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Bydd y cwmni'n dylunio'r genhedlaeth nesaf o system gyfathrebu ar gyfer y lluoedd arfog.
Fe fydd y system yn disodli'r un bresennol sydd yn cael ei defnyddio, sef system Bowman, oedd hefyd wedi ei datblygu gan General Dynamics yn Oakdale.
Ynghyd â chreu 125 o swyddi newydd, fe fydd y cytundeb hefyd yn galluogi 125 o beirianwyr ychwanegol i symud o weithio ar Bowman i'r system newydd, fydd yn cael ei galw'n EvO (Evolve to Open).
Bydd yn cael ei defnyddio ar gyfer fflyd newydd General Dynamics o gerbydau arfog AJAX y lluoedd arfog, sydd yn cael eu gosod a'u profi ym Merthyr.
Fe fydd y system newydd yn cydlynu cerbydau ar y ddaear gyda'r pencadlys a chyfleu gwybodaeth i beilotiaid yr Awyrlu.
Mae'r diwydiant amddiffyn yn cyflogi 5,000 o bobl yng Nghymru, gyda'r mwyafrif yn swyddi o safon a chyflogau uchel.
Cytundeb EvO yw'r rhan gyntaf yn rhaglen newydd MORPHEUS y Weinyddiaeth Amddiffyn ac mae'n adlewyrchu newid cyfeiriad gan y Weinyddiaeth, wrth roi cytundebau mawr i gwmnïau o Brydain.
Mae rhai cytundebau'r Weinyddiaeth Amddiffyn wedi eu beirniadu yn y gorffenol am yr oedi cyn eu cwblhau, ac am y gost.
Mae'r newidiadau hyn yn golygu y gall gwahanol gwmnïau wneud cynnig am waith ar wahanol rannau o raglen MORPHEUS, gan ddatblygu gwaith sydd wedi ei gwblhau'n barod gan fusnesau eraill.
Gallai hyn olygu fod y lluoedd arfog yn llai dibynnol yn y dyfodol ar un cwmni'n unig i gwblhau cynllun ar amser ac o fewn y pris disgwyliedig.
Dywedodd Ysgrifennydd yr Economi, Ken Skates fod y buddsoddiad yn "newyddion gwych".
"Mae General Dynamics yn gwmni angori gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac rydyn ni wedi gweithio mewn partneriaeth am flynyddoedd lawer i gefnogi eu twf yn ne Cymru.
"Rydyn ni wedi buddsoddi swm sylweddol mewn prosiectau ymchwil a datblygu yn General Dynamics sydd wedi galluogi'r rhaglen Esblygu i Agor, i helpu i sicrhau'r contract gwerth £330m yma, gan greu 125 o swyddi newydd a diogelu 125 yn rhagor o swyddi yn Oakdale." | Mae cwmni General Dynamics wedi cael cytundeb gwerth £330m gan y Weinyddiaeth Amddiffyn, fydd yn creu 125 o swyddi yn ei safle yn Oakdale, Sir Caerffili. |
The proposed service allowing drug-users in Glasgow to consume drugs under supervision would be the first of its kind in the UK.
A business plan identifies potential sites in the south-east of the city.
It argues that money would be saved in the long-term by improving health and reducing offending in the city.
Members of the health board, city council and police agreed the proposals in principle last October in a bid to address the problems caused by an estimated 500 users who inject on Glasgow's streets.
A report to the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board reveals that the costs of the facility (SDCF) and a separate heroin assisted treatment (HAT) service are estimated at £2,355,680 a year.
It said it would be funded by redirecting existing resources and using contingency funding for three years.
Under the HAT service, some heroin users would be prescribed diamorphine by specially-licensed doctors.
The report also reveals that the facility would house 12 individual "injecting booths" and possibly a small drug inhalation room. There would also be a reception and an after-care area.
It argues that the facility is needed in a city where 90 new HIV cases have been diagnosed in Glasgow since 2015 among people who inject drugs.
Susanne Millar, of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "The need for a safer consumption facility is about improving the health of those involved in public injecting.
"Our aim is to provide a route to recovery for a group of people often disengaged from support services and improving the general amenity of Glasgow city centre.
"Public injecting of drugs places considerable financial costs on the health, social care and criminal justice systems.
"Existing research suggests the average monthly spend on health, addictions, housing and criminal justice service for people in Glasgow with complex needs ranges from £1,120 and £3,069 per individual per month.
"These proposals are backed by evidence indicating SDCFs not only improve health outcomes for people who inject drugs, but are also highly cost effective and contribute to savings for health and social care services." | A controversial scheme to allow addicts to take drugs safely in "self-injection rooms" will cost more than £2.3m a year to run, according to a new report. |
"I didn't do anything wrong" said the 65-year-old Texan, speaking from a maximum security penitentiary in Florida. "Will I apologise? No. Mark my words... I am going to walk out the doors of this place a free man."
Stanford says his life behind bars is "hell". He describes being assaulted by fellow inmates in 2009, saying the treatment he received by the authorities after the attack was "barbaric".
Stanford's lack of contrition is sure to anger the victims of his fraud, thousands of whom have little hope of ever recovering the money they lost in his $7bn (£5bn) scam.
The former Houston banker was handed a 110-year sentence in March 2012 on fraud, conspiracy and obstruction charges after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shut down his global empire.
Prosecutors said the former billionaire had run a massive, two-decade scam centred on the sale of certificates of deposit. They alleged he was a swindler, misusing the money of thousands of clients to fund risky investments and an opulent lifestyle, including the sponsorship of cricket tournaments.
Once considered one of the richest men in the world, Stanford has always insisted he is is not a conman, blaming the federal government, the SEC and a court-appointed receiver for tearing down his business empire and preventing investors from getting their money back. In October an appeals court rejected his bid to overturn his conviction but Stanford has now filed for a rehearing.
"I am going to win this" he said. "And I'm going to win for the people who were harmed also."
Stanford is housed in the high-security Coleman II federal prison in Sumterville, Florida. He is not eligible for release before 2105 and for the last three years he has been helping a fellow inmate write a book, Brutal Takeover, detailing his demise.
It says he was made a scapegoat by the US authorities for the financial crisis in 2008, and following their failure to detect infamous financier Bernard Madoff's record $65bn fraud.
"I am in this situation caused by the wrongful actions of the US government and particularly the SEC," he insists.
"There is no question that I was a scapegoat for what happened in 2008 and 2009, post-Madoff... They needed a head on a block."
Stanford was born into a lower middle-class family in the small Texan town of Mexia in 1950. After his early business ventures ended in failure, he founded Stanford International Bank in 1991 on Antigua, laying the foundation of his empire and becoming the island's largest employer. At its most successful, the Stanford Financial Group claimed clients from 140 countries with assets of $50bn under management.
By 2008, Stanford was one of the richest men in America, worth an estimated $2.2bn, and living an extravagant, jet-setting lifestyle in which he enjoyed power and privilege.
But amid suspicions he was treating the savings of depositors as his own personal piggybank, and using certificates of deposit sold as safe investments for far riskier private equity and real estate, the SEC filed a civil complaint, accusing Stanford of fleecing about 25,000 investors worldwide. Jim Davis - Stanford's right-hand man since the 1980s and the company's chief financial officer - then agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence.
In 2012 Stanford was convicted on 13 of 14 criminal charges against him. Calling Stanford arrogant and without remorse, prosecutors asked for a 230-year sentence, with defence lawyers arguing for a lenient term of 44 months.
Throughout his trial, he steadfastly maintained his innocence, insisting his businesses were legitimate. He said that Mr Davis's testimony was false, and that he had been scapegoated by the authorities, but the jury rejected his story, and believed Mr Davis. Federal prosecutor William J Stellmach called Stanford's version of events "obscene". "This is a man utterly without remorse," he said. "From beginning to end, he treated all of his victims as roadkill."
"I did not do anything wrong," Stanford counters. "When I was sentenced I got up before the judge and the packed courtroom, and I looked everyone in the eye and I said 'I did not do what you have accused me of doing, and I am not guilty but I'm going to prison and if I go to prison for the rest of my life, I will go to bed in a prison cell at peace with myself knowing that I never did anything illegal or unethical'. I never stole a damn penny from anyone in business in my life. I was audited every single year for 12 years, prior to the SEC coming in, by the Internal Revenue Service."
"This is the biggest unjust act ever committed by the SEC and probably by the Department of Justice in the history of the US. As I am sitting here right now, and as God is my witness, I did not misspend one penny ever. What I earned, I earned legally, ethically, honestly.
"If I was in somebody else's shoes and for seven years all I had seen and heard was 'this guy is the biggest Ponzi schemer that ever lived, he stole money from widows and orphans', yeah, than I would probably think, 'Allen Stanford got what he probably deserved, and he's a sorry son of a bitch'.
"But on the other hand if you take the time to read the book, you understand that there is another side to this story, not just the government propaganda of disinformation, their trawling of lies. They have hood-winked everybody, it will shock you. This story is as big as it gets… what anybody thinks of me quite frankly at this point in my life, I don't give a damn."
To date only around $292m has been recovered, with $73m returned to Stanford's estimated 28,000 investors. Many are elderly and more than 170 have died since the scandal broke in 2009. Stanford is highly critical of the way the receivership has been handled, describing it as "a court-sanctioned theft of unimaginable proportions".
Some $90m has been paid in fees and expenses to receiver Ralph Janvey and other professionals working on the case. "My business was effectively ruined, with assets sold at fire sale prices immediately under a receivership, all before I was ever convicted," says Stanford. "There had been no proof of fraud, no proof of wrongdoing, assets were frozen, were starting to be spent on attorneys, accountants and other so-called professionals to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. What if I had been found not guilty? Who was going to undo the damage that had been done? I had to be found guilty.
"Let me tell you what my feelings are to the people who have been impacted by this in a negative way because of the actions of the SEC, the Department of Justice, and the US government. I am so incredibly sad for what happened to you and I cannot do anything about that, but do I owe you an apology? No. Will I apologise? No. Will the government ever apologise? I don't know. But they are going to financially make whole these people. Can they undo what they have done? Can they take back the seven years of my life, the seven years of damage to these other real victims? No. But nobody lost a single dollar until the government of the US stepped in, and only then did anybody suffer any financial harm."
In a statement, a law firm acting on behalf of US victims told the BBC, "Allen Stanford, the group of brokers, and third party institutions supporting the Stanford Platform have destroyed the lives of working people. Victims are left wondering, where does this story end? No one knows what will happen and who will recover what monies."
In a statement, Mr Janvey said his work was court-approved and complex, and that $200m of frozen assets in Switzerland could not be released until Stanford's appeals were concluded. "It is Stanford's wildly delusional persistence in his innocence that is the major immediate stumbling block to the return of those assets…he stands convicted of a crime of epic proportions," he said.
In September 2009 while awaiting trial, Stanford was severely beaten by fellow inmates. He was transferred to a federal prison medical facility as the result of an addiction to anti-depressants, which he developed after the assault. His lawyers claimed this led to memory loss. After two year delay, a judge determined he was fit to stand trial.
"I was on the phone trying to reach my daughter inside a four-man cell that they had crammed 10 of us into, and I was attacked from behind. Some guys slammed my head into a concrete wall, split my skull open and then proceeded to put me in a choke hold... and then they stomped on my face and broke 32 bones in my head and face... After my brain swelling went away five days later they did an eight-hour operation to repair the damage. Thirty-two fractures were put back together with mesh and titanium screws. They then put me into a 7 by 6 ft 'hole' - that's the slang we use for the special housing unit where they separate you from everyone else. And I was left there for a month to recover and I saw the doctor one time in that 30 days to remove some stitches. I was given no antibiotics and no painkillers. I was put on psychotropic drugs which is the worst thing you can do for someone with a severe brain injury. I had severe concussion and my skull was cracked.
"I was pre-trial, I was presumed innocent… I was denied bail and my treatment, I would call it barbaric. It was something you'd think you'd receive if you were in North Korea or Iran or Russia or somewhere, but not the US.
"My memory began to go on me... I was having residual bleeding on my temporal lobe which they refused to do an MRI on and refused to give me proper neurological care on.
"It's really beyond comprehension when you're in a penitentiary - there's four levels of custody: camp, low, medium - and I'm in the maximum security setting - and I'll just use some penitentiary language here; a penitentiary is violent... and it is a violent existence, and it will test everything you are made of.
"I have been able to weather this storm from hell probably better than most people could have, and you don't really know what you're made of until these things unfortunately come your way. I certainly never thought I'd spend now nearly seven years of my life in a US penitentiary and be subjected to things that are really horrific but mentally I'm back, I think, close to where I was before all this started. Physically I'm doing very well, thank God, and I'm fighting every single day. I am not going to lose this, this was a wrongful prosecution and I am going to win.
"There's a points system in prison in the US. It goes from 1 to 46, 46 being the most violent and most lengthy of criminal history, 1 being the least. I am a 1. I've been told I am the lowest points-system inmate in the whole prison. I would normally qualify for a camp or a 'low' prison, but they've stuck me here... The purpose for that - there's no question - is to make it more difficult to continue to fight. This is not conspiratorial, conjecture or whining - I'm certainly not whining about a damn thing.
"I have seen people stabbed I have seen people beaten senseless. I have seen guards attacked, inmates attacked, I've seen some pretty bad things happen. I've been in the middle of a riot, 100 guys right in the middle of a big riot, then they bring in the real guns and shoot with real bullets, I've pretty much seen it all.
"I read a Bible verse every morning... without that belief I could not let this anger go, I could not let this hate that boils up in me from time to time go. So it comes and then I just let it go because ultimately you hurt yourself, it will eat you alive and I have seen it do that to a number of guys in here… I miss my freedom. Like anybody in a penitentiary, you cannot even begin to tell someone what it's like to lose your freedom until you have lost your freedom.
"It is hard to believe every single, waking, moment, that I am inside this penitentiary, and now going on almost seven years of this hell it is still hard to realise. But as they do say, you either become stronger or weaker. In my case, I think I've shown I've become a stronger person and I've been supported by my family, and a handful of friends.
"The darkest moment was probably when I was... coming off this addiction that the government got me on... the government turns me into a damn drug addict. While I was getting off these psychotropics, my mother moved up to to visit me... and I was having trouble remembering that both my younger brothers had died tragically years ago, and that was a very difficult time for her emotionally."
After serving three of his 110 years behind bars, Stanford filed an appeal on his own behalf, without an attorney. In October 2015, a court rejected 10 arguments, including that he was not competent to stand trial, that the SEC did not have jurisdiction over his offshore business, that the government did not prove its case, that the sentence was too long, and that the trial judge was biased toward prosecutors.
"We find no evidence that the district court was partial to the government in derogation of Stanford's right to a fair trial under the Constitution," the circuit judge wrote. Stanford was found to have manipulated financial reports to show fake profits, bribed an Antiguan official, impeded SEC scrutiny and orchestrated a fraudulent financial empire. He denies any wrongdoing and has lodged a further appeal.
"I was not fit to go to trial, I did not have the preparatory time. All four of my attorneys... unfortunately were spineless. They did they best they could. They didn't even bring up issues that should have been addressed. They didn't understand what they were really doing. It was an enormously complex case, the government had three and a half years, they used Stanford money, receiverships, assets, civil investigatory powers to get and do things illegally to get me and prosecute me.
"There was no misrepresentation of any annual report. When 2009 rolled around and the financial crisis was at its worst, when the SEC came in, we were under the regulatory look-and-see of 14 countries and 70 different regulatory and other bodies that examine your business, including our insurance underwriters who have to do risk audits of the way you manage your assets. We never had any issues other than the normal 'you can do better here and there' - nothing of any significance, never had any issues ever.
"The whole thing about bribes was manipulated by the SEC… The SEC did not have the regulatory authority nor the jurisdiction to do what they were wanting us to do, but to bend over backwards we invited them to come and see for themselves. The Antiguan authorities then agreed they would send with them their regulators, their internal auditors to go look at the books with them should they choose to do that - both times they said no.
"I work non-stop, I'm working seven days a week on my case, that's all I do. I just work on my case. I don't think about dying in prison, my thought is on winning, I plan to win.
"What happened to my six children was wrong, terribly wrong… They got put out on the street, they got the silver spoon taken out of their mouth, their billionaire father who was providing for them that got yanked out from underneath them, they did not whine, they did not cry, they did not complain, they sucked it up and showed me they had the grit and determination to carry on. And it's just been an awe-inspiring thing for me to watch my children all six of them - how they have been able to show me what they're made of.
"I am sad for what they have had to go through but I don't feel guilty for what they have had to go through. I didn't cause that. What I have a guilt for is that before any of this happened I didn't spend the time I should have spent with my children, instead I spent it in my business… But in terms of what's happened, I have nobody to be apologetic to, I have nothing to apologise for, I have done nothing wrong.
"I owned six jets, I had a Global Express, two Gulf Streams and three Hawker jets. All of those were corporate aircraft, all used for business purposes. Without that I couldn't have done what I did, which was travel constantly, and I worked my rear end off. So to that end I needed the aeroplanes. I was one of the wealthiest men on the planet and anybody in my position would have his own aeroplane. You're going to have planes because we had business in 140 countries and offices in 14 countries. The opulent lifestyle is really a funny thing to me. What is opulent? I had a 112ft sports yacht. Is that a big boat? Of course it is, if you have a 14ft boat as a dream boat. But if you are Larry Ellison and you've got four 300ft boats maybe it's no more than a tender. It's all relevant. I lived very modestly in terms of how I could have lived. My lifestyle in terms of my profile was probably much bigger than how I actually lived personally.
"Let's not talk about if, let's talk about when I'm released.
"I will go back to being who I was, but more in tune to what I do with my family and my children... I want to be back in the Caribbean, that's my favourite place in the world and I love the people in the West Indies, they're my second family. I love Antigua, I miss it greatly.
"I know it's going to happen, so it's not a dream, it's reality and it's right around the corner so yes, I think about it very, very often and I have a smile on my face, and I know it's going to happen. And I feel very confident it's going to happen very, very soon."
You can hear the full interview on 5Live sport from 21:00 GMT on January 11 | In his first interview since being indicted in 2009 for masterminding the second-largest Ponzi scheme in history, convicted US fraudster Allen Stanford has told the BBC he is innocent. |
Vauxhall station has been closed and several buildings were evacuated.
The crash happened in a busy part of London at the height of the morning rush hour and was witnessed by many residents, workers and commuters.
Here people describe what they saw and heard.
Steve Carslake told BBC Five Live he saw the aircraft hit the crane after he got out of a van in Mill Street.
He said: "We heard a mighty bang, looked up and saw the helicopter just catch the edge of the crane.
"It didn't hit the tower block itself, it hit the crane and then just came down in a fireball. We ran round the corner. There was a great big lot of black smoke everywhere and there was a couple of cars.
"We heard someone was actually trapped in the car. We went to run towards the car and there was just a large explosion again.
"It was quite devastating to watch, I'm afraid. It was very, very sad to watch."
Drew Lovell was in his van on the way to picking up waste bins in St George Wharf when he heard the helicopter hit the crane.
"I heard the helicopter and it was absolutely deafening. It sounded like it was above the van so I reversed it up and got out," he said.
"I heard a massive big bang. I could hear the rotas going then suddenly nothing. I looked again - it was like slow motion - and there was a massive plume of black smoke, so I jumped out of the van and ran across.
"It was carnage, absolute carnage.
"There was a guy walking towards me, he'd just made it through bridge and he was smouldering. He must have been thrown off the motorcycle. He was worried about his motorcycle as it was leaking oil on the floor.
"I tried to help him, his back was on fire, the back of his coat was melted."
Mark Osbourne, from Metropolis Motorcycles, a bike shop near the scene, said he ran to try to help the injured.
"There was lots of wreckage and fire," he said. "I saw a woman on a motorcycle that must have missed the carnage by six feet. It felt like a war movie, it was surreal.
"The police arrived within minutes so the response was excellent."
Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan told BBC News: "I was walking towards Vauxhall tube station from Lambeth Palace area where I have a flat.
"There was suddenly an enormous bang - I thought something exploded. It was coming from beyond Vauxhall Tube station.
"Then clouds and clouds of black smoke. I presumed what it was I heard was the crane collapsing or the helicopter crashing into it. I heard the bang then saw the clouds of smoke but there was too much in the way to see much at that point."
Michael Gavin, who was waiting for a train on a platform at Vauxhall station, said: "I heard the bang - the top of the crane was obscured by the fog so I did not see the impact but I did see the helicopter falling to the ground along with pieces of the crane.
"It was really quite shocking - there was a group of us on the platform waiting. We could not see where it hit because it was blocked by a wall at the end of the station.
"There was a lot of worried people around. I must have been on one of the last trains to get out.
"There was a lot of smoke for about 15 minutes."
Market worker Andrew Ross said: "I was going about my business at work and I saw a helicopter.
"I heard a loud bang and I saw this helicopter falling out of the sky.
"Then I heard a loud bang and an orange glow and lots of smoke coming up.
"It was flying below cloud cover - it was still foggy and a little bit dark.
"There was just a loud bang then the helicopter just fell out of the sky.
"I can see part of the crane on the building hanging down."
Angela Henderson was also on a train platform at Vauxhall.
She said: "I was walking on the platform looking up at the tower and noticing the top was shrouded in mist.
"As I was looking up I heard a massive sound - I thought [it] must be a bomb.
"What really struck me was what fell down. I saw a huge cylindrical object - it looked like a Zeppelin. A huge object plummeted to the ground and as it landed it was surrounded by debris.
"Then it was just silence and everybody ran to the edge of the platform.
"There was a huge bang then we saw a huge plume of smoke just getting bigger and bigger."
Electrician Rob Easton said: "I was working in the arches. I heard an almighty bang.
"I saw the reflection in buildings of a lot of smoke then I went down to the side gate and there was a fireball in the road.
"People were panicking and they were evacuating buildings nearby." | A helicopter has crashed into a crane on top of a 50-storey building in Vauxhall, central London, showering the street with burning debris and aviation fuel and leaving two people dead and nine others injured. |
Thousands joined what was termed a "day of rage" in the Negev itself, Haifa, Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
The Bedouin say the plan will force them out of their ancestral land.
Israeli officials say it aims to provide better services and infrastructure - and settle long-standing land disputes.
Police in the Negev used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators, some of whom were throwing stones, reportedly injuring 15 officers.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that 28 people were arrested during protests in Haifa and the Negev village of Hura.
The resettlement plan - which envisages Bedouin being re-housed in newly built state-planned towns - still has to pass two more readings in parliament.
An open letter backing the campaign against the legislation, and signed by celebrities including Peter Gabriel and Julie Christie, was published in a British newspaper on Friday.
Before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, groups of Bedouin Arabs lived a semi-nomadic life in the Negev but in modern times many have settled in what are known as "unrecognised villages".
Because they have no formal planning status, they have no access to government services including supplies of electricity and running water. Some are no more than collections of flimsy shacks made from corrugated iron.
However, the Bedouin and their supporters see the resettlement move as a smokescreen for a programme to cut the historic links between the Arab communities and their land, and to replace them with new Jewish settlements.
Israeli officials say the plan calls for the vast majority of Bedouin to live where they are, while allowing them to preserve their traditions in a modern state. | Bedouin Arabs living in Israel have been protesting in the Negev Desert and towns and cities over government plans to resettle them. |
Mered Medhanie, known as The General, was held in Sudan in May and was flown to Rome on Tuesday.
Britain's National Crime Agency said he is thought to have arranged the transit of a boat that sank near the Italian island of Lampedusa in October 2013.
At least 359 migrants died when the boat, travelling from Libya, capsized.
Most were from Eritrea and Somalia.
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Italian news agency Ansa said Mr Medhanie was accused of being "the leader and organiser of one of the largest criminal groups operating between central Africa and Libya".
The investigation is being led by investigators in Palermo, Sicily. Mr Medhanie is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
The National Crime Agency said they tracked him down to an address in Khartoum, where he was then arrested.
British investigators had been supporting Italian officials looking into the Lampedusa tragedy.
