an attempt to find a compromise and his latest step came as a surprise.
He is himself a former member of the populist ruling party and he had already rejected a meeting on the crisis with Donald Tusk.
He said he had discussed the reforms at the weekend with legal experts as well as judges. The most influential voice, he said, was that of Zofia Romaszewska, a veteran dissident from the communist era who told Mr Duda she did not want to go back to the days when "the general prosecutor could do virtually anything".
She was jailed during the years of martial law in the early 1980s but is now one of the president's advisers. Ms Romaszewska told Polish media it was completely out of the question for the attorney general to take charge of the Supreme Court.
Opposition MPs also praised the role of protesters in influencing the decision.
Demonstrations have taken place in dozens of Polish cities, from Poznan and Lublin to Krakow, Gdansk and Warsaw, and there have been calls for the protests to continue.
Mr Duda warned that no change should lead to a separation of the state from society.
Poland's judicial system is widely seen as slow and reforms are seen as necessary. "I'm absolutely a supporter of this reform, but a wise reform," said President Duda.
The three reforms give the justice minister and MPs broad powers and have prompted alarm from the US, as well as the EU.
The president's initial compromise plan last week watered down the government's bid to push through its nominees for the National Judiciary Council, by requiring the support of another political party.
In his statement, the president said he regretted that a draft law on reforming the Supreme Court had not been handed to him before a vote in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm.
The president also took issue with the strengthened role of the justice minister, who also acts as attorney general in Poland.
In theory, the Polish parliament could now challenge the president's veto.
Law and Justice has a simple majority in the Sejm but needs a three-fifths majority if it decides to reject Mr Duda's decision. It could theoretically achieve that with the support of a smaller party, Kukiz'15, but that is not seen as certain.
A more likely step would be to spend the next weeks redrafting the two bills that the president has turned down and seek his approval. The protest movement has celebrated its success so far but is now pushing for the president to veto the third reform as well.
Much now depends on the man seen as the real power behind the government, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. | Polish President Andrzej Duda has announced he is vetoing a controversial law to replace Supreme Court judges with government nominees. |
37369615 | The statement said the Democratic presidential nominee "continues to improve" after a pneumonia diagnosis.
The disclosure came as her Republican rival Donald Trump released health data of his own on a medical chat show.
Clinton aides say she will return to the campaign trail on Thursday after falling ill in public at the weekend.
Both candidates, among the oldest ever to run for the White House, have been under intense pressure to share more medical information.
Health issues have dominated the race for November's election since a dizzy spell forced Mrs Clinton, 68, to leave a 9/11 ceremony in New York on Sunday.
Her campaign said on Wednesday that her physician found her complete physical examination was "normal" and she is in "excellent mental condition".
Dr Lisa Bardack said Mrs Clinton was "recovering well with antibiotics and rest".
What is 'walking pneumonia'?
A history of US presidential bad health
The campaign said she had a chest scan on Friday that showed a "mild, non-contagious bacterial pneumonia".
Mrs Clinton - who has been recuperating at her suburban New York home - was treated with an antibiotic called Levaquin, which she was prescribed for 10 days.
"She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States," concluded Dr Bardack in the letter.
The physician said Mrs Clinton was up to date on all vaccines, including two given to help prevent pneumonia, Prevnar and Pneumovax.
The letter did not state when she received those vaccines.
Mrs Clinton's blood pressure (of 100 over 70) and total cholesterol (189) were all within healthy levels, according to the letter.
The former Secretary of State also had a normal mammogram and breast ultrasound, said the doctor.
She takes thyroid and allergy medicines and the blood thinner Coumadin, prescribed after she suffered a blood clot resulting from a 2012 concussion.
The blood clot was said to have been in a vein in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear.
The complication led Mrs Clinton to spend a few days in hospital and take a month off from her job at the State Department.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, has said he is planning to release details this week of a recent physical.
The Republican White House nominee handed over a one-page summary of that examination while appearing on The Dr Oz Show.
He told the host he is 236lb and 6ft 3in tall, which would make him clinically overweight.
The syndicated television show will not be broadcast until Thursday and the campaign declined to immediately disclose the results.
Mr Trump told a rally in Canton, Ohio, on Wednesday night that he doubted Mrs Clinton would have the stamina to lead one of his events.
He asked the crowd: "You think Hillary would be able to stand up here for an hour and do this? I don't think so, I don't think so."
Mr Trump later said she was "lying in bed, getting better". | Hillary Clinton is "healthy and fit to serve" as US president, says her doctor, as her campaign released updated medical information. |
35588511 | Christopher Collier, 53, admitted the manslaughter of his wife Julie at their flat in Charter Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire in September 2015.
Bristol Crown Court heard both were "long-term alcoholics" and drinking had damaged Mrs Collier's health to the extent she had to use a wheelchair .
Collier was sentenced to four years but is likely to serve two.
On the night of Mrs Collier's death, the court heard, something happened which caused Collier to lose his temper and strike his "frail" 7-stone wife, who would have "posed no real threat" to him.
Collier told police his wife had hit him and threatened him with a screwdriver. He had punched her and they had fallen to the floor but she was still conscious when he left the flat to buy more drink.
