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The University Hospitals of North Midlands said critical care beds at both its sites in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford are at full capacity. Whilst this has affected a small number of people, it includes patients with "very serious conditions". The trust is asking surrounding hospitals to help cope with what it calls unprecedented pressures. Updates on this story and others in Staffordshire "Whilst we are all used to working within a very busy environment, instances of both Influenza A and B have put unprecedented pressures on our critical care capacity," Robert Courteney-Harris, trust chief executive said. "This has blocked out a whole isolation POD and, as these patients require specialist one-to-one nursing care, this has had a significant impact on the available bed capacity." Surgeons will be keeping in touch with their patients and will reschedule appointments as quickly as possible, the trust added.
Hospital operations have been cancelled in Staffordshire due to an outbreak of flu.
It was a success that suggests even greater honours lie in prospect for the Englishman. All wins are good, but this was special. The 28-year-old from Sheffield showed commendable nerve and skill to hold off compatriot Andy Sullivan to complete victory by the narrowest of margins. Both players made single-putt birdies at the last as they strove for victory, which surely indicates they have the mentality to succeed at the very highest level. With the stunning strides taken by 21-year-old Matthew Fitzpatrick - another Yorkshireman - and the continued progress of Chris Wood, the future of English golf looks increasingly bright. This crop of players look equipped to take over from the generation that spawned world number ones Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, as well as Paul Casey and Ian Poulter. "I think we are kind of going through that transition now," said Willett. "And I think the likes of me and the other young British lads are just going to keep progressing. "I can see it being very competitive for the next few years." A virtuous circle is developing that inspires this new generation, many of whom first came together playing amateur events and as team-mates in the Home Internationals. "It was pretty strong teams from all the countries," Willett said. "And I think the England lads are kind of just feeding off each other. "You look at the likes of Sully and Woody and myself, and Fitzy in the EurAsia Cup - it was good fun to be in and around it, having a good craic and a good bit of banter. "I think for the next few years we're going to be the ones that are trying to beat each other." Of the older guard, 35-year-old Justin Rose is seventh in the world and Casey remains in the top 30, with the 38-year-old's form last year suggesting he could head back towards the top 10. Willett is already moving in that direction. His Dubai triumph was his third in the past 13 months, and he has had nine other top-six finishes. He has risen to 13th in the rankings, an ascent down to growing maturity allied to the immense talent that's been there all along. "Winning and losing, there's such a minuscule difference between it," Willett said after his latest victory. "It's just about putting yourself in that position as many times as possible. Some days you get lucky." Willett's primary objective every week is to contend. "In my mind, that's a victory," he said. That was the attitude that helped him push Rory McIlroy all the way to the final week of last year's Race to Dubai. The early evidence suggests a similar duel might emerge in 2016. Willett's victory at the weekend eased the pressure on another season based on the European Tour. He has banked valuable Ryder Cup points and remains firmly on target to represent Great Britain at the Olympics. Before then, he is due to become a father for the first time. His wife Nicole is expected to give birth in the run-up to the year's first major, the Masters at Augusta. "It's nice to know that the stuff I'm doing is working - and my schedule choice," he said. "It's nice to get off to a quick start because it's going to give me some key time off with Nicki's birth, and obviously we're going to be well up there in the world rankings for Rio and for the Ryder Cup." Next stop is Malaysia later this month, before the year's first World Golf Championships tournament at Doral, where he finished third last year. As for Sullivan, it is extraordinary to think back 12 months to his wide-eyed disbelief at being put in the marquee McIlroy group for the first two rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic. This likeable, ever-smiling Midlander has become a fixture for such billing at European Tour events. Now he will try his hand in America, and if he can tame the driving demons that crept in last week he will challenge for big prizes. His putting touch and nerve on the greens make him a very dangerous prospect. Expect him to continue to climb from 28th in the world rankings. "Bodes well for the rest of the year," he smiled after his share of second place in Dubai. He is absolutely right - not just about his own prospects but for those of British golf.
After the season of his life in 2015, Danny Willett maintained momentum with his stellar victory at last week's Dubai Desert Classic.
From 25 April, passengers may bring blades shorter than 2.36in (6cm) and narrower than 0.5in in plane cabins. Fixed blades, razors and box cutters will still be forbidden, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) said. The change has been criticised by flight attendants, who say it will put passengers and crew at risk. Also under the new policy, billiard cues, ski poles, and lacrosse and hockey sticks will be allowed in aeroplane cabins in carry-on luggage. The TSA said the new rules would bring the US into line with international guidelines and offer a better experience for passengers. "This is part of an overall risk-based security approach, which allows Transportation Security officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher-threat items such as explosives," a TSA spokesman told the Reuters news agency. But the Flight Attendants Union Coalition called the move "poor and short-sighted". "As the last line of defence in the cabin and key aviation partners, we believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all flight attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure," the group said in a statement.
The US transport safety authority has said it will allow some small pocket knives aboard US flights for the first time since the 9/11 attacks.
He said he would table a bill to extend the state of emergency declared after the attacks for three months and would suggest changes to the constitution. France's military campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria will also intensify. IS says it carried out the attacks on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium in which 129 people died. Speaking during a joint session of both houses of parliament, Mr Hollande said the constitution needed to be amended as "we need an appropriate tool we can use without having to resort to the state of emergency". Other measures he said would be pursued included: Mr Hollande said he would travel to meet US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days to discuss action against the group. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on Monday evening to show support for "America's oldest friend" against what he called "psychopathic monsters". At a G20 summit in Turkey, world leaders promised tighter co-operation in the wake of the attacks. Mr Obama said the US and France had made a new agreement on intelligence sharing but said US military advisers thought sending ground troops to combat Isis would be a mistake. In his address, Mr Hollande reiterated his opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remaining in power but said "our enemy in Syria is Daesh [IS]". He promised more resources for the security forces and said the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier would be sent on Thursday to bolster the military campaign against IS. On Sunday night, French aircraft attacked Raqqa, IS's stronghold in Syria. French officials said 10 jets had dropped 20 guided bombs targeting sites including a command centre, a recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp. IS has issued a statement saying the raid targeted empty locations and that there were no casualties. This was a solemn speech in which one felt the president genuinely striving - under the weight of appalling circumstance - to give service to the nation. He knows that the people expect a riposte. He said it would come in two forms: military and judicial. In Syria there will be intensified strikes, and new co-ordination with the US and Russia. In France there will be a three-month extension of the state of emergency; more police and magistrates; possible powers to strip dual nationals of French citizenship. There will also be a reform of the constitution - creating a new status short of all-out war in which exceptional powers can be handed to police. But President Hollande is better at empathy than at talking tough. His opponents will give him slack because today no-one wants to expose dissent. But are these measures really going to be enough? Or are they just more administrative knob-twiddling, when the people feel in deadly peril? Authorities say that one of the attackers was the same man who used a Syrian passport in the name of Ahmad al-Mohammad and whose fingerprints match those taken by the Greek authorities after he arrived with migrants on the island of Leros in October. One Greek official on the island told the BBC that the man had aroused suspicion when he arrived and said that more highly trained intelligence officers might have been able to apprehend him. The German anti-immigrant group Pegida held a rally of some 9,000 people in the city of Dresden, with the movement's leader telling the crowd the attacks were a result of "immigration policy". As well as the attackers themselves, investigators are also reported to be focusing on a Belgian of Moroccan descent who is described as the possible mastermind of the attacks. Abdelhamid Abaoud, 27, lived in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels, as did two of the attackers, and is now believed to be based in Syria, where he has risen through the ranks of IS. On Monday evening a police operation took place in the Neudorf area of the eastern city of Strasbourg but was later reported to have been prompted by a false alarm. In the early hours of Monday, a total of 23 people were arrested, 104 put under house arrest, and dozens of weapons seized in more than 168 raids on suspected Islamist militants across France. Belgian police say two people arrested on Saturday were charged on Monday with "participating in a terrorist attack". They were among seven people detained in Belgium at the weekend. Five of them were later released, including Mohammed Abdeslam, the brother of two suspects - Brahim Abdeslam, killed during the attacks, and Salah Abdeslam, who is on the run. Who were the attackers? Omar Mostefai's gangster days The Belgian connection Mohammed Abdeslam emerged from his house to speak to the media on Monday and said his family did not know where Salah was. Stressing his innocence, he said the family's thoughts were "with the families of the victims". "We are moved by what happened, at no point we could have thought that my brothers were involved in this but you must understand that we have a mother and he is still her son," he said. "We noticed absolutely nothing, my two brothers were just normal. We still don't know exactly what happened." France held a nationwide minute of silence at midday local time (11:00 GMT) for the victims, led by Mr Hollande at the Sorbonne University. The silence was also observed in countries across the continent. Bataclan concert venue, 50 Boulevard Voltaire, 11th district - 89 dead when stormed by gunmen, three of whom were killed; another gunman died nearby La Belle Equipe, 92 rue de Charonne, 11th district - 19 dead in gun attacks Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant at rue Alibert, 10th district - 15 dead in gun attacks La Casa Nostra restaurant, 92 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 11th district - five dead in gun attacks Stade de France, St Denis, just north of Paris - three attackers and a bystander killed
France is committed to "destroying" the so-called Islamic State group after Friday's deadly attacks, President Francois Hollande has said.
Wintery showers, moving offshore overnight on Monday, mean there is a widespread risk of ice on untreated surfaces on Tuesday morning. Motorists are advised to be aware of possible hazardous travel conditions. The Met Office forecast comes after snow closed schools in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire on Monday, with roads also affected. The alert covers coastal areas in north west, south west and mid Wales until 10:00 GMT on Tuesday.
A yellow "be aware" warning for ice has been issued for western parts of Wales as wintery weather conditions continue.
At the European Respiratory Society conference, researchers will suggest this could be due to an absence of protective fatty acids in yoghurt. The diets of more than 70,000 Danish women were analysed and their children followed until the age of seven. Asthma UK says pregnant women should follow a balanced diet. Pregnant women who ate low-fat yoghurt with fruit once a day were found to be 1.6 times more likely to have children who developed asthma by age seven, compared with children of women who did not eat low-fat yoghurt. The study also found that the children of these women were more likely to have allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and current asthma symptoms. But the results showed that milk intake during pregnancy was not linked to any increased risk of asthma. In fact, milk was shown to protect against asthma development. Ekaterina Maslova, lead study author form the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked with the data at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, said: "It is a puzzling finding. The absence of fatty acids in low-fat yoghurt may be key to the results. "The results suggest that fatty acids play an important role or it could be that people who ate this kind of yoghurt had similar lifestyle and dietary patterns, but we cannot make any conclusions at this stage. "We need to replicate these results in other studies first." Leanne Metcalf, director of research at Asthma UK, said there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the pre-natal environment can influence a child's health. "However, the impact of a pregnant woman's diet on her child's health continues to be debated, as it is difficult to assess how particular aspects of a woman's diet during pregnancy are linked to the risk of developing asthma and allergies. "Eating a healthy, balanced diet at any time, but especially during pregnancy is advisable and we would recommend that pregnant women discuss any drastic changes to their diet with their GP first."
Pregnant women who eat low-fat yoghurt can increase the risk of their child developing asthma and hay fever, a study says.
His capture in southern Libya in November 2011, following three months on the run and weeks after his father's death, was an ignominious end for a man once widely considered Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's heir apparent. Despite holding no official position in the Libyan government, he was long seen as the most influential figure in the country after his father who had been in power since 1969. This stylish English-speaker was even considered the reformist face of the Libyan government - until the 2011 rebellion, and the government's response. As rebels closed in on the capital, the second of Gaddafi's nine children vowed to fight to the end against the insurgents, accusing them of being drunkards, thugs and terrorists. But after the rest of his family fled, or were killed, he ended up being held in the city of Zintan for almost six years, sentenced to death by firing squad in absentia by a court in Tripoli during that time. The few pictures released in the last few years show he is missing fingers. The BBC's John Simpson noticed he was missing part of a front tooth during one hearing early in his captivity. And he is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the suppression of opposition protests in 2011. Born in 1972, he played a key role in Libya's rapprochement with the West between 2000 and the 2011 uprising. As head of the Gaddafi family's charity and allegedly the multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) - although he denies this - Gaddafi had access to huge amounts of money, which he used to smooth relations with the West. He was involved in the negotiations which led his father to abandon his nuclear weapons programme and later helped mediate the release of six Bulgarian medics accused of infecting children with HIV in a Libyan hospital. He also negotiated compensation for the families of those killed in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the 1986 Berlin nightclub attack and the 1989 downing of UTA flight 772. Again, he is said to have been involved in talks about the controversial 2009 decision to free from prison the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. After these agreements, international sanctions were lifted and with Gaddafi prominent both politically and economically, Libya seemed set to embark on an era of remarkable change. Its oil sector was starting to open up and Libya had agreed to tackle the growing flow of sub-Saharan African migrants through the country to Europe. Mr Gaddafi owned a house in London and had links to British political figures as well as the Royal Family. He met the Duke of York twice - once at Buckingham Palace and on another occasion in Tripoli. He is known to have kept two tigers as pets and also enjoyed hunting with falcons in the deserts - a pastime traditionally enjoyed by Arab royals - and is a keen amateur painter. Gaddafi, whose first names mean Sword of Islam, always denied that he was seeking to inherit power from his father, saying the reins of power were "not a farm to inherit". He also called for political reform - a theme he addressed in the doctorate he obtained the same year from the London School of Economics (LSE). When his role in the crackdown against protesters was reported, LSE director Howard Davies resigned from his post after facing criticism for accepting donations from the charitable foundation led by the son of the then Libyan leader. The University of London was asked to investigate the authenticity of Gaddafi's PhD thesis, amid reports it was plagiarised - but it decided it should not be revoked as "the thesis has been annotated to show where attribution or references should have been made," an LSE statement said. Gaddafi was caught on 19 November 2011, a month after his father died after being caught by rebel forces in his home town of Sirte. The rebels claimed to have captured him in August 2011, during their advance on Tripoli, but he later turned up outside a hotel in the capital, greeting crowds of cheering supporters, before disappearing again. The militia holding him in Zintan wanted him to be tried in that city - and not the ICC. In the end, he was tried in absentia in 2015 by a court in Tripoli. "I am not afraid to die but if you execute me after such a trial you should just call it murder and be done with it," Gaddafi was quoted by lawyers as saying early on in his captivity. However, it seems he will not face a firing squad in Tripoli: if reports are to be believed, he has gone to the east of the country, where a rival Libyan government has granted him amnesty.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed after six years in captivity.
Boats appeared to fly metres above the water of San Francisco harbour, thanks to hydrofoils which raised hulls out of the water. Clever computer graphics showed those unfamiliar with racing exactly what was going on. And in a dramatic final Oracle Team USA overhauled an 8-1 deficit, helped by British Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie. After that success, Ainslie declared his intention to win the competition with a British team, and has just launched his bid to enter the next America's Cup. Business of Sport Despite the excitement surrounding the 2013 competition though, the organisers generated little money from TV coverage. Now Sir Russell Coutts, chief executive of Oracle Team USA, is determined to change that. He has crafted the set of rules, known as the protocol, which will govern the 35th America's Cup that will conclude with the finals in 2017. He is determined the competition will be a commercial as well as visual success. "Clearly all the broadcasters last time saw the potential of the America's Cup. We currently have a lot more commercial interest this time, in comparison to last time," he says. While last year's final was seen as a breakthrough for the event - with racing brought closer to the shore ushering in a new era of TV production, including on-screen graphics to help simplify the sport - the competition has been overhauled again, to make it more attractive to broadcasters and sponsors. America's Cup (external website) Timing is one important area. The 2013 final was held in September when US sports fans and advertisers were focused on the beginning of the NFL (American football) season. Coutts describes that timing as "crazy" and, after talks with broadcasters, decided that June would be a good time to stage the final. He says the whole event will probably end around the 4 July holiday weekend in the US. Qualifying races have also been shortened and reorganised. "In the past we've run a lot of races when they just haven't made commercial sense and so you've got all that cost and you're not really getting a return," he says. The opening round, which starts next year, will feature a number of teams, to be whittled down to four. These four will then go on to another series of races to decide which one gets to challenge the existing champions, Oracle Team USA. The format has also been designed to make the racing more affordable for the teams. The boats are smaller, so need fewer crew members, and have been simplified to reduce design and production costs. Broadcasters and sponsors, of course, want excitement. To deliver that Coutts, who is from New Zealand, is keen to raise the level of the teams entering the next series. "That was one of the things that didn't go right last time, we didn't have enough strong teams in the competition," he says. Making the overall cost of entering less expensive is one way of helping teams. But there is also a stiff entry fee this time - under the new rules entrants will have to pay $3m (£1.8m). The idea is to attract teams that have their finances in place and can afford to race through the entire competition. "We are not going to have dozens of teams entering. But I think if we get six or more strong teams in the competition - you know, really competitive teams - I think that's going to be really good for the event," Coutts says. Coutts thinks his team will be very competitive and hopes to attract more entrants of that kind of calibre. There is still a lot to be decided, not least where the final will be held. San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and Bermuda have been shortlisted for the finals in 2017. As well as local enthusiasm for the event, commercial factors will also play an important role in that decision. Coutts is considering the potential sponsorship and other commercial advantages that local companies can offer. The time zone is also a consideration. Being further east, Chicago and particularly Bermuda may be able to offer more attractive racing times for European TV viewers and sponsors. "All of the cities that are in contention now, I believe they are very, very motivated to try and get this final event," Coutts says. It is too early to say what the rights to broadcast the America's Cup could be worth, but Coutts thinks it will be the most money the competition has ever made from TV. But like golf and tennis, sailing is always going to be seen as a sport for the better off, according to Peter Worth, who has spent a successful career in sports management, at one time managing Bjorn Borg. "Sailing is an efficient way to reach the top end of the consumer market," he says. "If you look at the brands on the boats, it's Prada, Emirates, Nespresso - expensive brands. "Sailing is still a niche sport. But there are an awful lot of wealthy people who want to play in that niche."
The 2013 America's Cup final was a spectacle that bordered on the unreal.
Viviane Reding wrote that she was concerned America's efforts "could have grave adverse consequences for the fundamental rights of EU citizens". A series of leaks suggest major tech firms have passed information to the National Security Agency, the US government's snooping organisation. Experts say they could now be sued. "European data protection laws put restrictions on how data gathered about people, including social networking data, can be used," said Dr Ian Brown, associate director of Oxford University's Cyber Security Centre. "The firms will now face serious questions from national data commissioners and even potentially from individual users in Europe over whether they followed all the European data protection laws that are supposed to stop things like this happening." According to leaked documents published by the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers, the NSA can order internet firms to give it access to private emails, online chats, pictures, files, videos and other data uploaded by foreign users. Google has said that its compliance with the requests did not give the US government "unfettered access to our users' data", but notes that nondisclosure obligations prevented it providing detailed information to the public. Along with Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter, it has asked to be able to be allowed to publish information about the number and scope of the requests received. Media reports suggested Yahoo, PalTalk, AOL and Apple have also been involved in Prism. US intelligence chiefs have said that the data-sweeps save lives by helping thwart terror plots. In her letter to Eric Holder, Ms Reding asks questions on seven areas of concern about Prism and other US data surveillance programmes: Ms Reding added that American law enforcers should only be given access to EU citizens' data being held on US companies' servers in "clearly defined, exceptional and judicially reviewable situations". A spokeswoman for the commissioner confirmed the letter had been sent on Monday evening, and that Ms Reding expected detailed replies to her questions when she meets Mr Holder at a previously scheduled event in Dublin on Friday.
The EU's Justice Commissioner has written to the US attorney general, questioning him about America's data surveillance programme, Prism.
Prop forward Adam Walker was spoken to regarding offences of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. The 24-year-old has not been arrested and voluntarily attended the police station, West Yorkshire Police said. A statement from the rugby club before its match against Huddersfield Giants on Sunday said it was "appropriate" Mr Walker be stood down for selection. "This is not an admission of wrongdoing but felt to be in the best interests of everyone, including Adam," the club said. No disciplinary action has been taken, it added. Mr Walker, from Bradford, was signed by the Super League team on a three-year deal in 2014. He previously played for Huddersfield Giants.
A Hull KR player has been dropped by his club after being questioned by police over allegations of grooming.
And those EU students who are already attending UK universities will continue to receive financial support. The Student Loans Company has sought to reassure students and applicants following the EU referendum. And Mr Johnson has tweeted: "UK welcomes EU students." "Current students and this autumn's applicants will continue to receive student finance for duration of their course," said the Twitter message from the minister. Universities have been seeking clarity about the implications of Brexit for their EU students, international exchanges and for funding from EU research projects. A statement from the Student Loans Company says that those EU students who are already studying in the UK will not face any changes to financial support, such as loans to cover tuition fees. The current arrangements will also remain in place for those who have applied and are expecting to begin university courses in the autumn. But the arrangements for EU students beginning courses in the following year - autumn 2017 - have still to be clarified. There are about 125,000 EU students in higher education in the UK, with Germany and France the biggest senders. But among those non-UK students starting university in the UK last year, there were more students from China than from all the EU countries put together. Following the vote to leave the EU, Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of universities, said that the Brexit decision "creates significant uncertainty" for higher education. She said that the Russell Group universities would seek assurances from the government that "staff and students currently working and studying at our universities can continue to do so after the UK negotiates leaving the EU". Universities have been particularly concerned about the future of EU research funding, with analysis by the Royal Society showing that the UK is one of the largest recipients. It suggests that between 2007 and 2013, the UK received 8.8bn euros (£7.3bn) in direct EU research funding and had contributed 5.4bn euros (£4.5bn). But there are examples, such as Norway and Switzerland, that are outside the EU but are able to contribute funds and have "associate country" status for EU research projects. These associate member countries do not have a say in how such research funding is directed.
Students from the European Union starting university courses in the UK this autumn will have their student loans funding honoured, University Minister Jo Johnson has said.
Garth Wright, 95, from Plymouth, also unveiled a new memorial plaque on Plymouth Hoe. In 1940, hundreds of boats set sail to rescue hundreds of thousands of Allied troops who had retreated from Hitler's forces on to the shores of Dunkirk. "We went across to France, we defended Dunkirk and the evacuation," said Mr Wright. Almost 99,000 men were lifted from the beaches and about 240,000 from the harbour and mole - a wooden breakwater protecting the harbour - but thousands died. Mr Wright said: "I hope and I'm sure that in future years, when youngsters hear about Dunkirk, they'll come and see this plaque." He added it had been a "great day" and he had "achieved a mission" to have the new plaque installed.
One of the last surviving Dunkirk veterans led a 75th anniversary service to mark the World War Two evacuation.
Which four teams came through the two legs to book a place at the finals? Ukraine 3-1 Slovenia (aggregate) Ukraine had lost in four World Cup play-offs and one in the European Championship before their tie with Slovenia. They took a 2-0 lead from the first leg to Maribor, but conceded after 11 minutes of Tuesday's second leg when home skipper Bostjan Cesar headed in from close range. But Andriy Yarmolenko secured Ukraine's spot by converting after a late counter attack. Did you know? Ukraine had never previously qualified for a Euro finals. Their only appearance - in 2012 - came as co-hosts. Sweden 4-3 Denmark (aggregate) Sweden saw off a late fightback from neighbours Denmark to qualify for the finals and keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic's international career going. The captain was inevitably at the heart of the second leg in Copenhagen, adding two goals to his first-leg strike, including a sensational curling free-kick. Did you know? Ibrahimovic has scored 62 goals for Sweden. Of those still playing, only Republic of Ireland's Robbie Keane (67) has more. Republic of Ireland 3-1 Bosnia (aggregate) Six years after Thierry Henry's infamous handball denied them a place at the 2010 World Cup, the Republic of Ireland qualified as two goals from Jon Walters helped them overcome Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ireland drew 1-1 away in the first leg, Robbie Brady putting them ahead before Edin Dzeko equalised. In Dublin, Walters netted a hugely controversial 24th-minute penalty after Bosnia's Ervin Zukanovic was harshly adjudged to have handled a Daryl Murphy cross That put the Irish 2-1 up on aggregate and the win was all but secured when Walters volleyed in on 70 minutes. Did you know? The Republic of Ireland have qualified for the European Championship finals for the third time (after 1988 and 2012). Hungary 3-1 Norway (aggregate) Hungary qualified for their first tournament in 30 years after beating Norway in both legs to win their play-off. They won the first game in Oslo 1-0, with debutant Laszlo Kleinheisler scoring the only goal. And Tamas Priskin and a Markus Henriksen own goal put them 2-0 up in Budapest before Henriksen scored in the right net late on to pull one back. Norway had another couple of chances but never looked like scoring the two extra goals they needed. Did you know? 89% of the goals conceded by Hungary in their qualifying group games came from open play; a competition-high (equal with Luxembourg). Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales.