The NCA said Mr Medhanie, 35, was known as The General, as he styled himself on the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
The organisation said telephone intercepts acquired by Italian investigators showed Mr Medhanie co-ordinated journeys across the Mediterranean and across Africa to Libya.
In one recording, he is reportedly heard laughing at the deadly overloading of migrant boats.
"Medhanie is a prolific people-smuggler and has absolute disregard for human life," said Tom Dowdall, the deputy director of the NCA.
"Although he was operating thousands of miles away, his criminal activity was impacting the UK. Medhanie no doubt thought he was beyond the reach of European justice but we were able to support the Italians by tracking him down to Sudan."
Italy's Corriere Della Serra newspaper reported that Mr Medhanie boasted of being in league with local officials in Tripoli, Libya, while also having a network of workers in Italy.
He charged migrants up to €5,000 (£3,900; $5,680) to travel from African countries to northern Europe, the newspaper said (in Italian).
Up to 500 people were on the boat when it broke down then sank in early October 2013.
Those who survived said that some of those on board set fire to a piece of material to try to attract the attention of passing ships, only to have the fire spread to the rest of the boat.
In 2014, the year after the Lampedusa tragedy, the number of migrant arrivals to Italy jumped to 170,000, before dropping to 153,800 last year. Close to 40,000 people have arrived in Italy so far this year. | An Eritrean man believed to be at the heart of the operation to smuggle migrants from Africa to Europe has been extradited to Italy, prosecutors say. |
The research found 90% were satisfied with their GP care and 91% with their last NHS hospital appointment.
But only 24% of adults in Blaenau Gwent agreed their council provided high quality services, the lowest figure.
Conwy performed best on that measure - 61% said services were high quality.
Ceredigion was next with 58% and Cardiff 57% in figures released in the latest National Survey for Wales.
Authorities following Blaenau Gwent in scoring badly on how their services were perceived included Anglesey, where 34% said they were high quality, Powys 35%, and Merthyr Tydfil 38%.
The survey was conducted by the Office for National Statistics for the Welsh Government.
On health matters, 87% of respondents said they were satisfied with emergency ambulance services, but that figure had fallen from 90% in 2014-15.
Social care and support services were rated excellent or good by 70% of people, lower than for NHS services but similar to the figure recorded in the 2014-15 survey.
At a personal level, 47% of adults said they had a physical or mental condition expected to last a year or more and 33% stated their condition or illness limited their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Around 59% said they had done some physical or sporting activity in the previous four weeks, with 34% of people saying they had walked more than two miles.
With education, 90% parents said they were satisfied with their child's primary school and 85% with their secondary school.
Asked about their local area as a whole, 72% said they felt like they belonged there and that people of different backgrounds got on well together, whilst 73% felt people treated each other with respect and consideration.
Those figures are lower than in 2014-15, when around 80% answered yes to those questions.
The survey found 17% of people in Wales to be lonely, using an internationally recognised scale of measurement.
Some 15% said they were materially deprived, meaning they could not afford to pay for basic needs such as keeping the house warm.
Around 66% said they had no difficulty keeping up with paying their bills and credit commitments, a big increase on the 48% figure in 2012-13.
The survey found 85% of adults were now using the internet, compared to 77% in 2012-13, and one in five said they could speak Welsh.
On environmental matters, 67% reported they were concerned about climate change - 21% were very concerned and 46% very concerned.
Around 93% believed the world's climate is changing, with 51% saying they thought it was either partly (51%) or mainly (37%) caused by human activity.
Some 9% thought climate change was prompted by natural processes and 2% did not believe climate change was occurring.
Around 97% said they were recycling to protect the environment and 47% reported they were reducing the amount of energy they used at home.
Buying more energy efficient appliances (41%) and locally produced food (39%) were other popular ways people said they were thinking of the environment.
10,493 interviews with adults aged 16+ were carried out between 30 March 2016 and 31 March 2016 by the Office for National Statistics. | People in Wales are generally happy with public services but there are big regional variations in how they rate the performance of local councils, a national survey has suggested. |
Mills, who can play at fly-half or centre, joined from Gloucester in 2014 and helped Warriors win promotion to the Premiership in his first season.
The 24-year-old has kicked 99 points in 14 appearances this term, skippering them in the European Challenge Cup.
"Recent changes that have happened behind the scenes were massively important in me making my decision to stay," Mills told the club website.
Mills produced a metronomic performance against reigning Premiership and European champions Saracens in February, scoring all of his side's points in Worcester's 24-18 victory.
Worcester have not disclosed the length of Mills' new deal.
He added: "I'm extremely happy off the field and on the field we've been making big progress in recent weeks.
"Now we're all focused on finishing the season strongly and to give us a great platform going into next year." | Ryan Mills has signed an extension to his contract with Worcester Warriors. |
The swimmer, who won three gold medals at the Rio Games last year, received the award at Buckingham Palace.
Her golden hat trick came with wins in the 100m backstroke,the 200m freestyle gold and the women's SM14 200m individual medley.
The 100m backstroke win to retain her London 2012 title set a new record.
At the Brazil Games, she also won silver in the 100m breaststroke, the weakest of her four events.
The 21-year-old from Seaforde in County Down competes in the S14 class for swimmers with an intellectual disability. | Northern Ireland's four-time Paralympic gold medal-winning swimmer Bethany Firth has been recognised with an MBE. |
Next week's final takes place in Ghent. The city is 35 miles from Molenbeek, the focus of a manhunt for one of the suspects involved in the Paris attacks.
"I don't want to live in fear each time I step on a court," said Murray, 28, who has been named in the provisional five-man squad for the tie.
Tuesday's football friendly with Spain in Brussels has already been cancelled.
Belgium's government has raised the terror threat level to three in the country, and the International Tennis Federation said in a statement on Monday it was "continuing with preparations" for the Davis Cup final "with the emphasis on security operations".
Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association, British tennis' governing body, said: "The LTA is in regular dialogue with the ITF on event security relating to the Davis Cup final. We are also taking advice from the Foreign Office and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
"The safety of everyone in the British contingent, including our players and fans, remains our number one priority."
Aside from British number one Murray, James Ward, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot are also on the provisional list for Great Britain's final against Belgium, which will take place from 27 to 29 November.
GB captain Leon Smith no longer has the option of bringing in British number two Aljaz Bedene. The 26-year-old's appeal in Prague has been adjourned until next year, so he is ineligible.
Bedene played in the Davis Cup for Slovenia three times before gaining UK citizenship in March, but a Davis Cup rule change prevents players representing a second country. Bedene is appealing on the grounds his passport application was lodged before the rule changed at the start of 2015.
Smith will name his final four at the draw in Ghent on the eve of next week's final. | Britain's Andy Murray says he is not afraid to play in the Davis Cup final despite security concerns in Belgium. |
Nuart has taken place in Stavanger, Norway, since 2001 but was introduced in Aberdeen earlier this month.
Images both large and small appeared on city buildings.
Business-led initiative Aberdeen Inspired will decide next month whether to bring the festival back. Council backing would then be sought.
The images attracted intense interest on social media.
Walking tours organised to guide members of the public around the artwork also proved popular.
A council spokesman said: "Given the enormous success of Nuart, there is a desire from both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen Inspired to see the festival return to the city in the near future.
"It is hoped that Nuart will become a fixture in the cultural calendar and officers have been asked to look at what needs to be done to help secure its presence in the longer term." | A major street art festival which saw paintings appear on buildings across Aberdeen could be returning for the next three years. |
The following year at the party's conference, he said: "The quiet man is here to stay and he's turning up the volume."
As it turned out, he didn't last that much longer as leader, but in the years that followed he bounced back to become a respected and influential figure in the party and the government.
Whatever you think of his welfare reforms, there is no arguing with their ambition, or with his passion and dedication to the brief as seen from his resignation letter to the prime minister.
Yes, there must already have been tensions, given that he was one of the handful of cabinet ministers to declare they were campaigning for the UK to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum, against the side favoured by David Cameron.
But his resignation, at the culmination of a 48-hour post-Budget row about plans to cut back the amount being planned to be spent on a disability benefit, still came as a bolt from the blue at Westminster.
But who is Iain Duncan Smith? Here is a look at his background, written by Mary Ann Sieghart for BBC Radio 4's Profile programme in 2010:
At the 2010 Conservative Party conference, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, was introduced as a round peg in a round hole. The man who was a failure as party leader had at last found his niche.
His department accounted for about a third of public spending, and welfare reform was at the heart of the government's plans to tackle the deficit and balance the books.
He had not only reinvented himself, but had won the admiration of his party.
It was Iain Duncan Smith, or IDS as he is widely called, who was credited with moving the Conservative Party back to the centre ground on poverty and public services.
This was not what you might have expected from a pin-striped former Guards officer on the right of his party.
So what sort of man is he?
The Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, who was his campaign manager when he became leader in 2001, points out that IDS is "not emotionally available. For someone who is so closely associated with compassion he is personally very old-fashioned you might say".
But IDS can be funny. He is a talented mimic and - as befits the youngest of five children - is happy to be teased.
But he does sometimes rub people up the wrong way.
Mr Duncan Smith, now 61, had a very stable childhood with an old-fashioned and Christian upbringing.
His father was a highly-decorated fighter pilot who downed 19 enemy planes during World War Two. His mother was a ballerina and his great-grandmother was Japanese, from Samurai stock.
His most formative memory is of watching his much-admired father with tears streaming down his face at Winston Churchill's funeral. He had never seen his father cry before.
At 14, Mr Duncan Smith was sent to HMS Conway, a boarding school on Anglesey for boys aiming to join the Navy.
Clive Plummer was a schoolmate and remembers that: "We didn't have any cleaners, so brushing parade decks, cleaning classrooms and dorms were all managed by the cadets. So in managing teams, you would make sure that not only were the most able utilised but also the less gifted.
The young Iain was not particularly academic, but he was very sporty. He won the national schools' triple jump and came second in javelin.
He later joined the Army and went to Sandhurst, but not university. Michael Mitchell met him while he was serving in Germany and says that he was not like your average Guards officer. He read widely, wrote poetry and painted.
He was also mischievous.
"He was best man at my wedding in Belgium," Mr Mitchell said.
"At Belgian weddings the bride, groom and parents have to stand in a line and receive guests for two, three hours, and I had a call of nature and asked Iain to stand in my place. And when people asked: where's Michael? He'd say - 'ooh, the last time I saw him he was walking down the road with his suitcase', or he'd say: 'Madam, are you sure you're at the right wedding?' Typical Iain - wanting to inject fun into something."
But no-one then thought he had political ambitions.
IDS left the Army against his father's wishes after just six years, and joined the defence company GEC-Marconi. His Conservative Party biography claimed he was a director, which was not correct. And his own biographical notes said he studied for a degree at Perugia University, when he only did a language course in that city.
In 1982, he married Betsy, daughter of Lord Cottesloe. They have four children.
IDS entered the Commons in 1992, in Norman Tebbit's old seat of Chingford and Woodford Green.
As a Eurosceptic, he rebelled over the infamous Maastricht treaty, knowingly risking his chance to get a promotion to government. He told his former press secretary Nick Wood: "I'll fight for what I believe and if I don't get a job - so be it."
The then Prime Minister John Major never did give IDS a job, but when William Hague became party leader he appointed the Maastricht rebel to shadow defence and then social security.
It was a surprise to everyone when he ran for the Tory leadership in 2001. It was perhaps even more of a surprise that he won, having reached the run-off by only one vote.
He defeated the runner-up, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kenneth Clarke, only because he was more sceptical on Europe.
He really was the accidental leader. Tim Montgomerie, who went on to run the Tory activist website, ConservativeHome.com, wrote speeches for him and eventually became his chief of staff. He says that, as leader, IDS was "completely unprepared. He had no staff, no infrastructure, no worked-out agenda".
Mr Duncan Smith knew that the Tories had to shake off the image of being the so-called "nasty" party. His response was to shift the focus towards public services - like health and education - and tackling poverty.
A formative experience was a trip to the sink estate of Easterhouse in Glasgow.
Mr Montgomerie remembers that "on that cold grey day when he visited Easterhouse and was taken round by a Baptist minister, and stopped in a stairwell where he saw paraphernalia of drug abuse next to a child's teddy - something came together.
"Something suddenly clicked," Mr Montgomerie adds. "He realised here was his personal mission and a mission for the Tory party."
His problem though, was that he was struggling to connect with the political establishment.
He did try, such as when he told the Tory conference in 2002: "There are those who do not know me yet, who will come to understand this. When I say a thing I mean it. When I set myself a task I do it. When I settle on a course I stick with it. Do not underestimate the determination of the quiet man."
Labelling himself "quiet" was not considered a masterstroke in political rhetoric.
Stuart Wheeler, then one of the Tory party's biggest donors, threatened publicly to withdraw his funding unless IDS went.
"As leader I think he was a disaster," he said.
"He lacked gravitas and came over as weak. He was a bad communicator. One read that he was high-handed with his staff and that his office was shambolic. He'd lose important papers down the back of sofas."
In the end, Mr Duncan Smith's own MPs forced him out through a vote of no confidence.
Enoch Powell once said that all political careers end in failure, but for Duncan Smith, failure came in the middle of his career instead.
For after losing the leadership, he decided to devote himself to improving the lot of the poor.
He set up the Centre for Social Justice, whose work became the cornerstone of Conservative policy on welfare reform, and which he himself is now putting into practice in government. It has already caused controversy, with opponents claiming the poor will be hardest hit by the government's spending cuts.
But it remains his belief that the best way to alleviate poverty is to get people off benefits and into work. By all accounts it was a huge surprise to him to get the call offering him the Work and Pensions Secretary job after the 2010 election.
There has always been a sense of tension between his department and the Treasury - he had to win a bruising battle with the Treasury right at the start to get the go ahead for universal credit.
The on-going effort to introduce Universal Credit has been a constant while he's been in his job. His resignation cites the "enormous strides" made but suggests that those tensions with the Treasury have been more heated than thought. | "Do not underestimate the determination of the quiet man," Iain Duncan Smith declared as his then leadership of the Conservative Party faced grumbles in 2002. |
Exeter lost 4-1 at home to Oxford on Tuesday, their worst defeat at St James Park since October 2011 and their third loss in a four-game winless streak.
"It's difficult to put your finger on things at the moment, things are bit of a mess," Nicholls told BBC Sport.
"We're working our hardest to try to put things right, we all just need to be pulling in the right direction."
The losses come just a few weeks after a three-game winning run in League Two had left the club four points off the play-off places.
"We're stuck in a bit of a rut over the last two weeks, but we don't feel like a lot has actually changed," added the former Northampton Town player.
"It's a time where we need to stand up and be counted, because there's only us in the dressing room that are going to get us out of it.
"We just need to keep the positive turn on things and try to improve things game after game."
Exeter's gap to the play-off places is now eight points with 14 games to go and Nicholls believes that, while it will be difficult to make the play-offs, it will not be impossible.
"We're going to have to turn things around quickly if we're going to achieve something this season," he said.
"I think everybody in the dressing room still believes we can do it, I know it's going to be tough, but we have to believe that we don't want the season to peter out and the mindset of the group is that.
"We want to put some performances together, get some wins and get back really in touch with the play-offs." | Exeter City forward Alex Nicholls says the squad are working as hard as they can to end their recent poor run. |
That's the argument of Eli Pariser's book The Filter Bubble, which we explored in a film for Newsnight on Tuesday evening.
Mr Pariser says web giants, from Google to Facebook to AOL, are racing to gather more information about our likes and dislikes so that they can send us targeted advertising - which will prove more valuable to them.
He fears this will mean that we don't get to see information that challenges our world view, and will ultimately be bad for democracy - if you're an American in favour of gun control, for instance, you will tend to see information that reflects your views, while members of the National Rifle Association will be served up sites that chime with their stance.
But Sam Barnett, whose advertising technology firm Struq helps to track and target consumers according to their habits, told us that personalisation was a positive force.
He says that better targeted advertising is vital to the economics of the web - and that will mean that we can all go on enjoying the free services we get now.
We also tested an example of personalisation that Eli Pariser cites in his book. He found that Google's personalised search system, switched on for everyone at the end of 2009, meant that two people doing identical searches got very different results.
He cites an example where two people from the same area of the United States search for BP - one finds investment information, the other news about the oil spill.
I did a number of Google searches - then visited two neighbours and asked them to type the same terms into the search engine. Lo and behold, they confounded the Pariser theory and came up with identical results to mine.
Here are the top links we all found for the term "is wind power economic?" and then "banana bread" .
Maybe three people in the same street were too similar - in location anyway. So let's try to crowdsource this experiment. Try the searches yourself and let us know whether you too get the same results as mine. | Is the internet entering the era of personalisation, where web firms know so much about us that they are able to serve us up a view of the world which is like looking in the mirror? |
Shillingford, 30, and team-mate Marlon Samuels were both reported to the ICC for suspected illegal actions during last month's Test series in India.
Meanwhile, Samuels, 32, has been banned from bowling his quicker deliveries.
Shillingford's arm was found to extend more then the permitted 15 degrees for his off breaks and doosras.
Samuels exceeded the 15-degree limit for his quicker balls, but he is allowed to continue bowling his standard off breaks.
A batting all-rounder, he has played for the Windies as a specialist batsman before now, although Shillingford - a specialist bowler - now faces withdrawing from international cricket until he remodels his action.
The pair have 14 days to lodge a written appeal to the ICC, although West Indies are currently in the middle of a Test series in New Zealand.
Shillingford and Samuels both played in the first two Tests, although Samuels did not bowl.
The third Test begins in Hamilton on Thursday, with one-day and Twenty20 internationals to follow.
Both players have previously been suspended from bowling in international cricket for illegal actions.
However, they were allowed to resume bowling after undergoing remedial work and further testing.
Samuels was banned from bowling in February 2008 because his arm extended more than the permitted 15 degrees for off-breaks and quicker deliveries.
Although the Jamaican continued to play as a batsman, he did not resume bowling in international cricket until September 2011, having served an unrelated two-year suspension from cricket between May 2008 and May 2010 for passing information to a bookmaker.
Shillingford, from Dominica, was reported after his international debut in November 2010 and banned a month later when his average elbow extension was found to be 17 degrees. He was cleared to return in June 2011. | West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford has been suspended from bowling in international cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC). |
The movie, which has six Academy Award nominations compared to The Revenant's 12, is all about upsetting the balance of power.
The film focuses on a piece of groundbreaking journalism that rocked the foundations of the Catholic Church in 2002, when four reporters, the investigative Spotlight team of the Boston Globe newspaper, ran an expose on how the church had covered up sexual abuse by more than 70 priests in the Boston area.
The story would lead, not only to the resignation of Boston's Cardinal, but to the uncovering of further abuse in 102 cities in the USA, and 105 dioceses worldwide.
Stanley Tucci, who plays a lawyer representing victims of abuse, describes the script as "no fuss, no fat, no fluff - there's no love story or distraction from the purpose of the movie, which is to tell the story of the investigation".
Spotlight is directed by actor and writer Tom McCarthy, best known for his part as Scott Templeton in The Wire. And Tucci is joined on the cast list by Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, who play the Spotlight team.
McCarthy, who is nominated for best director and best adapted screenplay, agrees that to focus on the journalists rather than the abuse itself was an unusual step, but points out the scale of their achievement.
"It's extraordinary that this story was uncovered by a team of four local reporters, who put themselves against the might of one of the world's most powerful institutions," he says.
"And the fact they uncovered the story was an achievement in itself. Even though these events took place 15 years ago, just before 9/11, we forget how much the world has changed. It was, effectively, a pre-digital world, and so much of their research was done meticulously in library basements, in courthouses, in poring over newspaper clippings.
"This is an example of really strong local journalism that went on to have a national and then a global impact. It's important to remember when funding for this kind of investigative reporting has taken a huge hit."
The investigation started in 2001 when a new editor of the Boston Globe, Marty Baron, ordered the Spotlight team to follow up on a small column in the paper about a local priest accused of sexually abusing children and teenagers over the course of 30 years.
The Spotlight editor, Walter Robinson, along with reporters Michael Rezendes and Sacha Pfeiffer, began to research the case.
Over the course of a year, they discovered a systematic establishment cover-up of the paedophile activities of scores of priests.
Their reporting would lead the way for more exposes in more than 200 cities across the world.
While many of the cast and crew, including Mark Ruffalo, have a Catholic background, Tucci believes seeing the film "as an attack, or a condemnation of Catholicism, would be wrong.
"It's actually absolutely the opposite - it's a condemnation of corruption, especially the corruption of basic Christian tenets. It's a condemnation of the abuse of power, and people who abuse the real innocents in society.
"The Catholic Church has so many great things to offer, and these people took advantage of it. I don't just mean the priests, I mean those who covered it up."
The current Pope, Francis, asked in 2014 for "forgiveness" for historic abuse committed by Catholic clergy, and Tucci says he finds him "extraordinary and incredible".
"The things he's said on climate change and poverty - we need our politicians to speak in that way. Ideally, that's what the church is for, to speak for contemporary issues and not to be obsessed with ideology."
Although Spotlight went away empty-handed from the Golden Globes, bookmakers William Hill have it at 4/5 to win a best film Oscar.
It would have a long way to go, however, to match the four Oscars of All The President's Men, the 1976 movie of how The Washington Post uncovered the Watergate scandal, and now a benchmark for films about fearless journalism.
Birdman star Michael Keaton, however, points out that in 2016, "there are a lot less investigative journalists around for various reasons, and this film is a shining example to show how society benefits from a free and functioning press - of journalists doing it for their ideals."
"We know that lots of newspapers are in dire straits," continues McCarthy. "Many dailies have closed, and even the Boston Globe is half the size it once was.
"In my opinion, it was only strong local reporters who could have cracked this story, and it just reinforces how much journalism on a local level is needed.
"It's disconcerting that news has transitioned from being valuable in its own right into news for entertainment."
Mark Ruffalo, nominated for best supporting actor for his part as reporter Michael Rezendes, believes reporting of the Iraq war in 2003 "was the ultimate failure of the international press - what wasn't reported. To me, that was the end of an era for journalism. However, I do believe it's correcting itself now.
"I hear the lament of investigative reporters that they don't have the capital or the resources to do research anything for more than a month. But at the same time, there are now websites such as Truth Out and Vice, they have shifted into digital deep investigative reporting, which is really healthy."
"Hopefully people who want to be journalists will watch Spotlight, take those old standards and move them along to new media," says Keaton. "We don't know where the industry is going, but we do know that every institution needs to be held to account."
Spotlight is released in the UK on 29 January. | Spotlight is the bookies' favourite to take best film at this year's Oscars, over Leonardo Di Caprio's western The Revenant. |
Appearing on Australian Channel Nine's 60 Minutes programme, Clarke addressed many of the controversies that defined his 115-Test career.
He spoke about how he thought he was a bad vice-captain and that he had riled former team-mates.
But he also attempted to clarify previous comments about his team-mates.
According to leaked court documents, former coach Mickey Arthur claimed in 2013 that Clarke had called Watson "a cancer" on the national side.
But Clarke told the programme: "No, I didn't say that.
"I said that there is a number of players, a group in this team at the moment, that are like a tumour and if we don't fix it, it's going to turn into a cancer."
Asked if that applied to Watson, Clarke replied: "Shane was one of those players, yes."
Clarke also shed light on an infamous dressing-room blow-up at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2009 after the Test win over South Africa.
Team-mate Simon Katich reportedly grabbed then vice-captain Clarke by the shirt over a disagreement about when the team song would be sung.
He said he had "every reason" to be angry, but "I don't think my language was appropriate".
Clarke also revealed that cricket has never been the same for him after the death of his friend and team-mate Phillip Hughes.
Hughes was hit in the neck by a ball in November 2014 and died a few days later.
"I guess I probably tried to tell myself that there was a chance he'd be OK," Clarke said.
"But I think I knew there wasn't. I spent the whole night talking to him. That breaks my heart the most.