When he returned, he thought she was asleep. But when he could not wake her the next morning he called 999. She had died from a subdural haemorrhage.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Teare told Collier: "This was not a case of a fight involving just one punch. There was a struggle in which you punched her more than once, you ended up on the floor and she banged her head on the floor."
But, he said, there was "no intent to cause her really serious bodily harm".
Collier had shown "enormous promise" as a young man, Adrian Waterman QC, defending said. He was "educated at one of the country's leading schools" - Downside - and had gone on to study at Oxford University.
He had expressed concerns before that he might lose his temper one day "in the face of what he described as Julie's vile attitude" when drunk, Mr Waterman QC said.
"She had been violent before and he knew that he might snap and obviously, that night, he did."
In a letter read out in court, Collier said his actions were "unforgiveable". "I have caused the death of the person I loved," he wrote.
Mrs Collier's family said in a statement they were "completely devastated to have lost a loving mum, daughter, sister and friend in such a sudden and tragic way". | A man has been jailed for killing his disabled wife when he "snapped" during a row after an night of drinking. |
40233404 | The 19-year-old won 0-6 7-6 (11-9) 6-2 against Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez to claim his first Grand Slam title.
Later on Saturday, Hewett lost in the men's doubles final alongside fellow Briton Gordon Reid.
They were beaten 6-4 6-3 by French pair Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer, who also beat them in the Rio 2016 final.
Hewett, seventh in the rankings, said: "I had a good feeling about this week. This time last year I was outside the top 10, hadn't really won anything.
"A year on, I've got two [Paralympic] silver medals, [I am] Wimbledon doubles champion and now singles Grand Slam [champion] at Roland Garros - I can't believe it."
Fernandez had two match points during the second-set tie-break, but Hewett said he remained confident of victory.
"I played him a week and a half ago in another final and I was 6-0 3-0 down, and when it went 6-0 2-0 this time I was thinking, 'Oh no, here we go again'," Hewett added.
Find out how to get into disability sport with our special guide.
"But I remembered coming back that time so I knew I could come back, and when it got to that tie-break, it was very up and down, he had match points, I had set points.
"Mentally that was a big positive for me to keep in there and hold out. I felt good after I won that second set and knew I needed to get off to a good start in the third and when that happened I grew in confidence." | Alfie Hewett became the first British player to win a French Open wheelchair singles title after saving two match points at Roland Garros. |
39985934 | Dawson Willcock, who is 20 months old, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a form of liver cancer, in January but chemotherapy has failed to help him.
His parents want to take him to Cincinnati and have started the "Dollar for Dawson" campaign.
They were told the chances of getting the rare cancer are 0.9 in one million.
"You never think your child is going to get cancer. It always happens to other people - not to you," Dawson's mother Wendy Willcock said.
"Then on January 24 we got the official diagnosis - on my birthday - that it was cancerous hepatoblastoma. The hardest thing is hearing that your child is chemo-resistant and nothing is going to work."
Canadian singer Michael Buble's son Noah was diagnosed with the same cancer in 2016, but has reportedly responded to treatment.
Dawson, who is from Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, is currently receiving treatment at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Source: Children's Cancer Research Fund
The family was told the cancer had spread to his lungs and the tumours were getting bigger.
"If there is someone who can save our son, then obviously we are going to go and fight to get there," his mother added.
Mrs Willcock said Dawson's consultant in Nottingham had contacted Dr James Geller, a paediatric haematologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, about possible treatments.
She added the exact costs of the treatment had not been confirmed: "Time is not on our side, we need to have this money in a very short time.
"Should we get the news he can't be saved, any money raised will go to good causes such as families like ourselves needing funding." | The family of a toddler who has a rare form of cancer are hoping to raise £500,000 to take him to the US for treatment. |
36833018 | John O'Neill, from York, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme it "must be horrific" for them to see his sexual predilections shared online.
Mr O'Neill, who said he had an interest in sado-masochism, was cleared of rape last year but subjected to the order and could be jailed if he ignores it.
North Yorkshire Police said it was satisfied the order was proportionate.
Mr O'Neill said he had not had sex since the restrictions were imposed on him.
He said the interim sexual risk order (SRO) had resulted in a "devastating" effect on his personal life, saying his children - who are aged 12 and 16 and live abroad - had deleted him on Facebook.
He claimed one of his friends "has been threatened with being fired [from her job], just because she knows me".
Mr O'Neill's identity was made public last week after an order protecting his anonymity was lifted at York Magistrates Court.
In June he had threatened to go on hunger strike in protest at the restrictions.
The SRO requires Mr O'Neill to disclose any planned sexual activity to the police or face up to five years in prison.
SROs can be applied to any individual who the police believe poses a risk of sexual harm - even if they have never been convicted of a crime. But Mr O'Neill said he was "amazed" the police sought one after his acquittal.
"It is the only crime I have ever been accused of," he said.
The police applied for the order in part after the judge at the rape trial called Mr O'Neill "dangerous". The father-of-two denied being dangerous and said the police had misinterpreted the judge's words.
He is to have a full hearing in August, when magistrates will decide whether to impose a longer order of up to five years.
Mr O'Neill described it as a "rape trial in miniature" with the same witnesses and evidence.
He said the SRO had effectively allowed police "to ignore [the court's] verdict."