The 2016 European Championship play-offs have finished, with Ukraine and Sweden completing the list of 24 teams to qualify for next summer's finals.
Interior Minister Muammer Guler told Turkey's NTV the bombs had gone off near the town hall and post office. Video showed injured people being carried to safety amid shattered buildings and twisted wrecks of cars. No group has said it had carried out the attack, but a senior Turkish official suggested Syrian involvement. "Our thoughts are that their Mukhabarat [the Syrian intelligence agency] and armed organisations are the usual suspects in planning and the carrying out of such devilish plans," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said shortly after the bombings. Later on Saturday another Deputy Prime Minister, Besir Atalay, said initial investigations showed the attackers were linked to Syrian intelligence, NTV reported. By Mahmut HamsiciBBC, Reyhanli Reyhanli residents were in a state of shock after the attacks. But there was anger in the town as well. They were angry at the Turkish and Syrian governments, at Syrian refugees and the media. One eyewitness shouted at the others: "Don't talk to media. They will not write anything against the government." Some who wanted to talk said: "We welcomed the Syrian refugees supported by our government but they destroyed our lives. They took our jobs, bullied us." Another young boy said: "All of the Syrians have now gone into hiding. They know that people will attack them." Leaving the town, I saw vehicles with Syrian plates damaged by rocks, their windows smashed in and bodywork dented - vandalised by residents. It is perhaps a sign that tension between locals and Syrian refugees may increase in the coming days. Reyhanli is an entry-point for refugees from the war in Syria and local people attacked cars with Syrian number-plates and Syrian refugees after the attack, according to local media. The Turkish government has been a key supporter of the Syrian opposition, and has allowed rebels as well as refugees on to its territory. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and others have condemned the bombing and offered their condolences. Hours after the initial blasts, reports came in of a third blast in a residential area but the government said it was the fuel tank of a car exploding and not connected to the attacks. It appears that the first bombs went off 15 minutes apart and video posted on Turkish media shows people running to help victims of the first when there is the sound of a second explosion. Emergency services looked for possible victims buried under the debris. "I was sitting in my pharmacy and suddenly we heard a massive explosion," eyewitness Ismail Akin told Reuters news agency. "When I looked from my window I saw wounded people and dead bodies." Another witness, Hayrullah Bal, said: "We were a bit far away from the explosions, it suddenly happened and everybody started to run. It was so strong that all the windows shattered." Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country would protect itself. Mr Davutoglu, who was visiting Berlin, said: "There may be those who want to sabotage Turkey's peace, but we will not allow that. "No-one should attempt to test Turkey's power. Our security forces will take all necessary measures." He added that the blasts had taken place to deflect attention from efforts to solve the Syrian crisis. Mr Kerry said: "The United States condemns today's car bombings and we stand with our ally, Turkey. "This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey." Mr Rasmussen described the bombing in a statement as "despicable" and said Nato stood by Turkey, a member of the alliance. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague sent a message of solidarity to the people of Turkey. "Appalling explosions in Reyhanli, Turkey," he wrote on Twitter. "My thoughts are with family & friends of the victims. We stand with the people of Turkey." The border area of Reyhanli has itself been attacked in recent months. In February, an explosion near the town killed 17 people and wounded 30. Five people were killed last October when a mortar round hit the Turkish border town of Akcakale.
Twin car bombs have killed at least 43 people and injured at least 100 in the Turkish town of Reyhanli, near the Syrian border.
Two vehicles collided on the A32 Gosport Road shortly after 08:00 GMT, Hampshire Constabulary said. The biker was treated by paramedics at the scene but later died from his injuries. Motorists are urged to avoid the area as the road, which has been closed near Wych Lane, will remain shut for several hours.
A motorcyclist has died after being involved in a crash with a lorry in Fareham, Hampshire.
The event had been facing the axe after sponsorship dried up. However, councillors have now opted to spend £50,000 from the Common Good Fund to put on a display to see in the new year. Fresh efforts will be made to attract private sector sponsors for future years.
Aberdeen's Hogmanay fireworks display will go ahead this year, despite earlier fears about funding.
Highland Council had sought support for a raft of projects costing more than £400m. The proposals include improvements to transport links, digital connectivity and creating new skills academies, mostly in Inverness. The deal involves direct funding and greater borrowing powers. The Scottish government has committed £135m of investment, the UK government £53m and Highland Council and its regional partners will contribute £127m. The local authority has said the package, which will see money invested over 10 to 20 years, could attract £1bn in private sector investment over several years. Projects proposed aim to boost the Highlands economy, create new jobs, attract professionals working in science, technology and engineering to the region and encourage young people not to move away from the Highlands for further education and work. In a ceremony in Inverness, the deal was signed by Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson, Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown and also Lord Dunlop, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office. Highland Council, Drew Hendry, who is SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have welcomed the announcement. However, Highlands-based economist Tony Mackay and Rob Gibson, SNP MSP for SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, have criticised the spending plans. Earlier, Ms Davidson told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the package would bring years of "certainty and investment". She said it would pay for major roads projects in Inverness. The new West Link has been designed to ease city centre congestion and travel to the A82, while the planned East Link would connect the A96 to the A9. A flyover to take traffic up and over the Longman Roundabout at the Kessock Bridge could also be allocated money, said Ms Davidson. She added that funding would also be directed towards improving the region's internet connections. The Plan in the High Castle: Where the money is to be invested Ms Davidson said: "What everyone, every community, is telling me is digital connectivity is what we are needing. "That would penetrate every corner of the Highlands and we want the Highlands to be the best connected region in Europe." The council leader confirmed that £15m had been sought for a project to transform Inverness Castle, currently a sheriff court, into a tourist attraction. MP Mr Hendry said: "This deal offers us an opportunity to not only boost the economy and bring jobs, it allows us to plan growth, develop our vision and deliver for the people who live and work here. "It is no secret that almost everyone in Inverness wants to see the castle open to the public. This will bring thousands of extra tourists and will significantly boost our tourism economy. It is a win for local people and visitors." He added: "These infrastructure improvements, combined with the dualling of the A9, A96, improvements to the rail services and the SG commitment to 100% broadband coverage mean we will be better planned for, better connected and better able to take advantage of opportunities in the future." Economist Mr Mackay said there was merit in some of the projects proposed, but described other ideas as "poor". He told BBC Radio Scotland that turning Inverness Castle into a tourist attraction and improving roads would bring much-needed economic benefits. But he added that money should also be invested in putting new businesses into empty shops in the city centre. Mr Mackay described building a velodrome, which had formed part of Highland Council's original investment plans, as a "waste of money". Highland Council has since said a regional sports hub in Inverness did not form part of the City Region Deal. The local authority said it would consider how to progress the plan and had an "indication of significant investment" from national body sportscotland. The council had suggested the hub could have a velodrome and space for sports including gymnastics. MSP Mr Gibson said some of the investment should have been committed to resolving a problematic section of the A890 in Wester Ross. He said: "How can it be a city and region deal if the need for a bypass at Strome Ferry on the rock-fall prone section of the A890 is not a priority? "Following a series of land slips and rock falls over decades the frequent closure of this A road which is a Highland Council responsibility could pose life and death issues for travellers. "The school students going to Plockton High School from Lochcarron are exposed to danger every day. Keeping the dangerous section open has cost millions over decades." City of Angles By Steven McKenzie, BBC Highlands and Islands reporter Ask anyone in Inverness and they will have a different angle on how hundreds of millions of pounds should be spent on the city. There is support for the greater availability of sporting facilities because of the huge demand for what is already on offer at sites such as Inverness Leisure and Culloden Community Centre. And while a traffic jam in Inverness is usually nothing like what can be experienced in Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen, it is the cause of frustration, especially at the Longman Roundabout, the octopus tentacle-esq Inshes Roundabout and Raigmore Interchange. But the West Link, one of Highland Council's solutions to the traffic problems, has been controversial with a campaign opposed to the loss of green spaces to the new road. Better digital connectivity would likely receive wide spread support with the most vocal support coming from places beyond Inverness. Highland Council's leader Margaret Davidson has said the whole of the Highlands would benefit from investment in improved broadband connections. Wherever the millions of pounds is eventually committed it will be the cause of agreement and disagreement. Similar deals have previously been secured by Glasgow and jointly by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils. The Scottish and UK governments provide funding and other support for the packages. Highland Council said millions of pounds it has committed to building Inverness's new West Link road would form part of the deal. The local authority said the package would benefit the wider Highland area. During last week's Budget, Chancellor George Osborne said that negotiations would also begin on the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal bid It aims to secure major funding to help better protect historic attractions in Scotland's capital, and also boost the wider area's overseas trade and opportunities for new businesses. Those involved have calculated that an additional £3.2bn worth of private sector investment could be leveraged if the bid was successful.
The Scottish and UK governments have confirmed details of a £315m City Region Deal for Inverness and the wider Highlands area.
But former CBI chief John Cridland told the BBC that people should take a "leap of faith" on new roads and railways. He said he believed reducing journey times between northern cities would improve the economy. But critics say the money might be better spent on training and skills - or on transport within cities. Mr Cridland's quango Transport for the North is due to publish its first report soon. The chancellor's advisory National Infrastructure Commission also will make recommendations on Northern transport. Five issues that will shape the Northern Powerhouse The bodies have been considering transport options such as a motorway running under the Peak District from Sheffield to Manchester, or an HS3 rail link between Leeds and Manchester. But Anne Robinson, from Friends of the Peak District, told BBC News: "These are just pie-in-the-sky schemes. We haven't been given the slightest shred of evidence that they will do any good." She warned that the motorway scheme - running more than 30 miles underground - would cost a fortune, as well as creating congestion in roads at either end of the tunnel and potentially disrupting the ecology of the Peaks National Park. Mr Cridland said ambitious infrastructure should be on the agenda: "I'm not claiming there is perfect science here. "But I am convinced that after decades of under-investment, it's now time to close that investment gap - and it will lead to better travelling experiences and economic growth. "Transport economics can't always prove this: sometimes, like the Victorian engineers, you have to take a leap of faith." Ms Robinson said it was foolish to take a leap of faith with billions of public money. It is likely, though, that both quangos reporting on transport in the north will concentrate their efforts on solutions which bring quick improvement for travellers - like electrifying the Leeds-Manchester route and putting on extra carriages. Another likely favourite option will be to introduce hard-shoulder running by making all of the M62 a "smart" motorway. The two bodies may also be anxious to keep hope alive for heroic inter-city infrastructure in the north so people have faith in the regeneration of the region. There is already a degree of cynicism about ambitious words from Westminster. One Manchester business leader disparaged the term "Northern Powerhouse". "It's a bit embarrassing isn't it? Frankly it looks like a brand in search of a product," he told me. Mr Cridland maintains that already the Powerhouse slogan itself has created a sense of excitement and purpose. The team making key decisions on train operation in the north has been shifted from the south to Leeds, he says - and this is making planners more responsive to local needs. The big cities of the north are talking to each other, making plans, dreaming they can really breathe new life into the region, Mr Cridland says. Now, he confesses, some infrastructure has to follow. Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin.
There is no guarantee that investing billions in infrastructure will help the North of England, the man leading the "Northern Powerhouse" project says.
Daniel McNeil, 16, from North Shields, died after the incident involving the Scottish Viking and the Homeland prawn boat off the Borders coast last August. The report said both crews had not determined at an early stage if there was a risk of collision. It said actions had now been taken to tackle the safety concerns raised. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said the Homeland had left Eyemouth harbour at about 1845 BST on the evening of the collision. The Scottish Viking had left Rosyth headed for Zeebrugge about an hour and a half earlier. They collided at about 1945 BST a few miles off St Abb's Head in good visibility. The Homeland quickly capsized and Mr McNeil's body was lost at sea before being recovered nearly three months later. The MAIB report has concluded a number of factors led to the collision. It said watchkeeping on the ferry did not monitor or plot the path of the Homeland sufficiently and, once a risk of collision was deemed to exist, failed to take sufficient action to avoid it. It added the crew of the Homeland did not recognise the risk of collision until it was too late to take effective action. The investigation also identified "complacency and lack of precautionary thought" on the Scottish Viking as well as "ineffective implementation of the company's navigation policy and procedures". Concerns were highlighted about "restricted all-round visibility from the aft deck" on the prawn trawler as well as "conflicting task priorities and possible lack of watchkeeping proficiency". However, it added that in light of actions taken following the accident, it had no safety recommendations to make.
An accident report has raised concerns about watchkeeping on a ferry and boat which were involved in a collision which led to a teenager's death.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist won two of the three races with his Land Rover BAR team to finish top of the leaderboard with 26 points. Groupama Team France are level on points but trail by one race win to the British boat's two. Ainslie hopes to skipper Britain to a first America's Cup win in 165 years. Portsmouth is the seventh stage of a lengthy qualification process that will count towards the 2017 America's Cup Challenger Series, the winner of which will take on Oracle in the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda. Ainslie said: "I was pleased with the way we regrouped for the final two races. We fought hard and kept going to come away with two wins. "It was a day to keep your eyes open and keep fighting all the way because there were always opportunities to gain and lose." Defending America's Cup champions Oracle Team USA are three points back on 23 alongside Softbank Team Japan.
Britain's America's Cup campaign got off to a strong start under the leadership of Sir Ben Ainslie on day one of the World Series in Portsmouth.
However, share gains and losses were widely spread among a range of sectors making it hard to identify a pattern. The S&P 500 climbed 0.25% to 2,404.39, while the Dow Jones gained 0.36%, reaching 21,012.42. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed at 6,1463.02, up 0.4%. Shares in US steelmakers jumped in morning trade, as the US Commerce Department started a hearing over possible restrictions on imports of the material. But most of those gains had evaporated by the end of the day. Goldman Sachs closed the day up by nearly 2%, climbing rapidly in the afternoon. Banks typically benefit from higher interest rates, however, the sentiment did not spread to all of its rivals. JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America both closed down slightly. Intuit, which provides tax preparation services, rose more than 6%, on strong earnings. The firm reported revenue in the three months to the end of April was up 10%.
US markets closed up on Wednesday, after the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting appeared to confirm plans by the Federal Reserve to raise rates next month.
Among those which remain on the books are more than 300 dating from the colonial era, as well as rules to manage issues arising out of the Partition of India. There are more than a dozen laws imposing redundant taxes that yield little and cost a lot to collect, as well as outdated laws relating to former princely states and the nationalisation of industries and banks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says one of his missions is to rid India of a "maze of useless laws". During the election campaign he promised that for every law passed, his government would repeal 10 obsolete ones. More recently, in a speech at New York's Madison Square Garden, he said he planned to get rid of one such law every day. His government has already placed a bill in parliament, recommending 36 obsolete laws be revised. A Delhi-based citizens' group has gone a step further and compiled a list of 100 laws to delete from the statue books. Here are 10 laws, picked at random, that India could easily get rid of: The law defines treasure specifically as "anything of any value hidden in the soil" and worth as little as 10 rupees (16 cents; 10 pence). The finder of such treasure, according to the law, will need to inform the most senior local official of the "nature and amount or approximate value of such treasure and the place where it was found". Also, if the finder fails to hand over the booty to the government, the "share of such treasure ... shall vest in Her Majesty". It's worth remembering that the British left India in 1947. Walter James McDonald Redwood, a priest in the southern city of Bangalore, solemnised many local marriages during his time, mistakenly believing that he was authorised to do so. The law was introduced to validate those marriages. It's less clear what relevance it has these days. The law levies a cess - a tax imposed for special administrative expenses - on salt manufacturers at the rate of 14 paise (2 cents) per 40kg on all salt made in a private or state-owned salt factory. The proceeds - after deducting the cost of collection - are used to meet expenses of salt-making, labour welfare and research. In 2013-14 collections from the tax amounted to $538,000 (£343,400), which was nearly half the cost of collecting it. Given that collections are so low, says the Delhi-based Centre for Civil Society, removing this act - and tax - would have little effect on the government's finances. A High Level Salt Enquiry Committee set up in 1978 recommended that the tax should be scrapped since the "annual collection was very small" while the total cost of collecting it was more than half of the total collection. The recommendation is still pending. Although 92% of salt in India is produced by private companies, its salt industry is controlled by what is called the Indian Salt Service, employing some 800 officers. The law regulates possession of telegraph wires by Indians. A person who possesses telegraph wires - with precisely defined diameters - is expected to inform authorities about the quantity in his possession. Anybody possessing more than 10lb (4kg) of such wire has to convert the excess into ingots. The problem with this law is India sent out its last telegram in July 2013, after which telegraph services were shut. The law says only the federal government has the "exclusive privilege of conveying by post, from one place to another", most letters. There are a few exceptions, including one particularly bizarre one: "Letters sent by a private friend in his way, journey or travel, to be delivered by him to the person to whom they are directed, without hire, reward or other profit or advantages for receiving, carrying or delivering them". India's thriving courier industry circumvents this law by sending "documents" rather than letters. The 145-year-old law deals with regulating public sarais (rest houses), including duties of the manager and "removal of noxious vegetation" on the site. The law says sarais should also provide free drinking water to passers by - reports say it is often misused instead to harass hotel owners. The law was enforced to "prevent the dissemination of certain publications harmful to young persons". A harmful publication is one that "tends to corrupt a young person" with pictures and stories which depict "violence or cruelty" or "incidents of a repulsive or horrible nature". Many believe that words such as repulsive and horrible are "vague and subject to arbitrary interpretation, and consequently lead to widespread discretion and serve as an excuse for harassment". For example, earlier this year, police in southern Kerala state raided shops selling Bob Marley T-shirts on the grounds that these encouraged youngsters to consume drugs - and shopkeepers were charged under the law. The law defines an aircraft as "any machine which can derive support in the atmosphere from reactions of the air". So it includes "balloons, whether fixed or free, airships, kites, gliders and flying machines". It also says only the government can make rules regarding "possession, use, operation, sale, import or export of any aircraft or class of aircraft". By this logic, it would be illegal to fly kites and balloons without government clearance in India. This law requires every foreigner staying in India for more than 180 days to report his/her entry, movement from one place to another and departure, to the authorities. Introduced by the British to regulate the entry and movement of foreigners in India - particularly of Indian revolutionaries from abroad - the law also requires owners and managers of hotels and boarding houses, and aircraft or ships to report the presence of any foreigners. Many say the law has become a tool to harass foreigners and is an impediment to India's efforts to boost tourism. This discriminatory colonial law exempted areas populated by India's Sonthal tribespeople from general laws and regulations because they were an "uncivilised race". The law, introduced to curb uprisings by isolating tribal populations, "violate the principles of equality under law adopted by our Constitution and give legitimacy to discrimination and ill-treatment of tribal populations in India", according to a citizens' group.
India's archaic and obsolete laws are seen by many as its most burdensome legacy.
First there are the crowds, the gut reaction and the enthusiasm of the millions of faithful and of the simply curious who turn out to see the new man in white, the latest successor to Saint Peter. In Rio, the welcome Pope Francis received on the streets and particularly along the Avenida Atlantica at Copacabana beach was rapturous. Three million people gathered on the sands to hear and see him project his image of a poorer, simpler church. Then there's the religious message. During his week-long visit to Brazil, Pope Francis laid down a revolutionary blueprint for the future of the Catholic Church, not only in Latin America but worldwide. Using very simple, direct language - in contrast to the sometimes obscure and wordy "Popespeak" of his immediate predecessors - he challenged common notions of modernity and progress, and asked difficult questions of his more than 1.3 billion followers. He spoke mainly in the language in which he feels most comfortable, his native Spanish, often eschewing Brazilian Portuguese, the language spoken by his hosts. But his message came across with startling clarity. He told a crowd of 30,000 young Argentine Catholics attending World Youth Day in Rio to "make a mess" in their dioceses, to "stir things up", to shake up the comfort, self-satisfaction and clericalism of a Church closed in upon itself. "Don't forget to disturb complacency, but please don't water down the faith!" Francis said. "The Church must be taken into the streets," he said in the cathedral of Rio. "If not, the Church becomes an NGO. And the Church cannot become an NGO." This was not a call to revolution, simply an endorsement of the frustration experienced by millions of young people, both in the developing world and in industrialised countries, who have no jobs nor any immediate prospect of dignified work. In the huge beehive-shaped Cathedral of Rio, illuminated by strips of brilliant stained-glass windows, he suggested that the Catholic Church should also slow down its pace a bit. "People today are attracted by things that are faster and faster, rapid internet connections, speedy cars and planes, instant relationships," Pope Francis told the biggest gathering of Catholic bishops in half a century. "At the same time, we see a desperate need for calmness, I would say even slowness. Is the Church still able to move slowly, to take the time to listen, to have the patience to mend and reassemble? Or is the Church itself caught up in the frantic pursuit of efficiency?" The third level of communication is when the Pope talks off-the-cuff to journalists. Speaking on the plane which brought him back to the Vatican from Rio, he fielded questions on a wide range of subjects ranging from how he intended to resolve the money laundering scandal at the Vatican Bank to allegations about a "gay prelates lobby" inside the Church's headquarters. He was disarmingly frank. He said he didn't know yet how the story of the Vatican Bank was going to end. A Vatican accountant is currently in jail being questioned by Italian prosecutors who believe that some Italian businessmen may have been using the Vatican as a sort of fiscal paradise and tax haven. On the question of the existence of a so-called "gay lobby" inside the Vatican, Pope Francis quipped that he still had to find anyone whose Vatican ID described him as gay. He denied outright Italian media reports about a long-ago gay scandal involving a prelate who is now in charge of the Vatican residence which is the Pope's new home. Pope Francis, the first ever pontiff from Latin America, has struck an unusual new tone at all levels of communication. Now that he is back at his desk in his modest Vatican quarters, he has some important decisions to make about the future governance of his Church. Normally the cardinals who run the Holy See are off on their long summer holidays at this time of year. But Pope Francis' seasons are not the same as those of his predecessors. In the Southern Hemisphere, where the bulk of his international flock now lives, it is winter. Pope Francis plans to spend the month of August preparing for some radical changes in the future governance of his worldwide Church. Be prepared for some big surprises.
When popes travel, there are three levels of communication.