"It was always hard to play cricket after that. I felt fear for the first time in my life when I played cricket." | Ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has said some players have been "like a tumour" on the sport, but denied calling Shane Watson "a cancer". |
Brian McKandie, 67, was found at Fairview Cottages in Badenscoth, Rothienorman, on Saturday 12 March.
Two men were reportedly seen speaking to him the Friday before.
Det Ch Insp Iain Smith said a "heavy weapon" had been used. Police Scotland officers are carrying out searches for the murder weapon, and have also asked for dashcam footage from drivers.
One of the men said to have been seen with Mr McKandie was in his 50s and heavy set. The other was a younger man.
They were beside a burgundy or maroon estate car, possibly a Saab or Volvo.
They were seen talking to Mr McKandie between 13:00 and 14:00 on the Friday.
Officers have also appealed for two men seen talking to Mr McKandie between 17:00 and 18:00 on the Friday.
One was described as in his 20s, and the other in his 30s or 40s.
Det Ch Insp Smith said: "It may be that the second set of men we are looking to speak to are the same as the first two or it could be another pair however we are appealing for these men to come forward or to anyone who may have seen them talking to Mr McKandie.
"A number of members of the public have come forward with dashboard camera footage and information and we continue to appeal for people to do so as this may be relevant to our enquiries.
"We can confirm that a weapon was used during this brutal murder and we are carrying out searches for any kind of instrument which may have been used." | A weapon was used in the "brutal" murder of a 67-year-old man at his Aberdeenshire home, police have said. |
The Hammers said on 30 November the 26-year-old would be missing for six weeks because of a thigh injury, meaning he would not return until mid-January.
But boss Slaven Bilic said on Thursday that Sakho faced up to eight more weeks out, taking him to mid-February.
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations starts on 14 January.
Two years ago, Sakho withdrew from Senegal's squad with a back injury but scored 18 days later in West Ham's FA Cup 1-0 win at Bristol City.
As a result, the club were fined £71,000 by world governing body Fifa.
Last month, in only his second appearance of an injury-plagued season, he scored in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
The forward, who joined West Ham in 2014 from French club Metz, had only returned from a back injury in the defeat at Tottenham on 19 November.
West Brom were keen to sign Sakho for £15m in August but the deal was called off because of a back problem.
West Ham are 13th in the Premier League table, five points above the relegation zone.
The Hammers visit struggling Swansea on Boxing Day (15:00 GMT) before travelling to Leicester City on 31 December (15:00 GMT). | West Ham and Senegal striker Diafra Sakho will miss the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after being ruled out for up to eight more weeks with a back injury. |
Criminal investigators from Sri Lanka are believed to have visited Hong Kong looking for them, their lawyer said.
The Sri Lankan police have denied the allegations.
Law enforcement authorities from mainland China or other countries have no jurisdiction in Hong Kong.
The lawyer representing the men, Robert Tibbo, said that at least two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka police visited Hong Kong in December looking for them.
"We have become aware of Sri Lankan police taking active steps to locate my clients," he said, adding: "They identified themselves to members of the Sri Lankan community in Hong Kong. They carried photographs and files."
Sri Lankan police spokesman Priyantha Jayakodi said the allegation was "a complete lie".
"We have not done any investigation in Hong Kong or any other country on any refugee case," he told BBC Sinhala.
However Mr Tibbo said the evidence came from Sri Lankans living in Hong Kong who were approached on the street in late December by people who carried official identification.
His clients fed and housed Mr Snowden for two weeks in June 2013 when he fled the US after leaking thousands of documents belonging to the US National Security Agency (NSA).
The former IT contractor subsequently left Hong Kong for Moscow.
The names of the asylum seekers, Kellapatha Supun Thilina and Debagma Kankanalamage Ajith Pushpa Kumara, were revealed last year by Mr Tibbo, ahead of the September premiere of the film Snowden by the director Oliver Stone.
He said that it would have been difficult to keep their identities secret after the film's release.
Mr Tibbo believes the Sri Lankan government began investigating the asylum seekers shortly afterwards.
The lawyer says Sri Lankan officials may have noted the disappearances of the Causeway Bay booksellers and the Chinese billionaire Xiao Jianhua - who some fear may have been forcibly taken from Hong Kong to mainland China.
"With the Hong Kong government not holding Beijing accountable, and the lack of transparency, this amounts to an invitation to other governments in the world," Mr Tibbo said.
"That their security forces, their police officers are welcome to come into Hong Kong and investigate and do similar things," he added.
Two local lawmakers, Charles Mok and James To, have called for an investigation.
"I am very concerned about this case," said Mr To, a member of the pro-democracy Democratic Party.
"Nobody can come and enforce the law in Hong Kong except Hong Kong officials. Nobody can come in breach of Hong Kong law."
The asylum seekers have since moved to "safer" locations and have notified Hong Kong's immigration department.
They also plan to file a police report.
Mr Thilina, who arrived in Hong Kong in 2005, said he was frightened by the news.
"I am nervous and scared. I don't have a normal life now," he said.
His compatriot, Mr Kumara, an army deserter who served as an informal bodyguard to Mr Snowden in 2013, was also worried for his safety.
They are concerned about the prospect of being removed from Hong Kong and forcibly returned to Sri Lanka, where they say they could face violence and torture.
Mr Tibbo represents both men, along with Mr Snowden and Vanessa Rodel, an asylum seeker from the Philippines who also gave refuge to the US whistleblower in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong currently has about 10,000 asylum seekers, mainly from countries in South Asia and Africa. | Sri Lankan asylum seekers living in Hong Kong fear they are being illegally pursued by police after sheltering the US whistleblower Edward Snowden in the city. |
James Brindley was talking to his girlfriend on the phone when he was attacked in Aldridge town centre shortly before midnight on Friday.
Crimestoppers say the reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The charity's Pauline Hadley said: "Nobody should be allowed to get away with such a callous attack."
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Mr Brindley was stabbed in the heart after a night out with friends and "died at the scene in his parents' arms", police said.
A statement from Crimestoppers said Mr Brindley was seen having a disagreement with two men before he was stabbed.
One of those men, seen at the entrance of The Croft near Little Aston Road, is still wanted for questioning.
Ms Hadley, West Midlands regional manager for Crimestoppers, said: "I cannot begin to imagine what James' girlfriend and family must be going through at the moment after such a senseless and tragic murder.
"That is why I am appealing to local people who might have any information, to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
"Never will you have to give any personal details, and I promise that once you have put the phone down or submitted your information on our website, you're done."
A campaign to raise money for Mr Brindley's funeral has exceeded its £9,000 target.
West Midlands Police issued CCTV of four cars seen travelling along Little Aston Road towards the town centre at the time of the attack.
Police are still hunting for the murder weapon. | A reward of £10,000 has been put up to find the killer of a 26-year-old man stabbed to death near his home. |
The meeting, in Hemsworth, the site of one of the fire stations earmarked for closure, was attended by about 110 people.
The FBU said people's lives would be "threatened" if the cuts went ahead.
West Yorkshire Fire Service accepted local residents had "concerns".
The fire authority in West Yorkshire has to save £18m in the next four years due to government funding cuts.
The 10 fire stations earmarked for closure are Gipton, Stanks, Rawdon, Otley, Brighouse, Elland, Hemsworth, South Elmsall, Batley and Dewsbury.
However, the fire authority also proposes to build five new stations based at "optimum sites".
West Yorkshire Fire Service currently operates 48 fire stations across five districts.
Mark Wilson, FBU brigade secretary for West Yorkshire, said the meeting had shown people "did not want these proposals".
"The fact that over 100 people came here on a Friday night when they could have been doing something else is testament to the opposition to these proposals," he said.
"Overwhelmingly, people opposed the scheme."
Steve Rhodes, area manager for West Yorkshire Fire Service, said there had been "lots of debate".
"The community has concerns. They understand the rationale, but don't support the change," he said.
The meeting was part of a three-month consultation over the proposals which ends on 9 December.
The results of the consultation will be presented to West Yorkshire Fire Authority at a meeting on 16 December where a final decision is expected to be made. | A public meeting to discuss proposals to cut 102 firefighters' jobs and close 10 fire stations in West Yorkshire revealed "overwhelming" opposition, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said. |
Ezequiel Munoz tapped in an own goal to give the hosts the lead.
Paulo Dybala doubled their advantage from the edge of the area two minutes later and Mario Mandzukic curled a half-volley past keeper Eugenio Lamanna to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Leonardo Bonucci's long-range looping effort put the result beyond doubt, as Juventus moved 11 points clear.
Juve's closest title rivals Roma face bottom side Pescara on Monday but even with a win they will have a battle on their hands to close an eight-point gap with five games remaining.
Match ends, Juventus 4, Genoa 0.
Second Half ends, Juventus 4, Genoa 0.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Davide Biraschi.
Attempt blocked. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Paulo Dybala.
Rolando Mandragora (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Raffaele Palladino (Genoa).
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Raffaele Palladino (Genoa).
Attempt missed. Rolando Mandragora (Juventus) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Hand ball by Stefano Sturaro (Juventus).
Substitution, Genoa. Oscar Hiljemark replaces Darko Lazovic.
Substitution, Juventus. Rolando Mandragora replaces Claudio Marchisio.
Foul by Tomás Rincón (Juventus).
Ezequiel Muñoz (Genoa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Olivier Ntcham (Genoa) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Raffaele Palladino.
Attempt missed. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Tomás Rincón.
Substitution, Juventus. Stefano Sturaro replaces Mario Mandzukic.
Attempt missed. Giovanni Simeone (Genoa) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Raffaele Palladino with a cross.
Attempt missed. Giovanni Simeone (Genoa) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Davide Biraschi with a cross.
Corner, Genoa. Conceded by Leonardo Bonucci.
Attempt missed. Danilo Cataldi (Genoa) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Darko Lazovic.
Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus) hits the right post with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Paulo Dybala.
Attempt saved. Andrea Beghetto (Genoa) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt missed. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Paulo Dybala with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Darko Lazovic.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Andrea Beghetto.
Paulo Dybala (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Olivier Ntcham (Genoa).
Attempt missed. Andrea Barzagli (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Mario Mandzukic.
Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) hits the left post with a right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) hits the left post with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Gonzalo Higuaín.
Substitution, Juventus. Tomás Rincón replaces Sami Khedira.
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Santiago Gentiletti (Genoa).
Foul by Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus).
Davide Biraschi (Genoa) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Genoa. Davide Biraschi replaces Nicolas Burdisso.
Foul by Mario Mandzukic (Juventus).
Andrea Beghetto (Genoa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Goal! Juventus 4, Genoa 0. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Mario Mandzukic. | League leaders Juventus thrashed Genoa to extend their unbeaten home run in Serie A to 33 matches. |
The government wants an end to sporadic attacks in the province, which it blames on Islamist militants.
A police statement said cars are the main means of transport for terrorists.
Drivers in the Bayingol area who refuse to install the system will not be allowed to buy fuel.
Xinjiang has seen a series of bombings and knife attacks over recent years, which the government blames on separatist elements of the region's large Muslim Uighur population.
Rights groups say the violence is due to the tight controls by the government on Uighurs' religion and culture.
The government denies any repression.
The vehicle-tracking programme will use China's homegrown Beidou satellite navigation system, which was launched to reduce reliance on the US's global positioning system (GPS).
It would also help car owners to find their vehicles quickly if they are stolen by terrorists, the state-run Global Times newspaper said.
Security in the region has been further increased after five people were killed by three assailants in a knife attack last week.
The attackers were shot dead by police.
Security forces held an anti-terror rally on Saturday, parading hundreds of armed men through the streets of the regional capital Urumqi.
In June, Xinjiang police ordered residents to provide DNA samples and other biological data when applying for travel documents.
The move, which the government said was also to combat terrorism, was criticised by human rights groups. | Chinese authorities in part of the western Xinjiang region have ordered all vehicles to be installed with satellite tracking devices as part of a crackdown on terrorism. |
The Anglo-Dutch giant's chief executive Ben van Beurden accepted that Arctic drilling "divides society", but said the world needs new sources of oil.
Greenpeace said Shell was taking a "massive risk" in a "pristine" region.
Shell also announced a $15bn (£9.9bn) cut in global spending, and profit figures that disappointed investors.
The cut in investment - spread over three years - comes after a fall in the oil price. Although the price is expected to remain lower in the medium term, Mr van Beurden said: "We are taking a prudent approach here and we must be careful not to over-react to the recent fall in oil prices.
"Shell is taking structured decisions to balance growth and returns."
Shell also said profits for the last three months of 2014 had risen to $4.2bn compared with $2.2bn in the same period a year earlier.
The numbers were below analysts' forecasts, prompting a big sell-off of Shell's shares, which were down by 4.3% at the end of Thursday.
Shell put its Arctic plans on hold two years ago after a drilling vessel ran aground and legal wrangles in the US.
The company has already spent $1bn on preparing its drilling work in Alaska's Chukchi Sea. It was costing Shell several hundred millions of dollars a year to keep the existing operations ticking over, the company said.
Mr van Beurden said there were still issues to resolve before drilling began, such as over operating permits and getting further facilities in place. But he hoped to see work begin in the summer.
"We will only do this if we feel that we can do it responsibly," Mr van Beurden told the BBC. "I think that we are as well prepared as any company can be to mitigate the risks."
He also pointed out that there are already other energy companies operating in the Arctic.
Mr van Beurden said that the world needs new sources of oil and gas to meet demand and that the Arctic offered potentially the biggest resource base ever found.
Estimates have put the estimates at some 24bn barrels in Alaska.
Environmentalists have campaigned against Shell for years. Greenpeace's Charlie Kronick, said: "Despite announcing cuts [in global investment], Shell hasn't taken the opportunity to cut its most high-cost high-risk project.
"Shell is taking a massive risk doggedly chasing oil in the Arctic, not just with shareholder value, but with the pristine Arctic environment.
"A spill there will be environmentally and financially catastrophic. It's time for investors to recognise that it's impossible for Shell to justify its continued pursuit of offshore Arctic oil."
As the first of the major oil companies to report its figures for last year, Shell plays the role of the canary in the coal mine - or on the oil rig.
After a rather sickly 2013, profits are actually up.
But the impact of the low oil price is clearly biting. The company announced that it would be cutting investment over the next three years in new exploration and the development of oil and gas fields, a move that will raise fresh concerns about its business in the North Sea.
Last summer Shell announced the loss of 250 jobs in Aberdeen.
The chief executive, Ben Van Beurden, said that the company would not "over-react" to the oil price which has fallen by 60% since last June.
And of course a low oil price means lower prices at the petrol pumps for consumers.
He said though that Shell would look at further cuts if necessary.
As well as the North Sea, the company's operations in Nigeria, where it recently paid a £55m bill to clean up pollution after a major oil spill, and the Arctic will also come under increased scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Shell's profits for the quarter after stripping out one-off items, such as asset sales and accounting changes, were $3.26bn. That is a 12% rise on the same period a year earlier but down from the $5.85bn in the June to September quarter.
Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: "As expected, fourth quarter performance has been impacted by the lower oil price, although downstream refining operations have provided some counterbalance.
"More broadly, the numbers are below forecast, with the news providing a difficult start to the oil majors' results season.
"In all, and despite the disappointing numbers, the dividend payment remains core, with the payment being left unchanged."
Shell said it was spending $12bn on dividends to shareholders in 2014, and also repurchased $3.3bn of its own shares.
The group said it had slowed the pace of share buybacks to conserve cash and that near-term oil prices would dictate how it progressed.
Oil prices have fallen by almost 60% since June because of weak global demand and a boom in US shale production.
Shell's main rivals, BP and Total, have also announced large cutbacks in capital expenditure in recent weeks. | Royal Dutch Shell is reviving plans to drill for oil in the Arctic in a move likely to intensify its battle with environmentalists. |
Built in 1937, the concrete structure was the "last fragment" of the derelict seaside lido used for the street artist's "Bemusement Park" exhibit last year.
Conservationists said they had been told the fountain, in Weston-super-Mare, would be spared from destruction.
But North Somerset council said it was demolished due to its poor condition.
Visitors to Dismaland were greeted by the sight of the fountain upon entering, and it was picked out by a spotlight at night.
Its dilapidated appearance, however, was not the work of the elusive Banksy, but rather a truck which hit the fountain after the site became derelict.
The impact caused the upper cascade to tip over, leaving it sitting on its side atop the bottom part of the structure.
Weston Civic Society chairman Howard Smith said he felt "angry and upset" the fountain had gone.
"They [the council] gave us an assurance at the end of last year that it would be conserved," he said.
Mr Smith said the fountain survived the building of the Tropicana at a time when the original diving stage was destroyed.
"It was the last fragment of the actual bathing part of the original Art Deco pool.
"It was a beautiful object and it would not have taken much to erect it in another part of the town."
Work to turn the site into a space for arts and performances has been taking place since the end of 2015.
A spokesman for the council, which owns the site, said: "The top of the fountain was dislodged, the surround of the base was broken down and could not be used as a water reservoir, the main stem had numerous cracks in the structure and the edges on the lower main tier were damaged.
"Given its condition, the decision was made to take it down and demolish it." | The demolition of an Art Deco fountain which featured in Banksy's Dismaland show has been slammed by campaigners. |
The former Manchester United stars want to build a tower block in their home city including apartments, offices, restaurants and a five-star hotel.
The 20th Century Society has asked for the Manchester Reform Synagogue to be "listed" to block the players' £200m St Michael's development on Jackson Row.
Historic England will assess whether to give it Grade II listed status.
The 1953 synagogue would be bulldozed and rebuilt on the site close to Manchester Town Hall under plans to be submitted later this year.
The 19th Century Sir Ralph Abercromby pub and the former Bootle Street police station also face being demolished.
Tess Pinto, the 20th Century Society's conservation advisor, told the BBC: "We are worried about these plans in particular because the site contains three interesting and beautiful historic buildings.
"And in their place they want to put up 31-storey skyscrapers which will have a serious impact on Manchester's skyline."
However the Jewish congregation support plans for a new synagogue as the old one is "damp and outdated" with limited parking.
An Historic England spokeswoman said: "The planning decision would still be up to the council.
"However it is unusual for listed building to be knocked down." | Charity campaigners have applied to save a synagogue from being flattened by Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. |
The poll of more than 1,000 parents, by Churchill Home Insurance, also found 34% used alcohol as a bribe to encourage good behaviour.
It isn't illegal for children aged five and over to have alcohol at home, but government guidance says children under 14 who drink have increased health risks.
So why do some parents allow it?
Anne Atkins is a mother of five and author of the book Child Rearing for Fun: Trust Your Instincts and Enjoy Your Children.
She says she has given her children sips of wine, allowing her daughter a first taste when she was eight. Her daughter is now 13, and is allowed a little wine "if we're celebrating".
She believes the right approach is "what the parents judge" to be best.
"Of course it's alarming to think of parents giving alcohol as a bribe, but that could mean all sorts of things. It could mean 'You've passed your exams, let's open a bottle of Prosecco, would you like a little?'
"An alcohol-free childhood is fine, but alcohol is good for you [when] drunk and enjoyed correctly.
"But we have to acknowledge that booze is a huge problem in our society now."
Heather Witherington, 47, a social worker from Daventry in Northamptonshire, was first given alcohol aged 10 by her father.
"My family is Irish so there's a big drinking culture. I remember being at family functions aged 10 and people teasing me about having a brandy, expecting to be told no," she says.
"But my dad would then say 'Yeah, she'll have one of them,' and I'd be given a martini and lemonade instead.
"My dad was always about experimenting in a safe way. I'd have drinks at barbecues and once I got drunk aged 12. I couldn't feel my knees. My dad told me I was a bit tiddly and that I couldn't have any more."
Heather says she has three family members who have had problems with alcohol, and that she was encouraged to not follow their example.
"To some it might seem that I was encouraged to drink as a child, but in our eyes it was all about managing risks."
Heather says she and her husband Richard allowed their 15-year-old son Callum to start drinking sips of lager and wine aged 10, and then have a shandy to himself soon afterwards.
Today she says Callum will share a bottle of beer with his dad while watching football on occasion, or at barbecues.
"He's now more mature about alcohol than some of his mates. He sees it all as the same, whereas ones who didn't drink when they were younger are looking to try new drinks and get hammered.
"He has still had some normal experimentation with alcohol, as many teenagers do, but he's much more aware of alcohol because he was introduced to it early."
Dr Martin Scurr, a former GP, said he used to allow his children to drink.
But he changed his mind about this "even though it means putting the brakes on ideas that, socially and culturally, have always been rather hallowed".
He says the brain of a child coming into puberty is "critically vulnerable" to damage.
"That's a worry if you're introducing a chemical that's psychoactive, that's active on the brain," he says.
"It is a critical age and we need to think carefully about that, and the fact that we can disrupt the future structure and functioning of the brain by allowing children to take alcohol."
Dr Scurr says alcohol has an "allure" for children of this age range, who like to take risks and look for new experiences.
He adds that while people in European nations have long allowed their children to drink watered-down alcohol, better medical understanding means caution should now be used and that people should not simply take "a note out of past history".
"Once you've introduced alcohol to children, they could then get enthusiastic. There has to be a balance."
Dr Sarah Jarvis, medical advisor to alcohol education charity Drinkaware says, it is best to talk to your child about the risks associated with drinking.
"As a parent, you have more influence than you might think," she says.
"Your child is likely to come to you first for information and advice about alcohol, and you can help shape their attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol by being a role model for responsible drinking."
Read the terms and conditions. | Half of parents with children under 14 allow them to drink alcohol at home, according to a new survey. |
With six children and a Syrian refugee under her roof this Christmas, Heather Alston admits her house is "chaotic" and "not exactly stress-free".
Abdullah, 35, from Damascus, has been living with Heather and her husband Dominic, both architects, in Hammersmith, London since February.
"At first my teenagers said, 'whoah Mum, are you really doing this?'" says Heather, who has five daughters and a son between the ages of 14 and 22.
"I partly said yes so it would open their eyes a little."
Reports from the city of Aleppo have prompted people across the world to express their solidarity on social media, with many joining demonstrations and donating money to relief efforts.
For her part, Heather says the crisis in Syria had been "lingering in the back of my mind for a long while" before she decided to hand Abdullah a front door key.
They met through Housing Justice, a London charity that has matched 26 refugees and hosts.
They usually meet at a local coffee shop first, after which either one can say yes or no.
What's happening in Aleppo?
Migrant crisis: What is the UK doing to help?
"I'll never forget that meeting," Abdullah says. "I was so surprised that this stranger wanted to let me in."
Heather recalls he was "quiet and nervous" when they met. "I was probably chatty and nervous," she remembers.
"It was history that made me think," she says. "In the Second World War children were evacuated to the countryside and they lived with hosts.
"It is now these refugees who need homes. I needed to do something."
A trained electrical engineer, Abdullah has been unable to legally work since he arrived in the UK in 2012 and gets £56 a week for living expenses.
He is one of an estimated 4.8 million people to have fled abroad since civil war broke out in 2011, according to the UN.
"I have brothers, sisters, close friends back home," he says. "I text them to make sure they are alive and when they get a connection they reply."
Abdullah says he "carries on with life" but feels trapped in a "prison-like" existence because he cannot work.
He spends his time cooking with the Alstons and learning English, in which he is now fluent.
Living with the Alstons has "given me some hope", he says.
"Abdullah is really part of the family," adds Heather. "We are all looking forward to our first Christmas together, he's already mastered cooking a roast."
Julian Prior, who set up a similar charity in Newcastle, says it is important that hosts "go in with their eyes open and are aware".
Action Foundation, which houses 14 refugees - including two people from Syria - sends hosts on a course and criminal record-checks the refugees.
"People who volunteer are compassionate, but may also be naive," says Mr Prior. "We make sure hosts set house rules and are aware of cultural sensitivities."
Other efforts to help have included a cyclist pedalling to Aleppo, a couple who bought a house for refugees, and a seven-year-old schoolboy who asked Santa for peace in Syria as his only Christmas present.