He said he had not had sex since the order was imposed, but stands accused of breaching another of the SRO conditions by not giving police the pin number to his mobile phone.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement it "will only make an application to the court for a Sexual Risk Order in circumstances where it is considered necessary to do so to protect the public from the risk of sexual harm".
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays from 09:00-11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. | A man who must notify police 24 hours before he has sex has said his children have stopped contacting him. |
40186277 | It is a slight improvement on the think tank's 3.3% estimate, which it predicted in March.
The OECD said increased trade and investment flows had offset a weaker outlook in the US.
It said UK growth forecasts of 1.6% in 2017 and 1% in 2018 remained unchanged from its March prediction.
Despite the OECD's upgrade to its global growth forecast, secretary general, Angel Gurria remained downbeat:
"Everything is relative. What I would not like us to do is celebrate the fact we're moving from very bad to mediocre.
"It doesn't mean that we have to get used to it or live with it. We have to continue to strive to do better."
He warned that the improved outlook could be damaged by protectionism and it was not strong enough to satisfy people's expectations for a better standard of living or greater equality.
Growth continues to fall short of rates seen before the 2008-09 financial crisis.
On the UK economy, the OECD said it will slow in the coming years as Brexit uncertainty hampers growth and consumers endure a spending squeeze caused by higher prices and lower wages.
Its economic forecast said: "Households are expected to continue to support their consumption by further reducing their saving rate.
"Business investment is projected to contract amid the large uncertainty and because of lower corporate margins."
German growth has helped boost the eurozone economy, with forecasts at 1.8% both this and next year, up from 1.6% for 2017 and 2018 respectively.
The think tank downgraded its outlook for the US, despite a weaker dollar boosting exports and tax cuts supporting household spending and business investment.
The OECD forecast US growth of 2.1% this year and 2.4% in 2018.
This is down from March when it estimated a 2.4% increase in US growth this year and 2.8% for 2018.
The OECD's chief economist, Catherine Mann, attributed the downgraded outlook to delays in the Trump administration pushing ahead with planned tax cuts and infrastructure spending. | The OECD has predicted the global economy is set to grow 3.5% this year, its best performance since 2011, with growth nudging up to 3.6% in 2018. |
36099761 | Sky shares fell despite it reporting a 12% rise in operating profit to £1.1bn in the nine months to March.
Analysts cited worries about a possible rise in the cost of TV rights to Germany's Bundesliga as the reason for the fall.
The FTSE 100 index finished down 28.82 points, or 0.45%, at 6381.44.
Brent oil fell 1.9% but the International Energy Agency predicted a big fall in output from non-Opec producers this year.
Shares in BP rose 1.4% and mining giant BHP Billiton was nearly 1% higher.
Outside the FTSE 100, Ladbrokes was up 1.1% after the bookmaker said it was "confident" its results would be in line with expectations, despite describing this year's Cheltenham festival as its "worst in living memory".
On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.01% against the dollar to $1.4331, and was 0.02% higher against the euro at €1.2689. | (Close): The London market fell back, with shares in Sky down more than 4% after its latest trading update. |
35902815 | Deverdics drilled in a 20-yard strike after Halifax failed to clear a corner in the eighth minute.
Jordan Burrow almost salvaged a point for the Shaymen late on when he headed against the bar.
Dover leapfrog Tranmere into fourth place, while Halifax drop to 22nd, a point off safety. | Nicky Deverdics' goal proved enough to secure victory at home to relegation-threatened Halifax and keep Dover in National League play-off contention. |
18880269 | The July 2012 report and investigations by US authorities led to the UK-based bank being fined almost $2bn for failing to stop criminals using its banking systems to launder money.
Here we summarise some of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation's main findings against HSBC.
Despite HSBC Mexico (HSMX) operating in a country "under siege from drug crime, violence and money laundering" it had inadequate money laundering controls.
Between 2007-8, for example, HBMX shipped $7bn to HSBC's US operation, more than any other HSBC affiliate.
Mexican and US authorities expressed concern that drug traffickers were able to circumvent the anti-money laundering controls at US banks by transporting US dollars to Mexico, and then using HBMX to transfer it to the US.
The committed report said HBMX had:
HSBC US (HBUS) nevertheless classed Mexico as a low-risk country and as a result, failed to properly monitor its transfers and other dealings with it.
HSBC was used by 'drug kingpins'
US laws prevent banks doing business with what it regards as the most dangerous individuals and countries.
HSBC frequently circumvented the rules designed to prevent dealings with Iran, Burma, North Korea and Iran.
Actions taken to get around these safeguards in the system "may have facilitated transactions on half of terrorists, drug traffickers or other wrongdoers", it said.
For example, HBUS carried out 28,000 undisclosed sensitive transactions between 2001 and 2007, an internal audit commissioned by the bank found. The vast majority of those transactions - worth $19.7bn - involved Iran.
Two affiliates, HSBC Europe and HSBC Middle East repeatedly altered transaction information to take out any reference to Iran, the report said.
This may have been to prevent red flags in the system triggering an individual review of an accepted transaction, slowing it down, the committee said.
But more work would need to be done to established which of these thousands of cases, if any, had broken US law.
HSBC did business with Saudi Arabia's biggest financial institution, Al Rajhi Bank.