The two nations fought a war over the border in 1962 and disputes remain unresolved in several areas, causing tensions to rise from time to time. Since this confrontation began last month, each side has reinforced its troops and called on the other to back down. It erupted when India opposed China's attempt to extend a border road through a plateau known as Doklam in India and Donglang in China. The plateau, which lies at a junction between China, the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan, is currently disputed between Beijing and Thimphu. India supports Bhutan's claim over it. India is concerned that if the road is completed, it will give China greater access to India's strategically vulnerable "chicken's neck", a 20km (12-mile) wide corridor that links the seven north-eastern states to the Indian mainland. Indian military officials told regional analyst Subir Bhaumik that they protested and stopped the road-building group, which led Chinese troops to rush Indian positions and smash two bunkers at the nearby Lalten outpost. "We did not open fire, our boys just created a human wall and stopped the Chinese from any further incursion," a brigadier said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. Chinese officials say that in opposing the road construction, Indian border guards obstructed "normal activities" on the Chinese side, and called on India to immediately withdraw. Both India and China have rushed more troops to the border region, and media reports say the two sides are in an "eyeball to eyeball" stand-off. The Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui told Press Trust of India news agency on Tuesday that India had to "unconditionally pull back troops" for peace to prevail. The statement is being seen as a diplomatic escalation by China. China also retaliated by stopping 57 Indian pilgrims who were on their way to the Manas Sarovar Lake in Tibet via the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. The lake is a holy Hindu site and there is a formal agreement between the neighbours to allow devotees to visit. Bhutan, meanwhile, has asked China to stop building the road, saying it is in violation of an agreement between the two countries. Indian military experts say Sikkim is the only area through which India could make an offensive response to a Chinese incursion, and the only stretch of the Himalayan frontier where Indian troops have a terrain and tactical advantage. They have higher ground, and the Chinese positions there are squeezed between India and Bhutan. "The Chinese know this and so they are always trying to undo our advantage there," retired Maj-Gen Gaganjit Singh, who commanded troops on the border, told the BBC. Last week, the foreign ministry said that the construction "would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India". Indian Defence and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also warned that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962, and the country was well within its rights to defend its territorial integrity. China has reiterated its sovereignty over the area, saying that the road is in its territory and accusing Indian troops of "trespassing". It said India would do well to remember its defeat in the 1962 war, warning Delhi that China was also more powerful than it was then. On Monday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that the border in Sikkim had been settled in an 1890 agreement with the British, and that India's violation of this was "very serious". The Global Times newspaper, meanwhile, accused India of undermining Bhutan's sovereignty by interfering in the road project, although Bhutan has since asked China to stop construction. Bhutan's Ambassador to Delhi Vetsop Namgyel says China's road construction is "in violation of an agreement between the two countries". Bhutan and China do not have formal relations but maintain contact through their missions in Delhi. Security analyst Jaideep Saikia told the BBC that Beijing had for a while now been trying to deal directly with Thimphu, which is Delhi's closest ally in South Asia. "By raising the issue of Bhutan's sovereignty, they are trying to force Thimphu to turn to Beijing the way Nepal has," he said. The region saw clashes between China and India in 1967, and tensions still flare occasionally. Commentators say the latest development appears to be one of the most serious escalations in recent years. The fact that Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama resides in India has also been a sticking point between the two countries. This stand-off in fact, comes within weeks of China's furious protests against the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian state that China claims and describes as its own. Relations between the Asian giants, however, may not slide further as China has allowed 56 Hindu pilgrims, who entered through the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, to visit the Manas Sarovar site. "They are heading for the lake and they are safe," senior tourism official Dheeraj Garbiyal said last week. This, experts say, shows that the Chinese are not raising tensions on the whole border but specifically on the Sikkim-Bhutan stretch.
For four weeks, India and China have been involved in a stand-off along part of their 3,500km (2,174-mile) shared border.
The team at Lake Ellsworth decided to call off the mission in the early hours of Christmas Day UK time. They were unable to join the main borehole with a parallel hole that was to be used to recover drilling water. The team is now "weatherising" the equipment and it is unclear when they will be able to resume the project. The £8m ($13m) project, headed by the British Antarctic Survey (Bas), aimed to drill carefully down using near-boiling water to pierce the lake, which has been untouched for as much as half a million years. The hope had been to find hints of simple life forms existing in the extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, and to find a record of climate in the lake's sediments. By David ShukmanScience editor, BBC News Searching for life in the hidden waters of Lake Ellsworth was one of the most ambitious British science projects of recent years, so this failure in the drilling programme will come as a huge blow. The team knew that the risks were high, but the idea of exploring an ancient and mysterious body of water isolated for hundreds of thousands of years had inspired passion and determination. The challenge of designing and engineering equipment that could remain sterilised on the long journey to Antarctica, and then down through the 3km of ice-sheet, was immense and involved hundreds of people. So the disappointment will be felt far beyond the 12 men at their remote camp on the ice. Engineers, technicians, support staff - and researchers eager for the results - will feel heavy disappointment. They may try again next year. But this was frontier science, a gamble, and it did not pay off. The programme ran into trouble last week as the main boiler used to heat drilling water broke down, with a replacement part being flown from the UK reaching the remote site last Friday. With the boiler working, the team aimed to make two parallel boreholes, intended to join 300m below the surface. A first borehole was drilled and left for 12 hours to create a hot-water cavity. This was to be used to re-circulate drilling water and to balance pressures when the sequestered lake was finally breached. However, the team were unable to reach the cavity during the course of drilling the second, main borehole. "We kept trying for over 24 hours to reach that connection but we couldn't do it," said principal investigator of the project Martin Siegert, from the University of Bristol. "All that time we were losing fuel and water from the ice sheet surface and we got to a critical condition where our calculations showed us we simply didn't have enough fuel to continue any further down into the ice sheet to hit the top of the lake," he told BBC News. The team is now starting the long process of gathering up its equipment for eventual return to the UK, where it will be serviced. Once back on UK soil, the team will have to develop a report on what went wrong, and only then can the thought of a return trip be considered. "It will take a season or two to get all of our equipment out of Antarctica and back to the UK, so at a minimum we're looking at three to four, maybe five years I would have thought," Prof Siegert said. But he remained hopeful about the future, and said that this year's mission was far from a complete loss. "We still want to do that testing, they were compelling scientific drivers a few years ago and they remain so. It's very important that we take stock of what we achieved here," he said. Given the long time that it may take to fund and mount another mission to Ellsworth, it may be that other nations aim for other sealed-off Antarctic lakes in the nearer term. "We have never depicted it as a race, but it may well happen that others get there first," Audrey Stevens, Bas spokesperson, told BBC News.
An ambitious mission to drill through 3km (1.8 miles) of Antarctic ice to a lake that has been sealed off for thousands of years has been cut short.
Staff and visitors were evacuated from the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall after clashes involving hundreds of inmates began at midday. Parts of the prison are in lockdown but the outer perimeter was not breached. Victorian Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard said it was one of Melbourne's biggest ever prison riots. She said it might be linked to the smoking ban, due to come into effect on Wednesday, but the ban would go ahead regardless. "Until I get a full debrief, I can't speculate about how it all came about," she told reporters. But she said it was "very disappointing that it occurred today". Other media reports quoted people in contact with prisoners who blamed the ban for the violence. One man, David, told Melbourne's 3AW radio station an inmate had told him earlier in the week that "all hell was going to break loose" if their tobacco was removed. Police and emergency services rushed to the Metropolitan Remand Centre in the afternoon afternoon after prisoners breached an inner perimeter. There have been no reports so far of injuries but local media have reported police entering the prison and using a water cannon to subdue inmates. Footage from the scene broadcast on Australian media showed prisoners in an outside yard with covered faces lighting fires and smashing windows. Ms Shuard said several small fires started by the prisoners were quickly "contained". Police secured the prison's perimeter while a police drone and police helicopter surveyed the scene from the air. The riot, which broke out at about 12.30pm local time on Tuesday (02:30 GMT), was not a threat to public safety, said prison authorities. The commissioner could not confirm reports the riot involved two rival prison gangs. Earlier in the day, she said the state's prison system had been "very ready" for the smoking ban. About 84% of Victorian prisoners are smokers, according to government figures, about five times the rate in the general community. The government said it was introducing the ban to improve the health of prison staff and inmates. Ms Shuard said the ban had been 18 months in the making. "We've had a very long-term project in place to work with both our staff and the prisoners in preparing for [the ban]," Ms Shuard told the ABC on Tuesday.
Heavily armed police have been sent to a prison on the outskirts of Melbourne following a major riot reportedly linked to a smoking ban.
But the judges also gave the government the right to enforce a separate ban on refugees, pending a government appeal against a federal court order. Both items were part of an executive order issued by Mr Trump on 6 March. He says the move is vital for national security. Critics counter that it is discriminatory and unfair. A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration on both issues last week, leading it to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court. Wednesday's Supreme Court decision means grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and siblings-in-law of those legally residing in the US are not covered by the current 90-day bar on the entry of people from from six Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. 'Grandparents, not terrorists' Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin, who challenged both bans in court, said the Supreme Court ruling endorsed Hawaii's position. "This confirms we were right to say that the Trump administration overreached in trying to unilaterally keep families apart from each other," he said in a statement. The Supreme Court's decision on the refugee ban could prevent the entry of up to 24,000 refugees connected to a US Resettlement Agency. Mr Trump's 50,000 cap on refugee admissions for the year, part of the executive order, has already been reached. This latest legal ruling is temporary while the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considers the government's appeal against a lower court ruling that upheld Hawaii's challenge to the ban. But Naureen Shah of Amnesty International USA said the decision "jeopardises the safety of thousands of people across the world including vulnerable families fleeing war and violence". This is just the latest round in an ongoing battle over Mr Trump's executive order, which began after Supreme Court intervention last month partly reinstated the ban on refugees and travellers from the six Muslim-majority countries. It said only those with "bona fide" family ties would be let into the US. But the Trump administration decided that did not include grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins. The federal judge who ruled against this condemned the government's definition of a close relative as "unduly restrictive". An initial version of the ban, published in January, sparked mass protests at airports and a series of legal challenges that prevented its implementation. Mr Trump drafted a new version in March, dropping Iraq from the list of countries, clarifying the position of "green card" holders, removing priority for "religious minorities" in mostly-Muslim countries, and softening a tough stance on Syrian refugees. But courts struck down the new version within days, with a Virginia court claiming it was "rooted in religious animus" against Muslims. That prompted the Trump administration to go to the Supreme Court for a ruling, where conservatives hold a majority of five to four. The nation's highest court allowed the ban to go ahead temporarily, until it makes a full decision in October.
The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by President Donald Trump to include grandparents and other relatives of US residents in his travel ban on people from six countries.
Naysmith, 38, will take over at Scottish Championship Queens following the Fifers' Scottish Cup replay against Edinburgh City on Monday. The former Everton, Hearts and Scotland player took over at Bayview Stadium in 2013, having joined East Fife as a player earlier that year. "I'm thrilled to be taking over at Queens," said Naysmith. "They are a decent sized club with plenty of potential. "I've loved my time at East Fife and thank them for giving me the opportunity, but I'm delighted to be making the move back to a full-time club and being able to work with the players on a daily basis. "Queens have some decent players within the squad and I'm looking forward to working with them to achieve success." The Palmerston club are currently sixth in the second tier, five points off the promotion play-off places, with coaches Jim Thomson and Graeme Robertson again looking after the team for Saturday's trip to Dumbarton following Gavin Skelton's resignation in early November. East Fife are second bottom of League One, having won promotion last season. Assistant manager Dougie Anderson is making the switch from Methil along with Naysmith. Queens chairman Billy Hewitson added: "We are delighted to welcome Gary to Palmerston. With his involvement at another club, it's been a complicated process and not as straight forward as some would've liked, but we feel we have appointed the right person and we look forward to working with him."
Queen of the South have appointed East Fife boss Gary Naysmith as their new manager.
The victims, mainly women, were often exposed to asbestos while washing their spouse's clothing. They fall outside a compensation scheme which only covers those who contracted the disease directly at their work. Exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma - a type of cancer that mainly affects the lining of the lungs. Victims can attempt to identify the insurance policy for the company they worked for and then pursue a civil claim. If that is not possible then the UK government diffuse mesothelioma payments scheme, introduced in 2014, can provide compensation. However, neither of these options are open to the family members of employees who, for instance, brought home clothing covered with asbestos. Euan Love, from Digby Brown solicitors who are representing some of the victims, said the government should consider extending the scheme to this group. "The negligent act is identical for the man working in the premises and the man bringing home the overalls to his wife and her being exposed in that way," he said. "There is a potential argument that it is discriminatory against women as they are disproportionately affected by their inability to seek compensation either through the insurance policy or through the diffuse mesothelioma payments. "They are left to rely on state benefits funded by the taxpayer." A DWP spokeswoman said the scheme was designed for people who contracted the disease because they were exposed to asbestos at work. She added: "But we know there will be people who develop the disease after coming into contact with asbestos in other ways, which is why we have a separate scheme to provide people with the financial support they need." Trish Doig is one of the women who are thought to have become ill because of exposure to asbestos brought home on the clothing of a family member. "I think I came into contact with asbestos when I stayed with my aunt and uncle in the 60s," she said. "My uncle worked for a Dundee boiler company and they worked with asbestos all the time. "I think the fibres came home on his clothes, he would give me a lift to work in his little van which was full of asbestos and I think that is where my contact came from in the 60s. "I think the fibres were all around his van and anyone inside his van was exposed to these little tiny fibres that you couldn't even see." Doctors initially assumed she must have worked with asbestos when they gave her diagnosis. She said: "I was shocked. I'd never heard of this mesothelioma. Quite horrifying." She's always breathless. "I don't do very much now. I still try to do housework and I still cook but as far as doing anything energetic, I find that quite difficult. "I find I don't have the energy for that. And when I do try to do too much then I just get breathless and I have to sit down." Her husband Ally Doig insists their fight is "not about the money". "My feeling about it is the sheer injustice of it, that the government recognised in 2014 that there were lots of people who were left unable to claim because companies had ceased to exist or their insurance companies couldn't be traced." He agrees that the government deserves credits for at least introducing a compensation scheme. "Unfortunately the eligibility criteria for it is limited to people who have acquired the disease directly through their own employment," he said. "So anyone who has acquired it - for example women washing their husband's clothes - they're excluded, they're just not eligible for the scheme at all. "I just think that really in this day and age that's just not right. I think all citizens should be entitled to expect the same treatment under the law." Trish Doig said she cannot understand why people in her position receive so little. "I think it's wrong that they do what they do, because the way I look at it is that I didn't ask to get this disease but I have it," she said. "And if there is a way of some compensation, whether it's a lot of money or a little money, then it would be quite nice to think at least someone's listening out there."
People who developed a fatal lung disease after coming into contact with asbestos through family members have begun a campaign for compensation.
The strike was made by a US ally, Gen David Perkins told a military symposium. "That quadcopter that cost 200 bucks from Amazon.com did not stand a chance against a Patriot," he said. Patriots are radar-targeted weapons more commonly used to shoot down enemy aircraft and ballistic missiles. "Now, that worked, they got it, OK, and we love Patriot missiles," the general said. Recently, there have been reports that some groups, for example in Iraq, have taken to attaching weapons to small, commercial drones and using them against security forces. However, Gen Perkins suggested deploying large surface-to-air missiles as a defence was probably not economically wise. "I'm not sure that's a good economic exchange ratio," he told an audience at the Association of the United States Army's Global Force symposium in Alabama. "In fact, if I'm the enemy, I'm thinking, 'Hey, I'm just gonna get on eBay and buy as many of these $300 quadcopters as I can and expend all the Patriot missiles out there'." No further details of the encounter - such as where or how recently it took place - were given, but Gen Perkins did describe the party that launched the missile as "a very close ally". "It is clearly enormous overkill," said Justin Bronk, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute. "It certainly exposes in very stark terms the challenge which militaries face in attempting to deal with the adaptation of cheap and readily available civilian technology with extremely expensive, high-end hardware designed for state-on-state warfare." Mr Bronk also told the BBC that Patriot radar systems, while sophisticated, might struggle to target a small quadcopter effectively. Patriot missiles were first produced in 1980 and are operated by 12 countries including the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The missiles themselves travel at five times the speed of sound, whereas a quadcopter drone typically has a top speed of 50mph (80km/h).
A Patriot missile - usually priced at about $3m (£2.5m) - was used to shoot down a small quadcopter drone, according to a US general.
Mrs Leonard, 51, was found dead in her home in Maguiresbridge on Monday, believed to have been stabbed by former partner Peadar Phair. Phair's body was also found at the scene in Abbey Road. Her son Conor, who is in his 30s and has Down's syndrome, was found with stab wounds to his stomach. The family's priest said Conor is due to be discharged from hospital and he wants to carry his mother's coffin. "He's said he wants to carry the coffin, so with the help of the family and the community I'm sure he'll be able to cope," Father Lawrence Dawson said. The Courts Service said there was to have been a full hearing to confirm the non-molestation order, preventing contact with Mrs Leonard, in Enniskillen courthouse on Tuesday. Police are treating the attack on Conor Leonard as attempted murder. They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Mrs Leonard was well-known from her involvement with the Irish music organisation Comhaltas. Sonny McDermott, from the organisation, said its members had been left shocked by her death. "You couldn't believe it could happen, but I suppose these things happen - you can do nothing about it, the loss of a talented person like that," he said. "It's a big loss to Comhaltas because she was very much involved and she was treasurer of the Lisnaskea branch and has been involved at different levels over the years." Fr Dawson, the priest in Ms Leonard's parish of Aghavea, said a "wave of shock and grief" had spread through the area. "I knew Connie very well, she was an active member of the parish, a great musician, an all-Ireland champion and she shared her talents in church services," he said. "It affects everyone when they see how fragile life is and how easily it can be snuffed out. "But it's a tight-knit community here and they're rallying around the family, and they'll help them pull through it and help them to face the future with faith and courage. Mrs Leonard ran a catering business in Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh.
A non-molestation order had been made on the suspected killer of County Fermanagh woman Concepta Leonard, the Courts Service has confirmed.
The former Hearts boss has lost just one game since replacing Allan Johnston in early February. And, last week, new chairman Jim Mann said Locke was in "prime position to be a contender" for the position. "The board have kept me in the loop and my agent is in talks, so hopefully I'll get my future sorted out by the end of the week," Locke told BBC Scotland. "These things always take time and the club has had a lot of applicants for the post." Locke, who spent seven years as a player at Rugby Park, arrived as Johnston's assistant at the start of the season. "I love it here and it's certainly a club I believe is on the up," he added. "I know about the plans behind the scenes, which Jim and [director] Billy Bowie are involved in. They are trying to move the club in the right direction." Locke was tight-lipped on speculation linking Kris Boyd with a return to the club for a third spell. The striker scored 22 goals for Killie last season but has struggled for form since moving on to Rangers. "It would be wrong of me to comment on any players at other clubs," said Locke. "The main thing for me is to get my own future sorted out then everything else will take care of itself. "I'm looking at players all the time but it's hard because we'll be competing with other clubs for the same faces. "Ask any manager, they want to work with people they trust. "But I'm well aware the club is still in a precarious situation financially, so we know it's going to be a rigid budget."
Interim manager Gary Locke hopes to land the Kilmarnock job permanently before Motherwell visit on Saturday.
7th-9th century - Namri Songzen and descendants begin to unify Tibetan-inhabited areas and conquer neighbouring territories, in competition with China. 822 - Peace treaty with China delineates borders. 1244 - Mongols conquer Tibet. Tibet enjoys considerable autonomy under Yuan Dynasty. 1598 - Mongol Altan Khan makes high lama Sonam Gyatso first Dalai Lama. 1630s-1717 - Tibet involved in power struggles between Manchu and Mongol factions in China. 1624 - First European contact as Tibetans allow Portuguese missionaries to open church. Expelled at lama's insistence in 1745. 1717 - Dzungar (Oirot) Mongols conquer Tibet and sack Lhasa. Chinese Emperor Kangxi eventually ousts them in 1720, and re-establishes rule of Dalai Lama. 1724 - Chinese Manchu (Qing) dynasty appoints resident commissioner to run Tibet, annexes parts of historic Kham and Amdo provinces. 1750 - Rebellion against Chinese commissioners quelled by Chinese army, which keeps 2,000-strong garrison in Lhasa. Dalai Lama government appointed to run daily administration under supervision of commissioner. 1774 - British East India Company agent George Bogle visits to assess trade possibilities. 1788 and 1791 - China sends troops to expel Nepalese invaders. 1793 - China decrees its commissioners in Lhasa to supervise selection of Dalai and other senior lamas. 1850s - Russian and British rivalry for control of Central Asia prompts Tibetan government to ban all foreigners and shut borders. 1865 - Britain starts discreetly mapping Tibet. 1904 - Dalai Lama flees British military expedition under Colonel Francis Younghusband. Britain forces Tibet to sign trading agreement in order to forestall any Russian overtures. 1906 - British-Chinese Convention of 1906 confirms 1904 agreement, pledges Britain not to annex or interfere in Tibet in return for indemnity from Chinese government. 1907 - Britain and Russia acknowledge Chinese suzerainty over Tibet. 1908-09 - China restores Dalai Lama, who flees to India as China sends in army to control his government. 1912 April - Chinese garrison surrenders to Tibetan authorities after Chinese Republic declared. 1912 - 13th Dalai Lama returns from India, Chinese troops leave. 1913 - Tibet reasserts independence after decades of rebuffing attempts by Britain and China to establish control. 1935 - The man who will later become the 14th Dalai Lama is born to a peasant family in a small village in north-eastern Tibet. Two years later, Buddhist officials declare him to be the reincarnation of the 13 previous Dalai Lamas. 1949 - Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China and threatens Tibet with "liberation". 1950 - China enforces a long-held claim to Tibet. The Dalai Lama, now aged 15, officially becomes head of state. 1951 - Tibetan leaders are forced to sign a treaty dictated by China. The treaty, known as the "Seventeen Point Agreement", professes to guarantee Tibetan autonomy and to respect the Buddhist religion, but also allows the establishment of Chinese civil and military headquarters at Lhasa. Mid-1950s - Mounting resentment against Chinese rule leads to outbreaks of armed resistance. 1954 - The Dalai Lama visits Beijing for talks with Mao, but China still fails to honour the Seventeen Point Agreement. 1959 March - Full-scale uprising breaks out in Lhasa. Thousands are said to have died during the suppression of the revolt. The Dalai Lama and most of his ministers flee to northern India, to be followed by some 80,000 other Tibetans. 1963 - Foreign visitors are banned from Tibet. 1965 - Chinese government establishes Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). 1966 - The Cultural Revolution reaches Tibet and results in the destruction of a large number of monasteries and cultural artefacts. 1971 - Foreign visitors are again allowed to enter the country. Late 1970s - End of Cultural Revolution leads to some easing of repression, though large-scale relocation of Han Chinese into Tibet continues. 1980s - China introduces "Open Door" reforms and boosts investment while resisting any move towards greater autonomy for Tibet. 1987 - The Dalai Lama calls for the establishment of Tibet as a zone of peace and continues to seek dialogue with China, with the aim of achieving genuine self-rule for Tibet within China. 1988 - China imposes martial law after riots break out. 1989 - The Dalai Lama is awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. 1993 - Talks between China and the Dalai Lama break down. 1995 - The Dalai Lama names a six-year-old boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the true reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese authorities place the boy under house arrest and designate another six-year-old boy, Gyancain Norbu, as their officially sanctioned Panchen Lama. 2002 - Contacts between the Dalai Lama and Beijing are resumed. 2006 July - A new railway linking Lhasa and the Chinese city of Golmud is opened. The Chinese authorities hail it as a feat of engineering, but critics say it will significantly increase Han Chinese traffic to Tibet and accelerate the undermining of traditional Tibetan culture. 2007 November - The Dalai Lama hints at a break with the centuries-old tradition of selecting his successor, saying the Tibetan people should have a role. 2007 December - The number of tourists travelling to Tibet hits a record high, up 64% year on year at just over four million, Chinese state media say. 2008 March - Anti-China protests escalate into the worst violence Tibet has seen in 20 years, five months before Beijing hosts the Olympic Games. Pro-Tibet activists in several countries focus world attention on the region by disrupting progress of the Olympic torch relay. 2008 October - The Dalai Lama says he has lost hope of reaching agreement with China about the future of Tibet. He suggests that his government-in-exile could now harden its position towards Beijing. 2008 November - The British government recognises China's direct rule over Tibet for the first time. Critics say the move undermines the Dalai Lama in his talks with China. China says there has been no progress in the latest round of talks with aides of the Dalai Lama, and blames the Tibetan exiles for the failure of the discussions. A meeting of Tibetan exiles in northern India reaffirms support for the Dalai Lama's long-standing policy of seeking autonomy, rather than independence, from China. 2008 December - Row breaks out between European Union and China after Dalai Lama addresses European MPs. China suspends high-level ties with France after President Nicolas Sarkozy meets the Dalai Lama. 2009 January - Chinese authorities detain 81 people and question nearly 6,000 alleged criminals in what the Tibetan government-in-exile called a security crackdown ahead of the March anniversary of the 1959 flight of the Dalai Lama. 2009 March - China marks flight of Dalai Lama with new "Serfs' Liberation Day" public holiday. China promotes its appointee as Panchen Lama, the second-highest-ranking Lama, as spokesman for Chinese rule in Tibet. Government reopens Tibet to tourists after a two-month closure ahead of the anniversary. 2009 April - China and France restore high-level contacts after December rift over President Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama, and ahead of a meeting between President Sarkozy and China's President Hu Jintao at the London G20 summit. 2009 August - Following serious ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang region, the Dalai Lama describes Beijing's policy on ethnic minorities as "a failure". But he also says that the Tibetan issue is a Chinese domestic problem. 2009 October - China confirms that at least two Tibetans have been executed for their involvement in anti-China riots in Lhasa in March 2008. 2009 January - Head of pro-Beijing Tibet government, Qiangba Puncog, resigns. A former army soldier and, like Puncog, ethnic Tibetan, Padma Choling, is chosen to succeed him. 2010 April - Envoys of Dalai Lama visit Beijing to resume talks with Chinese officials after a break of more than one year. 2011 March - A Tibetan Buddhist monk burns himself to death in a Tibetan-populated part of Sichuan Province in China, becoming the first of 12 monks and nuns in 2011 to make this protest against Chinese rule over Tibet. 2011 April - Dalai Lama announces his retirement from politics. Exiled Tibetans elect Lobsang Sangay to lead the government-in-exile. 2011 July - The man expected to be China's next president, Xi Jinping, promises to "smash" Tibetan separatism in a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist takeover of Tibet. This comes shortly after US President Barack Obama receives the Dalai Lama in Washington and expresses "strong support" for human rights in Tibet. 2011 November - The Dalai Lama formally hands over his political responsibilities to Lobsang Sangay, a former Harvard academic. Before stepping down, the Dalai Lama questions the wisdom and effectiveness of self-immolation as a means of protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet. 2011 December - An exiled Tibetan rights group says a former monk died several days after setting himself on fire. Tenzin Phuntsog is the first monk to die thus in Tibet proper. 2012 May - Two men set themselves on fire in Lhasa, one of whom died, the official Chinese media said. They are the first self-immolations reported in the Tibetan capital. 2012 August - Two Tibetan teenagers are reported to have burned themselves to death in Sichuan province. 2012 October - Several Tibetan men burn themselves to death in north-western Chinese province of Gansu, Tibetan rights campaigners say. 2012 November - UN human rights chief Navi Pillay calls on China to address abuses that have prompted the rise in self-immolations. On the eve of the 18th Communist Party of China National Congress, three teenage Tibetan monks set themselves on fire. 2013 February - The London-based Free Tibet group says further self-immolations bring to over 100 the number of those who have resorted to this method of protest since March 2011. 2013 June - China denies allegations by rights activists that it has resettled two million Tibetans in "socialist villages". 2014 February - US President Obama holds talks with the Dalai Lama in Washington. China summons a US embassy official in Beijing to protest. 2014 April - Human Rights Watch says Nepal has imposed increasing restrictions on Tibetans living in the country following pressure from China. 2014 June - The Tibetan government-in-exile launches a fresh drive to persuade people across the world to support its campaign for more autonomy for people living inside the region.