Caz and David Charles, from London, are cycling to the Syria-Turkey border this summer.
They hope to raise money and tell the stories of those living in migrant camps.
"I'll see how far I get before it becomes too sketchy," David says.
"Caz hasn't fully committed but will definitely come along for some of it."
They have already completed the first leg - a 2,200km ride to Vienna that Caz, 25, a translator, and writer David, 34, began in their home city this year.
"We stopped off in towns in France, Belgium and Germany, talking to residents and refugees alike about migration," David says.
The pair have raised £1,000 for the Bike Project, a charity in Denmark Hill which repairs and donates second hand bicycles to refugees living in London.
"I've been helping them for a couple of years, fixing up bikes," David says.
"Asylum seekers often have lots of appointments around London but no money to travel."
"These people can't work but they desperately want to be part of society," he says.
"That said, there is tremendous optimism for the future." | Many Britons moved by the plight of Syrians feel powerless to help those affected, but some families have found ways to show their support. |
The Federal Justice Office (FOJ) said the accounts were allegedly used for bribes connected with the granting of marketing rights to tournaments in Latin America and the US.
In addition, the FOJ said it had frozen some $80m (£54m) in 13 bank accounts.
The action was taken in response to US requests for legal assistance, it said.
"The US authorities can apply to have these assets handed over if they have a legally valid and enforceable seizure ruling from a US court," the FOJ said.
The statement provided no details on who the bank accounts belonged to.
World football's governing body has been in turmoil for several months, following numerous allegations of corruption.
A number of top Fifa officials were arrested at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, in May.
Some 14 people were indicted on corruption charges at the end of that month. Another 16 people were charged by the US Department of Justice on 3 December.
And US authorities have in all charged 39 football officials and sports business executives over more than £134m ($200m) in alleged bribes for football television and marketing deals.
Swiss prosecutors are also investigating Fifa's management as well as the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
And earlier this month, Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini were suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.
They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) payment made to Mr Platini in 2011.
The Fifa ethics committee found the pair had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
Both deny any wrongdoing. | Swiss justice officials say they have handed to US investigators documents relating to bank accounts allegedly used in the Fifa corruption scandal. |
Some could block rivers, causing temporary lakes that could burst out and sweep away settlements and infrastructure downstream.
The mountainous terrain is traversed by hundreds of gushing rivers that contribute up to 70% of the lean season flow of the Ganges in bordering India.
The epicentre of the last quake was a remote mountain area in western Nepal.
But aftershocks and tremors were felt as far as Mount Everest in the east of the country.
Scientists also say the earthquake that triggered avalanches in the Everest region may have destabilised glacial lakes there, which also pose potential threats.
"The steep topography and high relief in the area of the epicentre, and the high intensity of shaking that was felt, mean that thousands of landslides are likely to have been triggered by the earthquake," said Dr Robert Parker, a researcher with Cardiff University's School of Earth and Ocean Science. He studies the occurrence of landslides after earthquakes.
He added: "These landsides could range from a boulder fall to rock avalanches."
Nepalese officials say they have information of landslides in some areas, including Gorkha district at the epicentre of Saturday's devastating quake, but are yet to get the complete picture.
They say villages in the Langtang region, to the west of Kathmandu, have been buried under landslides.
Villages in the mountainous region are commonly found on steep slopes.
There were initial reports of some rivers partially blocked by mudslides at several points.
Scientists say satellite images have not been very helpful because the region has remained clouded. Clear pictures are yet to emerge.
"Usually what happens in a big earthquake in a mountain zone like this is that the earthquake itself triggers a substantial number of landslides," says Prof Dave Petley, pro-vice chancellor at the University of East Anglia, who has been studying Nepal's landslides for 15 years now.
"It really depends on all sorts of conditions, some of which we really don't understand particularly well, but Nepal is a very landslide-prone country, so we would expect to see a significant impact from landslides in this earthquake."
Experts say there have been several landslides in Tibet across Nepal's border following the earthquake.
China's state media reported that the Chinese government had cancelled all spring season climbing on the north face of Mount Everest.
Nepalese officials said they had no plans to stop expeditions yet.
But scientists say the geological consequences of Saturday's earthquake cannot be ignored.
"Based on past experience of earthquakes in steep, mountainous terrain, like the 2005 Kashmir and 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes, some of these landslides will be large enough to create temporary dams across rivers in the area," explained Dr Parker.
"The lakes created by these dams are particularly hazardous because they can drain without warning, usually within a few days of filling up, due to collapse of the unstable dam material."
Pakistan's scientists say a lake that formed in 2010 after a landslide and which blocked the Hunza River was caused by an earthquake.
The monsoon rains, which will begin in a few weeks' time in the region, will make landslides on earthquake-hit mountains of Nepal even more likely, according to experts.
"What we normally see in the mountain area that has an earthquake is that in the first heavy rainfall after the event, we get a substantial number of landslides," said Prof Petley.
Given that the latest earthquake had caused avalanches in the Everest region, there are fears that the rapidly filling glacial lakes in the area may also have been somehow affected.
Glaciologists say that even if no incident of glacial lake outburst has been detected in the aftermath of the earthquake so far, the danger is far from over. The tremors may have weakened the moraines of these lakes or loosened glaciers hanging above them, storing up problems for the future.
"We already have specific evidence of ice and snow avalanches in the Mount Everest region," said Prof Jeffrey Kargel, a glaciologist at the University of Arizona.
"Everest was not even the zone of highest shaking and so if you had that sort of event there, surely other areas closer to the zone of maximum shaking will have experienced ice and snow avalanches."
The outburst of the Dig Tsho glacial lake near Everest in 1985 was triggered by a large ice and rock avalanche.
The splash into a relatively small lake led to an outburst. The floodwaters swamped a hydroelectric plant and other infrastructure.
The Himalayan region is dotted with glacial lakes and even the smaller ones need watching - especially during earthquakes, the experts say.
There have been around 40 glacial lake outburst events in Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and China during the last century, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep). | The Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks have probably triggered many landslides, scientists warn. |
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) anointed Shahbaz Sharif but he will first have to be elected to the National Assembly.
Former petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will serve as interim PM.
Nawaz Sharif stepped down on Friday following a decision by the Supreme Court to disqualify him from office over corruption allegations.
The ruling came after an investigation into his family's wealth following the leak of the Panama Papers in 2015, which linked Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies.
If Shahbaz Sharif, 65, is to take over, he must quit as chief minister of Punjab province and then win a by-election into parliament, which should take 45 days.
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper said that Shahbaz Sharif's ascension to the prime minister's office was "considered to be a foregone conclusion".
Nawaz Sharif, in a speech to a PML-N meeting on Saturday, said: "I support Shahbaz Sharif after me but he will take time to contest elections so for the time being I nominate Shahid Khaqan Abbasi."
Nawaz Sharif stepped down after five judges reached a unanimous verdict on Friday.
The court's ruling stated that Mr Sharif had been dishonest in not disclosing his earnings from a Dubai-based company in his nomination papers during the 2013 general election.
The court recommended anti-corruption cases against several individuals, including Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam and her husband Safdar, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and others.
Mr Sharif, who was serving as prime minister for a record third time, was less than a year away from becoming the first in Pakistani history to complete a full term in office.
He served as prime minister from November 1990 to July 1993 and from February 1997 until he was toppled in a bloodless coup in October 1999.
The Panama Papers leaks in April 2016 revealed that three of Mr Sharif's children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his family's wealth statement.
But allegations of corruption have dogged Mr Sharif since the 1980s. Much of what the Panama Papers revealed was the subject of a federal inquiry in the mid-1990s.
Profile: Nawaz Sharif | The brother of ousted Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif has been lined up to take over as prime minister. |
The majority of job losses will be in Samlesbury, Lancashire but roles in its Typhoon final assembly production team in nearby Warton will also be impacted.
The company warned the move to slow jet production would hit its 2015 financial results.
There are 13,000 workers at both sites. The Unite union said BAE was cutting "too far, too fast".
The staff losing their jobs at Samlesbury are 237 production line workers, 97 professional or admin staff and nine executive managers.
At the Warton site, 23 miles away, 28 productions jobs will also be cut.
BAE, which also specialises in aerospace and electronics, said it would try to find opportunities elsewhere in the business to "mitigate" compulsory redundancies.
Typhoon production sales are expected to drop from about £1.3bn this year to around £1.1bn in 2016, it said.
The firm secured a deal to supply 28 Typhoon aircraft for the Kuwait Air Force in September, with deliveries from the Italian Typhoon final assembly line set to start at the end of the decade.
It is also in talks with Saudi Arabia to try to secure further Typhoon purchases.
Ian King, BAE chief executive, said: "Overall the company is operating in an improving business environment and we continue to win new orders, with good prospects for the future.
"In the short term, action to extend the production life of Typhoon aircraft by reducing the current production rate... will impact the group's 2015 results."
Ian Waddell from the Unite called on the government to "act urgently" to stop the haemorrhage of skilled UK manufacturing jobs.
"It is vital that critical skills and capability are maintained by BAE Systems and their supply chain so that the ability to build the Typhoon in the UK is protected.
"Cutting too far, too fast could lead to a skills shortage for when orders pick up."
BAE slashed its earnings outlook, saying it now expected earnings per share to remain around 38p this year, having previously said they would be "marginally higher".
In May, the company announced it would retain both of its shipyards in Glasgow and make its most significant investment in them for decades. | Defence giant BAE Systems is to cut up to 371 jobs as the firm slows production of its Typhoon fighter jets. |
The French striker, 21, missed the end of last season with a similar problem but featured in recent European ties.
Both he and suspended forward Leigh Griffiths, 26, sat out Wednesday's Champions League third qualifying round first leg against Rosenborg.
"It could be to the beginning of September," Rodgers said of Dembele's expected return.
"It looks like Moussa may well be out for the whole of the campaign, this European [qualifying] campaign so we have to adapt.
"Throughout the course of the season, unfortunately for those players with that speed and strength, there are always hamstring niggles.
"We saw it last year with Moussa. We saw it with James Forrest. We saw it with Scott Sinclair. We saw it with Patrick Roberts when Pat was here.
"We have to heal, work hard to get back as quick as he can, knowing that it's going to be a real long season for us."
France Under-21 international Dembele scored 32 goals in his debut season for Celtic after joining from Fulham last summer.
Earlier this week, Rodgers said the club had no plans to sell Dembele amid reported interest from Marseille.
Griffiths, who has scored 85 Celtic goals since 2014, is also nursing an injury.
"We're hoping that Leigh can come back at some point," Rodgers told BBC Scotland before Wednesday's game.
"Leigh's suspended and he's injured. He hasn't trained all week.
"We've always been based around the collective and we're looking at that collective to find solutions for us."
Asked if he may look to recruit another striker while the summer transfer remains open, Rodgers replied: "We'll see.
"We'll talk about it as a coaching staff and a club to see where we're at. We don't want to be to rash. We only ever want to bring in players that are going to enhance the quality." | Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says Moussa Dembele could be out until early September with a hamstring injury. |
UFC president Dana White did not confirm McGregor's retirement but said he would no longer be fighting Nate Diaz on the UFC 200 card on 9 July.
White claimed McGregor was withdrawn for refusing to fly to Las Vegas for a news conference and promotional photos.
Last month, Diaz became the first man to beat McGregor in UFC.
In a tweet posted on Tuesday, McGregor wrote: "I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later."
The 27-year-old's coach, John Kavanagh, added: "Was fun while it lasted."
Many mixed martial arts fans on social media reacted to McGregor's message with shock but others expressed doubt he was really planning to quit.
Diaz responded to McGregor's comment with a tweet of his own: "I guess my work here is done. I'm retiring too."
The American, 31, beat McGregor by choking the featherweight champion into submission.
McGregor was previously unbeaten since signing to UFC in 2013, with career earnings in excess of $2.8m (£1.94m).
He has made significantly more in sponsorship and promotional work.
On Monday, McGregor posted pictures of himself training in Iceland before his rematch with Diaz.
However, just a week ago, he issued a statement talking of his sadness following the death of Joao Carvalho after a fight in Dublin.
"It is such a rare occurrence that I don't know how to take this," McGregor, who watched the fight from ringside, wrote.
In an interview with ESPN, White attempted to clarify the situation, insisting McGregor was obligated to come to Las Vegas to promote UFC 200.
"I respect Conor as a fighter and I like him as a person, but you can't decide not to show up to these things," he said.
"He's in Iceland training. He felt leaving right now would hurt his training, but every other fighter on the card is coming." | Ireland's Conor McGregor has been withdrawn from the Ultimate Fighting Championship's main event in July, just hours after tweeting he was retiring. |
The bodies of Julie Hill, 51, and her mother Rose, 75, were discovered at a property in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, at 22:10 GMT on Friday.
Christopher Whelan, 20, will appear at Chesterfield Justice Centre on Tuesday charged with their murders.
Julie Hill's dog, thought to be a terrier, is missing from the house, police say.
Mr Whelan, of Dransfield Road, Sheffield, was arrested the day after the women's bodies were found by police and paramedics.
Derbyshire Police said Julie Hill lived at the address in Station Road, while her mother lived in Sheffield.
Anyone with any information, or anyone who knows the whereabouts of the dog, is asked to contact Derbyshire Police. | A man has been charged with murdering a woman and her mother after the women were found dead at a house. |
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), known as "the mother of all bombs", is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US in a conflict.
The Pentagon said it was dropped from a US aircraft in Nangarhar province.
The news came hours after the Pentagon admitted an air strike in Syria mistakenly killed 18 rebels.
It said a partnered force had mistakenly identified the target location as an IS position, but the strike on 11 April had killed rebels from the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is backed by Washington.
How powerful is 'mother of all bombs'?
The strike in Afghanistan follows last week's death of a US special forces soldier fighting IS in Nangarhar.
The GBU-43/B bomb was dropped in Achin district on Thursday evening local time, the Pentagon said. It is more than 9m (30 feet) in length.
It was first tested in 2003, but had not been deployed in combat before.
"We targeted a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters use to move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces in the area," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, using another name for IS.
He said necessary precautions were taken to prevent civilian casualties and "collateral damage".
The area where the bomb was dropped is mostly mountainous and sparsely populated, BBC correspondents say. Local sources said the explosion was so powerful it was heard in two neighbouring districts.
The US has not yet confirmed the results of the strike in detail, but a local official told the BBC that many IS militants were killed, allegedly including the brother of a senior leader.
US President Donald Trump called it "another successful job".
The clue is in the ungainly name - the MOAB or GBU-43/B massive ordnance air blast is the US military's most destructive conventional (that is non-nuclear) bomb.
It is a huge weapon, and is GPS-guided. This looks to be the first time it has ever been used in combat.
It was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft - the US Special Forces variant of the Hercules transport. The weapon is carried on a special cradle inside the aircraft from which it is extracted by a parachute.
Its principal effect is a massive blast over a huge area. It is a larger version of weapons used during the Vietnam War.
The Trump administration's policy towards Afghanistan remains under consideration but the use of this weapon sends a powerful signal that IS is top of the administration's target list wherever its offshoots may be found.
Gen John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said the jihadist group's "losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defence.
"This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive."
The governor of Achin district, Esmail Shinwari, told the AFP news agency that the explosion was the biggest he had ever seen and that huge flames "engulfed the area".
IS announced the establishment of its Khorasan branch - an old name for Afghanistan and surrounding areas - in January 2015. It was the first time that IS had officially spread outside the Arab world.
It was the first major militant group to directly challenge the Afghan Taliban's dominance over the local insurgency.
IS in Afghanistan: How successful has the group been?
However, experts say it has struggled to build a wide political base and the indigenous support it expected in Afghanistan.
It has also steadily lost territory and fighters to US air strikes and an assault by Afghan forces on the ground
Estimates about IS's numerical strength inside Afghanistan vary, ranging from several hundred to a few thousand fighters. US forces say their number has been cut in half since early 2016 due to military operations. | The US military says it has dropped a 21,600lb (9,800kg) bomb on a tunnel complex used by Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. |
Two girls, aged three and eight, and two boys, aged six and nine, escaped injury in the crash in Nab Tower Lane, Selsey in West Sussex, on Sunday.
The driver and a female passenger were also unhurt.
The woman, aged 36, from London, is also charged with being drunk in charge of a child under seven and is due at Worthing Magistrates' Court on 9 June. | A woman has been charged with drinking and driving after a car carrying four children overturned at a caravan park. |
The cartoon which features in its current issue refers to the town of Amatrice, one of the areas hardest hit by the 6.2 magnitude earthquake last week.
Amatrice is home of spaghetti all'amatriciana, a dish with ingredients including tomato sauce, and guanciale ham.
The image shows an injured man and a woman standing next to a pile of rubble from which feet can be seen. Each of the standing figures has been named after a pasta dish.
The bandaged man is shown under the words penne tomato sauce, a woman with burns is depicted as penne gratin, and bodies lying beneath layers of rubble as lasagne all beneath the heading "Earthquake Italian style".
The cartoon which is being circulated on social media has attracted huge criticism globally and in Italy it has made the pages of Italian national newspapers La Stampa and Corriere della Serra.
It is not the first time #CharlieHebdo has been used on social media to express outrage at one of its cartoons.
@DaniBailo tweeted in Italian: "The cartoon you didn't expect. Worthy is the concept that satire is free but good taste has boundaries."
While @Lellina23 posted: "This is disgusting. #CharlieHebdo you need to learn a little respect! #Italyearthquake #Italy"
In another post @RNocerino goes into detail criticising the cartoon. In it he states: "All I would like to say is if Charlie Hebdo was bombed again I shall not be participating in the status Je Suis Charlie."
The magazine is no stranger to criticism. In 2015 it published a controversial cartoon of the young Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi who drowned while fleeing Syria and has also posted controversial sketches of the Prophet Muhammad.
Despite the current controversy the publication has also been seen as a beacon for free speech, with many of its defenders using the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie to defend the publication and its articles particularly following the attack on its offices in 2015.
However this latest cartoon appears to even test the patience of those who once supported it and some social media users were quick to make that point:
Produced by Rozina Sini, BBC UGC and Social News team | Satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo has been criticised on social media for a cartoon depicting Italian earthquake victims as pasta dishes. |
Bathurst, New Brunswick forbids teens from trick-or-treating on 31 October.
Those that break these rules could be subject to a fine up to CA$200 ($149; £122)
"No person(s) over the age of 14 yrs. shall take part in door-to-door soliciting (trick-or-treating)," the town bylaw states.
The bylaw also says that once the clock strikes 19:00, frivolities like "door-to-door soliciting" and "facial disguises" are also banned.
The rules have been on the books since 2005 but have only recently received widespread attention, ever since local parent Calvin Sisk complained to the mayor that his older teenage daughter couldn't celebrate All Hallows Eve with her younger sister.
"There are some kids that are old, but they're really young at heart. That's what my daughter is. She's 16 years old and she can't go out with her sister anymore trick-or-treating," Sisk told the Toronto Star. "She missed Halloween last year because of the bylaw."
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Mr Sisk brought the issue up with the mayor, Paolo Fongemie, who discussed it during October's council meeting in the presence of media.
Over the next week, dozens of news outlets reported on the Halloween-ruining bylaw, and Mr Fongemie's phone has been ringing off the hook.
"It's divided a little bit our community right now," Mr Fongemie, who was elected early this spring, told the BBC.
Some say the laws were enacted to prevent common hooliganism, but others, including the mayor, say it also kills joy.
Deputy Mayor Lee Stever told the Canadian Press that he believes the law was enacted because some senior citizens had complained about older kids bothering them late at night.
"I've noticed that after 7 pm, most kids are off the street so I think most people are aware of it," Mr Stever said. "So, I'm not in favour of changing it."
Mr Fongemie says he was initially "surprised" to find out they even had such a bylaw, and can't remember the last time it was enforced.
"I think we can achieve the same goal in order to have public safety and still have kids have fun," he said.
Mr Fongemie said the town of 12,000 has one of the oldest populations in the province of New Brunswick, with an average age of 50, and all this publicity isn't helping them attract a younger demographic.
"I'm not sure with the reaction it's getting, we're achieving that goal," he said.
Mr Fongemie said it is too late to do anything about the bylaw this year, but he hopes council will agree to amend it for 2017.
"I think it's more of a type of a guideline, a community thing, and I think it allows an opportunity for the community to say 'look this is how we want to celebrate Halloween,'" he said. | If you're old enough to see Blair Witch in theatres this Halloween, you are too old for trick-or-treating in one Canadian town. |
The Toffees have rejected at least one £20m bid from Chelsea for 21-year-old England international Stones, with United also thought to be interested.
"If he goes to Chelsea, he's not playing every week," said Ferdinand.
"If you tell any young footballer to leave a club to sit on the bench, you've got to be a lunatic."
Since joining Everton from Barnsley in 2013, Stones has made 44 Premier League appearances and earned four England caps.
Toffees boss Roberto Martinez has said he is determined to keep hold of the centre-half.
Ferdinand added: "He's at that stage of his development where he wants to play every week.
"If he goes to Manchester United, he plays every week so that's the right club for him."
Ferdinand, who played 453 times for United, believes Old Trafford boss Louis van Gaal needs defensive improvements.
United have Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Jonny Evans, Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett as central-defensive options, while Daley Blind also played there during pre-season.
"I don't think Van Gaal knows his best defence - that's a problem in itself," said 36-year-old Ferdinand, who retired at the end of last season.
"Part of the reason he doesn't know it is because he hasn't had a chance to watch them all play over a long time - consistently for 12 or 15 games.
"If you don't get that familiarity between you as defenders, it's difficult to build foundations." | Everton defender John Stones should join Manchester United instead of Chelsea, according to former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand. |
Concerns had been raised over readiness of the two countries to co-host the competition amid threats of fan violence and racism.
But in a BBC Sport interview, Pohorecki said Euro 2012 had been a big success.
"We feel pride because a lot of people didn't really believe we could make it and we did," said Pohorecki.
Host nation: France
How many nations? 24 countries for the first time, up from 16 in 2012, playing 51 matches over one month
Clashes between rival Russian and and Polish football fans in the Polish capital Warsaw marred a Euro 2012 tie between the two teams on 12 June.
But while admitting lessons had been learned, Pohorecki played down both that incident and also isolated cases of racial abuse from supporters.
"From all the specific reports I have, there is always something you can do a little bit better for the next tournament," added Pohorecki.
"And the next tournament is in France so we will pass our knowledge on to them."
He added he had been "surprised" by the BBC Panorama programme days before the tournament which asked whether Uefa should have chosen Poland and Ukraine to co-host the event after revealing evidence of racist violence at football matches in both countries.
"I was surprised by it [Panorama] because in every country you can make this kind of programme," insisted Pohorecki.
"You can make it in England, you can make it in the Netherlands... this kind of message I think you can make in any country.
"At this kind of event, the size of the event, by definition and statistics there will always bring issues.
"But if you have riots in Warsaw and then after you have a report from the medical side which shows six people in hospital... six people in hospital is a normal day.
"A regular wedding in Poland is usually six people in hospital! So everything is about how you want to show it."
Pohorecki backed Uefa president Michel Platini, who said the 2020 European Championship could be spread across various cities in Europe, rather than having a single host.
"Why not? Is it a crazy idea? We will see," he said.
"Never say anything is impossible because everything is possible." | Euro 2012 executive director Krzystof Pohorecki says Poland and Ukraine have proved the doubters wrong by hosting a successful tournament. |
Kevin Hurley said the force had the highest rate of officers leaving in England.
He wants the introduction of a "Surrey weighting", where police are paid more than the national rate.
The Home Office said it would consider any recommendations made by the Police Remuneration Review Body.
Speaking to BBC Surrey, Mr Hurley said: "We need to recruit 140 people this year and we've manage to recruit 32.
"Additionally, our unplanned attrition has been 72 - it's therefore absolutely clear we are losing people quicker than we can recruit them.
"All emergency services... are paid on national rates, but the cost of living is very different to Lincolnshire."
There are currently 1,889 police officers in the force and 1,917 members of staff.