The report claims that after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, evidence emerged that Al Rajhi and some of its owners had links to financial organisations associated with terrorism.
HSBC Middle East was one of a number of affiliates which continued to work with the bank.
HBUS closed the accounts it provided to Al Rajhi, before resuming some ties with them in 2006.
The report claimed it had done this after pressure from HSBC, after Al Rajhi threatened to withdraw all of its business from HSBC globally.
The committee is concerned that HSBC cleared large amounts of travellers' checks over a number of years, without proper anti-money laundering controls, despite evidence of suspicious activity.
Between 2005 and 2008, HBUS cleared $290m worth of US dollar travellers' cheques which were being presented at a Japanese bank.
The daily transactions were worth up to half a million dollars, with large blocks of sequentially numbered cheques being handed over.
After prompting from US regulators, HBUS found out that the travellers' cheques were being bought in Russia - a country at high-risk of money laundering. | Failure after failure at HSBC led to the London-based bank being used as a conduit for "drug kingpins and rogue nations", a 300-page report compiled for a US Senate committee and has found. |
38807063 | Each of the dogs had to be put down after being walked in Forthquarter Park in Granton.
Two of the animals suffered internal bleeding.
The City of Edinburgh Council's environmental health team said there were no plans to close the park to the public.
A spokesman for the council said: "We have found no evidence so far to link the deaths of any dogs with Forthquarter Park.
"Preliminary investigations are still continuing, but the park will not be closing."
Concerns about the dogs' deaths were initially raised by the Friends of West Pilton group.
After learning of the deaths of six dogs with links to the park, they alerted the council and local politicians.
The park is owned by the National Grid and sits beside a former gasworks.
Extensive ground decontamination work was carried out before the park opened 10 years ago. | An investigation into the deaths of six dogs in Edinburgh has found no evidence so far of a link with a local park, according to the city's council. |
36053642 | The wings for the plane are made at the Canadian firm's Belfast factory.
The Wall Street Journal, citing "people familiar with the negotiations", reports that Delta is due to make a final decision by the end of April.
The newspaper says the dealunder discussion is for 75 firm orders and options for 50 more.
The Bloomberg financial news agency has also reported that Delta and Bombardier are "nearing an agreement."
A Bombardier spokesperson said the company did not comment on speculation "nor on the the potential discussions we may or may not be having with specific customers".
"Bombardier Commercial Aircraft will announce material agreements if or when any are finalised," they added.
Quebec bail-out
Delta is the second biggest US airline by passenger traffic and is seeking to replace a fleet of McDonnell Douglas planes.
The order would be a major boost for the C Series programme which has suffered delays and huge cost over runs.
It has received a $1bn (£700m) bail-out from the state government in Quebec where Bombardier is based.
A deal of the reported size would make Delta by far the largest C Series customer.
Currently, the largest firm order is for 40 planes with Republic Airways, a US carrier which is involved in bankruptcy proceedings.
In February, Bombardier announced that it was to cut 7,000 jobs worldwide, including more than 1,000 in Northern Ireland. | There is growing speculation that Bombardier is close to finalising a deal to sell more than 100 C Series planes to Delta Airlines. |
38910793 | The Manx mother of Leo Keefe, who lives in Spain, said she was "in shock" after an anonymous donor contributed tens of thousands of pounds to her son's cause.
The four-year-old has been battling SPNET - an aggressive type of brain cancer - for the last 17 months.
Mrs Keefe has been told proton beam therapy (PBT) is Leo's "last chance".
PBT is a type of radiation treatment that uses protons rather than X-rays to treat cancer and is not available in the UK, Isle of Man or Spain.
The NHS currently pays for some children from the UK to go abroad for treatment - these are decided on a case-by-case basis.
Leo does not qualify because he does not live in the UK.
Mrs Keefe discovered the £150,000 fundraising target had been reached whilst at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool, where Leo is awaiting surgery on two brain tumours.
The plan is for surgeons to remove them both next week.
They will not operate on a nodule below the tumours because of its "critical location" and a possibility of causing meningitis.
If the operation is successful the family could travel to the US within two weeks.
The hard-to-reach nodule would be targeted by PBT at a hospital in Oklahoma.
What is SPNET?
Mrs Keefe said: "If any of the tumours grow or the suspicious one grows during proton then it is totally game over.
"It is very rare for children to survive a relapsed SPNET tumour but it has been done. After proton if anything grew the surgeons would not operate again and he would be put on palliative care.
"It is very hard to stay positive but there is no other option."
Friends and family had raised more than £80,000 through their crowd-funding social media campaign before the anonymous contributor stepped in. | A boy with a rare form of cancer could soon fly to the United States for a new form of treatment after a fundraising appeal achieved its £150,000 target. |
29804467 | A second Crossrail scheme is vital to support the capital's growth, the mayor claimed.
If approved by the government, the line could be transporting up to 90,000 people into central London in the morning peak by 2030.
Crossrail 2 would run from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire to Epsom in Surrey.
It would pass through central London via places including Tottenham Court Road, Victoria, Chelsea and Clapham Junction.
If proposals are approved, construction could begin in 2017.
Setting out the case for the line in a speech at the City Age conference, the mayor said: "With London's population soon to surpass its previous 1939 peak of 8.6 million and with more people travelling by Tube and rail than ever before, we need additional rail capacity to support future growth.