A chronology of key events:
Lack of an "overarching government strategy" means a generation is leaving school unready for work, it argues. The UK's post-Brexit success depends on harnessing "home-grown talent", says chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw. The government said its strategy was "to open young people's eyes to many opportunities and choices". Earlier this month MPs accused ministers of "burying their heads in the sand" over careers education. Ofsted's report wants the government to do more to promote "enterprise education" in schools "including the promotion of economic and business understanding and financial capability" among pupils. Ofsted urges the government to "revisit" recommendations made in a report by Lord Young published by the government in 2014, which urged greater emphasis on work-related learning in schools. Lord Young said the economy was increasingly driven by small start-up firms employing fewer than 10 people and that young people would need greater self-reliance, creativity and an enterprising attitude to prosper in this new economic climate. But of 40 secondary schools visited by Ofsted earlier this year, it said only four put enough emphasis on work-related learning. Inspectors also found too many schools: Poor co-ordination between schools and businesses on careers and enterprise education was particularly damaging for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, said Sir Michael. "It is really important that schools are providing the right opportunities, working effectively with local businesses to offer their pupils the chance to understand how businesses work. "This is even more important for people from disadvantaged backgrounds." He said pupils from all backgrounds should "have access to an education that prepares them well for the next stage of their lives, be that higher education, entering employment or setting up their own business". The report also said that the Careers and Enterprise Company, set up by the government two years ago to help co-ordinate relationships between schools and businesses, was still at "an embryonic stage" and schools and businesses were "largely unaware of its existence". The report urges better government support for the Careers and Enterprise Company as well as the promotion of apprenticeships. It also urges that: Careers and Enterprise Company chief executive Claudia Harris said it had been set up only a year ago and had made rapid progression "from a standing start". Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors, said stronger relationships between schools and employers would be vital "in a period of massive change" and called for "a cultural shift within the education sector". "Ofsted should put less of a focus on exam results," said Mr Walker. A Department for Education spokeswoman said the government planned to invest £90m on careers guidance over four years, including The Careers and Enterprise Company and telephone support for thousands of teenagers through the National Careers Service. "Every child deserves an excellent education and schools have a statutory duty to provide high-quality careers advice as part of that," she said.
Chaotic careers education in England's schools could jeopardise the UK's future economic prosperity, says education watchdog Ofsted.
Flt Lt Andrew Townshend was accused of dishonestly claiming the dive was caused by a technical fault. A court martial heard the Voyager aircraft plummeted 4,400ft (1,341m) over the Black Sea on the flight from RAF Brize Norton to Afghanistan. The 49-year-old was found not guilty of perjury and making a false record. But Flt Lt Townshend admitted negligently performing a duty in relation to the Nikon camera colliding with the aircraft's control stick. A board of RAF officers at Bulford, Wiltshire, heard crew and passengers thought they were going to die during the flight from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 9 February 2014. The experienced pilot - who has served with the RAF for 30 years and completed 5,500 flying hours - had been using his camera to photograph other aircraft from the cockpit and had taken 95 shots that day. He also told the court that he had been viewing the star-filled sky moments before the incident, as he had a passion for star-gazing. Flt Lt Townshend, from Ruislip, west London, filled in his flight log stating he believed there had been an issue with the autopilot, but said he now accepted his camera must have knocked against it and deactivated it. He will be sentenced on Friday at the same court.
An RAF pilot accused of causing his plane to nosedive while using a digital camera has been cleared of lying to investigators.
The Woodvale Road was cordoned off and residents moved from their homes after a suspicious object was discovered on Saturday. Police said that an Army bomb team carried out a check of the area and "nothing untoward was found". The road has since reopened.
A security alert in north Belfast has ended.
In the advert for Lotto, a number of people suggest destinations where they would take their families if they won a large sum of money. Gina Parkin, from Leeds, appears at the end and says "anywhere but Skegness". She has now apologised for the off-the-cuff comment, saying she "hadn't meant to upset anybody". More on this and other local stories from across Lincolnshire Ms Parkin said she had previously been to the Lincolnshire resort at night and "there was a little bit too much alcohol for me". She said she was now looking forward to seeing the resort in daylight and taking in some of the local attractions, accompanied by the town's mayor, Danny Brookes, who she said invited her after the story was featured in the local press. Ms Parkin, who will visit the resort on Saturday at the mayor's invitation, said her comments were "just meant to be funny". She said: "They just asked me some questions, and one of them I answered 'anywhere but Skegness'." Skegness was previously labelled "tacky" in an edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide. The guide described the resort as "the ABC of the English seaside - amusements, bingo and candy-floss, and added that "culture vultures will probably run a mile". Tourism bosses in Skegness previously came under fire themselves for using unflattering images of Blackpool and Brighton in a bid to promote the resort.
A woman featured in a TV advert saying she would holiday "anywhere but Skegness" has been offered a tour of the resort by the town's mayor.
It was preserved raising its beaked head, with feathered wings outstretched in the mud it was mired in when it died 72 million years ago. The new creature has been named Tongtianlong limosus, "muddy dragon on the road to heaven". The discovery is published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. "It was found at a construction site by workmen when they were dynamiting, so they nearly blasted this thing off the hillside," said University of Edinburgh palaeontologist Dr Stephen Brusatte. "We almost never knew about this dinosaur." A few small parts of the fossil were in fact blasted off, but considering the circumstances of its discovery, the fossil is remarkably complete. "It's about the size of a sheep, and it's part of a group of very advanced bird-like, feathered dinosaurs called oviraptorosaurs," said Dr Brusatte. "They were basically the last group of dinosaurs to blossom before the asteroid hit." The specimen comes from rocks belonging to the Nanxiong Formation in Jiangxi Province, southern China. The researchers, from China and the UK, say the fossil is particularly special for the insight it provides into the evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to birds. "Modern birds came from dinosaurs," said Dr Brusatte, "and its dinosaurs like Tongtianlong that give us a glimpse of what the ancestors of modern birds would have looked like. "Fossils like these capture evolution in action." Follow Victoria on Twitter
A newly discovered species of dinosaur has been identified from an extraordinarily complete Chinese fossil almost destroyed by dynamite.
The visitors had found themselves frustrated for large periods but Gareth Bale headed home from Jazz Richards's cross to secure the win. How well did the Wales players perform out of 10 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia? The out-of-favour Crystal Palace goalkeeper dealt with crosses well and was generally solid, but did not have to produce any outstanding saves. Kept his place after impressing in June's win against Belgium and the right wing-back caught the eye again with an excellent cross for Bale's winner. Had little to do defensively but tracked opposition runners diligently and remained calm on the ball. An imposing presence and calming influence at the heart of Wales' defence, extinguishing the fleeting moments of danger with some assertive challenges. Despite a couple of nervous moments as he tracked back, the Tottenham defender was neat in possession on his return from injury. Offered Wales width with overlapping runs on the left wing and accomplished his defensive tasks efficiently. Asked to play a holding role in Joe Allen's absence, the Leicester midfielder offered defensive cover but was occasionally a little sloppy in possession. Brought in as a late replacement for Joe Ledley, the Wolves midfielder was also careless with the ball at times but stuck to his defensive duties well. Impressed in the first half having been given licence to roam in front of King and Edwards but his influence waned in a disappointing second period. Below par for 82 minutes, Wales' talisman came alive in the nick of time to provide the game's defining moment. Worked tirelessly with very limited service but could have done better with his passing on the rare occasions he found himself in space in Cyprus's half. Robson-Kanu was replaced by Sam Vokes and Simon Church replaced Bale with 90 minutes on the clock, while Shaun MacDonald came on for Ramsey deep into stoppage time as Chris Coleman looked to see the game out. None of the three had enough time to make an impression on the match.
Gareth Bale scored a late winner as Wales moved to within three points of qualifying for Euro 2016 with victory in Cyprus.
Kevin McGuigan Sr, 53, was murdered at his home at Comber Court in the Short Strand last Wednesday. Three men, aged 53, 44 and 41, were arrested on Tuesday morning over the murder. Fr John Nevin spoke out against the murder during the Requiem Mass at St Matthew's Church in Belfast. "The only thing that all of us can take from this terrible tragedy and from today's funeral Mass is that violence does not solve problems," Fr Nevin told the hundreds of mourners. "Violence and war and revenge do not solve problems, but create more - the circle goes on." Fr Nevin said he had visited the victim's family on Monday and they had questioned the killing. "I have no answers for these tragedies that wreck families," the priest said. He added that there had been hundreds of cards at the house and that "this says something about Kevin and his family". "There is a lot of love, gratitude, appreciation for all the good Kevin did in life." Police believe two men shot Mr McGuigan several times in the head and chest at point blank range before running off. He was buried in the City cemetery.
The priest conducting the funeral service for a former Provisional IRA member shot dead in east Belfast has said "violence doesn't solve problems".
Media playback is not supported on this device Story of the match: The Bayern Munich forward scored his ninth World Cup goal in as many games to give Germany a routine win at a rain-soaked Arena Pernambuco in Recife. The rate at which Muller is scoring in World Cup games is matched only by Brazil legend Pele, who also found the net nine times in his first nine matches in the tournament. Media playback is not supported on this device The 24-year-old German is now just six goals behind the all-time scoring record, which is jointly held by Muller's team-mate Miroslav Klose and former Brazilian striker Ronaldo. This was a frustrating afternoon for the United States and their travelling army of fans. They failed to force Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to make a save of note but their qualification was assured by Portugal's 2-1 victory over Ghana in Brasilia. The US will now travel to Salvador to take on the much-fancied Belgians on Tuesday. Germany will play the runners up of Group H in Porto Alegre on Monday. Before the game, much had been made of the suggestion that both sides might play for a convenient draw that would take each of them through. But with US coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who previously managed Germany, facing off against his protege Joachim Low, neither team took a backward step from the first whistle. Germany, playing their familiar passing game at a patient tempo, carved out a series of early chances. On three occasions Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng found space wide on the right flank and fizzed fierce low crosses into the penalty area, while Arsenal's Mesut Ozil came closest to scoring, stepping away from Matt Besler's challenge to test United States goalkeeper Tim Howard. Germany had to wait until the 55th minute to make the breakthrough, however, having seen Ozil and substitute Miroslav Klose go close. It was a cross by the former that created the goal with Arsenal team-mate Per Mertesacker heading powerfully at goal and forcing Howard to push the ball into the path of Muller. It is an unbelievable day for US soccer. They were not outstanding on the pitch today but they will always give 100% and be organised. The people back home will love this - we've finished above one of the best teams in the world and Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo are going home. The next game is going to be a massive occasion. The forward struck his shot first time and it flashed beyond Howard before he could react to put Germany ahead. The United States did show spells that suggest they will not be easy to beat in this tournament. Michael Bradley was at the heart of their best work, setting the tone with his tenacity in the tackle and his ability to keep possession under intense pressure. The Toronto midfielder created the USA's best chance of the game, finding Kansas City forward Graham Zusi, whose shot curled narrowly over the bar, but Bradley's touch let him down just as a shooting opportunity presented itself moments before half-time. The midfielder allowed his frustrations to get the better of him as he caught Muller with his studs raised and was fortunate to escape a booking. After half-time the USA improved. Alejandro Bedoya saw a shot blocked after a fluent move down the USA right, while Clint Dempsey headed just over late on. And although Germany closed out the game, when the result was confirmed in Brasilia, the United States also had something to celebrate. USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann: "It's huge for us to reach the last 16. We wanted at least a tie out of the game and maybe at the beginning we had too much respect. "But overall there was tremendous energy and effort from all of the side. It's huge for us to get out of group - everyone said we had no chance but we took that chance. Now we want to prove a point." Germany coach Joachim Low: "I knew it would be difficult today and it was. USA defended deep, they were well organised, but I have to say we dominated, denying them good chances in the process. "Our midfield was great today - they were dynamic and never stopped running. "It wasn't easy for USA - everyone thought Portugal would qualify, but they've done it. They're tough opponents and they've deserved it." Germany forward Thomas Muller: "We were dominant. All the Americans did was sit back deep in their own half, and when that happens, it just becomes a patience game. "But sometimes even I manage to have a bright idea - I spend the whole day training like I'm obsessed anyway." Match ends, USA 0, Germany 1. Second Half ends, USA 0, Germany 1. Attempt missed. Clint Dempsey (USA) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses the top right corner. Attempt blocked. Alejandro Bedoya (USA) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Clint Dempsey. Attempt blocked. André Schürrle (Germany) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Thomas Müller. Offside, Germany. Manuel Neuer tries a through ball, but Thomas Müller is caught offside. Substitution, Germany. André Schürrle replaces Mesut Özil. Thomas Müller (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by DaMarcus Beasley (USA). Mario Götze (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Michael Bradley (USA). Offside, Germany. Mario Götze tries a through ball, but Miroslav Klose is caught offside. Substitution, USA. DeAndre Yedlin replaces Graham Zusi. Foul by Benedikt Höwedes (Germany). Omar González (USA) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Germany. Conceded by Omar González. Attempt saved. Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mesut Özil. Hand ball by DaMarcus Beasley (USA). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Substitution, Germany. Mario Götze replaces Bastian Schweinsteiger. Delay in match Jermaine Jones (USA) because of an injury. Foul by Philipp Lahm (Germany). Michael Bradley (USA) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, USA. Conceded by Philipp Lahm. Foul by Mats Hummels (Germany). Jermaine Jones (USA) wins a free kick on the right wing. Miroslav Klose (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kyle Beckerman (USA). Foul by Mesut Özil (Germany). Fabian Johnson (USA) wins a free kick on the right wing. Kyle Beckerman (USA) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Kyle Beckerman (USA). Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Alejandro Bedoya (USA). Substitution, USA. Alejandro Bedoya replaces Brad Davis. Philipp Lahm (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jermaine Jones (USA). Foul by Miroslav Klose (Germany). Kyle Beckerman (USA) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Thomas Muller once again made the difference as Germany qualified as winners of Group G with victory over the United States, who also reached the last 16 at the World Cup.
The American occupied top positions at the Vienna State Opera and the New York Philharmonic, which he accompanied on a 2008 tour of isolated North Korea. In 2009, he and his wife founded the Castleton Festival, which aims to showcase classical musicians at the start of their careers. Maazel was admired for the precision and rigour of his conducting. According to a 2011 profile in The Guardian newspaper, he had a powerful memory and became known for performing without a score. "In fact the hardest part is trying to forget music when I'm not conducting it," the newspaper quotes him as saying. "I don't want to be conducting Mahler with my head stuffed full of 10 million notes from other composers." Maazel was born in France in 1930. As well as conducting, he also composed music, producing an opera based on George Orwell's novel, 1984. He died as a result of complications following pneumonia, according to the website of the Castleton Festival.
Lorin Maazel, widely seen as one of the greatest modern conductors of classical music, has died in the US, aged 84.
He told Newsnight it was "unrealistic" to assume the poll - likely to be held later this year - would be repeated. Mr Osborne, who described himself as a Eurosceptic, said he was "optimistic" about reaching a deal on EU reforms. The chancellor's comments come as Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling said staying in the EU under the current terms would be "disastrous". The in/out referendum on EU membership has been promised by the end of 2017. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants to campaign for the UK to stay in a reformed EU, but says he "rules nothing out" if his demands are refused by other EU leaders - a line Mr Osborne reiterated in his interview. "I think anyone who votes out on the assumption that a year or two later you can have another vote to vote back in... is being unrealistic about the nature of the choice," Mr Osborne said. "And I think it's really important that the British people focus on the fact this is the once-in-a-lifetime decision." Timeline: What will happen when? Guide: All you need to know the referendum Explained: What does Britain want from Europe? Analysis: Cameron tries to avert slanging match More: BBC News EU referendum special Mr Cameron has said he hopes to reach a deal on his reform demands, which include curbs on EU migrants' welfare entitlement, at next month's European Council meeting, . His proposal for a four-year freeze on some payments has been resisted by other EU leaders, but Mr Osborne said he saw "the essential pieces of the deal falling into place". Some of the alternative arrangements to remaining within the EU "do not look very attractive", added Mr Osborne. He said: "I want us to be able to stay in a reformed European Union. "And so establishing these principles - that Britain can't be discriminated against because it's not part of the euro, can't pick up the bill for eurozone bailouts, crucially can't have imposed on it changes the eurozone want to make without our consent - these things really matter and they're part of that resettlement." The chancellor - who has a key role in the UK's negotiating team - said the Treasury was "100% focused" on the talks, rather than planning for a UK exit from the EU. He also said the UK would be demanding a permanent guarantee that it would not have to contribute to future eurozone bailout payments. He added: "I've been concerned about some of the things that have happened in the European Union, that's why I want to make those changes. "It's a perfectly respectable position to say 'let's seek those changes, let's achieve those changes, let's have that new settlement, and then we can have the best of both worlds'. "We can be in the European Union, but not run by the European Union." Mr Cameron has said his ministers will be able to campaign for either side in the referendum, but must back the government until negotiations are complete. Leader of the Commons Mr Grayling, writing in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday, said remaining within the European Union under the UK's current membership terms would be "disastrous". He intervention has been seen as the first sign of a minister preparing to campaign to leave the EU in the UK's referendum. Mr Grayling said the UK was at "a crucial crossroads" and "cannot be left in a position where we have no ability to defend our national interest" within the EU". He backed Mr Cameron to secure the reforms he is demanding, a stance supported by Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson has said he remains "very confident" the prime minister will "get a good deal" for the UK in his renegotiation with EU leaders. Asked about Mr Grayling's article in the Telegraph, Mr Johnson said: "He's totally right to say unless you get reform, Europe will continue to be a zone of low growth and stagnation." You can watch Newsnight's full interview with George Osborne on iPlayer .
The UK's EU referendum represents a "once-in-a-lifetime decision", Chancellor George Osborne has said.
Honeywell is said to have offered $108 (£76) per share for United Technologies last week, a more than 20% premium to the share price at the time. United Technologies said the two firms only held "preliminary" conversations. A tie up would have created one of the aerospace industry's largest companies worth more than $160bn. However, United Technologies broke off talks because a deal "would face insurmountable regulatory obstacles and strong customer opposition". "[It] could either be blocked outright or conditioned on significant divestitures after a lengthy and disruptive review period that would destroy shareholder value," it said in a statement. This isn't the first time Honeywell and United Technologies have held merger talks. The two firms explored combining in 2000 but United Technologies ended discussions after General Electric submitted a rival bid. The subsequent GE and Honeywell deal was rejected by European regulators on fears it would lead to higher prices for airlines and consumers.
United Technologies has rebuffed another merger offer from Honeywell International on concerns it will not be approved by antitrust regulators.
National Savings and Investments (NS&I), which runs the savings lottery, said all sales would be online, by phone, by post or by electronic transfer. It will be writing to people who have previously bought Premium Bonds over the counter to tell them of the change. NS&I said 65% of contact with customers occurred online or on the phone. "Moving to 100% of direct sales is a natural next step for NS&I. It should also be intuitive and straightforward for these customers, given that they already manage and repay their Premium Bonds with us directly," said Jane Platt, chief executive of NS&I. "After such a longstanding relationship, we know it is important that we help our customers with the transition." The service has been available at post office counters since 1956. From August, customers who do not have access to the internet will have to make an application through the post or on the telephone. A spokesman for the National Federation of Subpostmasters said: "This is very disappointing news, particularly for our elderly and more vulnerable customers who rely on face-to-face support from subpostmasters with handling these types of transactions." The maximum permitted investment in Premium Bonds recently rose to £50,000 from the previous limit of £40,000. Every one of the 54.2 billion bonds has an equal chance of winning one of the two top prizes of £1m, but the chances are the equivalent of flipping a coin and getting 34 consecutive heads. The odds of winning any prize of between £25 and £1m with a single £1 bond are 26,000 to one. People need to be aged 16 years old or over to buy Premium Bonds, although parents, guardians and grandparents can invest on behalf of their child or grandchild.
Premium Bonds will no longer be sold over the counter in Post Office branches from the end of July.