Mr Hurley added: "You've got absolutely no chance whatsoever of buying a house in the county on police officers' pay."
A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary will receive the first report of the Police Remuneration Review Body later this month and she will consider any recommendations it makes, including on regional pay.
"Surrey Police officers can already be paid an extra £2,000 per year, at the discretion of the chief constable, as a south east allowance." | Surrey Police has lost experienced officers because the area is too expensive, the county's police and crime commissioner has said. |
The paper says Russia's "independent domestic and foreign policy" has triggered a "counter-action" from the US and its allies.
It accuses these countries of striving to dominate global affairs.
The conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2014, has led to a sharp deterioration between Russia and the West.
The updated National Security Strategy signed by President Putin on Thursday is the latest in a series that are critical of Nato.
In 2014 Russia announced it was altering its military doctrine to take account of the Ukraine crisis and Nato's presence in eastern Europe.
Kremlin adviser Mikhail Popov said at the time that Nato's enlargement in recent years meant the alliance was getting closer to [Russian] borders and presented an "external threat" to his country.
Albania and Croatia joined Nato in 2009. In 2011, the alliance recognised four aspiring members - Bosnia, Georgia, Macedonia, and Montenegro.
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Russia's National Security Strategy is updated every six years.
The new version says Russia is strengthening its military "on the background of new threats to national security that have a complicated and interlinked character".
The paper says Nato's recent build-up of military potential around Russia's borders constitute "violations of norms of international law".
The BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent Bridget Kendall says that Mr Putin is determined through his interventions in Syria and Ukraine to wield his country's military clout, so that the world in general and the United States in particular realise that Russia is an equal partner whose interests must be accommodated.
Our correspondent says Mr Putin wants the West to acknowledge Russia's right to treat its post-Soviet neighbours as part of its sphere of influence, free from links to Nato or any other Western-dominated alliance.
He is on the lookout for levers to weaken Europe's ties with the US, our correspondent says, in the hope of one day turning Russia into Europe's main strategic partner. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an updated national security paper describing Nato's expansion as a threat to the country. |
It takes place every two years in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, with the stated aim of promoting African cinema.
The event is loosely modelled on the Cannes Film festival. Like Cannes, it:
This year's edition has been going on since last Saturday and is wrapping up this weekend. Here, are six things you need to know about the festival.
Fespaco received almost 1,000 submissions for 2017, far more than previous years.
The festival used to be very select with regard to which type of production is acceptable and who could compete.
Films shot on budget-intensive celluloid were the standard and the official selection was open only to continental African directors.
The restriction was lifted a year ago. So now, digital films and films from directors from the African diaspora qualify for consideration in all categories.
The large number of entries meant submissions were put through a sift, and ultimately 150 films were retained by the organisers.
But many directors are in Ouagadougou to promote work which does not feature in the official strands - so a total of 200 films are being screened during the festival.
No picture at Fespaco 2017 seems to be making as much a splash on the festival enthusiasts as The African Storm, a film by Beninese director Sylvestre Amoussou.
It features among the 20 films which are up for the top award - the Golden Stallion of Yennega, a trophy with a cash prize of 20,000,000 CFA francs ($32,000; £26,000).
The film tells the story of an African president who nationalises businesses run by racist, cynical Western executives.
"It's not an anti-European film, but a film against the governments of states that exploit us," Amoussou told the AFP news agency.
The subject matter of The African Storm is rarely tackled by African productions which are usually funded by Western donors under criteria that favour themes on a "miserable Africa", Amoussou says.
With the unusually provocative message it conveys, the movie seems to connect so well with its Fespaco audience.
Its screening on Wednesday was punctuated by applause and shouts of approval.
When Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Guerima won the Golden Stallion of Yennega, Fespaco's top award, in 2009, he did not show up to collect the trophy in person.
Guerima had vowed he would not set foot in Burkina Faso for as long as President Blaise Compaore was in power.
Guerima's boycott was because he believed Mr Compaore killed Thomas Sankara in 1987 to grab power. Mr Compaore, who was ousted in 2014 by a popular uprising, denies the allegation.
Now Guerima might have more than one reason to set foot back in Burkina Faso for Fespaco. Not only is Mr Compaore no longer in power; but also a prize has now been created in honour of Thomas Sankara.
Praised by supporters for his integrity and selflessness, the military captain and anti-imperialist revolutionary, often nicknamed Africa's Che Guevara, led Burkina Faso for four years from 1983.
Be it through the red beret worn by firebrand South African politician Julius Malema, or the household brooms being wielded at street demonstrations in Burkina Faso, there are signs that Sankara's legacy is enjoying a revival.
The prize in his name has been created to promote that legacy.
Contenders to the award are not required to tackle a "revolutionary" theme - the winning production is picked for its artistic merit.
'Africa's Che Guevara': Thomas Sankara's legacy
Discover more about Burkina Faso
Security has always been stepped up in Ouagadougou during Fespaco, but none of the previous festivals has ever taken place under such heavy security.
Armed soldiers have been positioned at screening venues and crowded places to prevent the festival coming under assault.
Burkina Faso has been rocked by a series of attacks by Islamist militants over the last two years, with the deadliest so far killing 30 people in January 2016.
And as the festival was getting underway earlier this week, two police posts came under attack.
The attack prompted organisers to reassure the public over security.
"I call on all festival-goers to remain calm because security forces are doing their best to assure maximum security,'' said Marcel Pare, head of security for Fespaco 2017.
Every year, an African country is designated as "guest of honour" - this year, it is Burkina Faso's neighbour Ivory Coast.
Political tensions have been running high between Ouagadougou and Abidjan since former President Compaore fled into exile in Ivory Coast after he was ousted in 2014.
Honouring Ivory Coast through Fespaco is seen as one of many ways for officials in Burkina to reduce the tensions.
Ivory Coast responded in style, with two Ivorian productions featuring in the festival's main competition.
But that is not all: Ivory Coast provided its mega reggae star - Alpha Blondy - as the lead act for the lavish performances which marked the opening ceremony of Fespaco 2017 last Saturday.
Next to Fespaco's main building is an enormous structure which should have been the festival's major hub this year.
If the plan had been on-course, most films at the Fespaco would have been screened from purpose-built rooms within the structure.
Visitors could have gone to an African cinema museum inside the same building - in short, a lot was expected from it.
But there is a problem with "La Salle Polyvalente" - Fespaco's long awaited and delayed multi-function complex.
After it took many years to complete with delays blamed on mysterious accidents happening on the construction site, it later caught fire and work to restore it was not completed in time for this year's edition.
That started a rumour which has it that the building is haunted.
La Salle Polyvalente was reportedly built on a sacred plot of land and the unhappy local residents would not let any use be made of the building.
Officially, that explanation is rubbished.
"A myth has been created," Baba Hama the longest serving director of Fespaco told AFP.
"Haunted? And how could I still be alive? Traditional authorities granted permission. Ceremonies of exorcism took place.
"The sacred wood had been spared through a careful delimitation. Plus in Africa, there is always an antidote for calming the spirits."
No matter how much officials try to put the rumours to rest, there is always a tale in Ouagadougou about some angry ancestors frowning upon the defiling art of the cinema and who would not let La Salle Polyvalente be put to its intended use. | From a timid start in 1969, the Pan-African film and television festival (Fespaco) has today grown into the leading cultural event in Africa. |
Its ruling royals, led by the head of state Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, possess a huge private fortune and its largely ethnic-Malay population enjoy generous state handouts and pay no taxes.
A British protectorate since 1888, Brunei was the only Malay state in 1963 which chose to remain so rather than join the federation that became Malaysia. Full independence came relatively late in 1984.
Despite a significant non-Muslim minority presence in the country and strong condemnation from international rights group, in 2014 Brunei became the first East Asian country to adopt strict Islamic sharia law which allows punishment such as stoning for adultery and amputation for theft.
Population 413,000
Area 5,765 sq km (2,226 sq miles)
Major languages Malay, English, Chinese
Ethnicity 65% ethnic Malay, 10% Chinese
Religious make-up 78% Muslim, 8% Christian, 7% Buddhist
Life expectancy 76 years (men), 81 years (women)
The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is one of the world's longest-reigning and few remaining absolute monarchs. He was crowned in August 1968 following the abdication of his father, Sir Haji Omar Ali Saifuddin.
Upon Brunei's independence in 1984, he appointed himself prime minister and in 1991, introduced an ideology called Malay Muslim Monarchy, which presented the monarch as the defender of the faith.
He is one of the world's richest individuals and in a country where the standard of living is high, appears to enjoy genuine popularity amongst his subjects. More recently however, he has faced criticism over the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the country.
Brunei's media are neither diverse nor free. The private press is either owned or controlled by the royal family. Media are subject to self-censorship on political and religious matters and a press law provides prison terms of up to three years for reporting "false news". Access to the internet is said to be unrestricted.
Some key dates in Brunei's history:
15th century - Islamic sultanate of Brunei nominally in control of Borneo, including Sabah and Sarawak state of Malaysia, and some parts of the Sulu islands in the Philippines.
1888 - Brunei becomes a British protectorate.
1963 - Brunei chooses to remain a British dependency rather than join the Federation of Malaysia.
1967 - Hassanal Bolkiah becomes sultan following the abdication of his father, Sultan Omar.
1984 - Brunei becomes independent.
2014 - Brunei becomes the first East Asian country to adopt Islamic sharia law despite widespread international condemnation. | The tiny state of Brunei has one of the world's highest standards of living thanks to its bountiful oil and gas reserves. |
The 2014 season gets under way on 23 March when Durham face an MCC XI in Abu Dhabi in the four-day curtain-raiser.
They will then have to wait until 13 April for their first Championship game as they are not involved in the opening round of matches, beginning on 6 April.
The NatWest T20 Blast starts on 16 May with holders Northants at Yorkshire and the Royal London One-Day Cup in July.
Division One
Notts v Lancashire
Sussex v Middlesex
Division Two
Hampshire v Worcestershire
Leicestershire v Derbyshire
Surrey v Glamorgan
The new 50-over competition, which begins on 26 July, replaces the YB40, which ended this summer when Nottinghamshire defeated Glamorgan by 87 runs at Lord's.
The County Championship will start four days earlier than in 2013, but will only finish one day earlier, with the final round of matches beginning on 23 September.
Major changes for the new season will see the majority of Championship fixtures beginning on Sundays, instead of Wednesdays, and teams earning five points for a draw instead of three.
The England and Wales Cricket Board says the points change will "provide greater reward for hard-fought draws and matches where bad weather has affected the outcome".
The highlight of the opening round of Championship fixtures will see Lancashire - this summer's Division Two champions - returning to the top flight with a game against Notts, who have signed Australia pace bowler Peter Siddle as their overseas player for 2014, at Trent Bridge.
Sussex v Middlesex is the only other Division One fixture scheduled for 6 April, but there are three games in the second tier.
Both of this summer's relegated sides will be among those in action.
Surrey, who will be hoping skipper Graeme Smith stays injury-free after missing most of the 2013 season after undergoing ankle surgery, are at home to Glamorgan at The Oval while Derbyshire make the short trip south to play Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Durham join the fray at Northampton a week later, with skipper Paul Collingwood beginning what may be his final season in county cricket before pursuing a career in coaching, and will follow that with home fixtures against Somerset and 2013 runners-up Yorkshire, starting on 20 April and 7 May.
With Lancashire back in Division One, next summer will see the first Roses clashes in the Championship since 2011.
Yorkshire will stage the fixture that begins on Sunday 25 May at Headingley, with the re-match taking place at Old Trafford from 31 August.
Both limited overs competitions have undergone format changes, with new sponsors and only two groups of nine teams, instead of three as in previous years.
The T20 Blast will spread out over a period of more than two months, with the final round of group games on Friday 25 July, with the quarter-finals taking place from 1-3 August.
Edgbaston will play host to finals day for the sixth time on Saturday 23 August, six days later than this summer.
Scotland, Unicorns and the Netherlands will not be involved in the One-Day Cup, their involvement in the county game having come to an end with the demise of the 40-over competition.
The final at Lord's will take place on 20 September and, as in 2013, will come before the final round of Championship fixtures in which Durham will travel to 2012 champions Warwickshire.
Derbyshire
Durham
Essex
Glamorgan
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Lancashire
Leicestershire
Kent
Middlesex
Northants
Nottinghamshire
Somerset
Surrey
Sussex
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
Yorkshire
Group A: Leicestershire, Northants, Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Hampshire.
Group B: Surrey, Somerset, Kent, Sussex, Glamorgan, Durham, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire.
North: Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire), Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Northants.
South: Kent, Essex, Sussex, Hampshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Glamorgan. | County champions Durham will travel to promoted Northants for the first game in defence of their title. |
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Federer, 35, will become the oldest champion at SW19 since the Open era began in 1968 if he overcomes 28-year-old Croat Cilic on Centre Court.
The Swiss superstar is looking to secure a 19th Grand Slam title against a man who has just one - the 2014 US Open - to his name.
But will it be as straightforward as many expect? Four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist and former British number one Tim Henman tells BBC Sport why Cilic could spring a surprise.
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Cilic led Federer by two sets to love and had three match points in the fourth set of their Wimbledon quarter-final last year, before Federer triumphed in five sets. Federer has won six of their seven meetings since 2008.
Henman: Federer is the favourite but Cilic definitely has a chance. To put it into context, I would say if they played 10 times I think Cilic could win twice - well, maybe two and a half times.
He came very close to beating Federer here last year - and he should have won that match.
Cilic did beat him at the US Open, on his way to winning that title in 2014, and I think it is also in his favour that he has been in a Grand Slam final before.
If it was his first Slam final I think that would be an even bigger occasion for him to deal with mentally.
Yes, it is his first final at Wimbledon, and Roger has been there 10 times before, but Cilic has plenty of experience. He will know the crowd will be behind Federer but that won't worry him, and he is a very dangerous player.
Henman: I don't think fatigue will make a difference here. When you take into account that it is the final and the adrenalin rush that Cilic will get from being in such a huge match, I don't see him being tired.
I think who wins is going to boil down more to who is going really dominate with their serve and attacking baseline play.
If Cilic is going to have a chance, I think that is where he really needs to be super-aggressive from the back of the court and try to take Federer's time away to stop him dictating points.
Henman: Serve is such an important factor in Federer's game.
He has only been broken four times in 79 service games at the tournament so far and, when you are holding serve so comfortably, that is such a great platform to free you up to be more aggressive in your return games.
Cilic has done well returning serve on his way to the final - has won more break points than any other man at Wimbledon this year - 26.
The challenge for him on Sunday is to find a way of adding to that total against someone as good as Federer.
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We have not seen Federer's serve under pressure very often at this tournament, but he showed in his semi-final against Tomas Berdych how he can respond when it does happen.
He faced break points at 15-40 at 3-3 in the third set but responded with a series of aces that saw him hold. Less than 15 minutes later, he was through.
Henman: Cilic is a tall guy with long arms and a very big reach so he is able to get a lot of serves back in play, and be aggressive about it too - particularly against second serves.
He has to do that against Federer, every time he gets a look at a second serve.
It will be harder for him to do that on Sunday than in any of his six matches here so far, because Federer has got a great second serve too, but Cilic has to attack him whenever he gets the chance.
Henman: Cilic's serve is one of his main weapons and following it into the net sometimes would give Federer something different to deal with.
Federer is very good at blocking the ball back but, if you are serving big, then you know a lot of the time that is all he is going to do.
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I was amazed at one of the statistics I saw about Berdych after he had been beaten by Federer - the Czech had served 394 first serves at the tournament and had only come to the net 11 times after it.
That is staggering when you have got as much power as he does, and I definitely think that if Cilic can serve and volley once a game just to keep Federer guessing, it could be an important tactic.
Federer is playing in his 11th Wimbledon final, 14 years after his first. He was last at this stage in 2015, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. Before winning the 2017 Australian Open in January, he had not won a Grand Slam since his last Wimbledon triumph in 2012.
If Federer does win Wimbledon for an eighth time, it is a massive achievement in the same realms as Rafael Nadal winning his 10th French Open title last month.
When you think that, when Federer turned 35 last August, he was injured and did not play again for the rest of the year, it did not look like he would be adding to his 17 Slams.
He came back to win the Australian Open and if he was to win Wimbledon on Sunday then he will have won both the Slams he has played this year. I don't think anyone saw that coming.
But I don't get surprised by what Roger does anymore - I've said that enough times down the years, that I've given up being surprised by him. I am just amazed.
What he and Nadal have done this year has turned the clock back five years in the men's game, and they continue to be incredible to watch. | Roger Federer will try to win the Wimbledon men's title for a record eighth time when he plays Marin Cilic in Sunday's final. |
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said women taking some medicines, and remedies containing St John's Wort are affected.
These women should take a double dose of the contraceptive pill, it said.
An information sheet gives more advice.
Levonorgestrel is a hormonal type of emergency contraception which can be used within three days of unprotected sex to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
But scientists have discovered that certain ingredients in other medicines significantly reduce the effectiveness of the levonorgestrel pill.
The MHRA said it was important that women tell their doctor, nurse or pharmacist if they are currently taking medicines to treat any of the following conditions. or have used one in the last four weeks:
It said women affected by the clash of ingredients in their medicines could either use another type of emergency contraception - such as a coil - or take a double dose of the emergency contraceptive pill containing levonorgestrel.
Pharmacists will give these women two packs which should be taken together at the same time.
The MHRA has produced a new information sheet advising women what they need to do to make sure they get effective emergency contraception.
St John's Wort is a plant with yellow flowers which is also used as a herbal remedy to relieve low mood and mild anxiety.
The flowering plant grows mainly in Europe, Asia and North America.
The name is thought to have come from its bright yellow flowers that bloom in time for St John's Day in June.
St John's Wort tablets, which are made from the plant, contain hypericin which is used to treat depression, and hyperforin which has antibiotic properties.
Dr Sarah Branch, deputy director of MHRA's Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division, said: "Our new patient information sheet provides information on what types of medicines could interfere with how the emergency contraceptive works.
"It tells women what steps they need to take to ensure they receive the correct dose."
She added: "The earlier that emergency contraception is taken after unprotected intercourse, the better it works." | Women taking an emergency contraceptive pill containing levonorgestrel are being advised to check the ingredients of other medicines they are taking because they could stop the pill working. |
A High Court judge in London ruled in favour of Anastasia Goncharova, a 24-year-old King's College graduate, who says she is Bendukidze's daughter.
Bendukidze's widow Natalia Zolotova argued against sending the samples. Ms Goncharova might prove to be the heir.
Bendukidze died in London in November.
Aged 58, he had had heart surgery in Zurich a week earlier.
The tissue samples are being kept under lock and key at Imperial College, London, on the order of a British coroner.
But Judge Thirlwall said that if some samples were not released and sent to Moscow for testing there would be a risk of "grave injustice".
"The results of the testing are overwhelmingly likely to determine paternity. There is no good reason to delay this fundamental step any further," said Mrs Justice Thirlwall on Wednesday.
"The Russian court has ordered that the testing take place now. Further delay will achieve nothing."
Ms Goncharova is embroiled in court cases against the tycoon's widow and his sister Nunu in Russia and Georgia. They both dispute her claim to be his daughter.
Ms Zolotova, who writes for Russian Vogue, said she knew nothing about Ms Goncharova until the latter turned up at Bendukidze's funeral.
The tycoon is reported to have had enormous wealth in Russia. He trained as a biologist and made his fortune in heavy industry in Russia in the 1990s.
In 2004-2008 he oversaw economic reforms in Georgia under former President Mikheil Saakashvili. He also engaged in philanthropy, supporting the Free University of Tbilisi and Agricultural University of Georgia.
Ms Zolotova stood to inherit his riches as his widow until Ms Goncharova contested the claim.
If it were proven that Ms Goncharova was Bendukidze's daughter then she would inherit his fortune, but Ms Zolotova might still be able to stake a claim under Georgian law. | Tissue samples from the body of a billionaire Georgian tycoon, Kakha Bendukidze, will be sent from London to Moscow for DNA tests amid a court battle over his fortune. |
The Conservative peer, now chairman of the In Campaign, said the UK was "stronger in Europe" and to leave the EU would be a "leap into the unknown".
It comes after a group of Conservative, Labour and UKIP MPs launched a campaign to take the UK out of the EU on Friday.
David Cameron has promised a referendum on the issue by the end of 2017.
The prime minister held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Chequers on Friday, in which he stressed he wanted to "secure reforms and then keep the United Kingdom in a reformed EU".
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Cameron had noted the talks were "progressing well" but there was still "much to be worked through in order to find a solution".
Lord Rose's appointment comes as a review of the "costs and benefits" of the UK's membership of the EU, to be conducted by the Treasury Select Committee, was announced.
Stuart Rose and M&S: A 'beautiful friendship'
The In Campaign - which officially launches its bid on Monday - said Lord Rose would take up the position with immediate effect.
Lord Rose said leaving the EU "risked" Britain's prosperity.
"The choice in the coming referendum is between remaining stronger, safer and better off inside Europe, or taking a leap into the unknown, risking our prosperity, threatening our safety, and diminishing our influence in the world," he said.
BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said the language used by Lord Rose was reminiscent of the successful Better Together campaign during last year's referendum on Scottish independence.
The campaign could play on "the fear factor" of the UK leaving the EU, said our correspondent, adding: "He [Lord Rose] talks about a 'hard-headed practical decision', the UK being 'safer and stronger'.
"But also he talks about 'a leap into the unknown', and I think that is something that is similar to the message that came from the 'No' campaign."
A guide to the EU referendum
In or out? The arguments for and against
What do big businesses say on the issue?
EU referendum: What will happen when?
What Britain wants from Europe
Will Straw, executive director of the In Campaign, said Lord Rose brought "unparalleled experience of business and enterprise".
"He knows the value that Britain's membership of the EU brings to businesses right across the UK, and what would be at risk if we left," he said.
Vote Leave, made up of Conservative, Labour and UKIP MPs and donors, launched its campaign on Friday.
Supporters of the campaign, which says it wants to negotiate a new deal based on free trade and friendly co-operation, include Labour's Kate Hoey and UKIP's Douglas Carswell.
It is competing with a rival group - the UKIP-backed Leave.EU - to be the official campaign to leave the EU.
The Electoral Commission has yet to designate the official campaigns on either side of the EU debate.
The chosen groups will benefit from increased spending limits of £7m during the campaign period, campaign broadcasts, and a free mailout to households.
They all get access to public meeting rooms and to the electoral register, and are entitled to public grants of up to £600,000.
The Electoral Commission has recommended voters in the election are asked whether the UK should "remain in" or "leave" the EU, rather than being asked to answer a "yes or no" question.
The government has tabled an amendment to the bill. | Lord Rose, former chief executive of Marks and Spencer, is to lead a cross-party campaign for the UK to stay in the European Union. |
The drugs were found on luxury yacht Makayabella after it was stopped off the coast of Ireland in September.
David Webster, 44, Philip McElhone, 29, and Dawne Powell, 56, all from West Yorkshire, have been charged with conspiracy to import cocaine.
All three will appear at Leeds Crown Court on 8 April.
Mr Webster, of Rillmead, Otley, Mr McElhone, of Freemantle Place, Halton Moor, in Leeds, and Mrs Powell were remanded in custody following a hearing at Wakefield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Mrs Powell, of Netherfield Road, Guiseley, is also charged with money-laundering.
It is believed the drugs, which came from Venezuela, would have had a street value in excess of £150m.
The Makayabella was intercepted by Irish authorities while investigators also seized a 25ft (7.6m) motor boat called Sea Breeze, moored in Pwllheli, north Wales.
Three men are awaiting trial in Ireland in connection with the seizure. | Three people have been charged in connection with a plot to smuggle cocaine with an estimated street value of £150m into the UK. |
An explosion was reported at the Cheesecake Factory at about 18:00 local time on Thursday, according to police.
Diners were safely evacuated and no one was injured in the reported blast.
The man tossed a "homemade pyrotechnic device" containing gunpowder inside the restaurant before fleeing, a police official said.