"For the capital to remain globally competitive, there needs to be continued investment in our transport network and that's why we have to get cracking on planning for Crossrail 2."
The scheme would complement the £14.8bn east-west Crossrail scheme, currently being built and scheduled to be operational by 2018.
Supporters say it will slash journey times across London, with a journey from Kingston, in south-west London, to Tottenham Court Road being completed in 29 minutes - 17 minutes faster than today.
Those travelling between Dalston, in north-east London and Tottenham Court Road would have an eight-minute journey - 19 minutes faster than today.
Mr Johnson said he was confident the private sector could, in the right circumstances, contribute to well over half the cost of Crossrail 2.
Labour Assembly Member Val Shawcross said the announcement of a preferred route was "a big step forward" but added: "What we need to see now is the fully worked-up funding package which will make this project a reality."
Despite broad support for a new rail link in Chelsea, it is one area where there is concern over the positioning of a new station.
Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, has said there was "a great deal of concern" from residents on Cremorne Estate, on the King's Road, that demolition of housing may be required if it is chosen for the location of the Chelsea West station.
The current proposed location for the station would be further east near the fire station on the King's Road and received the majority of support in this summer's consultation.
The consultation document says, over the course of 2015, there will be further work on the consideration and assessment of options and a number of opportunities for more detailed consultation. | A preferred route for a proposed £20bn Crossrail 2 scheme, running north-south through London, has been identified by mayor Boris Johnson. |
33593981 | Lives were put at unnecessary risk because helicopters could not fly, said fire department officials.
The helicopters were helping to contain a large wildfire in San Bernadino county over the weekend.
Five drones spotted hovering over the fire were thought to be shooting video for their owners.
News footage of the fire shows people abandoning their cars to escape the flames as the fire engulfed Interstate 15 - a major road that links Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The fire destroyed 20 vehicles on the road and damaged 10 more.
More than 4,250 acres have been consumed by the fire which has been exacerbated by California's four-year drought.
The activity of the drones meant helicopters were grounded for about 20 minutes, Eric Sherwin of the San Bernadino fire department told CNN.
"Fifteen to 20 minutes were lost that could have led to another water drop cycle, and that would have created a much safer environment and we would not have seen as many citizens running for their lives," he said.
Hobby drones posed a "pose a major safety threat to firefighting pilots and firefighters", said an official incident report into the Interstate 15 fire.
"When a hobby drone is flown into a fire area, incident commanders have no choice but to suspend air operations and ground aircraft until the drone is removed from the area," it said.
A collision could damage aircraft, injure the pilot, crew or firefighters below, it warned. At worst, it said, drones could cause helicopters to collide in mid-air.
The fire department issued images that were shared on social media, warning drone owners to stay away from fires. "If you fly, we can't," they said.
US rules governing drone use mean any pilot caught flying their craft over a disaster area that has temporary flight restrictions in place could be fined up to $25,000 (£16,000). It is not clear whether the FAA is going to investigate who was piloting the drones over the Interstate 15 fire.
Drones have hindered firefighters in California at least four times before now, sometimes stopping flights for up to 90 minutes. | US firefighters have condemned drone owners who flew their craft near forest fires and grounded helicopters being used to douse flames. |
16591164 | Killers Jeremy Bamber, Peter Moore and Douglas Vinter had asked the court to rule on whole life sentences.
The murderers said condemning them to die in prison amounts to "inhuman or degrading treatment". They argued all sentences should be regularly reviewed.
The Ministry of Justice said the government welcomed this decision.
Bamber was jailed for shooting five members of his family dead in Essex in 1986.
He has always protested his innocence, claiming his schizophrenic sister shot the victims before turning the gun on herself at their farmhouse at Tolleshunt D'Arcy.
Peter Moore, from Kinmel Bay in Conwy county, was convicted of murdering four men for his sexual gratification and Douglas Vinter, of Normanby, Teesside, killed both his wife and a work colleague.
The trio's legal team had argued that any sentence under which the offender's rehabilitation cannot lead to a review of release breaches articles three, five and seven of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The men lost their appeal to the court that whole life tariffs condemning prisoners to die in jail amounted to "inhuman or degrading treatment".
The judges ruled that the whole life tariff is not "grossly disproportionate" and in each case London's High Court had "decided that an all-life tariff was required, relatively recently and following a fair and detailed consideration".
Lawyers representing Vinter plan to appeal against the ruling on his case.
In a statement released by his supporters, Bamber said: "If the state wishes to have a death penalty, then they should be honest and re-introduce hanging.
"Instead, this political decision that I must die in jail is the death penalty using old age or infirmity as the method.
"It is a method whereby I'm locked in a cell until I'm dead - no matter if it should take 70 or 80 years to happen. I shall be dead the next time I leave jail."
'Quite extraordinary'
Bamber said both the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice set his minimum tariff as 25 years.
"Quite why the home secretary felt that I should die in jail when the judges felt otherwise is a mystery," he said, adding that it was "quite extraordinary" that the European Court felt it was "reasonable" for him to die in jail.
Following the ruling, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said the government "strongly welcomes this decision".
He said: "We argued vigorously that there are certain prisoners whose crimes are so appalling that they should never become eligible for parole.