Both sides have overlapping claims in the sea, leading to severe tensions. China has refused to take part in the arbitration and warned that the case will damage bilateral ties. The latest move comes a day after a Philippine ship evaded Chinese vessels to bring supplies to troops stationed on a disputed shoal. China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea - creating multiple overlaps with areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. The Philippines says that China's claims are illegal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In January, the Philippines asked the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration to consider its case. It is thought that the court may not reach a decision before the end of 2015. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said that more than 40 maps and "nearly 4,000 pages" of evidence had been submitted to the tribunal. "It is about defending what is legitimately ours... it is about guaranteeing freedom of navigation for all nations," he said, adding that it would help "preserve regional peace, security and stability". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said last week that China would not accept the arbitration, and that the Philippines should "stop going any further down the wrong track so as to avoid further damage to bilateral relations". China was "committed to managing and resolving relevant issues... through dialogue and consultation," he added. On Saturday, a Philippine government ship slipped past Chinese coast guard vessels to reach the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ayungin in Manila and Ren'ai Reef in Beijing. Philippine troops are stationed on a beached, rusting military ship that analysts say has become a symbol of the country marking its territory. On 9 March, China prevented two Philippine vessels from reaching the shoal. Philippine officials said the ships carried supplies for the troops on the shoal, but China said the ships carried construction supplies. Following the incident, Philippine planes air dropped supplies onto the shoal.
The Philippines has submitted evidence to a UN tribunal hearing its case against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Water Direct said race organisers had made an order but the contract stated payment had to be made before delivery. In a statement it said that despite sending reminders to organisers no payment was received. Race organisers said the claim conflicted with their information and an investigation was still under way. The event, on Sunday morning, was called off after organisers said they were "let down" by Water Direct because it had failed to deliver supplies. Despite the cancellation many of the 4,100 entrants who had gathered at the race's starting line still ran it. Water Direct, which has supplied water for the event for the last two years, confirmed organisers had placed an order on the 21 March but it refuted suggestions it had "let them down". In a statement, it said: "After amending their requirements a number of times they did indeed place an order on 21 March accepting our offer, the terms of which, as always, clearly state that full payment is required in advance of delivery. "It is that payment that confirms the contract and triggers our process of scheduling the assets for delivery. "In the absence of that payment, despite our reminding them of the need to pay, the scheduling did not occur." The company added as a gesture of goodwill it has offered to provide water services free of charge for next year's event. Organisers have launched an investigation into the circumstances which led to the cancellation of the event.
The water firm that was blamed for the cancellation of the Sheffield half marathon claims water supplies were not delivered because it had not been paid.
The cash has been added to the budget for the current financial year to meet winter pressure costs and help two health boards balance their books. But AMs warned there was no incentive for health boards to implement stronger controls if they are bailed out. The Welsh Government said it had been "transparent". The criticisms were made in a report published by the finance committee. The extra £180m, included in the second supplementary budget for 2016/17, would be used to support Hywel Dda and Betsi Cadwaladr health boards which would otherwise not balance their books by the end of the financial year, with an extra £50m allocated for winter pressures. Simon Thomas, chairman of the committee, said: "We want to see more detail in the Welsh Government's plans, including why two health boards need an extra £70m to make up the shortfalls - something the NHS Finances Act, which allowed health boards to plan over three years was designed to avoid." Committee members asked why, given the strains health services are under every winter, the Welsh Government had not worked with health boards to ensure effective planning takes place. "Should the Welsh Government continue to bail out health boards who overspend, there is no incentive for these health boards to implement stronger spending control to ensure they remain within budget," the report said. AMs called for ministers to review whether there were structural factors that affected health boards' ability to deliver services within their resources. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We have been clear and transparent about why additional funding is needed in the health service and more information is readily available on our website. "The extra £50m we put into the Welsh NHS to sustain performance and meet the increased demand into the winter is being used to continue the good progress made towards improving waiting times. "This is benefitting patients across Wales. "It is important to recognise that six out of 10 NHS organisations have approved medium-term plans in place. "However, some organisations' financial planning regimes have been more successful than others - those who are struggling are receiving focused intervention from the Welsh Government."
Ministers have not been clear in explaining why an extra £180m has been earmarked for the NHS, a committee of AMs has said.
One park, Flip Out Stoke, called out an ambulance more than once a week on average. But Jump Lanes, Londonderry, had no callouts across the 12 months. Statistics from a Freedom of Information request show callouts made by 30 parks in 12 months to April 2016. More than 140 UK trampoline parks have opened since the first in 2014. One park in Chester is investigating after three people broke vertebrae in their backs on the same day. Operators insist the number of injuries is very small compared to the total number of users. Thirteen ambulance trusts across the UK confirmed that, between April 2015 and April 2016, 30 parks required 315 ambulance call outs. The figures showed: Flip Out Stoke is a franchise of the same company behind Flip Out Chester, where an investigation into the injuries is under way. Flip Out has closed the Jump Tower section of the Chester park. It said the call out rates should be taken in the context of the number of users - 200,000 visitors have been to the Chester site since it opened in December 2016. Another of the company's franchises, Flip Out Portsmouth, had a lower call out rate, with paramedics attending eight times in its first 106 days - an average of once every 13 days. A broken limb was the top injury suspected [14 of the 65 call outs] with broken legs the most common. The other most common suspected injuries were spinal, head, back and foot. Student George Magraw, 21, was one of the three people who broke their back on the same day jumping from Flip Out Chester's 4m high 'Tower Jump'. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'd been jumping on the trampolines for ten minutes when I moved on to the Tower Jump. "I jumped off the ledge just how I'd been told in the safety video but as soon as I landed I was in pain. "I crawled out of the foam pit and stood up. I could definitely feel that the bone wasn't right. "The staff gave me first aid and offered to ring an ambulance but my dad was only minutes away so he took me instead. "When I arrived at A&E I was quickly put on a bed and taken for an X-Ray. It was then they told me I'd broken my back." George's transfer to a specialist unit in Walton was delayed because the centre was already dealing with another customer injured on the jump. His mother, Janet Magraw, is now warning parents to understand the risks: "I always thought that going to a trampoline park, it's a soft landing and everything's okay. "I've since heard from lots of medical staff that that's not the case - it's quite a dangerous place to be. "I personally wouldn't recommend anybody going to them. At half term it was sickening me that there was a big queue of little kids going into that place. "As a mum, you just really feel it could be life-changing." A spokesman for Flip Out Chester said since its December 2016 opening, around 200,000 people had visited and it had "an excellent safety record". "We welcome feedback from our customers and we are investigating these claims to establish exactly what happened," he said. CEO at Oxygen, David Stalker said it got the design of their park wrong when it first opened. He said: "The trend was towards opening up spaces, rather than zoning the trampolines into smaller areas as we do now. "The more open space you have, the more speed you can gain. The result was more injuries." He added: "We've now altered the designs for future parks and changed the layout at Southampton." One of the smallest parks, Jump Lanes in Londonderry, which has around 25,000 visitors a year, had the fewest call outs - none in 12 months. Air Hop in Guildford is one of the largest parks. Its smaller site in Bristol saw fewer callouts with eight in 193 days - one every 24 days. Spokesman Chris Gilmour said trampoline parks should be viewed in context of other activities that carry risk. He said: "Hospitals will tell you that, yes, they get injuries from trampoline parks but they see worse from people playing football or rugby. "When you look at the percentage of customers who are injured it's in the hundredths of a percent." The BSI [British Standards Institution] published standards for trampoline parks, at the request of the industry, earlier this month. They include minimum specifications for the number of stewards and rules on specific safety features. Peter Brown, chair of the UK's largest industry body the International Association of Trampoline Parks UK [IATP] said many parks were already up to standard. New parks would have to comply and inspections would begin in August. "Any issues we find will have to be put right within a reasonable timeframe, depending on how significant it is. In the most severe cases we will insist attractions are closed until fixed." The number of parks in the UK has increased sharply since the first one opened in May 2014 - inspired by a craze that started in 2004 in the United States. Thirty-seven had opened by November 2015, rising to 110 by November 2016, and 144 in early March 2017. By Easter 2017, the IATP estimates there will be 150 parks in operation across the UK, with at least 15m visitors per year.
Ambulances were called to trampoline parks in the UK more than 300 times in a year, figures obtained by BBC 5 live's Daily programme show.
It left Mountain View, California, at dawn on Monday and landed 16 hours later in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. It was the 10th leg of its round the world quest. Swiss adventurer Andre Borschberg was at the controls, having taken over from Bertrand Piccard. Piccard flew Solar Impulse to the West Coast of the US from Hawaii just over a week ago. The latest stint was relatively short - 1,113 km. Take-off from the famous Moffett Airfield occurred at 05:03 PDT (12:03 GMT) and the plane landed in Phoenix at 20:55 PDT. The team has traversed America before, in 2013. That crossing was undertaken in the prototype predecessor to the current aircraft. But it does mean the weather conditions the Solar Impulse is likely to encounter will be well understood. Piccard and Borschberg are aiming to get to New York by the start of June, to begin preparations for the big Atlantic crossing. Solar Impulse started its circumnavigation of the globe in March of last year in Abu Dhabi. It flew over Oman, India, Myanmar and China before flying to Japan, from where it made a 8,924km (5,545-mile) passage to Hawaii. That five-day, five-night journey set a record for the longest duration, non-stop, solo aeroplane flight. But it also resulted in damage to the plane's batteries, forcing the team into some lengthy repairs. And only when the days started stretching out again in the Northern Hemisphere could the team think about getting back in the air. With 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its top surfaces, the plane gets all its energy from the sun. These power the craft's propellers during the day but also charge batteries that the vehicle's motors can then call on during the night. Solar Impulse is not intended to be a vision of the future of aviation. Rather, it is supposed to be a demonstration of the current capabilities of solar power in general. The team's campaign is called "the future is clean". Mr Piccard and Mr Borschberg have been working on the Solar Impulse project for more than a decade. A plane that is wider than a 747 jumbo jet but weighs just 2.3 tonnes poses some unique challenges: LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 772km; 13 Hours 1 Minute LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,593km; 15 Hours 20 Minutes LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,170km; 13 Hours 15 Minutes LEG 4: 18 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,536km; 13 Hours 29 Minutes LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,636km; 20 Hours 29 Minutes LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing (China) - 1,384km; 17 Hours 22 Minutes LEG 7: 30 May. Nanjing (China) to Nagoya (Japan) - 2,942km; 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes LEG 8: 28 June. Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) - 8,924km; 4 Days 21 Hours 52 Minutes LEG 9: 21 April. Kalaeloa, Hawaii (US) to Mountain View, California (US) - 4,523km; 2 Days 17 Hours 29 Minutes LEG 10: 2 May. Mountain View, California (US) to Phoenix, Arizona (US) - 1,199km; 15 Hours 52 Minutes [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
Solar Impulse, the zero-fuel aeroplane, has flown the first leg across the continental United States in its attempt to fly around the world.
BMC's Tejay van Garderen, who began the day second overall, 10 seconds behind Froome, was involved in a crash and lost time on the Team Sky rider. Orica-Scott's Esteban Chaves moves up to second, 11 seconds behind Froome. Froome, 32, is aiming to become the third man to win the Vuelta and the Tour de France in the same year. Van Garderen crashed when descending the day's final climb, on which Froome had defended himself from several Alberto Contador attacks. At one point Van Garderen was almost two minutes behind Froome's group, but the American managed to reduce that gap, finishing only 17 seconds slower, despite suffering a second crash in the closing kilometres. He is now in fourth place overall, 27 seconds behind Froome. Spaniard David de la Cruz, who started the day in fifth, also lost 17 seconds on Froome, and he fell to sixth, with Italy's Vincenzo Nibali moving above him. Poland's Marczynski was one of three breakaway riders contesting a sprint finish at the end of Thursday's 204.4km ride from Vila-real to Sagunt, in Valencia province. Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide. The Lotto-Soudal rider's countryman Pawel Poljanski of Bora-Hansgrohe was second, with Spain's Enric Mas of Quick-Step Floors in third. With just under 14km to go it appeared the breakaway was about to be reeled in and the lead group's fourth rider, Luis Leon Sanchez, rejoined the peloton with the split down to six seconds. However, the three remaining riders managed to break clear once again, and Spaniard Sanchez eventually finished fourth, eight seconds off the pace. Froome's group finished 26 seconds further back. "The guys did another amazing job today from start to finish. They were all over that race and I've got them to thank for still being in this jersey," he said. "Alberto [Contador] may have already lost time in the overall standings but I have to follow when he goes. He's still a danger and has shown just how strong and tenacious he is. He will fight all the way for the rest of this race I'm sure." Friday's stage is a 207km ride from Lliria to Cuenca that takes in three category-three climbs. 1. Tomasz Marczynski (Pol/Lotto-Soudal) 4hrs 47mins 02 secs 2. Pawel Poljanski (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe) Same time 3. Enric Mas (Spa/Quick-Step Floors) 4. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa/Astana) +8secs 5. Jan Polanc (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 6. Warren Barguil (Fra/Sunweb) +26secs 7. Giovanni Visconti (Ita/Bahrain-Merida) 8. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 9. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) 10. Jack Haig (Aus/ Orica-Scott) 1. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 2. Esteban Chaves (Col/Orica-Scott) +11secs 3. Nicolas Roche (Ire/BMC) +13secs 4. Tejay Van Garderen (US/BMC)+27secs 5. Vicenzo Nibali (Ita/Bahrain-Merida) +36secs 6. David De La Cruz (Spa/Quick-Step Floors) +40secs 7. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +49secs 8. Adam Yates (GB/Orica-Scott) +50secs 9. Michael Woods (Can/Cannondale) +1mins 13secs 10. Simon Yates (GB/Orica-Scott) +1mins 026secs
Britain's Chris Froome extended his Vuelta a Espana lead by one second as Tomasz Marczynski claimed victory on stage six.
Lab tests showed cells looked biologically older in people who were severely depressed or who had been in the past. These visible differences in a measure of cell ageing called telomere length couldn't be explained by other factors, such as whether a person smoked. The findings, in more than 2,000 people, appear in Molecular Psychiatry. Experts already know that people with major depression are at increased risk of age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. This might be partly down to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as alcohol use and physical inactivity. But scientists suspect depression takes its own toll on our cells. To investigate, Josine Verhoeven from the VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, along with colleagues from the US, recruited 2,407 people to take part in the study. More than one third of the volunteers were currently depressed, a third had experienced major depression in the past and the rest had never been depressed. The volunteers were asked to give a blood sample for the researchers to analyse in the lab for signs of cellular ageing. The researchers were looking for changes in structures deep inside cells called telomeres. Telomeres cap the end of our chromosomes which house our DNA. Their job is to stop any unwanted loss of this vital genetic code. As cells divide, the telomeres get shorter and shorter. Measuring their length is a way of assessing cellular ageing. People who were or had been depressed had much shorter telomeres than those who had never experienced depression. This difference was apparent even after lifestyle differences, such as heavy drinking and smoking, were taken into account. Furthermore, the most severely and chronically depressed patients had the shortest telomeres. Dr Verhoeven and colleagues speculate that shortened telomeres are a consequence of the body's reaction to the distress depression causes. "This large-scale study provides convincing evidence that depression is associated with several years of biological ageing, especially among those with the most severe and chronic symptoms," they say. But it is unclear whether this ageing process is harmful and if it can be reversed. UK expert Dr Anna Phillips, of the University of Birmingham, has researched the effects of stress on telomere length. She says telomere length does not consistently predict other key outcomes such as death risk. Further, it is likely that only a major depressive disorder, not experience of or even a lifetime of mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, relates to telomere length, she said.
Depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing process in our cells, according to a study.
The Australian, 23, featured in all of the club's Scottish Premiership fixtures as Thistle secured a highest top-flight finish (sixth) since 1981. Edwards has made 55 appearances for Thistle since joining Alan Archibald's side from Reading in September 2015. "I'm delighted to sign, it was a really easy decision," he told Jagzone TV. "The club have been great with me since day one, and made my time on and off the pitch really easy-going and enjoyable."
Ryan Edwards has signed a two-year contract extension with Partick Thistle, keeping the midfielder at Firhill until at least 2020.
Sterling rose 1% to hit €1.40 for the first time since December 2007. It means UK holidaymakers to the eurozone will have just over 15% more spending power than a year ago. City analysts said continued fears over a Greek exit from the eurozone had also helped push the pound higher against the single currency. Last year, the pound was trading at €1.205, meaning holidaymakers could expect €1.18 for every pound they exchanged. UK holidaymakers to Europe would have received €707 for every £600 they exchanged a year ago, but they would get €822 today. The rise in sterling came after the head of the eurozone finance ministers' group called on Greece to "stop wasting time" and engage in serious talks on reform. At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said there had been little progress made since discussions two weeks ago. European creditors want to approve a detailed list of reforms before they release any loans to Greece. Jeremy Cook, chief economist and head of currency strategy at foreign exchange traders World First, said alongside concerns over Greece, the ECB's bond buying programme and negative bank deposit interest rates were "hammering" the single currency. The ECB began its €60bn (£42.8bn) monthly bond buying programme on Monday. On Tuesday, sterling rose as high as €1.4091, up more than 1%. Announcing the start of the programme last week ECB president Mario Draghi said the bank would continue to buy bonds into the second half of 2016. However, Mr Draghi kept the door open to continuing the programme past this deadline, should inflation in the eurozone have failed to return to near normal levels. The ECB has a remit to keep inflation at or slightly below 2%. But persistent low inflation throughout 2014 stoked fears that the currency bloc could fall into deflation as consumers held off spending and businesses postponed investment as price fell. Mr Draghi said he expected domestic demand to improve over the course of the year, as the effects of the bond-buying programme began to be felt, and that demand for European exports, would increase "as prices become more competitive," thanks to a weaker euro. He added he expected the lower oil price to be helpful over the next few months. Last week the ECB raised its forecast for eurozone economic growth to 1.5% in 2015 from its previous December forecast of 1%. It also upped its forecast for economic growth to 1.9% in 2016, and to 2.1% for 2017. Also last week, official figures confirmed that the eurozone economy grew by 0.9% in 2014. Elsewhere, Germany's BGA trade association raised its forecast for exports, expecting the weaker euro to offset uncertainty surrounding crises in Greece and Ukraine. It said it expected exports to grow 4.5% this year, up from a previous forecast of 4%. Imports are forecast to rise 4% which would increase Germany's trade surplus to a record €231bn, BGA said.
The pound has reached a more-than seven year high against the euro, a day after the European Central Bank (ECB) began its government bond buying programme.
The former England international, 47, said the journalists had "ruined his life". He said he had known his phone had been hacked but no-one had believed him. Describing the experience as "horrendous", Mr Gascoigne linked the phone hacking with his alcoholism. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Everton footballer is complaining about 18 articles, all accepted to have been the product of illegal activity. Mr Gascoigne told the court he would often change his phone number "several times a month" because he knew his phone was being hacked. But his family had not believed his phone was being hacked, he said, while his therapist had told him he was "paranoid" and "going through a mental disorder". His voice hoarse and shaking with emotion, he said: "I knew I was getting hacked by the Mirror. "This continued for ages. Phone calls to my father and family were getting blocked so I changed my mobile. "It happened again so I kept on changing mobiles, five or six times a month." Mr Gascoigne said the experience of being the victim of phone hacking had been "so scary". He said: "I was scared to speak to anybody... my parents, my family and kids, it was just horrendous. "And people can't understand why I became an alcoholic." After speaking briefly, Mr Gascoigne was told he would not face cross-examination by Matthew Nicklin QC, for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and his evidence was going unchallenged. He replied: "I have waited 15 years to be sat here so I am disgusted, really. "I would like to trade my mobile phone in for a coffin because these guys have ruined my life. I have no life." In a written statement supplied to the court, Mr Gascoigne said constant media pressure had made it very difficult for him to lead a normal and private life and had led to his family not being as close as they once were. He said he had suffered from alcohol dependency over a number of years and had also had treatment for drug use and addiction to the drink Red Bull. Between 2000 and 2006 he had wrongly accused people close to him, such as his stepdaughter Bianca, of going to the newspapers with stories about him, he said. "I became obsessed about being monitored. I felt that I was being watched or listened into all the time for years and the pressure on me because of that was more than I think any sane person could bear," he said. Former EastEnders actress Lucy Taggart, previously known as Lucy Benjamin, followed Mr Gascoigne into the witness box and described the effect the publication of a string of articles had had on her. Her voice breaking, she said: "With each one I always felt like I had to pick myself up and dust myself off and carry on. "But on the following day or following week there would be another article about something else and it felt like I was being punched and battered and bruised. "It felt I was in a boxing ring without any gloves." When phone hacking appeared in the news, Ms Taggart said she "knew it was the Mirror that had done it". She said: "The Mirror were the worst culprit as far as I was concerned. "The Mirror wrote the dirtiest stories and I always felt like the articles were a personal attack." She added: "I feel like the people who worked at the paper were sadistic and their mission was to destroy people's lives." MGN has admitted publishing 17 articles about Ms Taggart between 2000 and 2006 as a result of phone hacking. Ms Taggart said she believed MGN had "slaughtered" her over the seven years she was targeted, describing the extent of the intrusion as "nothing short of psychological abuse". The hearing at the High Court in London is considering what compensation should be paid by MGN to BBC creative director Alan Yentob, soap stars Shane Richie, Shobna Gulati and Lucy Taggart, former footballer Paul Gascoigne, actress Sadie Frost, TV producer Robert Ashworth and flight attendant Lauren Alcorn. Seven of the claimants have referred to at least 109 published stories. The court has previously heard phone hacking at the newspaper group was on an "industrial scale". MGN said the hacking was carried out by a "trusted inner circle".
Former footballer Paul Gascoigne has told the High Court he was "scared to speak to anybody" by phone during the 10 years his voicemail was hacked by Mirror Group journalists.
The meeting in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, involving 17 groups, is being opened by Aung San Suu Kyi and attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Negotiations on a permanent peace are expected to last months if not years. But opening the five-day talks, Aung San Suu Kyi said unity was essential for Myanmar's future. "So long as we are unable to achieve national reconciliation and national unity, we will never be able to establish a sustainable and durable peaceful union," she told attendees. "Only if our country is at peace will we be able to stand on an equal footing with the other countries in our region and across the world." Mr Ban has said the talks are "an important first step". Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been plagued by violence since gaining independence in 1948, involving ethnic minority groups seeking independence or greater autonomy and angry at the dominance of the Burman ethnic majority. The former military-backed government had reached truces with some groups, but has never managed to secure a nationwide deal. Sporadic violence has killed or displaced tens of thousands of people over the years. Myanmar's de factor leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said securing peace is a priority for her National League for Democracy, which won elections last year. All armed ethnic groups, which have tens of thousands of fighters between them, were invited and most are attending, along with representatives from the government, army, political parties and civil society. They include the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, all of which agreed to put down their weapons to attend. But three smaller armed groups have not been invited, because they would not agree to the terms and are still fighting government forces. The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Nay Pyi Taw says the armed groups have been brought to the table by vague promises of a more federal Myanmar with power and resource sharing. But the military, which still holds 25% of seats in parliament, sees its role as resisting the break-up of Myanmar, so are likely to oppose any such move. It also remains unclear, he adds, how much devolution of power Suu Kyi actually wants. For it's part the army would like the armed groups to begin disarming as soon as possible, and wants the 2008 constitution which it effectively drafted at the heart of any peace deal. The group would like to hold onto their arms until a deal is reached. Our correspondent says the complexity and scale of the talks are daunting, but they are almost certainly Myanmar's best chance for nationwide peace in nearly 70 years. Mr Ban has also used his visit to Myanmar to raise concern on the separate issue of the plight of the Rohingya minority. He said the marginalised Muslim ethnic group, who are not officially recognised by Myanmar, "deserve hope". Tens of thousands of Rohingya are living in temporary camps in northern Rakhine state after being displaced by deadly communal violence in majority Buddhist Myanmar in 2012. The government, along with many Burmese, consider the Rohingya to be illegal Bangladeshi migrants. They are not formally recognised by law and have no voting rights. Mr Ban told reporters on Tuesday the Myanmar government "has assured me about its commitment to address the roots of the problem". He said the Rohingya "need and deserve a future, hope and dignity. This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identity". Last week, Ms Suu Kyi, who has been accused of ignoring the Rohingya, set up a commission to investigate the issue, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The government and military in Myanmar are holding landmark peace talks with armed ethnic groups as part of efforts to bring an end to decades of conflict.