Garrett Gunkle, who was sitting with his wife at the bar, told KNBC-TV there was chaos as customers ran for the exits in the Los Angeles suburb.
"People were jumping over one another, fighting to get over bar stools," he said. "It was very chaotic."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad joined Pasadena Police Department at the scene.
Police Lt Mark Goodman said the device was not a pipe bomb or a Molotov cocktail, and no shrapnel or projectiles were ejected.
Investigators say the suspect was described as Latino or Middle Eastern, about 6ft tall (1.82 metres), with a heavy beard and wearing all-black clothing.
No getaway car was seen.
A motive for the incident was unclear.
"It could be a dissatisfied customer, a disgruntled employee," Lt Goodman added.
Federal authorities were alerted to the incident, police told KABC-TV, but local authorities are handling the investigation. | Authorities are searching for a suspect who hurled a homemade incendiary device into a crowded restaurant in Pasadena, California. |
At its height, 45 firefighters tackled the incident at Siteserv, Llandow Industrial Estate, near Cowbridge, which started on Tuesday at 19:20 GMT.
Now, crews are removing refuse and continuing to damp down the site, said South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
It is thought they could remain at the scene for about a week.
Siteserv, which employs around 200 people, was set up more than 16 years ago by brothers Nigel and Philip England.
Earlier this week the company said it was working with investigators to help identify the cause of the fire.
The fire involved about 1,000 tonnes of mixed household waste.
Crews using two fire engines and a specialist aerial ladder are working at the site. | Firefighters remain at the scene of a Vale of Glamorgan recycling plant four days after it was devastated by a large blaze. |
Carlsen sealed victory following three weeks of play and a series of tiebreakers in New York.
Karjakin tied against Carlsen in 12 regular rounds but was beaten in the final phase of four quickfire games.
Organisers said the event was followed by about six million chess fans around the world.
Hundreds of spectators paid between $100 and $500 to watch the games at a former fish market in Manhattan, separated from the two grandmasters by soundproof glass.
After his victory, Carlsen's supporters greeted him by cheering and singing "Happy Birthday", to mark his 26th birthday.
The boy who conquered the chess world
The prize of $1.1m (£879,000) is divided between the two players with the winner taking 60%.
Chess reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, when the game was overshadowed by Cold War rivalry.
In 1972, the victory of American Bobby Fischer over Russian defender Boris Spassky at the World Chess Championship in Iceland was dubbed the "match of the century".
Commentators mentioned current geopolitical tensions in connection with this year's match when Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Russian president of the World Chess Federation, was accused by the US of collaborating with the Syrian government and barred from travelling to New York. | Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the World Chess Championship for the third consecutive time after defeating challenger Sergey Karjakin of Russia. |
The midfielder fired in off the bar midway through the second half moments after Rob Hall hit the Millwall post.
Earlier, Millwall's Lee Gregory saw a penalty appeal turned down and Angel Martinez volleyed wide from six yards before the break.
The Lions have one win in eight and sit 20th, six places and three points behind Bolton.
Wanderers' latest win included a fourth-straight clean sheet and maintained their impressive run of form since Neil Lennon became manager on 12 October.
Since then, they have jumped from bottom spot in the table to 14th with just two defeats in 11 games.
At The Den, their victory was richly deserved as though Millwall rallied late on, the Trotters managed 14 shots to their hosts' eight.
Eidur Gudjohnsen was handed a first start for Bolton since 2000 after agreeing a return until the end of the season.
His team-mates Pratley and Tim Ream worked home goalkeeper David Forde in the early exchanges, either side of a glorious opening for Gregory, who shot wide of the Bolton goal after collecting a long ball.
Magaye Gueye fed Andy Wilkinson to deliver accurately for Martinez to miss the target with his volley before the break, but it was moments after the restart when the game's contentious moment arrived.
Again it was Gregory - the matchwinner in Millwall's 1-0 win at Brighton last week - who tested the visiting defence and he appeared to be pulled down by Bolton goalkeeper Andy Lonergan but referee Stuart Attwell waved away appeals.
If given, the penalty would likely have seen the keeper sent off but his side capitalised when Pratley raced on to Chung-Yong Lee's pass to steady himself and fire a second goal of the season.
Lonergan denied Martyn Woolford with a smart save in the closing stages as Bolton held on for a second away win of the season. | Bolton extended their unbeaten run to seven games with Darren Pratley's second-half winner at Millwall. |
Gydol brynhawn Sul mae Theresa May wedi bod yn rhoi trefn ar ei chabinet newydd.
Wrth ymateb i'r newyddion dywedodd Alun Cairns: "Rwyf wrth fy modd fy mod wedi cael fy ailbenodi i fod yn Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru ac rwy'n barod am y dyletswyddau.
"Byddaf yn parhau i weithio yn agos ac yn adeiladol gyda busensau, awdurdodau lleol, cymunedau a Llywodraeth Cymru er mwyn sicrhau y canlyniadau gorau i bobol Cymru."
Yn syth wedi canlyniad yr etholiad cyffredinol ddydd Gwener roedd Mrs May wedi cadarnhau bod y Canghellor, yr Ysgrifennydd Cartref, yr Ysgrifennydd Tramor, yr Ysgrifennydd dros adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd a'r Ysgrifennydd Amddiffyn yn aros yn eu swyddi.
Ddydd Sul cafodd Damian Green, a gafodd ei eni yn Y Barri, ei benodi yn Brif Ysgrifennydd Gwladol a Greg Clark yn Ysgrifennydd Busnes.
Wrth iddi ddewis ei chabinet, y gred yw bod Mrs May o dan bwysau i ddewis aelodau a fydd yn uno'r blaid ac yn adfer ei hawdurdod hi fel Prif Weinidog wedi canlyniad siomedig.
Llwyddodd Ysgrifennydd Cymru, Alun Cairns a'r gweinidog, Guto Bebb i gadw eu seddi ym Mro Morgannwg ac Aberconwy.
Hefyd llwyddodd Gwenidog Brexit, David Jones i gadw Gorllewin Clwyd.
Mae'r canlyniadau ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig yn golygu mai senedd grog fydd y senedd nesaf, a'r Ceidwadwyr yw'r blaid fwyaf.
Ddydd Gwener dywedodd Theresa May y byddai'n ceisio ffurfio llywodraeth leiafrifol gyda chefnogaeth y DUP o Ogledd Iwerddon.
Eisoes mae Mrs May wedi wynebu galwadau i ymddiswyddo.
Yn ôl Anna Soubry, aelod seneddol Broxtowe, fe ddylai Mrs May ystyried ei sefyllfa wedi iddi arwain ymgyrch "drychinebus".
Mae ASau eraill, yn eu plith Iain Duncan Smith, wedi annog Mrs May i aros gan ddweud y byddai brwydr am yr arweinyddiaeth yn "drychineb".
Ddydd Sul ar raglen Dewi Llwyd dywedodd Guto Bebb bod angen cyfnod o sefydlogwydd nawr a chyfle i Theresa May ddangos arweiniad.
Yng Nghymru fe gollodd y Ceidwadwyr dair sedd i Lafur er iddynt obeithio gipio seddi.
Wrth gael ei holi gan y BBC ddydd Gwener dywedodd David Jones, ymgyrchydd Brexit a chyn ysgrifennydd Cymru mai Mrs May yw'r "arweinydd gorau sydd gan y Torïaid ar hyn o bryd". | Dridiau wedi'r etholiad cyffredinol mae'r prif weinidog Theresa May wedi cadarnhau bod Alun Cairns yn cadw ei swydd fel Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru. |
The emergency services were called to the scene on Vinicombe Street, just off Byres Road, at about 13:55.
A police spokeswoman said two men had been taken to hospital and another was treated at the scene. Their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
Building inspectors and the Health and Safety Executive have been informed. | Three workmen have been injured after a wall collapsed in the west end of Glasgow. |
The actor and comedian previously hosted the 77th annual Academy Awards in 2005, when the reception to his opening monologue and some controversial jokes was mixed.
"I'm so glad to be hosting the Oscars," Rock said. "It's great to be back."
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday 28 February, 2016.
Last year's ceremony, hosted by television and Broadway star Neil Patrick Harris, had the lowest Oscar ratings for six years, and were down 16% on the previous year, when Ellen DeGeneres had been at the helm.
"Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry," said Hill and Hudlin. "Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian - he's done it all. He's going to be a phenomenal Oscar host. "
"We share David and Reggie's excitement in welcoming Chris, whose comedic voice has really defined a generation," said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. "He is certain to bring his amazing array of talents to this year's show."
In 2005 - the year that Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby won best picture - Rock received a standing ovation before uttering a word and began by ordering the assembled A-listers to "sit your asses down".
But as the LA Times recalls, Rock's performance was met with a range of reactions. USA Today described him "one of the worst hosts ever" while critic Roger Ebert praised a "home run" opening monologue that was "not shy of controversy".
Rock's recent film roles include I Think I Love My Wife, Head of State, Death at a Funeral and and the first three films in the blockbuster Madagascar series, as the voice of Marty.
In 2009 he wrote, produced and presented the documentary Good Hair.
On TV, he created the series Everybody Hates Chris, which ran from 2005 to 2009. He most recently directed the TV comedy special Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo, which premiered this month on HBO. | Chris Rock is returning to host next year's Oscars ceremony, its producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin have announced. |
Thousands of angry protesters demanding her removal are outside the National Assembly's main gate.
Ms Park is embroiled in a political scandal that has sparked many protests.
At the heart of this scandal is the relationship between Ms Park and a confidante, Choi Soon-sil, accused of using connections to gain influence.
Prosecutors say Ms Park had a "considerable" role in the alleged corruption, which she has denied.
She has also resisted calls to step down, insisting that she would leave the decision up to parliament.
South Korea's parliament introduced the impeachment motion on Thursday, which will go through if at least two thirds of the assembly vote in favour of it - something which observers say is likely.
The assembly is dominated by opposition parties and independents who want her dismissed - but they need at least 28 more votes from Ms Park's Saenuri party for the impeachment.
Reports say there may be enough Saenuri dissenters who would vote for it. Ms Park said this week that she would accept the vote's outcome.
If parliament votes for impeachment, Ms Park would not be immediately removed. She would only be suspended from office, with the prime minister taking over her duties.
The decision would still need final approval from the nine-judge constitutional court, which would have six months to deliberate.
If it upheld the decision, only then would Ms Park be dismissed. She would become the first sitting South Korean president to be deposed in the country's democratic era.
At the heart of the scandal is Ms Park's links to Ms Choi, who has already been charged with coercion and abuse of power.
Ms Choi is accused of using her links with Ms Park to pressure some of the country's biggest corporations into donating to two foundations controlled by Ms Choi, who allegedly siphoned off funds for her personal use.
On Tuesday the corporations' leaders were grilled by MPs in a rare parliamentary enquiry on whether they made the donations in exchange for political favours.
Ms Park has also come under fire for allowing Ms Choi inappropriate access to government decisions, something which she has repeatedly apologised for.
The scandal has ignited public fury in South Korea, where tens of thousands of people have staged demonstrations in Seoul in recent weeks calling for Ms Park to step down. | South Korean lawmakers have begun voting on an impeachment motion that could see embattled President Park Geun-hye dismissed from office. |
The man's next of kin have been informed by the prison service but no other details have been released.
The PSNI, coroner and Prisoner Ombudsman have begun investigations into the death.
Head of the Prison Service Ronnie Armour said: "I would like to extend my sympathy and that of the Prison Service to the family of the man who has died.
"My thoughts are with them at this difficult time." | A 38-year-old remand prisoner at Maghaberry jail died on Wednesday morning. |
English, injured for much of this year, was unable to keep in contact with the leaders early on and despite a late burst finished fifth in 1:45.93.
Rudisha won the heat in 1:43.88 ahead of American Clayton Murphy.
The toughness of the qualifier was indicated by Poland's Adam Kszczot also exiting despite finishing third.
Kszczot's time of 1:44.70 was not sufficient to clinch a fastest loser's place with only the top two securing qualification for the final.
English, whose personal best is his Irish record of 1:44.82, said that he had performed "the best race that I could".
"It was always going to be tough running two races in two days." added the UCD medical student.
North Belfast athlete Breege Connolly is among three Irish women competing in the marathon at 14:00 BST on Sunday while Ciara Mageean will aim to secure a final spot in the women's 1500m when she runs in the semi-finals at 01:30 BST on Monday.
Mageean is the second slowest on the 12 athletes in her semi-final on personal bests with only Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen having a slower lifetime mark.
However, the statistic is unlikely to bother Mageean who looks in the kind of form to take a whopping chunk off her best of 4:06.49 some day soon.
With sub four-minute runners such as American Shannon Rowbury (3:56.29), Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (3:56. 41) and Ethiopia's Dawit Seyaum (3:58.10) in her semi-final, it may well come in the early hours of Monday.
Mageean's opponents also include Britain's Laura Weightman, American Brenda Martinez and Australian duo Linden Hall and Zoe Buckman. | Letterkenny man Mark English bowed out of the 800m in Rio after he was unable to produce any heroics in a semi-final won by Olympic champion David Rudisha. |
Graham Carey rewarded early Plymouth pressure with another superb goal for the hosts.
Oscar Threlkeld attacked down the left before teeing up playmaker Carey, who curled his effort home from 20 yards.
Shrimps goalkeeper Barry Roche had a busy first half, saving well from Jake Jervis and Gary Miller.
The visitors' best effort came from former Argyle forward Lee Molyneux, who swept a 25-yard shot just wide of goal in the 33rd minute.
A minute later Threlkeld looped a header just over Roche's crossbar as Plymouth continued to press.
Morecambe made a better start to the second half but it was Argyle who went close again through Carey.
Jervis should have doubled Plymouth's advantage but was unable to take his chance.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Plymouth Argyle 1, Morecambe 0.
Second Half ends, Plymouth Argyle 1, Morecambe 0.
Alex Whitmore (Morecambe) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ryan Taylor (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alex Whitmore (Morecambe).
Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Peter Murphy.
Ryan Taylor (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Alex Whitmore (Morecambe).
Gary Miller (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ryan Edwards (Morecambe).
Attempt missed. Jordan Slew (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Kevin Ellison (Morecambe) is shown the yellow card.
Gary Miller (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kevin Ellison (Morecambe).
Attempt saved. Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Ryan Taylor.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Gary Miller.
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Yann Songo'o replaces Antoni Sarcevic.
Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe).
Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Morecambe) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Attempt saved. Ryan Taylor (Plymouth Argyle) with an attempt from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Peter Murphy (Morecambe).
Substitution, Morecambe. Luke Jordan replaces Rhys Turner.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Oscar Threlkeld.
Foul by Jakub Sokolik (Plymouth Argyle).
Paul Mullin (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Morecambe. Kevin Ellison replaces Aaron Wildig.
Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Barry Roche.
Attempt saved. Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Gary Miller.
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Jordan Slew replaces Matthew Kennedy.
Matthew Kennedy (Plymouth Argyle) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Matthew Kennedy (Plymouth Argyle).
Michael Duckworth (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Lee Molyneux (Morecambe) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Ryan Taylor.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Luke McCormick. | Plymouth maintained their League Two automatic promotion push with a win over Morecambe. |
The Foxes clinched the Premier League title after Chelsea held Tottenham.
Wales international King and his side will go straight into the Champions League group stage.
"I'll be familiar with the music, I've walked out to that a few times," said King, who used to carry the flag when he was a youth player at Chelsea.
"I must have been between nine and 14 years old and you used to have to go around the side of the pitch, shake the flag and then quickly get it off before the kick-off.
"Hopefully I'll be on the pitch a bit longer this time. It will be nice."
King's part in Leicester's unlikely triumph has already earned him his own place in football history.
He is the first player in the Premier League era to win titles in the top three divisions - a fact he says gives him a different perspective to some other players.
"Having seen it in the lower divisions and not going so well, it probably does mean a little bit more to me," he said.
"But that's not taking anything away from anyone else who's here because everyone else in this squad has given nothing less than 100% and that's ultimately why we've ended up winning the league."
Leicester started the campaign as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title after almost being relegated last season.
But they have lost just three league games in what has been described as the "most unlikely triumph in the history of team sport," and one which manager Claudio Ranieri doubts could be repeated.
The rise of players such as striker Jamie Vardy - a non-league footballer four years ago - has added to the romance of Leicester's rise.
"That's a story people like," said King, who made his Leicester debut as an 18-year-old in 2007.
"Not just me but with Vards coming from non-league as well.
"Other players getting released by so-called bigger clubs and everyone coming together and working their way up."
Leicester can now look forward to Champions League football for the first time in the club's history next season. | Andy King is looking forward to playing in the Champions League with Leicester more than a decade after being a mascot in Europe's elite competition. |
The 25-year-old sea turtle fell into a coma after a second operation on Sunday, following intestinal problems.
Named Omsin, meaning "Piggy Bank", she was found to be eating coins thrown into a public pond where she lived, in Chonburi province.
By the time they were removed, she was carrying 5kg (11lb) of coins.
The unusual mass of metal had cracked her shell, making the initial seven-hour operation necessary.
She was said to have been doing well after that surgery but developed blood poisoning at the weekend, which doctors said was the cause of death.
The coins were thrown into the pond by visitors hoping for good luck - a practice some hope will become less common after widespread coverage of the case in Thailand.
Omsin's demise prompted sadness and soul-searching.
Many took issue with "merit making" practices common in Thailand, that sometimes harm animal welfare.
Hopes had been high for Omsin's recovery.
Even after she slipped into a coma, the surgeon leading the team trying to save her said they wouldn't give up.
Doctors said the removal of the coins had created a space in Omsin's stomach that had probably blocked blood flow in her intestine.
That became fatal after she suffered an acute intestinal infection. | A turtle in Thailand that had an operation to remove nearly 1,000 coins from her stomach two weeks ago has died from blood poisoning. |
The pangolin is the world's most trafficked and poached mammal, because of the demand for its meat and scales.
Conservationists say an international trade ban announced last year must be strictly enforced.
There are concerns that traders are illegally supplying African pangolins to Asian markets.
Populations of Asian pangolins have declined dramatically since the 1960s, leaving the creatures highly endangered.
Daniel Ingram of the University of Sussex worked with researchers in Africa on the first study to assess hunting levels of pangolins in the forests of Central Africa.
"Pangolins have been hunted across Africa for centuries," Dr Ingram told BBC News. "Because we don't have population estimates we can't tell if hunting for food is at sustainable levels or not.
"What we can say is that there is widespread pressure on pangolins from hunting in Central Africa, but we can't ascertain whether hunting is at sustainable levels or not because we need biology data and population estimates."
The team used data from more than 100 bush markets and hunting sites in 14 African countries to estimate how many pangolins are being killed.
They estimate that 0.4 to 2.7 million pangolins are hunted annually in Central African forests.
Prof Jörn Scharlemann, from the University of Sussex, said overexploitation was one of the main pressures driving wildlife, like the pangolins, closer to extinction, yet data to evaluate the pressures underlying species' declines was scarce.
"Collating data from local studies collected by hundreds of researchers allows us to provide vital information on the regional exploitation of African pangolins at a critical time for the survival of these species," he said.
"Bringing these individual studies together allows us to see the bigger picture that can help inform conservation policy and provide the evidence to governments across the world required to take action to use natural resources more sustainably."
Since 2014, all eight pangolin species in the world have been classified as threatened with extinction on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The Chinese and Sunda species are now listed as Critically Endangered, the Indian and Philippine pangolins as Endangered, and the four African species as Vulnerable.
It is estimated that since 2000, more than one million pangolins have been traded illegally internationally, which makes them the most trafficked wild mammal in the world.
The research is published in the journal Conservation Letters.
The price of the giant pangolin has risen 5.8 times since the 1990s, despite it being protected.
Follow Helen on Twitter. | Millions of pangolins are being hunted and killed in Africa, raising fears that they are being pushed to extinction. |
The 26-year-old Ghana forward, a £20.5m signing from Swansea, was injured 35 minutes into his Hammers league debut in the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Monday.
"It is not good and he needs surgery," said manager Slaven Bilic after his side's 1-1 Europa League qualifying draw against Astra Giurgiu.
"Four months is a big, big blow for us but we have to cope with it."
West Ham co-chairman David Gold earlier tweeted: "Sad news. Ayew has injured his quadriceps and will need surgery.
"He will be out for 4 months. Good luck Andre."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | West Ham's record signing Andre Ayew needs thigh surgery and will be out for four months. |
Sylvan Parry, 46, from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, denies attempting to murder Fiona Parry on 3 September.
Mr Parry's barrister told the jury at Mold Crown Court that he had "lost it" in a "moment of madness" but did not intend to kill her.
It comes as the jury have been sent to consider their verdict.
Mother-of-six Mrs Parry suffered life-changing injuries in the attack.
In his summing up for the defence, Dafydd Roberts said: "If he had been hell bent on killing his wife, he had every opportunity to do it and we would not be here today."
But the prosecution, in its closing speech, said witnesses had seen him kick her "like a footballer taking a penalty" and he was only stopped from stamping on her head when firefighters intervened.
Prosecutor Sion ap Mihangel told the jury Mr Parry might have "regretted" his actions but it was his intention that morning to kill her.
The court had heard the couple, who had been together for 16 years, had argued earlier that morning because she wanted amphetamine and they continued arguing on the school run.
Taking to the witness stand on Wednesday, Mr Parry said they had "a Bonnie and Clyde" relationship.
He said he had been on drugs at the time of the assault, agreed he had lost his temper but said he had not intended to kill her.
He said he felt so ashamed that he had tried to kill himself.
A Home Office pathologist had told the court that without the "fortuitous" intervention of the firefighters and the first aid they delivered, the outcome could have been much more serious.
The case continues. | A man who attacked his wife in the street while walking their three children to school was "deeply ashamed" of what he had done, a jury has heard. |
Swansea-based Abertawe Bro Morgannwg (ABM) was third with 283 attendances and Cardiff and Vale fifth with 221. The other three were all in Scotland.
The UK figures showed 6,500 underage drinkers went to A&E in 2012-13.
Alcohol Concern Cymru said the figures were "concerning" but the statistics needed to be treated cautiously.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran - 483
NHS Grampian - 304
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB - 283
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - 272
Cardiff and Vale UHB - 221
BBC Radio 5Live made a freedom of information request to all NHS health boards or trusts in the UK asking for information on the number of under-18s attending A&E in the past five years for drink or drug related illnesses. Out of 189 health bodies, 125 responded.
Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, which serves north Wales, had 163 attendances in the past year. The other four health boards did not respond or were unable to supply the appropriate data.
Public health bodies and charities said fewer children overall were drinking but those who did may be drinking more.
Andrew Misell, director of Alcohol Concern Cymru, said the figures had to be treated with care as not all boards had replied and organisations had different ways of recording data.
"It's interesting that two relatively small cities in the UK [Swansea and Cardiff] have come up so high but I think we need to be a bit cautious before we start saying there's a bigger problem here," he told BBC News.
"We'd need to know that everyone was measuring intoxication in the same way.
"I'm sure that people in the various health boards will be looking at this with some interest and concern and I think it's probably not helpful to start pointing the finger at individual towns in Wales."
However, Mr Misell added: "It's obviously concerning that children under the legal drinking age are, by whatever means, getting hold of alcohol.
"I think there's a number of things going on here.
"There's of course teenagers who have managed to get get into an off-licence because they look old enough or the shopkeeper wasn't bothered about their age.
"It will also include children who have managed to get hold of their parents' alcohol, ranging from teenagers to small children who have got hold of it accidentally, to children who have been given it by adults.
"Unfortunately, some adults mistakenly believe that if you give your child alcohol at home, they are insulating them from the dangers of having it outside the house. There is no evidence for this."
He said the official advice was not to give alcohol to children aged 15 and under.
ABM, which serves Swansea, Bridgend, Port Talbot and surrounding areas, said in a statement: "We are not getting reports from A&E doctors that they feel the problem in our area is any worse than in other parts of the UK where they have worked.