"We are pleased that the European court has upheld the whole life tariff as a legitimate sentence in British courts." | Britain's most dangerous criminals can be kept behind bars for the rest of their lives, judges at the European Court of Human Rights have ruled. |
40342031 | Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was talking to the government about reconsidering future funding.
In the last four years, the Met has had to make £600m of savings and is due to lose an extra £400m by 2020.
"We need the resources to do the job," Commissioner Dick told BBC London.
The Home Office said it was "undertaking a period of detailed engagement with policing partners and relevant experts".
Increased police patrols have been promised during Ramadan after a man drove a van into group of worshippers close to a mosque in north London.
Investigations are ongoing into two other "terrorist incidents" which have taken place in London over the last four months.
Violent crime has increased 63% since May 2013 according to the latest figures - including a 54% increase in gun crime in the last two years.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said planned cuts could put 12,800 police jobs at risk.
Former Met Police Commissioner Lord Blair said London's police force was "under an enormous amount of pressure".
"Looking at what is happening, the idea of continually cutting the police services budget seem just an absurdity at this point," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
If funding is not "reconsidered" the force will end up "a quarter less in size than when I left [in 2008]," Lord Blair added.
Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson both said the amount spent on counter terrorism was protected.
Commissioner Dick said: "We're stretched and I'm talking with the mayor and the government about the resources that we need.
"We undoubtedly need a very capable police service in the future for all the reasons people can see," she added.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Police funding has been protected since the spending review in 2015.
"The Metropolitan Police, like all forces, continue to have the resources they need to keep us safe and secure". | The Metropolitan Police is in talks to secure more funding after being left "stretched" by terror attacks and a rise in violent crime, London's most senior police officer has said. |
35399894 | The Met Office issued five yellow "be aware" warnings for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
It has forecast southerly gales and also heavy rain for parts of southern, western and northern Scotland.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued over 50 flood warnings where flooding is expected.
Deep standing water on the M9 motorway near Stirling closed the southbound carriageway for several hours.
Because of flooding at Kirkconnel, the railway line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries was closed.
There was further disruption to rail services in Ayrshire because of flooding on the line between Kilwinning and Saltcoats.
The East Kilbride line was also closed briefly because of flooding near Busby.
The M8 motorway was closed westbound at Hillington in Glasgow after portable cabins were blown off a lorry onto the carriageway shortly after 10:30.
And the A1 was closed in both directions at Dunbar in East Lothian after two lorries blew over at about 08:25.
In Dumfries, firefighters were asked to carry out a safety inspection of the police station roof, while the Whitesands area was flooded.
Pupils at Aberfoyle Primary School in Stirling had to be rescued by boat after the building was cut off by flooding.
The B829 Aberfoyle to Kinlochard road was flooded with almost a metre of water after the River Forth burst its banks.
Police and members of Trossachs Search and Rescue team are also at the scene.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have said they rescued a total of 22 people from serious flooding in the area
Appliances from Bathgate, Aberfoyle and Balfron fire stations, and water rescue teams from Bathgate and Stirling fire stations, used a boat and rescue sleds.
Incident Commander Martyn Brandrick said: "This incident required specialist technical processes to ensure safe systems of work were implemented."
The weather picture for later in the week could see high winds and cooler temperatures bringing snow.
The BBC weather centre said the wet and windy conditions were related to the "remnants" of Storm Jonas that brought heavy snowfalls to the US.
The warm weather has been due to a tropical maritime air mass.
Live flood warnings from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
View the flood map by tapping on the image below
Tap here for up-to-date flood information.
Check if this is affecting your journey
Tap here for up-to-date travel information. | The storm that brought near-record snowfall to the eastern US has caused heavy rain and high winds in much of Scotland. |
35125559 | Judge Xavier de Souza said the service should be re-instated immediately.
A court had ordered the service be suspended for 48 hours on Thursday for failing to comply with a court order to provide investigators with information relating to a criminal court case.
Judge Souza said it was "not reasonable that millions of users be affected by the inertia of the company".
Brazilians had complained bitterly on social media about the suspension of WhatsApp, which is a hugely popular app used by many to communicate with family, friends and colleagues both inside Brazil and abroad.
Ninety-three per cent of the country's internet population use WhatsApp, according to the TechCrunch website, with many young and poor Brazilians taking advantage of its free text message and internet telephone service.
Within hours of the suspension being coming into force, the hashtag #Nessas48HorasEuVou (#Inthese48hoursIwill) began trending on Twitter, with Brazilians joking about all the things they would do during the suspension.
In a country where mobile providers charge a fortune for a monthly plan - not to mention the high cost of making international calls - the use of WhatsApp for both texts and internet calls allows expats like me to keep a direct line with family, friends or even colleagues back home.
It's worth remembering that Brazil already has a high cost of living - services and products often cost the same price as they do in the UK - but people often only earn about a third of the wage they would here.
One of my friends who works for one of the major mobile providers in Brazil said it was advising people to download alternative apps such as Viber and/or create a group on Messenger to keep the communication flowing.
The suspension also caused anger at Facebook, which owns WhatsApp.
"I am stunned that our efforts to protect people's data would result in such an extreme decision by a single judge to punish every person in Brazil who uses WhatsApp," Mr Zuckerberg wrote in a post on Facebook.