Media playback is not supported on this device If Leicester defeat United at Old Trafford on Sunday they will secure a first top-flight championship in their 132-year history. "They showed great character, commitment and passion," said Mata. "They are really close to doing it. But hopefully it doesn't happen at Old Trafford. They can wait another week." The Spain international added: "It is good for football in a way because it is a little bit of fresh air. But my wish is that we were winning the league." Speaking to BBC Sport, Mata also discussed how United must win all four of their remaining league games to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League and revealed his disappointment at not competing for the title. Media playback is not supported on this device Even if Leicester lose on Sunday, a seven-point advantage over nearest rivals Tottenham means they could still wrap up the title if Spurs lose to Chelsea on Monday night. It is the kind of scenario Mata hoped he would be involved in when he joined the then-reigning champions in a £39.1m deal from Chelsea in January 2014. United have not won a trophy since, finishing seventh and fourth in Mata's first two seasons. They sit fifth at present, five points off the top four and 17 behind Leicester. "We did not do well enough to win the title," Mata said, who was speaking at the launch of a two-year spell as ambassador at global children's charity streetfootballworld. "Leicester can make their dreams come true. In the beginning of the season you could be surprised but after that, when you see the way they play and the way they defend. They play like a team and get results. "I really like Riyad Mahrez. He is playing the best football of his life. But it is not just about one player." Media playback is not supported on this device In their second season under manager Louis van Gaal, United were expected to use their return to the Champions League as a launch pad towards competing for major honours again. They briefly led the Premier League in November but a run of six games without a win ended their challenge, with Van Gaal pointing to a huge injury list. Manchester City and Arsenal remain five points in front - having played a game more - even though United have won six of their last eight games. "It has not been an easy season," said Mata. "Manchester United should not judge a season as successful solely because they have qualified for the Champions League. "But you have to react to the reality." Media playback is not supported on this device With Manchester City and Arsenal still to play each other, Mata says 12 points from United's final four games will be enough for the FA Cup finalists to claim a Champions League place. And if they can beat Crystal Palace at Wembley on 21 May as well, he does not think the season would look so bad. "If we don't win every game, we will be depending on the other teams too much," he said. "Also, the club hasn't won the FA Cup for a few years. "If we won that very special trophy and finished third or fourth, maybe the season is not as bad as it looked before. Hopefully we could build from that." Media playback is not supported on this device Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add score alerts your football team and more.
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata says Leicester's unlikely march to the title is a "little bit of fresh air" blowing through the Premier League.
The council's chief executive Anthony O'Sullivan, 54, and his deputy Nigel Barnett, 51, face charges of alleged misconduct in a public office. The council's head of legal services, Daniel Perkins, 48, is due to be charged with the same alleged offences. They will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 22 April. Avon and Somerset Police, which is the investigating force, said the misconduct was alleged to have taken place between June and October 2012. Police were called in after a Wales Audit Office (WAO) report raised concerns about pay increases awarded to senior staff. This included a salary increase of £26,000 given to Mr O'Sullivan, approved by councillors on the recommendation of a report he wrote. The decision sparked protests by staff and trade unions because it came at a time when the bulk of the council's staff were on the third year of a pay freeze. The council eventually reversed the decision and awarded lower pay rises instead. A spokeswoman for Caerphilly council said: "We can confirm that two senior officers have been formally charged by Avon and Somerset Police and a third officer has been reported for summons in connection with the offence of misconduct in a public office. "We are unable to offer any further comment other than to say we continue to fully co-operate with the police with their enquiries."
Two senior council officers at Caerphilly council have been charged following a police investigation into pay rises given to senior staff.
Ludik is out for four-six weeks with a fractured cheekbone and Cave could miss four weeks because of a calf tear. However, Charles Piutau is among six players set to return for the European Champions Cup opener against Bordeaux. Stuart Olding, Luke Marshall, Andrew Trimble, Franco van der Merwe and Dan Tuohy are also expected back. Having Piutau, Marshall (both concussion), Trimble (toe), van der Merwe, Tuohy (both ankle) and Olding (right adductor) available after injury would be a major boost for Kiss ahead of Sunday's trip to France. Utility back Ludik and centre Cave were both forced off as Ulster suffered their first Pro12 loss of the campaign. Ulster remain top of the Pro12 standings although just one point separates the top four.
Ulster pair Louis Ludik and Darren Cave face spells on the sidelines after picking up injures in Friday's Pro12 defeat by Connacht in Galway.
Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said the award ignored the ethical questions raised by the fertility treatment. He said IVF had led to the destruction of large numbers of human embryos. Nearly four million babies have been born using IVF fertility treatment since 1978. Monsignor Carrasco, the Vatican's spokesman on bio-ethics, said in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) had been "a new and important chapter in the field of human reproduction". But he said the Nobel prize committee's choice of Prof Edwards had been "completely out of order" as without his treatment, there would be no market for human eggs "and there would not be a large number of freezers filled with embryos in the world", he told Italy's Ansa news agency. "In the best of cases they are transferred into a uterus but most probably they will end up abandoned or dead, which is a problem for which the new Nobel prize winner is responsible." In his statement, Monsignor Carrasco stressed that he was speaking in a personal capacity. The Nobel medicine prize committee in Sweden said Prof Edwards' work had brought "joy to infertile people all over the world". "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition afflicting a large proportion of humanity, including more than 10% of all couples worldwide," it said. Prof Edwards efforts in the 1950s, 60s and 70s led to the birth of the world's first "test tube baby", Louise Brown, in July 1978. Ms Brown said the award was "fantastic news". "Me and mum are so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recognition he deserves," she said. "We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time."
A Vatican official has said the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to British IVF pioneer Robert Edwards is "completely out of order".
Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican candidacy in the 2016 presidential race, said he would pursue an "America First" policy. He called the foreign policy of President Barack Obama's administration "a complete and total disaster". On Tuesday, Mr Trump called himself the Republican "presumptive nominee" after his primary wins. He claimed victories in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Trump's foreign policy speech puzzles media Sanders to cut campaign staffers' Trump's key policy proposals examined 26 things Donald Trump believes Playing 'the woman card': How would a female Trump do? Before the speech, he promised it would not be a "Trump doctrine", and that he would retain some flexibility to make changes if elected. Much of his speech focused on what he called the "weakness, confusion and disarray" of the Obama administration, and his hope of reversing it. Before the audience in Washington, he vowed to "shake the rust off America's foreign policy". On Islamic State Mr Trump said that, under his administration "their days are numbered - I won't tell them when, and I won't tell them how". He had previously said he would weaken so-called Islamic State (IS) by cutting off their access to oil, and supported waterboarding and other strong interrogation methods against them. He did not return to these proposals on Wednesday. "Containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the United States and indeed, the world," he said on Wednesday, adding that he would work closely with US allies in the Middle East to combat extremism. On the Iran nuclear deal Mr Trump reiterated his opposition to last year's nuclear agreement with Iran, in accordance with which six world powers led by the US agreed to lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Tehran's nuclear programme. Mr Trump accused President Obama of snubbing what he called America's great friend Israel and treating Iran with "tender love and care". "He [Obama] negotiated a disastrous deal with Iran, and then we watched them ignore its terms even before the ink was dry. Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon," he said. In a speech last month, Mr Trump said he wanted to "dismantle" the agreement if elected. On Nato and other powers New talks would be sought with the United States' allies in trans-Atlantic alliance Nato, Mr Trump said. He said he would try and reshape the organisation's structure and discuss a "rebalancing" of US financing towards it. Mr Trump said he would also aim to hold talks with Russia to seek common ground, possibly over Islamist extremism. "Some say the Russians can't be reasonable," he said. "I intend to find out." China, he said, "respects strength, and by letting them take advantage of us economically like they are doing, we are losing all their respect". He said he would seek to "fix our relations with China" but did not suggest how. On US allies "The countries we defend must pay for the cost of this defence," he said. "If not, the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice." Speaking to the New York Times last month about the US-Japan relationship, he said: "If we're attacked, they do not have to come to our defence, if they're attacked, we have to come totally to their defence. And that is a, that's a real problem." Nearly 30 years ago, Donald Trump topped the best-seller list with his salesman's manifesto, The Art of the Deal. His vision presented on Wednesday was all about how he could get the best deal for the US. Since the end of the Cold War, the US had been weak, he said. Now it would be strong. The US had been taken advantage of by its allies, he contended, but he would make them pay their fair share, while assuring them that they could trust the US. How? Through his deal-making prowess and policy "coherence". Although Mr Trump's much-heralded speech was scripted and delivered via teleprompter, content-wise it was essentially a calmly intoned reprise of the views he has expressed throughout the campaign. While that may not fly with a foreign policy establishment that has teetered on the verge of panic over some of Mr Trump's more controversial proposals, this "America first" rhetoric has been at the heart of the message that has shot him to the top of the Republican heap. Mr Trump once said he was his own best foreign policy adviser, but, in recent months, has expanded his backroom team. Some of his appointments have proved controversial. The team is led by Republican Senator Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a former federal prosecutor. Another member, retired Gen Joseph Schmitz, resigned from the military in 2005 amid accusations of misconduct. However, Mr Schmitz was never charged with wrongdoing. Another adviser, Walid Phares, was criticised when he was named as part of Mitt Romney's foreign policy team in 2011. Muslim advocacy groups took issue with Mr Phares's close ties to right-wing Christian militia groups during the Lebanese civil war. "There was a lot in the talk that I would absolutely agree with," Jim Gilmore, a former 2016 Republican candidate, said. "On the other hand, there is a lot in this speech that contradicts that, that talks about pulling back, confronting if you will our allies much more." White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: "I think when it comes to this president's foreign policy, there is no denying that the United States is safer and stronger than we were when President Obama took office back in January of 2009." Mr Earnest also said other alliances had been strengthened, and that the new pivot to Asia had benefits the US economically and strategically.
Donald Trump has detailed his foreign policy in a speech, a day after sweeping to a win in five US primaries.
PC Fletcher, 25, died after being shot while policing a demonstration outside the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984. Scotland Yard described the arrest of the man, in his 50s, as a "significant development". He was detained on Thursday morning in south-east England and is in custody. He was also held on suspicion of money laundering. Two other Libyan nationals - a woman in her 40s and a man in his 30s - were also arrested on suspicion of money laundering at separate addresses in London and south-east England. They were later released on bail pending further enquiries, Scotland Yard said. PC Fletcher's family said in a statement that her father Tim had recently died, with his "one regret in life" being that he had "never witnessed any justice". The Met is offering a reward of up to £50,000 for information. PC Fletcher was one of 50 officers policing a protest against Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime outside the embassy when she was hit by a burst of gunfire from a first-floor window. The death of Gaddafi in 2011 and the subsequent regime change provided new lines of enquiry, with police visits to Libya since then unearthing "new and fresh evidence". The force has released images of 14 people they want to trace from a pro-Gaddafi group, which was holding a counter-demonstration nearby. Video footage of the demonstration and shooting has also been released. The 54-second clip shows the chaotic moments after shots were fired, with dozens of demonstrators falling to the ground after a loud bang is heard. Commander Richard Walton, head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard, said: "The day Yvonne was shot remains one of the saddest and darkest days in the history of British policing. "We have never lost our resolve to solve this case and to bring to justice those who conspired to commit this act of murder." He said a number of shots were fired at 10:17 on the morning of 17 April, 1984, hitting PC Fletcher in the back. Ten anti-Gaddafi campaigners were also injured in the shooting. Mr Walton said a pistol and an automatic weapon are thought to have been used. Police believe the shooting was part of the "stray dogs campaign" arranged from Libya to attack overseas dissidents. PC Fletcher's family said: "Recently we have had to come to terms with another loss through the death of Yvonne's father, Tim. "His one regret in life was that no one had been arrested... [he] never witnessed any justice. "Resolving this crime is still important to all the family. "Any information, however small, can help bring closure for the family and we therefore continue to support the Metropolitan Police in their ongoing investigation." Mr Walton appealed for anyone in the area of the embassy, in St James's Square, on the day of the shooting to contact police - even if they had already done so in the past. He said: "In particular, we want to speak to those who attended the Libyan People's Bureau on the day... to protest, either against or in favour of Gaddafi. "There were a number of witnesses who were part of the pro-Gaddafi counter-demonstration, orchestrated from within the Libyan People's Bureau, whom we have never spoken to. "We appeal particularly to these people to come forward and speak to us now, even after 31 years." The shooting of PC Fletcher sparked an 11-day siege of the Libyan embassy. Because of diplomatic immunity, the Met could not search the bags of the diplomats and staff who were subsequently deported. Diplomatic ties between Libya and the UK were severed following the killing.
A Libyan man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder PC Yvonne Fletcher three decades ago.
Gilroy Shaw, 47, was given the Football Banning Order at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday. Shaw, of Selwyn Road, Bilston, has been a "prominent figure in hooligan circles for almost 30 years," West Midlands Police said. The order bans Shaw from attending matches for five years. Wolves supporter Shaw has been banned from its home ground Molineux since 2010 and must also stay outside a five-mile exclusion zone at stadiums involving the club for three hours before and after kick-off. West Midlands Police said it applied for the civil injunction after amassing a "huge backlog of evidence" detailing his involvement in football violence and association with "risk" supporters. Ch Insp Nick Rowe said: "Shaw is a familiar face at fixtures at home and abroad and tends to be at the centre of disorder, inciting rival fans, threatening violence, and getting involved in mass brawls. "He has been the number one target for us for some time but in recent years has become almost a godfather figure, organising and instigating violence and then slipping away while his minions throw the punches, hurl the missiles or damage property." A total of 166 people are currently the subject of Football banning Orders (FBOs) in the West Midlands but most orders are "tagged on to" criminal court convictions, the force said.
A man dubbed the "godfather" of football hooliganism in Wolverhampton has been banned from all professional grounds in the country.
The prime minister said cuts to the city's Whitehall grants this year were no higher than the average in England. He told BBC Radio Merseyside that the council had increased its overall budget this year and was also adding to its back-up financial reserves. The city's mayor has invited ministers to take a look at its accounts, saying it is being "stabbed in the back". Joe Anderson, former leader of the Labour-run council in Liverpool who was elected mayor last year, said the city had already had to make £176m in cuts and its budget was set to fall by a further £156m by 2018. He claimed the city had been disproportionately affected by the budget squeeze across local government compared with councils in more prosperous areas, making it increasingly hard to fund services such as adult social care. Mr Cameron said he accepted all councils were having to "do more with less" due to the tough financial climate and that Liverpool had higher levels of economic and social deprivation than many other areas. But he said the statistics did not back up claims that Liverpool and other cities in the North West were bearing the brunt of the cuts. "Is Liverpool being unfairly treated this year? I don't believe it is," he said. Liverpool City Council was spending £21.7m more than last year, he said, while spending per household in Liverpool, would be £2,595 in 2014-15, compared with £1,874 per dwelling in west Oxfordshire, where he is an MP. "It is important to make this point to show how fairly we manage things. Liverpool gets extra provision compared to the average." "I am proud to be prime minister of a country that generously supports areas which have greater needs." He added: "Spending power in Liverpool, a combination of council tax, grant and the money you get from business rates, is being reduced by 1.3% in 2013. "That is absolutely the same as the average English reduction, which is 1.3%." In a recent report, the local government spending watchdog said the majority of councils had coped well with the squeeze on their finances since 2010, by making efficiencies and reducing staff numbers, but warned things could get tougher. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has urged councils with financial worries to dip into their reserves, money set aside for specific purposes and emergencies. The prime minister said Liverpool was "adding to its (financial) reserves while making these complaints not drawing on its reserves". "If Liverpool city councillors are saying this funding is so unfair, why are they choosing to add reserves this year rather drawing on these reserves? "They are being added to, not used." More broadly, he said the economy in the north-west of England was improving, with unemployment down and business creation up but he admitted it would take time to recover from the worst recession for decades. In an article for the Liverpool Echo, Mr Anderson said that "when Mr Cameron comes to praise Liverpool, he also plans on stabbing us in the back". He told the BBC he was offering ministers the opportunity to look at the city's finances in an "open and transparent" way. "We have made a request to you and Mr Pickles to visit Liverpool to see if we are scaremongering and creating political mischief, as has been suggested by him. "We are not lying about it. We are just asking for fairness." In response, Mr Cameron said he and his ministers visited the city regularly.
David Cameron has rejected claims that Liverpool is being treated unfairly in terms of government funding.
France midfielder Pogba has not scored or set up a goal in four games since his summer return to Old Trafford from Italian champions Juventus. However, Mourinho says he is "full of trust" in the 23-year-old and insists his performances will improve. "The world-record player is always a question, but I want Paul to forget that," said the Portuguese. "He played in the Euro 2016 final, went on holiday, then had no pre-season. It is normal after the first game he has a little decrease. "I am full of trust because I know he is a good guy with a lot of ambition, so the form will come naturally." Media playback is not supported on this device Meanwhile, Pogba's team-mate Ander Herrera has described Mourinho as the "perfect" manager for the club. United have lost their past two matches against Manchester City in the Premier League and Feyenoord in the Europa League, and defeat at Watford on Sunday would mark the team's worst run since December. But Herrera said: "Players like Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came partly because this is a massive club - but also because Mourinho is here. "His way of thinking is what this club wants. "If you are an honest player, he is going to be an honest manager with you." Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants £89m Paul Pogba to not worry about his world record transfer fee.
We still have episodes of high particulates in London - there was one a few weeks ago compounded by high levels of wood burning. The focus now though is nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mainly from diesel engines and how that can be reduced. London Mayor Sadiq Khan estimates thousands of Londoners every year have their lives shortened by pollution. Ironically, London is probably at the forefront of anti-pollution policy. We have had a low emission zone for many years and have tried green walls and dust suppressants for example, with limited success. But the capital still breaches pollution limits. The current mayor is introducing a toxicity charge for central London and expanding an ultra low emission zone. 9,400 Premature deaths a year in London linked to air pollution 500,000 aged under 19 who live in areas that breach EU limits 443 schools that have unsafe pollution levels 86 of these are secondary 2025 year London is expected to meet EU limits Pollution is also now very prominent in the minds' of the public - for one thing, it receives a lot more publicity than it used to. The response to a recent mayoral consultation on pollution was the highest ever. Environmental lawyers like ClientEarth and campaigners like Clean Air for London are organised and efficient at highlighting the problem. And while many ideas are touted to reduce pollution, the real solution, clean air campaigners will tell you, is to reduce emissions and even ban diesels. But something interesting is happening in the wider court of public opinion. Changes are happening in the vehicle market. Is the drip, drip of health warnings, and talk of policy initiatives - like the ultra low emission zone, and stories like the VW emissions scandal, having an effect? Yesterday, it was announced the sales of diesel cars dropped 9.2% compared to a year ago. That was combined with a record 48.9% increase in electric cars and other alternatively-fuelled vehicles. And while this is not a pollution solution, drivers' behaviour is changing and it seems diesel is in decline.
When I started first reporting on pollution in London, many moons ago, the real concern was particulate matter - the tiny particles mainly from traffic - that can cause health problems.
Tomintoul Primary only has 40 pupils enrolled in the school, but many have been hit with the sickness bug. Moray Council said the deep clean was a precautionary measure, and there was no reason to believe the school was the cause of the outbreak. It said it was following NHS guidelines. The school will be closed all day Thursday as a result.
A Moray primary school has been forced to close for a deep clean after 53 children and staff were recorded sick.
The collision happened on Norwich station's platform six at about 00:10 BST. The Greater Anglia Great Yarmouth to Norwich service and a stationary East Midlands Trains unit were involved in the "low speed" collision. The ambulance service said all eight people - including four who were stretchered away - had minor injuries. The two trains remained upright after the crash. Both the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and British Transport Police are investigating the collision. Police said the Great Anglia service was travelling at about 10mph when it collided with the second train. A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said its train, which was empty at the time, has been removed from service because of the damage caused. "Our first thoughts are for the welfare of those who have been injured in the incident," she said. A spokeswoman for Greater Anglia said: "The train arriving at Norwich was travelling at very slow speed. "There were 31 passengers on board. "Our first priority has been and remains the welfare of the passengers and train crew involved." The injured were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and later discharged.
Eight people were taken to hospital after two trains crashed in Norfolk.
The 34-year-old joined the Latics from Rotherham last summer and featured in 47 games in 2016-17, scoring once. He has also played for Leeds United, Derby County and Doncaster Rovers, as well as a loan spell at Ipswich Town. Green follows defender George Edmundson and full-back Brian Wilson, who have both signed new deals with Oldham in the past week.
Oldham Athletic midfielder Paul Green has signed a new one-year contract with the League One side.
Taller than a person, conical in shape with a large spike at the end, it looked unmistakably like some sort of missile. "People were curious of course, the kids were excited to see something so large on the beach," local resident Mailin Sands told the BBC. It had washed up right in front of the holiday home of Prof Janine Maddock, who was back in the US at the time and spied it from a CCTV camera at the top of her house. "I got an email from a local person - saying look what's rushed up in front of our beach," she said. From pictures she was sent, Prof Maddock identified it as the nose cap section of a Trident II D5 missile. She told the BBC about the story after hearing the news of a reported misfire of a UK Trident missile last June. Prof Maddock initially thought it may have come from the UK missile, although the US Navy confirmed the object had come from one of their tests. She initially hoped the islanders could keep hold of the nose cap. "We have a local museum and I wanted to put it there with other weird stuff that washes up on our beach or I thought it could go on the top of our gazebo. "Kids started playing on it. People were concerned about it so I contacted the navy." The US Navy said it was the "nose fairing of a Trident II missile from a recent US missile test" and on 7 November a US Coast Guard helicopter took it away. The nose cap washing ashore may have been an unusual sight but it is not the sign of anything going wrong. In fact, the nose cap is designed to fall off as part of the flight of the missile and does so very early on in the process. Many Trident tests take place off the Florida coast on the Eastern Test Range, which is not far from the Bahamas. A US defence official told the BBC: "That nose fairing, it's not from the UK mission. It came from a US fired missile. "When a missile flies - the fairing ejects from the missile. It is part of the process and it falls safely into the sea. "In the simplest of terms, they serve as protected covering for a missile and at a certain point it's no longer needed. "Generally speaking the nose fairing is nowhere near the location of final impact. It comes off far sooner in process." Britain's nuclear weapons system is completely reliant on the United States. The missiles are produced and serviced by the US. Britain has purchased the right to 58 missiles from a common pool held at the US Strategic Weapons Facility in Kings Bay, Georgia. The US also runs everything to do with the testing - from when it's fired off the Florida coast, to the satellites in space to follow the trajectory and all the way to the Ascension Islands where the US can monitor the missiles re-entry and splash down. David Russell was the Commander of the HMS Vanguard until 1994 and carried out the first Royal Navy Trident test in 1994 on the Eastern Test Range. "Firing the missile is the last element of a very long training process. It's called a DASO (Demonstration and Shake Down operation)," he said. "The DASO period is one of shore-based training and equipment certification first and then at sea training and eventually the firing itself. "From memory, it takes two to three weeks for each crew but, of course, it comes at the end of a long and intensive training period, (known as work-up), for the submarine and crew following a full refit in dock, so it is the final step in the process of becoming fully operational."