"A&E alcohol-related attendances for under-18s in the ABM area have been on a downward trend since 2008/09 when they were 432. Last year they were 281 (229 of these were 15-17 year olds).
"However we would like to see that figure come down much further and we are working on wellbeing programmes with schools which help to educate and inform youngsters about issues around alcohol misuse.
"As part of the Healthy Schools Scheme we raise awareness of risky behaviours among young people, social norms, attitudes and knowledge in relation to alcohol.
"We also have the Swansea Healthy Nightlife action plan which reduces the ability of youngsters to purchase alcohol from bars/clubs.
The Cardiff and Vale board has also been asked to comment. | Two Welsh health boards were in the top five in the UK for under-age drinkers visiting A&E units in the past year, a BBC investigation has found. |
Barry is suffering from a hip problem while Monaghan has a knee complaint.
"The League Cup is a competition that Derry have a reputation of having great success in and I would like to continue that," said Derry manager Kenny Shiels.
"We will go in as full strength as we can be. We treat the competition with the utmost respect and want to win it."
The Candystripes go into the cup tie unbeaten in their last seven league outings but will have had a day less to prepare given that they drew with Longford Town on Saturday night.
"Sligo haven't won a game yet in the league but they have been getting progressively better and I like the way they play so we have to be careful with this one," emphasised the Derry boss.
"The league is the platform you use for building for the future but the knockout competitions are important for morale and a good cup run gives a boost to the supporters.
"We always look to the next game as the most important and we try to win every game. From Sligo's point of view, they will see this as a chance to gain some momentum." | Derry City will be missing injured duo Aaron Barry and Harry Monaghan for their EA Sports Cup second round tie against Sligo Rovers at the Brandywell. |
Within 60 seconds of walking through Duncansfield's creaking main gate, the first piece of eavesdropped chatter delivered a chastening reminder of part-time football.
Apart from five hastily arranged pieces of garden furniture, seating arrangements at this ground in Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire, were unashamedly all-standing.
A rickety, yet pure place playing host to Harestanes v Girvan by default.
The Kirkintilloch amateur side - the first ever to enter the Scottish Cup by way of being Scottish Amateur Cup champions - had hoped to play out their piece of history on their own Merkland patch.
But the Scottish Football Association did not deem that "field of dreams" (as Harestanes chairman Jim McKinney likes to call it) suitable to hold this first preliminary round tie.
So Duncansfield it was and, while a squad of Harestanes players frantically retreated to the spartan dressing-rooms to de-sock and the Girvan secretary searched for the bus driver who had gone walkabout, another piece of amateur football gold emerged.
Having to be dusted down to play in goal for this momentous fixture was Harestanes' third-choice keeper, no less.
"Let's just say I'm approaching 40," said 38-year-old Scott McNab, who looked quite the opposite of a relic as he went through a series of pre-match shot-stopping drills.
"I only really help the team out now and again when they're struggling for a goalie."
Surely 'The Hares' first and second choice men between the sticks could have picked better days be absent?
But McNab - Harestanes born and bred - explained how Conor O'Boyle had left to join League Two club Queen's Park. His replacement, who McNab only knows as "Jamie, I think", was away because he was an usher at his brother's wedding.
"I'll either be in the headlines for making wonder saves or for being an absolute old codger," he grinned, before giving more solid foundations to his credentials.
"I played in this team when we won the Scottish Amateur Cup two years in a row a long time ago, so they're a team close to my heart. I'll settle for a win today and then I can bow out undefeated in the senior Scottish Cup!"
Among the 300 or so crowd gathered to watch how McNab would fare were two fans with backgrounds that were poles apart.
Standing on the Duncansfield perimeter's second-top step was Tam Cobain, a Harestanes follower of 30-plus years and whose son was a successful player there.
Yet, three steps closer to the pitch-side, 10 yards diagonally in front, was Douglas Gillies who had travelled 204 miles from Shipley in West Yorkshire simply to witness this game.
"I used to follow Leeds United in the glory days, but I got fed up with the sheer pricing people out of football," said the friendly gentleman from the White Rose part of the UK.
"People are so friendly here and we always enjoy coming up. Ideally, I'd like a 5-5 draw here so I can go to the replay at Girvan next week."
By half-time, Douglas had seen one of those 10 goals he anticipated. A stellar goalkeeping performance from the aforementioned McNab could not prevent Ayrshire District League outfit Girvan leading 1-0 at the break.
The slightly harsh analysis from Harestanes secretary Paul McKinney (brother of chairman Jim) was that his team "needed a rocket up their backsides."
He managed to sprinkle his own dry-wit on proceedings.
The co-founder of Harestanes initially took great satisfaction in the fact that one lad who had gone away to retrieve a ball kicked out the ground "still wasn't back after 25 minutes".
A female Girvan fan with red slip-on shoes was his next target. McKinney peppered her with "Dorothy" [from The Wizard of Oz] jibes any time she cheered on the Seasiders. His jokes were received in the light-hearted manner they were delivered.
And, in hindsight, the slightly large supporter wearing a t-shirt with the slogan: "Fat people are harder to kidnap", probably got off rather lightly.
For McKinney, all that good-natured humour softened the eventual result of Harestanes 0-3 Girvan on Saturday.
Another Paul, The Hares' manager Paul Marshall, offered his thoughts.
"I don't think 3-0 was a fair reflection of the game as we played some really nice stuff," he said. "We were in this to win, but this competition was a bonus for us."
Yes, a memorable bonus for the Kirkintilloch men who will now try to retain the Scottish Amateur Cup so that another stab at the big-time comes around in the 2016-17 season.
As for those rascal Girvan training cones, they weren't even on the bus. They were hidden under a bench in the dressing room. | "Harestanes need to swap their socks and Girvan have left their training cones on the bus." |
Caton tapped in the opener from close range after Southport keeper Max Crocombe failed to handle a corner.
The on-loan Shrewsbury winger collected Jack Muldoon's pass and shot low past Crocombe to double the lead.
Louis Almond pulled one back for the visitors with a strike from the edge of the area, but Robbie McDaid fired in to seal the win late on.
Lincoln City manager Chris Moyses told BBC Radio Lincolnshire:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We were very good at times. They had a 15-minute spell where they came into it and got a goal but we went again and some of our football was top-drawer.
"You have to back yourself, trust yourself and believe and that's what this group keep doing. They believe in themselves. They're a very positive group.
"James Caton is great with the ball, he causes defenders all sorts of problems and it's given us another dimension. We're a lot more fluid when we break. We've got plan B and plan C and that's good." | Two goals from James Caton helped Lincoln City earn a comfortable victory over Southport in the National League. |
The Welsh boxer, who competed in Rio last summer at lightweight, will make his professional debut on the undercard of Martin Murray's clash with Gabriel Rosado.
Now fighting as a super featherweight, Cordina, 25, is hopeful of fighting up to eight times this year.
"I just want to put on a good show and excite the fans," Cordina said.
The former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist has changed his regime since turning professional, leaving the Newport gym where he trained with Tony Borg for several years to switch to Essex and Tony Sims' Matchroom gym.
Cordina is settling well into his new surroundings, even with a famous new roommate for company.
"It's all new to me but I'm enjoying it," added Cordina.
"I wanted to have a change and learn something new, Tony Sims is one of the best trainers out there and I wanted to be with him and in that gym.
"Tony is well respected in boxing and such a great guy, it was a big decision to make but I think I've made the right one.
"I'm living with Ricky Burns in Essex, he's doing the same thing as me, home at the weekends but miles from home during the week, and he's a three-weight world champion, I want to be where he is and that's what I am trying to replicate.
"I miss my daughter, she's only young and I want to see her grow up every day, but you have to make sacrifices in this sport.
"It's the hardest thing for me to do but I've spent a lot of time away as part of the GB squad so I am used to it."
Cordina would like to follow in the footsteps of one of his former stable mates - IBF world featherweight champion Lee Selby.
"Being a part of Tony Borg's stable for many years and we still get on great," he said.
"I've seen how far Lee has gone on and learnt a lot training by the side of him.
"Lee has gone on to do great things for Welsh boxing and that's a massive target that I've set myself, to achieve great things just like Lee has done."
Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide. | Olympian Joe Cordina will make his professional debut at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday, 22 April. |
Prosecutors allege Bradley Long threatened the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, with violence and damage to his property.
Mr Long will stand trial at Forfar Sheriff Court later this year.
The charges are alleged to have taken place between May 2011 and June 2014, and October 2014 and March 2015.
Mr Long is also accused of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards the man, being in possession of cannabis when he was detained by police and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
A further charge alleges that he failed to appear in court at a prior hearing of the case in February.
Mr Long, 30, of Eastbourne, Sussex, was not present at the pre-trial hearing over the charges.
Sheriff Pino di Emidio continued the case to a further hearing later in June and ordered Mr Long to appear on that date. | A man is to stand trial accused of attempting to extort £117,000 from another man and threatening to reveal private information to his family. |
A staff member at Hudds Farm in Bradford-on-Avon said she was thrown from a horse when a Chinook helicopter flew overhead last Friday.
The yard's owner Bernice Marshallsay said she knew there was a military exercise but had no warning about the aircraft.
The MoD says it is doing all it can to minimise disturbance to the public.
Vicky Fielding, 20, suffered bruising when she was thrown from the horse.
"She panicked straight away and there was nothing I could do," she said.
"I'll be anxious if I hear another Chinook coming over."
Ms Marshallsay said: "We get no information at all and I've complained to the MoD on at least two other occasions and it still keeps happening.
"It's not good enough. Somebody's going to be seriously injured before something's done about this."
A spokesman from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was raising the aircrews' awareness of horse riders.
It is doing all it can to minimise disturbance to the public while crews train for operational duty, the spokesman added. | The owner of a livery yard in Wiltshire has said low flying aircraft could cause someone to be seriously hurt. |
It said delays were down to a rising number of cases and because there were fewer staff dealing with the claims.
One veterans' group said waiting times for claimants had increased from 82 days in 2010 to 219 days in 2014.
But Veterans UK, which processes claims and administers compensation, disputed this, saying the service was improving.
A letter from Defence Minister Anna Soubry, which has been seen by the BBC, revealed the MoD was aware of the backlog.
The letter said staff at Veterans UK were under pressure, and the MoD has acknowledged this was due to the high number of cases and because of changes to the compensation scheme.
MoD figures show there were 36,000 new compensation claims for those injured, disabled or bereaved through service in 2013-14 - an increase of around 16% from 2010-11.
Alex Ford, 44, a former sergeant who was in the Royal Air Force for 25 years, said the delay in his case had been "like a little form a torture".
He left the RAF after taking redundancy in December 2012, having previously suffered a slipped disc, to care for his wife who suffered back injuries whilst serving as a staff sergeant.
He was also diagnosed with depression six months after returning from Afghanistan and said he did not receive compensation until May this year.
He said: "It adds to the whole mental anguish of it, you literally have no timescale.
"You don't know when the case is going to be resolved and you're left wondering about the postman each day."
Lance Corporal Chris Yates, Royal Engineers
In June 2011, after a truck tailgate gave way and fell upon me, I suffered prolapsed discs, a paralysed bladder, severe kidney damage and mental side effects such as depression.
I first applied for compensation in early 2012, but it took until 24 February 2013 to be awarded an interim payment of £3,000.
I was told by Veterans UK they would review my case again a year on, but when I rang in February 2014 they told me to phone back in a few weeks - which kept on happening until June.
The last time I phoned them I was told my claim had been passed on to a case worker, but it's now just in another queue.
They said it might be weeks before I hear anything as they're completely snowed under with thousands of backlogged cases.
I was medically discharged in April 2014, so this is my pension that hasn't been sorted. All my income has stopped and I'm not able to work.
The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association has data that suggests the average waiting time for claims has increased from 82 days in 2010 to 219 days in 2014.
But Jon Parkin, head of Veterans UK, which works within the MoD, challenged the figures.
"The average wait to get an answer [from the time the claim is submitted] is currently about four months," he said.
"That's a good standard of service, and it's improving.
"We are committed to dealing with all claims as quickly as possible... but of course some claims do take longer than others."
Laura Fermour, a troop commander with the Royal Logistic Corps, said the claim she filed for an injury sustained during a military fundraising exercise in April 2013 was still being processed.
Ms Fermour said: "There's just no understanding of the fact that them taking so long to process our claims actually has a massive impact.
"You can't move on with your life until this is sorted."
This has led many of those affected, including Ms Fermour, to call for an independent inquiry.
In the letter seen by the BBC, Ms Soubry wrote: "Please be assured that I am fully aware of the pressures my officials at Veterans UK... are under in administering the War Pensions Scheme."
The government said the 12,000 redundancies made in the armed forces since 2011, as well as the "rising claiming culture", had led to more people putting forward cases. Veterans dismissed this, saying the claims reflected a genuine need.
The government also said the Boyce review that evaluated the process for military compensation in 2010, was partly responsible as it had diverted resources.
But Lord Boyce said it was difficult to envisage how a review carried out several years ago had resulted in the current delays.
An MoD press officer said: "There have been delays because staffing levels have been reduced. Despite that productivity has gone up.
"More people have been coming through making claims because of the Boyce review and armed forces redundancies. But we have to look at claims on a case-by-case basis because sometimes they can be complex. We understand we need to improve our communications with veterans and this is something we're working on."
Madeleine Moon, an MP who sits on the defence select committee, said it was "offensive" for the government to talk about a "claiming culture" being responsible for the backlog.
She said: "If people are injured, if people's lives are changed that dramatically that they need financial compensation to be able to deal with the day-to-day grind of living with an injury, they should have the financial help that we as a nation have covenanted to provide."
Britain's duty of care to its armed forces began as an unspoken pact between society and the military and was formally codified as a covenant in 2000. | The Ministry of Defence has said it is aware of serious delays in dealing with compensation claims for injured armed forces veterans. |
Southern Railway trains from the south coast into London have been disrupted for weeks because of industrial action and high levels of staff sickness.
"The shambles we have seen is turning into a crisis," said Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove and Portslade.
But rail minister Claire Perry insisted services were improving.
Mr Kyle told the House of Commons during transport questions: "I'm getting people writing to me who are being late for work every day and their bosses are giving them written warnings now.
Mims Davies, Tory MP for Eastleigh, described Southern Railway's performance as "shameful" and said it could not be tolerated.
The watchdog Transport Focus has published figures showing passenger satisfaction was lower on Southern and Southeastern services than for any other train operator in the country.
Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, urged Ms Perry and the Department for Transport to transfer the Southern franchise into public ownership.
A man who commutes to London from Hove told BBC South East his employer could no longer book early client meetings as he had no idea whether he would turn up.
"I am therefore simply not fit for purpose and there is nothing concrete to suggest that the situation will change," he said.
"His [the boss's] response is entirely rational.
"My options are therefore to live in London during the week, waving my young family goodbye and switching my pension contributions into accommodation costs, or get fired."
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is in dispute with Southern about the role of conductors.
Ms Perry said investment on the routes meant things were "getting better".
But she added: "If your constituents would like to write to bosses, may I suggest they write to the union bosses involved, who I think are doing their members a grave disservice by bringing them out on completely unjustified grounds.
"This is a dispute about who presses the buttons that operate the doors and the change in the role of the second staff member."
Southeastern and Network Rail said that at the time of the Transport Focus survey, between 11 January and 20 March, factors including the partial collapse of the sea wall at Dover and landslides at Barnehurst affected trains.
Storm Imogen also hit services and there were infrastructure failings around London Bridge. | Commuters have received written warnings for consistent lateness at work because of "shameful" service from Southern Railway, an MP has claimed. |
The champions, who beat Barca 4-0 at Parc de Princes on Tuesday, struggled to break down the seventh-place side.
Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani was closest to scoring when he struck the post in the second half.
Coach Unai Emery's side retake second spot from Nice on goal difference; three points behind leaders Monaco.
Match ends, Paris Saint Germain 0, Toulouse 0.
Second Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 0, Toulouse 0.
Foul by Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain).
Ola Toivonen (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Hatem Ben Arfa (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by François Moubandje (Toulouse).
Offside, Paris Saint Germain. Thiago Motta tries a through ball, but Edinson Cavani is caught offside.
Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ola Toivonen (Toulouse).
Attempt missed. Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Serge Aurier.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match François Moubandje (Toulouse) because of an injury.
Foul by Thiago Motta (Paris Saint Germain).
Andy Delort (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Andy Delort (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Christopher Jullien.
Substitution, Toulouse. Ola Toivonen replaces Óscar Trejo.
Offside, Toulouse. Christopher Jullien tries a through ball, but Óscar Trejo is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Christopher Jullien (Toulouse) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Óscar Trejo with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Toulouse. Conceded by Presnel Kimpembe.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Hatem Ben Arfa replaces Lucas Moura.
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Óscar Trejo (Toulouse).
Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Somália (Toulouse).
Foul by Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain).
Corentin Jean (Toulouse) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Thiago Motta (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Andy Delort (Toulouse).
Steeve Yago (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Steeve Yago (Toulouse).
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Javier Pastore replaces Julian Draxler.
Attempt missed. Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Marco Verratti.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Paris Saint Germain).
Attempt blocked. Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lucas Moura with a cross.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by François Moubandje.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Issa Diop. | Paris St-Germain failed to replicate their midweek display against Barcelona as they were held at home by Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday. |
Manston Airport was bought by Ann Gloag, who co-founded the Stagecoach Group, for £1 from the New Zealand company Infratil in October.
Since then it is understood the airport has been losing about £10,000 a day.
Up to 150 mostly part-time jobs were placed at risk last month when the airport revealed it was holding a consultation over a possible closure.
Ian McCoulough, from the Unite union, said: "I'm very disappointed."
He said the offer was withdrawn at 07:00 BST and the union had been in a consultation meeting where a number of options had been discussed.
He said further talks would take place on Thursday.
Thanet councillor Will Scobie also said the withdrawal of the offer was disappointing for the area.
When asked if this was the end for Manston as an airport, he replied: "It certainly looks like it.
"All the speculation around over the last couple of weeks has been incredibly damaging for staff. They must be going through absolute hell."
Thanet District Council had put forward plans for an existing enterprise zone at Discovery Park, the former Pfizer site, to be extended to Manston, a move that could help to bring investment to the area, he said.
Hundreds of people attended a meeting last weekend to oppose possible closure of the airport, while Sir Roger Gale, the MP for Thanet North, and Laura Sandys, MP for Thanet South, have led moves to keep Manston open.
Dutch airline KLM has already announced it will suspend its Cityhopper flights between the airport and Amsterdam from 10 April.
A petition to keep the airport open has gained more than 12,000 signatures.
On Thursday, Mr Gale said: "In politics you continually have to fight things that superficially might appear like lost causes.
"There may come a time when, if the airport closes, we have to look to Plan B. Until that time comes, I remain hopeful."
David Foley, from Thanet and East Kent Chamber of Commerce also said: "Sometimes it's not a financial argument that can attract people, sometimes it might be a whim.
"We'd like to think that Manston can attract an owner with a serious intent at keeping it on as a going concern." | An offer from an unnamed potential buyer for a Kent airport facing closure has been withdrawn. |
They said they were acting on information of suspicious individuals thought to be in the city or the area.
Investigations were being carried out to "locate and arrest these individuals", a statement said.
Islamic State militants said they carried out the 13 November attacks on multiple locations, killing 130 people.
Investigations have been launched in several European countries, with two men linked to the attacks - Salah Abdeslam and Mohammed Abrini - still on the run, and others found to have travelled to France posing as refugees.
While Geneva police's statement said that the hunt was related to the Paris investigation, Switzerland's federal police later said it was not linked.
The authorities had gone from a "vague to a precise threat", said Emmanuelle Lo Verso from the Geneva department of security, RTS reported.
In the latest developments:
A conference on Syria's future, involving the US, Russia and the UN, is scheduled to begin in Geneva on Friday, but is not expected to be attended by world leaders.
Some Swiss news outlets say the talks have now been moved from a UN building to an undisclosed location.
The number of police on the streets of Geneva has been increased, so too has their level of alert.
The border with France runs through the outskirts of Geneva and Switzerland is in the Schengen passport-free zone, so the borders are open.
Security at the frontiers was stepped up in the wake of the Paris attacks, as well as at the UN where the world's senior diplomats regularly meet.
But tens of thousands of people cross the Geneva border every day, and checking every car is unlikely to be possible.
In a separate development, police in Belgium had searched three properties in connection with the attacks, the prosecutor's office said.
This week, details emerged of a failed operation involving Belgian and Greek police to capture a suspected ringleader of the Paris terror attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
Greek authorities had planned to capture Abaaoud in January, when he had been directing a Belgian terror cell from Athens, the BBC has learned. | Police have raised the alert level in Geneva, saying they are hunting for suspects as part of the Europe-wide investigation into the Paris attacks. |
Bu farw Susan Owen, 50 oed, oedd yn byw ger Llangefni, wrth iddi yrru ei char BMW ar ffordd y B4547, Nant y Garth, ar 23 Medi'r llynedd.
Mae'r erlyniad yn honni fod Barry Slaymaker, o Faes Meurig, Gwalchmai, yn gyrru fan VW Transporter mewn modd peryglus.
Cafodd Mr Slaymaker ei ryddhau ar fechniaeth gan y Barnwr Merfyn Hughes QC yn Llys y Goron Caernarfon, ac fe fydd yn wynebu achos llys ym mis Tachwedd. | Mae dyn 31 oed o Ynys Môn wedi gwadu achosi marwolaeth nyrs ger y Felinheli yng Ngwynedd drwy yrru'n beryglus. |
Luiz Carlos da Rocha - nicknamed "White Head" - is believed to be the leader of a massive cocaine empire in South America.
Federal police said sentences handed down to Rocha amount to more than 50 years of prison time.
Police said he was "a criminal who lived discreetly and in the shadows".
The drug kingpin had been living under the assumed name Vitor Luiz de Moraes. Agents compared old known photos of Rocha to the images of the new suspect, "and concluded that Luiz Carlos da Rocha and Vitor Luiz are the same person".
Brazilian police said his organisation was known to be violent, making use of armed escorts, armoured cars, and heavy weapons.
It produced cocaine in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, before shipping it through an elaborate logistics system to Europe and the United States.
Luiz Carlos da Rocha is also accused of being one of the main providers of cocaine to criminal organisations within Brazil, in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In total, police estimate his empire produced some five tonnes of cocaine each month.
Operation Spectrum - the name given to the sting - also seized some $10m (£7.6m) worth of criminal assets, including farms, other real estate, luxury vehicles and aircraft.
Officers believe Rocha's wealth is closer to $100m, and say they will seek to seize the rest of his assets in the second phase of the operation. | Brazilian police have captured a notorious drug kingpin who used plastic surgery to evade capture for almost 30 years. |
Court documents say Hastert agreed to pay $3.5m (£2.5m) to a person he sexually abused when the victim was aged 14 and Hastert was working as a teacher and wrestling coach.
Prosecutors allege he abused five boys.
The 74-year-old has admitted lying and breaking financial laws.
The plea represents a dramatic fall for the former senior Republican politician, who has had his portrait removed from the House of Representatives in the US Congress.
The alleged abuse happened while Hastert was working in Yorkville, a suburb of Chicago, between 1965 and 1981. Three of the victims were wrestlers on a team he coached.
He cannot be charged with sexual abuse as the statute of limitations has expired in the cases.
One of the victims - referred to in court documents as Individual A - said Hastert had stayed with him in a motel room on the way back from a trip to a wrestling camp and touched him inappropriately.
Two of the others, aged 14 and 17, said Hastert had performed sex acts on them in the locker room at the high school in Yorkville.
All the victims "struggled and are still struggling" with what Hastert did to them, prosecutors argue. Hastert made them feel "alone, ashamed, guilty and devoid of dignity", they say.
Hastert, who retired in 2007 after serving as House Speaker for eight years, will be sentenced later this month for concealing the large sums of money he paid to Individual A to buy his silence.
Between 2010 and 2012 he withdrew $750,000 in lump sums of $50,000 before learning of rules requiring banks to report large transactions.