The suspension was ordered after WhatsApp failed to comply with a court order.
The court which ordered the suspension gave little detail, apart from saying that the order related to a criminal case.
But Brazilian media said WhatsApp had been asked to provide details of communication by a suspected gang member who is alleged to have used WhatsApp to organise illegal activity.
Separately from the court case, Brazilian phone companies have urged the government to restrict the use of free voice-over-internet services offered through WhatsApp.
The phone companies argue that the rise of WhatsApp has damaged their businesses.
Meanwhile other messaging services said they had benefited from the temporary absence of WhatsApp.
One such company, Telegram, said on Twitter that more than 1.5 million Brazilian users had joined up since the court order was handed down. | A judge in Brazil has ordered that a suspension of the popular messaging application WhatsApp be lifted. |
24613376 | Lt Col Michael White told BBC Newsnight he would "look at individuals in the round" when assessing applicants.
Recruitment would be focused on "capability development" rather than "personality traits", he added.
The Joint Cyber Reserve Unit was announced by the government in September.
Under the £500m initiative, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is set to recruit hundreds of reservists as computer experts to work alongside regular armed forces.
The unit will defend national security by safeguarding computer networks and vital data, and it will also launch strikes in cyberspace if necessary.
It is hoped the move will address the shortage of people with the technological skills and knowledge to protect corporations, the military, and government systems from cyber attacks.
The MoD said the recruitment, which started in early October, would target regular personnel leaving the armed forces, current and former reservists with the required skills, and civilians with the appropriate technological knowledge.
When asked by Newsnight whether someone with the right skills would be ruled out if they had a criminal record for hacking, Lt Col White said: "I think if they could get through the security process, then if they had that capability that we would like, then if the vetting authority was happy with that, why not?
"We're looking at capability development, rather than setting hard and fast rules about individual personality traits."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond unveiled plans for the cyber defence unit last month.
Mr Hammond also told Newsnight he could foresee circumstances in which convicted hackers could be employed.
"Each individual case would be looked at on its merits," he said.
"The conviction would be examined in terms of how long ago it was, how serious it was, what sort of sentence had followed. So I can't rule it out."
But one former hacker told Newsnight the government had already undermined its chances of attracting talented individuals.
Mustafa al-Bassam, now a computer science student at King's College London, was the youngest hacker in the Lulzsec group - which recently targeted organisations such as the FBI in the US and Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) in a 50-day hacking campaign.
He told the BBC that revelations by former US contractor Edward Snowden about the extent of mass surveillance carried out by intelligence agencies - including the US' National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain's GCHQ - had dissuaded him from using his cyber skills to protect UK national security.
"I can understand the need for a government to protect itself, but when you go ahead and stomp on everyone's civil liberties - as we've seen with all the mass surveillance stories that have been out over the past year - I think you can rest assured that you're going to repel talented people," he said.
Dr David Day, a Sheffield Hallam University computer forensics expert who provided evidence for Mr Al-Bassam's conviction, told Newsnight it was a "terrible shame" someone convicted of malicious hacking would find it difficult to get a job in the industry.
"If they have those abilities and those skills, then some of the best talent we can't use," he said.
Cyber attacks and crime have become more common in recent years.
In July, it emerged Britain was seeing about 70 sophisticated cyber espionage operations a month against government or industry networks,
GCHQ director Sir Iain Lobban told the BBC business secrets were being stolen on an "industrial scale".
And in a written statement in December last year, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said 93% of large corporations and 76% of small businesses had reported a cyber breach in 2012.
Watch Susan Watts' film in which Mustafa al-Bassam and Dr David Day come face to face for the first time on Newsnight on BBC iPlayer and the Newsnight website. | Convicted computer hackers could be recruited to the UK's cyber defence force if they pass security vetting, the head of the new unit has said. |
39102279 | Actors and directors used the red carpet at the Oscars in Los Angeles to broadcast their views on President Trump's temporary travel ban on immigrants from seven Muslim majority countries, issued in January.
US courts have blocked the ban but the Trump administration is preparing a new executive order.
Some stars pinned their politics to their (presumably quite expensive) sleeves and dresses.
Blue ribbons with the initials ACLU were seen adorning the outfits of several Oscar nominees.
ACLU stands for American Civil Liberties Union - the civil rights organisation that was the first to successfully challenge President Trump's travel ban in a lawsuit brought to a federal court in New York in January.
Irish Oscar nominee Ruth Negga wore the ribbon on a flowing red Valentino dress.
She was nominated for best actress for playing Mildred Loving in the film Loving which explored the effects of Jim Crow - the legislation that enforced racial segregation in the United States until 1965 - on a mixed-race couple in 1950s Virginia.
Full BBC Entertainment coverage of Oscars 2017
Mildred Loving's marriage in 1958 to white construction worker Richard violated legal prohibitions of mixed-race marriage in the US state.
After being arrested and serving time in prison, Mildred secured the legal representation of an ACLU lawyer and their case eventually led to the Supreme Court ruling in 1967 that the prohibition of interracial marriage was unconstitutional.
Award-winning (eventually) Moonlight writer and director Barry Jenkins also wore the ribbon, as did model Karlie Kloss and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The ACLU said it was surprised that it had spawned an Oscar fashion trend.