In late October 2016, the residents of the tiny Bahamas island of Man-O-War Cay found a mysterious object had washed up on their beach.
Some of them were tied up and raped at gun or knife point, as their families and children watched, it added. HRW blamed most of the rapes on Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party, and the security forces. Burundi's government described the allegations as "falsehoods". Imbonerakure played a key role in helping President Pierre Nkurunziza remain in power following his decision in April 2015 to seek re-election. He survived a coup attempt and mass protests and won subsequent elections. At least 439 people were killed and 240,000 fled to neighbouring states during the unrest, according to the UN. HRW said that 323 cases of rape or sexual assault, affecting 264 women and 59 girls, were reported from May to September 2015. It has interviewed more than 70 survivors who have fled to a refugee camp in Tanzania. "In a pattern of abuse in many locations and in several provinces, men armed with guns, sticks, or knives have raped women during attacks on their homes, most often at night," HRW said in a report. "Many of the women have suffered long-term physical and psychological consequences," it added. HRW quoted a 36-year-old survivor as saying: "I was held by the arms and legs. [An attacker] said: 'Let's kill her, she is an [opposition National Liberation Forces] FNL wife' as they raped me." Other rape cases documented by HRW included: "Women said that if the man wanted by the attackers was not there, they would demand to know his whereabouts and would sometimes tell the victim that they were raping her because they could not find the man," HRW said. "In nine cases, women said the men had fled before the rape took place, or had begun habitually sleeping elsewhere because of threats," it added. Presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe said HRW had damaged its credibility through the "publication of falsehoods". "Imbonerakure is not a gang of rapists," he added.
Government-allied youth in Burundi have gang-raped women and girls whose male relatives are suspected to be opposition activists, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
On 15 January 1966, a group of young, idealistic, UK-trained army majors overthrew Nigeria's democratic government in a violent military coup. The coup leaders described it as a brief and temporary revolution to end corruption and ethnic rivalry. Instead, it made them worse. The coup exposed the vulnerability of the Nigerian state, and how simple it was to use soldiers to attack the government, rather than protect it. A succession of increasingly repressive military governments ruled Nigeria for 29 of the next 33 years, until the restoration of democracy in 1999. Here are four ways in which Nigeria - Africa's most populous state and leading oil producer - is still affected by the events of 1966: Biafra protests Protesters in south-east Nigeria have recently demanded the region's secession from Nigeria and the formation of a new country called Biafra. The Biafra movement's origins can be traced back to the January 1966 coup. The officers who staged the coup were mostly Christian southerners from the Igbo ethnic group, and they assassinated several northerners, including the four highest-ranking northern army officers, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, and Northern Region Premier Ahmadu Bello (both Muslims from the north). Army commander Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, suppressed the coup, but seized power himself. Northerners interpreted the coup as an Igbo-led conspiracy to subjugate the north and impose Igbo domination. Six months later, northern soldiers staged another even bloodier counter-coup against their Igbo colleagues. Northern mobs killed around 30,000 Igbos, and Igbos fled south, and in the following year sought to form a new breakaway country called Biafra. Northerners living in Igbo areas were also killed in revenge attacks. Although the army suppressed the attempt at secession after a brutal civil war, bitterness remains 50 years later. Unaddressed grievances from 1966 lie at the heart of the Biafra movement's resurgence. Many Igbos feel that Nigeria regards them as a fifth column and is still punishing them for their previous attempt at secession. Corruption One of the coup leaders Major Nzeogwu said: "We wanted to get rid of rotten and corrupt ministers… We wanted to gun down the bigwigs in our way." His coup unwittingly entrenched the presence of "rotten and corrupt ministers". His best friend was a young western army officer named Major Olusegun Obasanjo. Ten years later, he found himself at the head of a different military government. It promulgated a new constitution that gave the government ownership of all mineral resources. This provision encouraged corruption and the do-or-die nature of Nigeria's elections, as winners now had control over the country's vast mineral wealth. It is also the source of much bitterness in Nigeria's oil-producing areas, and a cause of the latent Niger Delta insurgency which rocked Nigeria for several years and severely disrupted its oil industry. 'Class of 1966' The January 1966 coup propelled a group of young military officers onto the national stage. Now wealthy septuagenarian grandfathers, they still wield enormous influence in Nigerian politics. Gen Obasanjo is one of these retired military kingmakers. His withdrawal of support for then-President Goodluck Jonathan was one factor in his presidential election defeat last year, and the victory of current President Muhammadu Buhari. As a young officer, Mr Buhari was among the young northern officers who in July 1966 staged the counter-coup against the Igbo majors. The influence of retired military officers is so pervasive that Mr Jonathan is the only president in Nigeria's history who had no personal or family involvement in the 1966 crisis and the ensuing civil war. Ghosts of the past The army's politicised past means that Nigerians live with the (real or imagined) fear that a coup is a possible outcome of any political crisis. Last year, Nigeria's then-national security adviser admitted that previous governments' wariness of the coup-prone army made them reluctant to upgrade its weaponry. Years of strategic military under-investment recently came back to haunt Nigeria when soldiers facing Islamist militant group Boko Haram complained that they were under-equipped to fight the insurgents. This coup issue also partly explains why Nigerian authorities react with such severity to any disobedience by soldiers. Surviving Boko Haram Inside militant stronghold Yet, ironically, Nigeria partially owes its continued existence to the near obsessive desire to avoid a repeat of the 1966 bloodshed. The young military firebrands have mellowed and talk their way out of crisis rather than blasting their way into it. The elaborate power-sharing arrangements in Nigeria's constitution, and the unwritten rule requiring rotation of political power between the north and south are legacies of the mistrust engendered in 1966. Nigeria has matured. So have its former coup leaders. * Max Siollun is a Nigerian historian, writer, and author of the books Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture 1966-1976 and Soldiers of Fortune: a History of Nigeria (1983-1993).
Although most of Nigeria's current population of about 170 million was not born when the country's first coup was staged 50 years ago, its legacy lingers on, writes Nigerian historian and author Max Siollun.
Spurs dominated but did not make the breakthrough until Harry Kane scored with their 22nd attempt on goal. Papy Djilobodji failed to clear a Dele Alli header allowing Kane to poke home from point-blank range on 59 minutes. Late on, Kane suffered a nasty ankle injury and Sunderland's Adnan Januzaj was sent off for a second booking. Relive Spurs's dominant display A fourth defeat in five games means Sunderland are yet to win in the league under David Moyes. The scoreline could have been worse for them but for outstanding goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, 22, who made a string of saves to keep his side in the game. England striker Kane, who scored his second goal of the season, limped off the field after injuring his ankle with three minutes remaining and eventually left on a stretcher. Aside from losing Kane, there was further injury worry for Spurs as England's Eric Dier and Belgium's Mousa Dembele were both substituted in the second half with what appeared to be hamstring injuries. Moussa Sissoko was given his first start for Spurs since his £30m move on transfer deadline day and he joined Dembele and Victor Wanyama in a powerful midfield as Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen dropped to the bench. Tottenham completely dominated the game with 31 shots and 73.8% possession. In the first half alone, they mustered 19 efforts with Kane, Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld going close. Impressive South Korea winger Son was Spurs' best attacking force with five key passes and seven shots, though only two were on target. The win was the perfect response after the disappointing midweek Champions League defeat by Monaco at Wembley and moves Spurs up to third in the table. In contrast to the home side's dominance, Sunderland had just three shots in the first half. The first came after 22 minutes as Jermain Defoe latched onto a long ball from Pickford but was unable to get his shot past Hugo Lloris. Steven Pienaar had the best chance of the half just before the break as he met Januzaj's cross but his shot from six yards was cleared off the line by Kyle Walker. The worry for the Black Cats is that striker Defoe managed just 13 touches in the match and only one of those came in Spurs' area. Pickford had the most touches and his eight saves were vital in keeping the score respectable. Moyes will have to do without Januzaj for the next match as the on-loan Manchester United winger was dismissed for a second booking in the space of 10 minutes. Having been cautioned for dissent, he saw red after fouling Ben Davies. Sunderland manager David Moyes: "Steven Pienaar had a great chance and we probably need to score any chance we get. "Jordan Pickford is going to be a very good keeper. He has a lot of work to do at the moment, more than I'd like him to get. He will get better, he has a real good future ahead of him. "We had a chance to clear the ball for the goal. That was a mistake and, of all the chances Tottenham got, that was a soft one and we gifted them that. "It is a big job. I know how much is going to get better. All we can do is keep getting on the training field and making it better and I enjoy doing that." Media playback is not supported on this device Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: "Sometimes it's difficult. In the end it was fair. "We fought a lot and tried to score. I'm happy with the three points and it takes away the feeling from losing against Monaco. "I want to create chances and play well - sometimes you need a lot of chances to score. Today we always tried to go forward. We feel disappointed because we created a lot of chances in the first half." Tottenham host League One side Gillingham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Middlesbrough in the Premier League on Saturday. Sunderland are at Championship side QPR in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before entertaining Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Sunderland 0. Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Sunderland 0. Attempt saved. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Erik Lamela. Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Lamine Koné. Attempt missed. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the left. Substitution, Sunderland. Paddy McNair replaces Jason Denayer. Attempt missed. Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Erik Lamela. Attempt blocked. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Attempt missed. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick. Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland). Second yellow card to Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) for a bad foul. Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland). Attempt missed. Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Javier Manquillo with a cross. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Vincent Janssen replaces Harry Kane because of an injury. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) because of an injury. Attempt missed. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Dele Alli. Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card. Foul by Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur). Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the right wing. Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Papy Djilobodji. Attempt blocked. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harry Kane. Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card. Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Duncan Watmore. Substitution, Sunderland. Wahbi Khazri replaces Jan Kirchhoff. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Didier Ndong (Sunderland). Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Ben Davies replaces Eric Dier because of an injury. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Erik Lamela replaces Mousa Dembélé because of an injury. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham Hotspur) because of an injury. Attempt missed. Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner. Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Jordan Pickford. Attempt saved. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Mousa Dembélé. Attempt missed. Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Harry Kane. Attempt missed. Lamine Koné (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Adnan Januzaj with a cross following a corner. Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Kyle Walker.
Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a comfortable victory against winless Sunderland at White Hart Lane.
The National Lottery support for Aberystwyth University's Old College was announced on Wednesday. It comes as part of a £22m plan to turn the Grade I-listed building into a centre for heritage, learning and enterprise. It is hoped the work will be completed in time for the university's 150th anniversary in 2022. A performance and gallery space will be created for artists, exhibitions and musicians and there will be a centre for entrepreneurs and new businesses, a cafe and community rooms. The college will also house a university museum, allowing some of the 20,000 items normally in storage to be shown. A new science centre will showcase interactive displays alongside a planetarium and 4D facility, highlighting the university's links with the European Space Agency. The college was bought in 1867 by the University of Wales for just £10,000, using money donated by the community. It first opened its doors to students in 1872 - before focus shifted in the 1960s when the university moved to a new campus. John Glen MP, announcing the funding, said it was "recognised as one of the UK's most significant pieces of Gothic revival architecture". The university is still looking at ways to raise additional funds, including a major appeal. Ceredigion MP Ben Lake said: "This is great news for Ceredigion and will reveal the hidden history of an iconic landmark as well as paving the way for its future. "The Old College will once again be recognised as a beacon of culture and creativity, and a major catalyst for economic and social regeneration."
More than £10m has been secured to restore an iconic university college in Ceredigion.
The cargo ship SS Politician, which had 28,000 cases of whisky, sank off Eriskay in Western Isles 75 years ago. Eight bottles of the whisky were recovered by a diver in 1987. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has suggested that two bottles it has on the Isle of Canna could be added to these eight known bottles. The bottles in the care of NTS are kept at Canna House and belonged the late John Lorne-Campbell and his wife Margaret Faye-Shaw, who gifted the property and Hebridean island to the trust. Fiona McKenzie, archivist at Canna House, said: "According to the previous archivist, the bottles have 'always been at the house'. "She was here from the 1960s and that's well before the diver brought up eight bottles in 1987. So looks like we may have two bottles that are not included in the official stats." Many other bottles were salvaged from the SS Politician at the time of its sinking in 1941 and still thought to survive, but have not been officially recorded. Hundreds of cases of whisky were hidden from customs officers by islanders. Some locations of these secret stashes have since been forgotten, according to islanders today. The SS Politician was headed for Jamaica when it ran aground on the northern side of Eriskay in bad weather. Scottish author Compton Mackenzie, published the novel Whisky Galore in 1947, which was loosely based on the shipwreck. It was adapted for the cinema in a 1949 Ealing comedy.
Two bottles of whisky recovered from a shipwreck that inspired the book Whisky Galore may have been missed from official statistics.
There were 240,854 marriages in 2013, a drop of some 8.6% compared with 2012, the ONS said. Elizabeth McLaren, ONS statistician, said the fall could be the continuation of the decline in marriages since 1972. It could also be due to superstitious couples choosing to postpone to avoid the number 13, she said. Religious ceremonies decreased by 14%, while civil ceremonies declined by 6% in 2013, compared with 2012. Civil ceremonies accounted for 72% of all marriages in 2013. Ms McLaren said that, unlike other milestones in life such as births and deaths, people have absolute control over when they tie the knot. "When you have the freedom to choose there are probably certain dates you might avoid, like Friday 13th and that sort of thing," she said. "It is going to be interesting to see whether this is part of a long-term decline or if it will change again." Holly Tootill, a family lawyer with JMW Solicitors, agreed that superstition might have played a part in the decrease in the number of couples choosing to marry during 2013 "I personally know of several individuals who had consciously decided to marry a year later rather than risk going against the grain of superstition. "In my experience, it's not unusual for luck, fortune and omens to feature in how couples divorce as well as wed although I have to say that such matters are generally not considered priorities for the majority of people choosing to spend the rest of their lives together." Newlyweds are also continuing to get older, with men a mean age of 36.7 when they walk down the aisle and women are on average 34.3 years old. And there has been a rise in marriages among pensioners, fuelled by women getting married in their later years. In the decade since 2003 there has been a 33% increase in the marriage rate for women aged 65 and over, bucking the overall trend of decline. The marriage rate for men aged 65 and over only rose by 2% over the same period. Marriages of same sex couples first took place on 29 March 2014, so were not included in the statistics.
The number of people getting married in England and Wales fell in 2013 for the first time since 2009, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Terry Miller's body was found in the property in Whitburn's West Main Street on Tuesday. Bertie Hall, 49, appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday charged with Mr Miller's murder. In a statement issued through Police Scotland, Mr Miller's family said he would be "greatly missed." They said: "We would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts at this difficult time but would now ask for privacy to come to terms with our loss."
The family of a 30-year-old man whose body was discovered in a house in West Lothian have paid tribute to a "much-loved son, brother, father and uncle."
The 48-page document will be discussed by ministers on Monday. They will try to arrive at a comprehensive settlement by the end of next week. The French climate ambassador warned that major political differences still needed to be resolved. Delegates from 195 countries worked through the night at the conference centre in Le Bourget, conscious of a midday Saturday deadline imposed by the French presidency of this meeting. The weighty document will now go forward to ministers who will have to take the many political decisions still required, if the text is to be turned into a long-term agreement. "Nothing has been decided and nothing will be left behind," said French climate ambassador Laurence Tubiana. "This text marks the will of all to reach an agreement. We are not at the end of the route. Major political issues are yet to be resolved," she warned. Many delegates were relieved that they had at least reached this point, as it marks a critical point after four years of negotiations. The document lays out a range of options for ministers on what the long-term goal of the deal should be, as well as the scale and the methods of raising climate finance for poorer nations. Among the many tricky issues they will have to deal with is differentiation: many countries are reluctant to change the way that nations are divided into developed and developing, based on where they were in 1992, when the UN Convention was signed. Many richer countries want this to change, and want a greater number of emerging economies to take on emissions reduction targets and become climate finance donors. South Africa's climate ambassador struck a note of warning on this issue. "The Paris outcome must be under the convention and in accordance with its principles and provisions and must not rewrite or re-interpret its decisions," said Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, who speaks on behalf of more than 130 developing nations. Negotiators had hoped to be much further forward at the end of the week. They started out with a 50-page document and by Friday had reduced it to 36 pages of text. "We now need to summon the political will needed to make the hard decisions required for an effective and durable agreement that protects the most vulnerable among us," said Thoriq Ibrahim of the Maldives and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States. Many countries had reservations about the Friday document, so what has now been agreed contains these concerns added as an annex - pushing the document to 48 pages. There are worries that far too much has been left to ministers to agree, and that in an effort to reach a deal, too many compromises will be made. "We're hoping that in the rush to the end, ministers do not trade ambition for expediency, and remain true to the science," warned Tasneem Essop from WWF. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc. COP 21 - the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties - will see more than 190 nations gather in Paris to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the threat of dangerous warming due to human activities. Explained: What is climate change? In video: Why does the Paris conference matter? Analysis: Latest from BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath More: BBC News climate change special report
Delegates at a UN climate conference in Paris have approved a draft text they hope will form the basis of an agreement to curb global carbon emissions.
Ministers say there will be a "national approach" to forensic science in criminal cases in England and Wales. The Forensic Science Service, a government-owned company, was shut down in 2012, after the government said it lost £2m each month. But in 2015, the National Audit Office warned standards were slipping. It said forensic science provision was under threat because police were increasingly relying on unregulated experts to examine samples from suspects and crime scenes. The spending watchdog's report came after work was transferred to in-house police labs and private firms. Senior politicians, scientists and lawyers had warned in 2012 that closing the forensic science archive would cause miscarriages of justice and stop police solving crimes, as police forces had to create individual storage systems. In its plan, the Home Office acknowledged forensic science provision had become fragmented. Digital analysis of computers and smart-phones was being conducted in an "ad hoc manner" which did not provide value for money, it said. Ministers said they were supporting a police review of whether there should be a "joint Forensic and Biometric Service" to achieve economies of scale, increased capability and resilience.
A new forensic and biometrics service is planned by the Home Office, four years after it controversially abolished its predecessor.
Sue Sim, who retired in 2015, said she was appalled and would never have agreed to his use or the payment. Information provided by the man, known as XY, led to the conviction of 17 men and one woman for abusing girls in Newcastle, Northumbria police claimed The force said it was inappropriate to comment on individuals' opinions. It emerged during the court processes that XY was paid £10,300. The current chief constable, Steve Ashman, has defended the move, saying he was "certain as I can be" that it was "morally" right. "What we've ended up doing here is putting dangerous men behind bars and protecting vulnerable women and girls that we simply wouldn't have been able to do if we didn't have that jump off point we got [from the information]," he said. The use of XY was "inside the law and inside accepted policy and practice", he added. However, Ms Sim, who following her retirement made allegations about sexism within the force, has called for a public inquiry. She said: "I created this operation and I'm delighted at the success of it, in that 18 people who should be off the streets, are now off the streets. "But I'm very, very surprised at this as a tactic. I'm absolutely horrified, appalled. "I would never have agreed to the payment of a convicted child rapist. "I keep hearing it was a very difficult decision - clearly it was so difficult that they didn't tell me. Probably because they knew I would totally and utterly disagree." There were a number of overt and covert tactics which could have been put in place, she said. "The big issue with this one is, I haven't read anything, I haven't heard anything in the news, that actually says what evidence was actually produced by this informant? "Two wrongs don't make a right - he was a convicted child rapist and you can never put sufficient safeguards in place." She added: "The success of the operation should not be tarnished by this, but it does need further serious investigation. "I feel so passionately about this that I would like to apologise to any rape victims who feel they have been let down by this." Northumbria Police said in a statement it had been "open and transparent" in its response to Operation Sanctuary and the use of XY, but it "wouldn't be appropriate" to comment on individuals' opinions.
The former police chief who set up Operation Sanctuary said she was "kept in the dark" about the use of a convicted child rapist as an informant.
Jeremy Birch had been a member of the council since 1998 and led it for 13 years, over two separate periods. A book of condolence has been opened in the Town Hall and a flag is being flown at half mast as a mark of respect. Peter Chowney, of Hastings Council, described his friend as "a tireless fighter for what was right and good". He added: "I can't believe he is gone." The Labour councillor was taken to hospital after falling ill last week and was placed in a medically-induced coma. On Wednesday, Mr Birch's partner issued announced his death. A minute's silence was held during the election count on Thursday, the council said. Deputy Leader Peter Chowney has taken over Mr Birch's duties. A personal friend of Mr Birch, he has spoken of his "enormous sadness". He added: "My thoughts are with his partner Louise and his family at this terrible time." Councillor Chowney said Mr Birch had dedicated his life to the borough's regeneration. He praised his "unswerving devotion to the place he was born in". In a message to his friend, he added: "Goodbye Jeremy - you were a worthy son of Hastings, a tireless fighter for what was right and good, and a true socialist. We'll never forget you." Hastings & Rye Labour Councillor Sarah Owen also paid tribute to a "friend and inspiration". She added: "We will all miss him deeply." The Mayor of Hastings, Councillor Bruce Dowling, said he had lost "a real friend" and was "personally devastated". He added: "Our meetings, Hastings Borough Council, and Hastings the town, will not be the same."
Tributes are pouring in for the leader of Hastings Council who died after suffering a stroke at the age of 63.
The Tykes added only 22 runs to their overnight score to end their first innings 208 all out, 238 runs behind. Following on, Adam Lyth, Alex Lees and Harry Brook then all fell in the space of nine balls to leave Yorkshire 16-3. The visitors, beaten by Middlesex on the final day last season, were 174 all out for their first loss since April. Adil Rashid (35) and Steven Patterson (30 not out) were the only two batsmen to make 30 or more in an uncharacteristically poor Yorkshire display. Five different Middlesex bowlers chipped in with second-innings wickets, with seamers Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones taking two each and spinner Ollie Rayner returning figures of 4-35. Sam Robson's 159 and 111 from Paul Stirling on the opening day had set the platform for the hosts, who had won only two of their 13 previous games across all formats this season. Middlesex captain James Franklin told BBC Radio London: "We have bounced back strongly after getting a bit of a towelling from Lancashire at Southport last week. It was really important that we fronted up here. To beat Yorkshire inside three days is very satisfying. "Our bowlers asked some serious questions of Yorkshire's batsmen and, when you got it in the right areas, it was a tough pitch to bat on as it deteriorated. "Sam Robson and Paul Stirling batted brilliantly to set the match up for us on the first day with their hundreds, and we backed that up beautifully with the ball." Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale told BBC Radio Leeds: "First day, bowling wise, we did quite well without a lot of reward. That was when the pitch was at its best. We got rewarded for that second morning. "But, from then on we were well below par. From a batting point of view, we were well below par. We had a long chat and some strong words about the batting at Taunton (against Somerset) and some more strong words in this game. "We expect a response. As well as we bowled, Middlesex were up for the challenge and were a lot more patient than us. To be bowled out twice like we have is poor."
County champions Middlesex ended their winless start to the year by beating 2016 title rivals Yorkshire by an innings and 64 runs at Lord's.