After that he withdrew a further $952,000 in lump sums of less than $10,000 between 2012 and 2014.
He was able to pay Individual A $1.7m in payments of $100,000 before being questioned by the FBI in 2014 about his withdrawals.
One of the reasons he gave for the large withdrawals was that he was being blackmailed by someone making a false claim of sex abuse.
He agreed to let investigators record phone conversations he had with Individual A, but prosecutors said the "tone and comments" of Individual A in the conversations were "inconsistent with someone committing extortion".
In a deal with prosecutors, he admitted the charge of "structuring and assisting in structuring currency transactions" by removing small sums of money to avoid the transactions being reported.
However, the charge of lying to FBI investigators is set to be dropped.
Defence lawyers want Hastert to be spared jail because they say he is suffering from ill health.
He is due to be sentenced on 27 April. | Prosecutors are seeking a six-month jail sentence for disgraced former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is alleged to have paid hush money to cover up sex abuse. |
Bangladesh levelled the three-match series with an 34-run win on Sunday.
But the hosts were also in a strong position in the opening match before a dramatic collapse gave England the win.
"We know that if we put them under pressure - like we saw in the first game - they can crack a bit more than the bigger sides," said Moeen, 29.
Earlier this year, Bangladesh lost to India in the ICC World Twenty20, despite needing only two runs from three balls to win.
"They messed that up as well," Moeen added. "We know it will take them a bit more time to get over that kind of stuff.
"It took us years and years and we still sometimes, under pressure, don't play as well."
Bangladesh are going for a seventh 50-over series win in a row, a run that includes victories over India, Pakistan and South Africa.
"They are a good side with some very good players," Moeen said. "They are hard to beat at home - we don't have that sort of record at home."
England captain Jos Buttler was reprimanded following the second match of the series after he reacted angrily to a "send-off" from the Bangladesh players when he was dismissed on review.
"Both teams have players who can get a bit heated," said Moeen. "It just spices things up a little more and now hopefully we can come out on top." | England all-rounder Moeen Ali says Bangladesh could buckle under pressure in their one-day series decider in Chittagong on Wednesday. |
Guardiola and Conte are both in their debut season in English football and face each other again on Wednesday.
The latter has fared better, with his Chelsea side leading the Premier League, 11 points ahead of fourth-placed City.
"My opinion about my colleague Conte is that he's superb," said the Catalan.
"He was able to make Italy play beautiful football - Juventus too - in a culture where it's so defensive.
"He's an excellent manager, I learn a lot when I see his teams - Juventus, Italy and now. I like to do that because you see what they want to do. Their teams control a lot of aspects.
"Maybe he's the best."
Guardiola took over at Manchester City last summer having won three successive Bundesliga titles and two German Cups with Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2016.
Before that he led Barcelona to three straight La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and the Champions League twice.
However, the 46 year old says he was always realistic about what he could achieve with City during this campaign.
"In my case I had to win the treble and change English football," he said.
"Expectations were quite high, that's why I'm going to fall short definitely. I cannot have success this season.
"In Barcelona we won the three titles in a row, we played all the competitions, we played the Champions League every three days and we were able to play almost immediately. Sometimes you need more time."
City's performances against the top Premier League teams this season have given Guardiola belief his side are moving in the right direction.
They have drawn against Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal this year and beat the Gunners last December.
However, the Spaniard insists there is much more work to do.
"Our games against the big teams at home, we were much better than all of them. I was so proud," he added. "But we were not able to win. That's why we are not where we would like to be.
"Sometimes away to the big clubs we've maybe not made the best performance.
"In Monchengladbach for example, Celtic in Europe, Anfield, Arsenal in the first half - we've not given our best performance.
"Now I'd like to see what we try to do from the beginning. Be brave, show courage."
Chelsea won 3-1 at City in December after coming back from a goal down in a game which saw Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off in injury time.
"We finished the game against Chelsea four points behind them. Believe me, I saw the game many times. We were much, much better. I'm sorry Antonio but we were. We deserved to win."
Chelsea suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace last weekend, but Guardiola does not feel the loss will hurt the confidence of Wednesday's opponents, who had gone 10 home games unbeaten prior to that result.
"They will be more focused," added Guardiola. "When you win 10, 11 or 12 games in a row, the danger is to be relaxed.
"You are winning and have a points advantage. But when you lose a game, after that the warnings are there." | Chelsea manager Antonio Conte "may be the best", says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola who has "learned a lot" from teams managed by the Italian. |
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Brownlee, 27, had to carry his bike for a mile and finished 42nd in Japan.
The Yokohama race was his first triathlon since being carried over the line by brother Alistair in last year's World Series finale in Mexico.
"It means that Leeds is very, very important," the 2012 world champion said of his home race on 11 June.
He told the BBC: "It puts me on the back foot as there's been three races so far and I've not got anything from any of them.
"I missed the first two with injury and then crashed at Yokohama so it means I have no room for error.
"Every race I do, I've got to get points, top three really, to have a chance of becoming world champion."
The Japan event was won by Spain's Mario Mola, the defending champion who pipped Brownlee last year and leads the 2017 series from compatriot Fernando Alarza.
Brownlee, an Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016 and a bronze medallist at London 2012, veered into the railings on his bike when trying to avoid a rider who had fallen in front of him in wet conditions.
"I'm very lucky I didn't break any bones. I'm disappointed more than anything, it's a long way to go not to race properly and I felt like I was in good shape but I'm looking forward to changing things in Leeds and making it right," he said.
You can watch coverage of the Leeds race live on 11 June on the BBC Red Button, Connected TVs, online and the BBC Sport app, with highlights on BBC Two and catch-up on iPlayer. | Britain's Jonny Brownlee says he cannot afford any mistakes in chasing the 2017 world triathlon title after crashing during the cycling phase of his return. |
Cardiff University and the National Botanic Garden of Wales launched the hunt last summer for honeys which can counteract bacteria.
They have created a honey map of Wales, pinpointing where the jars are coming from but they want to fill the gaps.
Bee keepers in south Wales and other parts of the UK are taking part.
Honey's anti-bacterial properties have been known since ancient times and it is believed it was used by both the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
Since last summer's appeal, scientists at Cardiff University's school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences have been analysing honey sent in from across the UK.
They are checking for honey with the potential to counter hospital acquired infections MRSA and Clostridium Difficile.
Then the National Botanic Garden in Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, profiles the DNA of the most powerful honeys, checking for the plants which contributed.
This could allow scientists to create new treatments.
Prof Les Baillie of Cardiff University said: "We have had a very enthusiastic response to our honey appeal, with jars coming in from as far afield as the Isle of Wight.
"We've had some 200 samples sent in, 60 of them from Wales, and we have some very promising candidates for further research.
"We now want to build up our picture of what's happening in Wales, and for that we need more honey from the middle and the north of country."
Last year, scientists said Manuka honey could be used to combat some of the most hard-to-treat infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics.
Lab experiments show it can clear bacteria found in festering wounds and contaminated hospital surfaces.
It works by breaking down the defences bacteria use against antibiotics, making it useful in treating super bug infections such as MRSA. | Bee keepers in mid and north Wales are being urged to help with research into the healing properties of honey as scientists look to counter MRSA. |
Police Scotland said they had been alerted to footage showing a car overtaking on the A941 Lossiemouth to Elgin road.
The incident allegedly occurred on Tuesday 8 March.
Police said irresponsible drivers should be aware dash cams were now in common use in all types of vehicles. | A 47-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving after dash cam footage of a road incident in Moray was posted on social media. |
What is a customs union and why does it matter?
A customs union is a form of trade agreement between two or more countries.
It means they decide not to impose tariffs (taxes on imports) on each other's goods and agree to impose common external tariffs on goods from countries outside their customs union.
Setting common external tariffs is what distinguishes a customs union from a free trade area.
A free trade area allows member states to trade feely with each other while still being able to set their own tariffs on goods from the rest of the world.
The purpose of a customs union, like that of other trade agreements, is to make it easier for member states to trade.
Customs unions reduce administrative and financial trade barriers (such as customs checks and charges) and enhance economic cooperation.
However, they also limit the freedom of their individual members to strike their own trade deals.
The European Union is the biggest customs union in the world if you work it out by adding up the economic output of all its members.
Article 28 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that all trade in goods between EU countries must be free of customs duties and that member states must apply a common customs tariff for goods imported from outside the EU.
That means that all goods that have been imported into an EU country can then be moved freely within the EU without further customs checks.
The EU customs union includes the 28 EU member states as well as Monaco.
The EU also has customs union agreements - which vary in scope, such as type of goods covered - with Turkey, Andorra and San Marino.
So, you do not have to be a member of the EU's single market to be in a customs union with the EU.
Norway, on the other hand, is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), which gives it access to the single market, but is not in the EU's customs union.
In practice, this means that while most goods that originate in Norway can still be traded tariff-free to the rest of the European single market, products coming through Norway into the single market are subject to further checks.
There are some customs checks on the border between Norway and Sweden even though they are both part of the single market, to check for products originating outside Norway.
A good example of this was the attempts to smuggle garlic into Sweden.
The customs union can be seen as one tool to help achieve one of the four freedoms of the EU, namely free trade in goods between member states.
The remaining three freedoms - free movement of services, capital and people - help tackle non-tariff barriers, which is vital in boosting trade, particularly in services.
Trade in services is arguably more important to the UK than trade in goods, as services make up almost 80% of the UK economy.
A customs union would have limited impact on trade in services.
The government has said it will take the UK out of the European Union.
However, exactly what this will mean is still not clear.
Whether to remove itself from the EU's customs union will not be the only question to decide on in order to shape the UK's trade relationships outside the EU.
Supporters of the customs union point out that if the UK were to leave it, there would be much more paperwork for UK businesses to fill out, and it could make the border issues involving Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic more complicated.
On the other hand, those wanting to leave the customs union say it would make it easier to negotiate trade deals with countries outside the union. | The Financial Times is reporting that Trade Secretary Liam Fox is putting pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to pull out of the EU customs union as part of an eventual deal to leave the European Union. |
Victory in New York was Robson's eighth in a row after she won a lower-tier tournament in Pennsylvania this month.
The 22-year-old, who beat Bulgarian Isabella Shinikova 6-4 6-4 earlier on Friday, is one of eight Britons in the first round, which starts on Monday.
Andy Murray, Aljaz Bedene, Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund, Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady also feature.
Murray, the Wimbledon and Olympic champion and number two seed, faces world number 82 Lukas Rosol at Flushing Meadows.
Compatriot Tara Moore lost 6-1 3-6 2-6 to Germany's Antonia Lottner in the penultimate round of qualifying. | Britain's Laura Robson qualified for the US Open with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 victory over Germany's Tatjana Maria. |
Caton, who was released by Shrewsbury in May, made four appearances for the Sandgrounders while on loan in 2015.
The 22-year-old spent the second-half of last season on loan at Lincoln City, scoring three goals in 12 games.
Former Crewe Alexandra under-18 captain Kearns, 20, was released by the Railwaymen in the summer after failing to make a first-team appearance.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | National League side Southport have signed winger James Caton and defender Joe Kearns. |
Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special forces began to penetrate the industrial districts of Kukjali and Karama, home to mechanics' workshops and working-class homes.
Iraqi Army's ninth division forces closed on the outer edge of Mosul, about 3.5km (2 miles) further to the south, entering via Judaydat al-Mufti, one of the newer residential areas built for Saddam Hussein-era soldiers and civil servants.
As expected, the Mosul offensive initially saw simultaneous advances on a number of axes, with the ISF leading the fight on three of them.
One Federal Police-led column drove up the Baghdad-Mosul motorway, west of the River Tigris, covering almost 40km (25 miles) in the first two weeks.
They are currently 15km (9 miles) away from the city.
Another column made up of the Iraqi Army's 15th division fought up along the western bank of the Tigris, encountering stiff resistance, including the deliberate burning by IS of sulphur deposits at al-Mishraq, creating a huge toxic cloud over the battlefield.
The 15th division remains stuck clearing out pockets of enemy, around 30km (19 miles) south of Mosul's international airport, the city's southern perimeter.
The ninth division tried a similar manoeuvre up the eastern bank of the Tigris, but strong IS resistance limited the advance to just 11km (7 miles), with 25km (16 miles) still to go to Mosul's south-eastern edge.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces led the other four opening thrusts east of the Tigris, breaching the first 4-10km (2.5-6 miles) of IS defences on a broad arc north-east of Mosul.
After six days of fighting the Kurds dug in on a new fortified front line as CTS and Iraqi Army units passed through to continue the offensive north-east and east of Mosul.
To the north-east of Mosul, the Iraqi Army's 16th division and Turkish-supported forces loyal to former Nineveh Governor Atheel al-Nujaifi have gained around 6km (4 miles), with 9km (6 miles) still to go to Mosul's northern outskirts.
The most successful axis east of the Tigris was the CTS attack along the main road from Irbil to Mosul.
Special forces recaptured 15km (9 miles) of the road and penetrated the eastern edges of the city.
The bridges in the centre of Mosul are around 7.5km (5 miles) away from the nearest liberated areas.
Now the ninth division forces are diverting north to join the CTS forces along Mosul's eastern flank, abandoning the stalled south-eastern axis for the time being.
Two weeks into the offensive, there are reasons for guarded optimism.
Co-operation between the Peshmerga and the ISF has been effective and enthusiastic, surprising both sides.
IS resistance has been strong - around 100 car bombs have targeted Iraqi forces - but the attacking momentum of the security forces has not been reduced.
The original six-axis attack is becoming rationalised down into three main thrusts: along the Mosul-Baghdad motorway west of the Tigris; along the Mosul-Irbil road into the east of the city; and the slow-moving north-eastern attack by the 16th division.
This may ease some of the problems that were evident in the first two weeks of the offensive, such as over-stretch of US-led coalition airpower along so many different axes.
A final addition to the plan has emerged in the shape of a new axis pushing into the deserts west of Mosul, led by the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation).
Its mainly Shia volunteer paramilitary units are formally part of the ISF but include groups designated by the US as terrorist organisations, like Kataib Hezbollah.
These lightly-armed, truck-mounted units are quickly filling up the open desert areas between Mosul and the Syrian border, penetrating around 15km (9 miles) into the desert and overrunning some of Islamic State's most notorious desert hideouts such as Jurn, Amrini, and Mustaniq.
The Hashd al-Shaabi units may contribute materially to the Mosul operation if they close the gap and stop short of Tal Afar, the small city west of Mosul, which is an IS stronghold.
But if they make an early stab at Tal Afar itself, this could send refugees flowing towards Mosul with tales of Shia militias on the warpath, alarming Mosul's own Sunni majority and possibly drawing in Turkish military intervention as threatened by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Dr Michael Knights is the Lafer Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He has worked in all of Iraq's provinces, and spent time embedded with the Iraqi security forces. His recent report on the Iraqi security forces is available via the Washington Institute website. Follow him on Twitter | On Day 16 of the offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) reached the eastern edges of the city at two points. |
Crews were called to Albert Road, Southsea, after the fire broke out in the shop shortly before 06:00 GMT.
About 40 firefighters in 10 fire engines with an aerial ladder were used to bring the fire in the terraced building under control.
Police closed a section of the road between Victoria Road South and Fawcett Road, and advised motorists to avoid the area.
The fire service said no-one was in the property.
An investigation is under way to establish how the fire started. | A fire has destroyed a dry cleaners in Portsmouth. |
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O'Neill's men looked to be hanging on for a 0-0 draw until Stuart Dallas snatched the victory in stoppage-time.
"Three, four years ago we would have lost this game 1-0 and people would not be surprised by that," said O'Neill.
"The result is testament to the spirit in the team. We stayed in the game, fought hard and got a lucky break."
Dallas' first competitive international goal earned the Northern Irish all three World Cup qualifying points when it looked like they would be fortunate to escape the stifling Baku heat with a draw.
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They are second in Group C with 13 out of 18 points, and world champions Germany are the only team to have scored against them.
"It was an extremely tough game, as we knew it would be. Azerbaijan are a very good team," said O'Neill.
"It was a difficult for us, with the conditions and also with a number of our players who have not played for nearly six weeks.
"But we are grateful to get the result and I can understand Azerbaijan's frustration.
"Jonny Evans and Aaron Hughes were excellent at centre-back and for Jonny to find that composure in the box for the goal.
"Stuart did a huge amount of work in the game and showed great quality to finish as he did." | Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill praised the spirit of his team after a vital 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Azerbaijan. |
The 48-year-old former Germany sweeper has not been in the dugout for their last two league games.
Club doctor Roland Schmidt revealed Sammer had a "minute circulatory disorder in the brain, which will heal completely and without consequences".
Sammer said: "I'm not constrained and the doctors have assured me I'll be completely healed and restored."
He continued: "However, I will give myself the necessary time to recover. After that I will again be available to the team and Bayern with all my energy."
Bayern, who visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, will retain the German title if they beat Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday. | Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer is recovering well from a minor brain disorder, say the club. |
The broadcaster had been due to stage the debate, hosted by political editor Bernard Ponsonby, on Wednesday night.
It was due to feature the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Conservatives' Ruth Davidson, Scottish Labour's Kezia Dugdale and Willie Rennie of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
However, election campaigning has been suspended following the attack.
The broadcast was due to come from the Tramway theatre in Glasgow, taking place in front of an audience of 150 comprising a representative sample of the Scottish electorate.
In a statement, STV said: "In light of events in Manchester and the suspension of general election campaigning, STV has taken the decision to postpone its Scottish party leaders debate planned for Wednesday evening." | STV has postponed a general election leaders debate in light of the suicide bombing in Manchester. |
Groups of sightseers in Kidlington have been seen posing for photos in front gardens and against parked cars.
Locals have no idea why the quiet suburb, about five miles north of Oxford, has become a tourist magnet.
Inspector Morse, Love Island and Harry Potter are among the causes suggested for the tourists' interest.
The phenomenon was first identified in Benmead Road and the Moors on the Spotted: Kidlington Facebook page.
The tourists are a short walk from thatched cottages and an old church, but prefer taking photos of themselves outside modern houses.
"I do find it hilarious, but I am at a loss to understand it," one poster said. "Whose idea was it to turn Benmead Road into a tourist attraction?"
Residents say the groups have been appearing for the last three weeks.
"I have only seen them once. At midday on Saturday a busload of tourists disembarked with their selfie sticks, taking pictures of people's houses," said one.
"It is bizarre, these aren't even the oldest houses in the village."
Samantha Anderson said: "Saw them the other week, they were even in the gardens and at people's front doors."
On Facebook Susan Patton said the town had "probably featured in an old episode of Morse which has been rerun".
"Can't think of anyone famous down there?" Daniel Boon said.
People pointed out billionaire Sir Richard Branson and Emma-Jane Woodham from ITV's Love Island had connections to the Kidlington area.
Another wondered whether the groups were judging Kidlington in Bloom.
Emma Layden suggested: "Perhaps it's because Kidlington is claimed to be England's biggest village?" | Residents of a village have been baffled by the weekly appearance of "coach loads" of tourists in their road. |
The 2ft (60cm) statue of a young girl was presented to Burhill Primary School, in Pleasant Place, Hersham, in memory of the former pupil.
The eight-year-old was murdered by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting in West Sussex in 2000.
The statue was discovered after it was left outside a property in Cobham.
Three people were thought to be involved in theft, which happened at about 01:00 GMT on Wednesday, Surrey Police said.
The statue was believed to have been left outside the address in Northfield road between 05:15 and 07:30 on Thursday.
Sgt Marc Nettleingham said: "The member of the public who found the statue, which is thankfully undamaged, had seen our appeal on Facebook.
"We are continuing to carry out a number of inquiries to identify the offenders responsible for this theft."
Police said a van was also seen in the area at the time of the theft. | A bronze statue commemorating murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne that was stolen from her primary school in Surrey has been found. |
The minimum prison term has risen from 20 to 40 years.
It will apply for all abductions, including those that last only a few hours or days, so-called "express kidnappings".
The maximum prison sentence will rise from 50 to 140 years for those who kill their victims.
Kidnappings committed by a public security official, such as a member of the police or military, will be punished with up to 100 years in prison.
Kidnappers will also have to pay heavy fines.
In reality, few people ever receive sentences longer than 60 years for federal crimes, but kidnapping is considered in a separate category.
The number of kidnappings reported to the police has risen dramatically in Mexico in recent years.
In 2007, 438 kidnappings were reported, but the number had risen to almost 1,700 last year.
And the government estimates the number of kidnappings reported to the police could be fewer than 2% of the total.
If that is the case, the real number of abductions could be about 105,000 per year.
Analysts say accurate figures are hard to come by, as many abductions only last for hours or a few days until the victims empty their bank accounts at gunpoint or pay a ransom.
Most are never reported to the authorities for fear of reprisals from the criminal gang which carried out the kidnapping.
In January this year the Mexican government launched a nationwide effort to fight kidnapping.
A federal prosecutor, Renato Sales, was named to head an anti-kidnapping committee that would co-ordinate efforts to fight abductions in the 10 Mexican states (out of 31) where 74% of all kidnappings take place.
"Mexico needs to deal quickly and efficiently with the humanitarian emergency that this crime entails," said Mr Sales at the time. | Mexico has published new sentencing guidelines that will double prison sentences for kidnapping. |
Its Secretary General Bheki Ntshalintshali said he was no longer the "right person" to lead the country.
Anti-apartheid struggle veterans have also called on the African National Congress (ANC) to recall the president.
Mr Zuma has been under growing pressure following a major cabinet reshuffle which included the sacking of respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
That led to South Africa's credit rating being cut to junk status putting more pressure on a troubled economy.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), a key part of the governing alliance, says it has 1.8 million members.
It forms part of what is called the Tripartite Alliance along with the the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP).
The SACP has also called on Mr Zuma to go.
Cosatu General Secretary of Bheki Ntshalintshali told a media briefing that the union's decision was driven by Mr Zuma's failure to consult it before making changes to his cabinet.
He termed the president's leadership as "inattentive, negligent... and disruptive".
He added that the organisation was not concerned about Mr Gordhan's sacking because he was, like his predecessors, "not a friend of the workers".
"We will support the new minister where necessary and fight with him where necessary," he added.
Mr Ntshalintshali also criticised ratings agency S&P's decision to downgrade South Africa to junk status saying the union views it as political interference.
ANC veterans, who include former high commissioners, ministers and many respected anti-apartheid activists, also told a media briefing in Johannesburg that the ANC should do "the honourable thing and recall the president", especially after the party's integrity commission advised that he should resign.
President Jacob Zuma is certainly politically weaker today than he was over the weekend. Cosatu's call for him to step down is a crushing blow to the beleaguered head of state.
The workers' union federation had been a reliable backer of Mr Zuma against unrelenting calls for his removal.
Focus now shifts to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ANC which is currently meeting.
However, regardless of the outcome of that meeting, deep divisions within the body will entrench positions between the pro and anti-Zuma factions.
Mr Zuma is due to step down in 2019 at the end of his second five-year term as president.
Last week, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa called the sacking of Mr Gordhan "totally unacceptable".
Later, in a speech at the weekend, which has been interpreted as a public broadside against Mr Zuma, he called for a renewal of the country and criticised "greedy and corrupt people".
Former President Kgalema Motlanthe also said that it was difficult for Mr Zuma to command respect after the constitutional court found him in breach of the law when he failed to repay government money spent on his private home.
But President Zuma's obituary has been written many times before only for him to rise from the ashes, says the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg..
Despite the reported scandals that have dogged his administration, several attempts to remove Mr Zuma have foundered.
Meanwhile, new Finance Minsiter Malusi Gigaba has been working to reassure South Africans about the state of the economy.
Mr Gigaba told a media briefing that Monday's downgrade to junk status by ratings agency S&P was a setback, but that people should not be despondent.
"I'm not saying it's easy to get out of a rating downgrade, yet I remain confident," he added.
He said he would lead a meeting with ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's. | South Africa's powerful trades union federation Cosatu has called for President Jacob Zuma to step down. |
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