The full list of Oscar winners
The best fashion at the Oscars
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Director Ava DuVernay took her sartorial protest to the next level by wearing a dress to celebrate the creativity of one Muslim majority country - Lebanon.
She wore an embroidered gown made by Beirut-based fashion house Ashi Studio in what she said was "a small sign of solidarity".
DuVernay directed the critically-acclaimed film Selma, which was the subject of another Oscars controversy in 2015 when the academy was criticised for failing to nominate DuVernay and the black lead actor David Oyelowo.
Other stars protested with their feet.
One Iranian director condemned the travel ban as "inhumane" after he boycotted the ceremony altogether.
Asghar Farhadi, who won the award for best foreign film for a second time, sent two Iranian-American representatives to pick up his award for film The Salesmen.
They were not just any representatives - one was female Nasa scientist and Mars explorer Anousheh Ansari who read his acceptance speech.
His statement read: "My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of the other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US."
A Syrian cinematographer behind the Oscar-winning documentary White Helmets was blocked from attending the ceremony at the last minute.
Twenty one-year-old Khaled Khatib, who filmed much of the footage in the documentary that follows the lives of civilian rescue workers called the White Helmets in Syria, had obtained a visa to enter the US but was prevented at Istanbul airport from travelling.
He still followed the Oscars though. As the ceremony unfolded, Khatib tweeted a picture of a child he said was the victim of a chlorine gas attack by Syrian government forces in a rebel-held part of the Damascus suburb of Harasta on Sunday.
State media reported that "terrorist groups" had targeted residential areas of Harasta with a number of rockets, injuring 10 people, but did not mention a chemical attack.
Trump's executive order was not the only immigration policy which sparked protests.
Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, who last year appeared in American comedy show Stephen Colbert as a Hispanic man who supported the wall, spoke out against the President's plan for a border wall between the US and Mexico.
"As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, I'm against any form of wall that separates us," stated Bernal as he was presenting the award for best animated feature film.
By Georgina Rannard, UGC and Social news | For celebrities and film-makers protesting against recent American political decisions, what bigger stage is there than an awards ceremony watched by millions around the world? |
30051725 | They intervened after opposition MP Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela repeatedly called Mr Zuma a thief.
Four MPs were reportedly injured in the scuffle during the late-night session.
In March, the country's corruption investigator said Mr Zuma had "unduly benefited" from the improvements.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela also accused him of unethical conduct and recommended he repay money used on non-security features in the renovation of his rural home in Nkandla, KwaZulu Natal province, which includes a swimming pool, cattle enclosure and chicken run.
But a parliamentary committee report - passed by a majority of African National Congress (ANC) MPs on Thursday - absolved Mr Zuma of any wrongdoing.
The government has always argued that the work was needed to improve security.
The fighting in parliament can be traced directly to two immediate factors - one is the recent influx of MPs from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. They are unapologetically rowdy and populist, and have energised - not always in a constructive way - an institution that many South Africans, numbed by the ANC's overwhelming majority, had apparently stopped caring about.
The second factor is the scandal about the lavish taxpayer-funded renovations to President Zuma's private home in Nkandla that will not disappear. Although many senior ANC figures have privately expressed deep unease about the issue, the party has publically rallied around the president. The last straw came in the shape of an ad-hoc parliamentary committee that exonerated Mr Zuma of any personal wrongdoing, after opposition members had left it in frustration. The ANC then used its majority to adopt the committee's report on Thursday.
South Africa's opposition is usually divided in parliament - and outside - to the advantage of the ANC. But Nkandla has seen political rivals united against the governing party with unusual vigour and co-ordination. It could be a sign of things to come - an opposition coalition one day strong enough to challenge the ANC's majority.
What brawl reveals about South African democracy
There were heated scenes before the vote, as MPs from several opposition parties attempted to filibuster the session in Cape Town's parliament.
Ms Mashabela, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, made her comments in one of the debates that followed.
"President Zuma is a thief. He is a criminal. He is the greatest thief in the world," she said.
When she refused to withdraw the statement and refused to be removed from the chamber by an official, the riot police intervened.
By this stage the parliamentary TV feed was cut.
Scuffles broke out between officers on the one side and MPs from the opposition Democratic Alliance and the EFF on the other.
According to South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper, ANC MP Lindiwe Zulu was involved in a brawl with an EFF MP in the corridor outside the chamber before Thursday's debate.
'Racist and fascist'
The ANC criticised the "chaotic circus" and "unruly conduct" of MPs.
"The dangerous alliance of a racist DA and a fascist EFF driven by a common hatred and disdain for the ANC has once again displayed its contempt for our democratic institutions," ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.
On Friday, parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete defended the use of the police.
"We could not sit here in this institution and forever allow disruptions and outrageous conduct of honourable members who have come here not to work as we all do, but to come here and just push the boundaries in the process to rubbish this institution of the people," the South African Press Association quoted her as saying.
The EFF, which calls for radical policies to ease poverty, has 25 MPs in the 400-member parliament. They often wear red workers' overalls or red maids' uniforms in the chamber. | South African riot police clashed with opposition MPs hours after parliament absolved President Jacob Zuma over the use of some $23m (£14m) of state money to upgrade his private home in Nkandla. |
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