On Tuesday, it shot past $2,200 (£1,700), more than doubling from just two months ago. And a newer currency, Ethereum, has climbed even faster. Industry members say uncertainty surrounding the value of global currencies, including the pound, is driving demand for alternative currencies. The kind of technology that underwrites Bitcoin and newer entrants such as Ethereum, is also gaining, well, currency, as it gets put to new uses by developers and others looking to beef up cyber-security. Policy changes in Japan and elsewhere in Asia have made it easier to trade. And of course, when it comes to price, interest generates its own momentum. "It's a promising technology," says Joshua Rosenblatt, 34, a Nashville-based attorney at Frost Brown Todd, a midwestern law firm with offices in eight states. He is both an investor and works in the field. "The returns have been unreal and there's an aspect of not wanting to miss out on a bubble." Bitcoin's market capitalisation shot past $30bn this month, as the price climbed. Ethereum remains smaller at about $15bn, but it is growing too. The price spiked from less than $20 in March to about $170 today, according to CoinDesk, which tracks the two currencies. Activity is also up. The number of daily trades in Bitcoin, which is more established, has rocketed from around 40,000 at the start of 2013 to more than 330,000 today. About 2,700 participants attended an industry conference in New York this week, according to Michael Crosby, head of strategy for CoinDesk, which hosted the event. Mr Rosenblatt, one of the people in attendance, works with smaller investment firms and start-ups, navigating issues relating to coin offerings and "smart contracts", which use similar technology to enforce and verify business transactions. In the last year, the number of clients looking for that work has increased from one to about two dozen, he says. "Our firm is kind of a middle America firm, so the fact that we're seeing that sort of interest speaks to how much the industry has grown," he says. Grayscale launched its first digital currency investment trust in 2013. The New York firm now manages about $400m of investments in digital currencies, up from $60m at the end of 2015, as its client base of wealthy investors, hedge funds and other small firms has grown, and prices for Ethereum and Bitcoin have climbed. "We've seen just an absolute explosion," says Matthew Beck, an associate at the firm. Bitcoin: Is the crypto-currency doomed? 'I bought Bitcoins in 2011 - now they're worth £19,000' Bitcoin value tops gold for first time Mr Beck says the firm expects to continue to attract interest, as investors use digital assets to diversify. "We're seeing investors start to diversify... and carve out an allocation for digital assets," he says. At the moment Bitcoin is used for cross-border transfers, payments for online activities such as gaming and gambling - and as an investment, says Peter Smith, chief executive of Blockchain, one of the major trading platforms. The currency also made headlines as the preferred currency of the hackers behind the recent attack that crippled the National Health Service in the UK and other organisations around the world. Industry members say some companies may be buying up Bitcoin to deploy in the event of a future attack, but they maintained that broader demand is driving price gains. "There's a number of people from family offices [and] private equity firms - they're making small bets and when you add that type of liquidity to the market, that's going to drive the price up," says Mr Crosby. This year's Consensus conference drew some big corporate names, such as insurer State Farm, carmaker Toyota, and consulting firm Deloitte. Fidelity Investments, a staid, Boston-based money manager known for handling retirement accounts, was one of the presenters. It now accepts Bitcoin in its cafeteria and will soon launch a feature to allow clients to check on their digital currency holdings alongside other investments. In the scheme of global finance, a $30bn market remains "trivial", says Blockchain's Peter Smith. But interest from those players is a sign the industry is becoming more accepted. "It has truthfully gotten a lot more mainstream and that's a beautiful thing to see in many ways," he says. For 49-year-old Stuart Fraser, the climbing price has meant a tidy return on the roughly £15,000 worth of Bitcoin he bought in early 2014. He estimates his holdings have more than doubled, even after subtracting the Bitcoin he used to buy a virtual reality headset and make investments in the newer Ethereum. Investors say they are prepared for a boom-bust cycle as the market continues to evolve, technology changes, and regulations come into play. But Mr Fraser, the managing director of Scotland-based financial technology start-up Wallet.Services, who previously worked in cyber-security, says unless he sees a promising new competitor, he doesn't plan to cash in now. "I think [in the] long term, it's going to go up."
The price of Bitcoin, a digital currency once located at the fringe of finance, has been rising to new records in recent months as digital assets move into the mainstream.
There have been reports linking the 36-year-old with a role under new England head coach Eddie Jones. The Australian, who agreed a four-year deal last week, coached Japan during the World Cup, with ex-England captain Borthwick as one of his assistants. "There has been no contact from the RFU," Robinson told BBC Radio Bristol. "It is very simple for us: Steve Borthwick is employed by Bristol Rugby. "He is here for two years and his focus is on Bristol Rugby getting promotion." Borthwick's relationship with Jones goes back to their time together at Saracens, with the former lock skippering the team during Jones' second season as head coach at the club. He retired in 2014 and was recruited by Bristol as their forwards coach last month.
Bristol's director of rugby Andy Robinson insists there has been no approach from the Rugby Football Union for coach Steve Borthwick.
The Grade II-listed Lion Salt Works, near Northwich, produced salt since its opening in 1894 but closed in 1986. A four-year project used traditional construction skills and most of the original building material, Cheshire West and Chester Council said. It added the museum, which also has a butterfly conservation area, aims to be "a valued resource" locally. The restoration received a £5.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £3m from the site's current owners Cheshire West and Chester Council. Lion Salt Works also featured on the BBC's Restoration programme in 2004, attracting more than 32,000 votes, but missed out on a place in the competition's final. It is one of four historic open-pan salt-making sites in the world. Source: Cheshire West and Chester Council
A former Cheshire salt works has reopened to the public as a museum after a £10.2m restoration.
Nicholas Salvador, of Gilda Avenue, Enfield, is accused of killing Palmira Silva, 82, who was found in a garden in Edmonton, north London, on Thursday. The 25-year-old is also charged with assaulting a police officer. A post-mortem examination on Saturday found Ms Silva died from stab wounds to the heart and aorta. She was found decapitated, it is understood. Mr Salvador was remanded in custody during a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday. The defendant was taken to the dock in the magistrates' court by four police officers, the BBC's Sophie Long said. She said one officer had to confirm Mr Salvador's name to the court as he would not answer. Police found Ms Silva's body behind a property, in Nightingale Road, after being called to the area following reports an animal had been attacked. Officers evacuated nearby homes before the suspect was Tasered. Neighbours described Ms Silva as a "lovely lady" and said she was an Italian widow who ran a cafe in Church Street, near Edmonton Green station.
A man accused of the murder of a grandmother who was beheaded in London has been remanded in custody.
The power switch could short-circuit, causing parts to overheat and potentially leading to a fire, the company said. It is the latest in a string of recalls by the carmaker. Toyota has already recalled some 10 million cars globally that were fitted with faulty air bags linked to a number of deaths. The defective window switch affects models including the Yaris model as well as the Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Highlander and others. The recall only affects cars produced between 2005 and 2010. Of the total, about 2.7 million cars were sold in North America, 1.2 million in Europe, and 600,000 in Japan, the company said. The firm explained that modules in a switch related to the electric window might have been lubricated inconsistently during manufacturing. Debris caused by wear from the electrical contact points can accumulate and cause a short-circuit. This could in turn cause the switch to overheat and melt, potentially leading to a fire. Toyota said it was not aware of any accidents caused by the glitch.
Japanese carmaker Toyota has said it will recall 6.5 million vehicles globally over a faulty window switch.
Belfast couple Robert McKenzie and his wife, Wilma, had just come out of the sea when a gunman opened fire at a beach resort in Sousse. Three Irish people and at least 15 British were among 38 people killed. The couple were staying at a hotel about 300 yards from where the shooting happened. Mr McKenzie said "pandemonium" broke out. "Everyone was running. I hadn't heard any gunfire," he said. "I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything other than people running and I saw horses running back towards us. Where the incident happened, I understand, is three hotels down from us. It was close enough, and close enough to get everyone off the beach on our particular section of it." He said he had subsequently been told that people had been shot dead. "We were very upset but the people of Tunisia, all the hotel staff that we have known over the years were very, very nice and they kept apologising to us, they were in tears, they are such beautiful people." Mr McKenzie said they were very upset by what had happened. "If they had come to our section of the beach, we'd have been wiped out because we always lay right at the front of the beach and we're never off the beach and wouldn't have had a chance, quite honestly," he said. "By the grace of God, it didn't happen to us, God was looking after us." A couple from County Westmeath and a woman from Robinstown, County Meath, are among the dead. Irish broadcaster RTÉ said the couple had been named locally as Laurence (Larry) and Martina Hayes. They were in their 50s and came from Athlone. They had one daughter. Irish woman Lorna Carty, a mother-of-two from from Robinstown in County Meath was also killed. The Irish government is warning people travelling to Tunisia to "exercise extreme caution".
A Northern Ireland man said he and his wife would have been "wiped out" in the terror attack in Tunisia had they been on a different part of the beach.
Almost 200 Nepalese men are reported to have died last year working on construction projects in Qatar. The new 50-page document has been developed in conjunction with the International Labour Organisation. However the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) says its proposals do not go far enough. Qatar had until 12 February to inform football's world governing body, Fifa, how it would reform working practices. Fifa had been pushing the 2022 World Cup hosts for reform following criticism of the Gulf state's conditions for migrant workers. As well as 185 deaths last year, it is believed a significant number of workers in Qatar suffered injuries as a result of unsafe working practices. There have also been complaints about the standard of accommodation many workers live in. Trade unions and human rights groups have also criticised Qatar's 'kefala' employment system that ties migrant workers to their sponsor companies and the exit visa requirements that prevent workers from leaving without the permission of employers. The new document, entitled 'Workers' Welfare Standards', details the measures that Qatar's World Cup Supreme Committee plan to enact when dealing with contractors and subcontractors over key World Cup stadium and infrastructure projects. The supreme committee said its principles will be "robustly and effectively monitored and enforced for the benefit of all workers". Among its actions, the charter will force employers to: However the ITUC, which claims up to 4,000 workers could die by 2022 if current laws and attitudes persist, has criticised the new charter as "a sham" that will not protect workers' rights. General secretary Sharan Burrow added: "These standards are built on an old, discredited self-monitoring system which has failed in the past in Bangladesh and other countries where thousands of workers have died." Last year Qatar issued 10 guiding principles that form the backbone of the new 50-page charter: Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary general of Qatar's supreme committee for the World Cup, has insisted the tournament would not be built "on the blood of innocents". Media playback is not supported on this device After clarifying in October that Qatar would still host the World Cup, Fifa president Sepp Blatter promised to address the issue of workers' rights and visited the Emir of Qatar to discuss the matter. Zahir Belounis, the French Algerian striker who was unable to leave Qatar after a dispute with his club, is due to address the European Parliament on Friday about his experience. A senior member of Fifa's executive committee, Theo Zwanziger, is also expected to deliver an update on Qatar's planned reforms at the hearing in Brussels. Qatar is reported to be spending more than $200bn (£121bn) on a series of infrastructure projects, and says the World Cup is a catalyst for a nationwide building project.
Organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have published a 'Workers' Charter' in an attempt to protect the rights of migrant employees.
The EU select committee is examining Brexit's impact on UK- Irish relations. The Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association told it that 60% of workers in NI food factories are from outside the UK, mainly eastern Europe. Its chair Declan Billington said they had "exhausted the ability to get local labour into our processing facilities". He added that as many as 90% of seasonal agricultural workers are non-UK nationals. "Any restrictions on access to labour could restrict our ability to stand still, never mind grow." Mr Billington said it was "not unlikely" that businesses could relocate processing facilities across the Irish border where they would have "free access to labour". The committee also heard about fears that the food and drink industry could be exposed to extremely low cost competition as the result of post-Brexit trade deals. Mr Billington said: "Countries like Thailand and Brazil don't have a living wage. "Are we going to invite them into our markets and have them compete with industry we have layered policy costs on? "One of the key challenges for government in the UK is to understand the cost of policy and, how do you create a level playing field with imports?" However Mr Billington said that Brexit could still produce new opportunities, particularly in the market in Great Britain. "We believe the industry can grow but it requires joined-up government and joined-up thinking. "It can work but we those negotiating need to have the knowledge of what the end game could be for agriculture."
A clampdown on low-skilled immigration would be a "significant issue" for the Northern Ireland agri-food industry a House of Lords committee has been told.
They also supported a Labour motion calling for Parliament to "properly scrutinise" the government in its proposals for leaving the EU. The votes followed a compromise between Labour and the Conservatives, who had argued over the questions to be put. The House of Commons' decisions are not binding on ministers. MPs backed Labour's motion, saying the government should publish a plan and it was "Parliament's responsibility to properly scrutinise the government" over Brexit, by 448 votes to 75 - a margin of 373. This followed another vote over the government's amendment to the motion, which added the proviso that its timetable for triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, getting formal talks with the EU under way, should be respected. MPs backed this by 461 votes to 89 - a margin of 372. Analysis - Alex Forsyth, BBC political correspondent Within minutes of the vote, one dedicated Brexiteer had labelled it an historic moment. Iain Duncan Smith said for the first time the majority of parliamentarians had voted to leave the EU. Technically MPs have only backed the government's plan to start the process of leaving by the end of March next year. Nonetheless it is a statement of Parliament's intent. Some have accused pro-Remain MPs of wanting to backtrack on Brexit, but tonight's result shows most parliamentarians are willing to respect the result of the referendum. Instead the arguments are over exactly what Brexit will mean and the extent to which Parliament will have a say in shaping that. In that respect, both the government and the opposition will claim victory over tonight's result: Labour for getting the government to agree to publish a Brexit plan of sorts which will be subject to scrutiny, ministers for getting MPs' backing for their timetable. This was not a binding vote, but for both sides it counts. With further parliamentary skirmishes inevitable, positioning and political power play are vital - especially when the stakes are so high. After Labour proposed its motion, Prime Minister Theresa May had reportedly faced a rebellion by up to 40 Conservative MPs. So, on Tuesday she offered to support it, in return for the Labour leadership backing a compromise government amendment to support the Brexit timetable. During Wednesday's debate, Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the government had refused "on every occasion" to give details of its plans, saying information about its negotiating stance was important because it "sets the scene" for Brexit. He said there must not be "a situation where the government seeks a vote in a vacuum, or produces a late, vague plan". But Brexit Secretary David Davis responded: "The simple fact is that the mandate (in June's referendum) was to leave the European Union - full stop. We need to keep that in mind when we are going through that process." He added: "This is a negotiation; it's not a policy statement. And, therefore, where you are aiming for may not be the exact place you end up." The government's amendment was opposed by 23 Labour MPs and one Conservative - former chancellor Ken Clarke. Five Liberal Democrat MPs, three Plaid Cymru MPs and 51 SNP MPs also voted against it. And Labour's motion was opposed by nine of its own MPs: Ms Siddiq, Ms West and Mr Zeichner all serve in party leader Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench team. The government's Brexit timetable means the UK will leave the EU in 2019, with negotiations lasting up to two years. In June's referendum, UK voters backed leaving the EU by 51.9% to 48.1%.
MPs have voted to back the government's plan to start formal talks on Brexit by the end of March next year.
The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales has increased their basic salary by £100 to £13,400, the equivalent of approximately 0.75%, from May 2017. The UK's rate of inflation is 1.6% and the panel said the small increase is because of the "continuing constraints on local government spending". Councils have warned of budget shortfalls despite an increase in central funding from Welsh Government. The annual report said the panel had originally decided the basic salary payment would be aligned with the median gross earnings of all full-time employees resident in Wales, as reported in the Annual Survey of Hourly Earnings (ASHE). It added: "Given the pressures on public expenditure it was not possible for this alignment to be maintained. If this alignment had continued the basic salary would currently be in the region of £14,700."
Councillors in Wales have been awarded a "modest" pay rise.
Radio Cymru Mwy is due to run for 15 weeks from 19 September and broadcast every weekday morning. The station will focus on more music and easy listening while the main Radio Cymru schedule continues as normal. "The name BBC Radio Cymru Mwy says it all - more music, laughter and more choice for BBC Radio Cymru listeners," said editor Betsan Powys. "As we prepare to celebrate BBC Radio Cymru's landmark 40th birthday in 2017, it's imperative that we continue to develop and innovate. "The pop-up station is an opportunity for us to take advantage of new technology, but more importantly it gives listeners greater choice." Radio Cymru turns 40 on 3 January, the day after the pop-up station finishes.
A pop-up digital radio station will launch in September in the run up to BBC Radio Cymru's 40th birthday.
Michelle Coleman did the Locked in for Autism challenge at Tesco in Long Eaton where she has worked for 11 years. It was in support of Caudwell Children, a charity that supports disabled youngsters. Ms Coleman said people with autism can often feel trapped, isolated and vulnerable. The 48-year-old, who agreed to the challenge after an appeal to the store, said the response by people visiting the store had been overwhelming. She said: "I've enjoyed it but I'm ready for my bed." Ms Coleman said the idea of living in the glass box was to make people more aware of what autistic people can experience in their daily lives. "Things like feeling you are being watched and finding it hard to communicate," she added. While in the box, Ms Coleman changed costumes every two hours to keep herself occupied and entertain visitors. Andy Bailey, from Caudwell Children, said: "Autism is the most prevalent disability in the country and 133,500 children have been diagnosed with the condition." He said the challenge had allowed them to engage with visitors about the work of the charity. The supermarket challenge raised about £2,500 for Caudwell Children.
A supermarket worker has completed a challenge to stay in a glass box for 50 hours to raise awareness of what it is like to live with autism.
Steven Mathieson, 38, was also charged with abducting and raping two women. He made no plea or declaration during a brief hearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court and was remanded in custody. The dead woman was found in a bedroom of a house in the town's Springfield Drive at 00:30. Mr Mathieson is alleged to have carried out the crimes at his home. A Crown Office spokesman said he faced one charge of murder, two of abduction, and two of rape. He is expected to appear in court again on 16 December.
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a woman at a house in Falkirk in the early hours of Friday morning.
With results in all 650 seats declared, about 29% of MPs are women - up from 23% before the election. This represents the largest increase since 1997. The proportion of female Conservative and Labour MPs has increased, despite an overall fall in the number of Labour MPs. But the biggest rise in female representation in the Commons came from the Scottish National Party, which now has 20 female MPs, up from just one. All seven Lib Dem women who were MPs in the last Parliament have lost their jobs. For many decades, female MPs made up less than 5% of the total. This reached double digits for the first time under Margaret Thatcher in 1987, but shot up as a consequence of Labour's 1997 landslide, when Tony Blair's party increased its number of female MPs by 173%. Before the election, the regions of the UK with the highest proportions of female MPs were north-east England, London and north-west England. Although there is no change to the top three so far, the SNP's breakthrough manifests itself in a sharp rise in the proportion of female MPs in Scotland. The east of England has also risen two places in the rankings - from bottom before the election.
In another dramatic change to the political landscape, the number of women in Parliament has risen by about a third.
Mark Bowling, 52, from Lancashire, fell while descending from the summit of the 1.234m (4,048ft) Aonach Beag near Fort William on 5 January. In a statement, his family said: "We are all completely heartbroken and in shock over the tragic loss of Mark." The father-of-four had a "great love" for the outdoors, his family said. The statement said: "He was a loving husband and father who had a great love for the outdoors, mountaineering and photography. "We are so proud of all he has achieved, we love and will miss him greatly. He leaves behind his wife, four children and his faithful dog."
The family of a climber who died falling during a climb on one of the UK's highest mountains have told of their heartbreak at his death.
The artworks are from Dundee's Oor Wullie Bucket Trail, which celebrates one of Scotland's best-known comic strip characters. Inverness's mini trail will be in place until 14 August. Four of the sculptures are at Inverness Botanic Gardens, two at the city's library and two at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. A sculpture has also been placed at Inverness Leisure Centre, one at the Highland Archive Centre and one at Inverness Railway Station. Oor Wullie strips and books are published by DC Thomson. The character is famous for his musings and narrations delivered while sitting on an upturned bucket.
Eleven Oor Wullie sculptures have been installed at various locations around Inverness.
Tandy, 32, leaves his coaching role with Welsh Premiership side Bridgend immediately and will be assisted by forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys. Holley has left the region by "mutual agreement" after nine years' service, and director of rugby Scott Johnson has brought forward his planned exit. "This is an excellent opportunity for me and I'm really excited about the challenges ahead," said Tandy. "Clearly there's an air of expectation on whoever is in charge at the Ospreys, but having been here since the very beginning I know what to expect." Tandy's appointment came on a day of sudden change at Ospreys, as Holley and Johnson left the region with immediate effect. Media playback is not supported on this device Holley had two years left to run on his contract but managing director Mike Cuddy said the time was right to "freshen things up". Shortly after Holley's exit was announced, the region revealed they had accepted Johnson's offer to resign as director of coaching. Aussie Johnson had been expected to stay on until the end of the season before joining the Scottish Rugby Union to assist Scotland head coach Andy Robinson. Tandy was a member of the Ospreys squad when the region was formed in 2003 and went on to make 102 appearances. A month after playing his final game in March 2010, the back-rower was appointed head coach of Bridgend, having started his coaching career with Ospreys' Under-16 squad. He secured promotion to the Welsh Premiership in his first season and leaves them in eighth place this season. "I'm confident in my ability to be able to make a success of this opportunity," said Tandy, who took charge of the Ospreys side in the LV= Cup last season. "It's a tough job, but I share the Ospreys' ambitions and want to be able to play my part in us achieving those ambitions." Ospreys moved quickly on Wednesday to name Tandy as the successor to Holley, whose nine-year association with the region came to an end following a "top-to-toe review" of the coaching structure. Holley took charge with ex-Wales captain Humphreys as his assistant for the 2008-09 season, in the wake of Lyn Jones' exit in May 2008. Johnson then joined in 2009 to head a three-man coaching team, and they led the side to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 2010, where they lost 29-28 to Biarritz. That disappointment spurred them on to winning the Magners League, taking the title in the competition's inaugural play-off final against Leinster in Dublin. However, hopes that the Ospreys could move beyond the Heineken Cup quarter-finals were not realised in subsequent seasons. The Swansea-based region did not reach the 2010-11 knock-out stages and a 36-5 defeat by Biarritz in this season's final Pool Five clash ended their hopes, after they had also twice lost to Saracens and drawn at Treviso. They currently lie second to Leinster in the RaboDirect Pro12 League (the successor to the Magners League) and maintain hopes of repeating their 2010 success. Ospreys praised Holley's contribution over recent years, saying he can be "justifiably proud of all he has achieved". But Cuddy added: "Sean is in agreement with us that in order to move forward professionally, he too is now in a position where he needs a new challenge. "And by moving on with immediate effect, it allows both him and the Ospreys to draw a clear line under the past and move forward with a fresh impetus." In a statement, 41-year-old Holley said: "It's going to be a very different way of life and a difficult one at first. I guess I've become part of the furniture. "However that has also become part of the issue and I've done a lot of on field coaching as well as off-field work during this job. I have a young family to consider so it's time I took a bit of a break from it and recharge myself." In December 2011, Johnson announced his intention not to look to renew his contract after accepting an offer to join the Scottish Rugby Union. But his departure has now been brought forward following the announcement of Holley's departure. "After extensive discussions, Scott has offered to step down from his post now rather than at the end of the season, and we have agreed to release him from the remaining terms of his contract," said Ospreys chief operating officer Andrew Hore. "It was a gesture that he has made for the good of the Ospreys business and is typical of the way he has continuously put the region first during his three years as director of coaching." Tandy's first game in charge with be the Pro12 match with Aironi at the Liberty Stadium on Friday. Flanker and Welsh Rugby Union/Ospreys regional community manager Ben Rose will take at Bridgend until the end of the season.
Ospreys have appointed Steve Tandy as head coach to replace Sean Holley.
Environmental watchdog Sepa received a large number of complaints after a fault at the site caused high-pressure steam venting on Tuesday. Ineos said the fault happened during the recommissioning of one of its turbines. One resident said the noise was "like an aircraft landing or taking off". In a statement, Ineos Grangemouth said: "We apologise to our neighbours for the noise last night, caused by the venting of steam from our power station during the recommissioning of one of our turbines. " "This was safely managed but led to considerable disturbance of those living close to our site." Sepa said about 30 people called its pollution hotline to complain about the noise, which continued for a number of hours during Tuesday evening. The fault was fixed at about 23:00. Sepa said its inspectors would be following up the incident with Ineos. Scott Cumming, 42, who lives in Linlithgow, about seven miles away from the site, said: "It was a bit like the noise from an aircraft landing or taking off."
Petrochemical firm Ineos has apologised after excessive noise from its Grangemouth site caused "considerable disturbance" to the public.