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The Dunne Group faced "severe cashflow issues" and had ceased trading with "immediate effect", its administrators said. They said the move would result in the immediate loss of 524 jobs across the group, which is based in Bathgate. It will affect 200 people in Scotland, with 16 retained to help the closure. A total of 311 people will be made redundant in London and 13 in Leeds. The firm has been involved in the construction of some major projects, including the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. Joint administrator Tom MacLennan said: "This is a sad loss for the construction and building industry. "The business faced substantial trading losses on some contracts, leading to severe cashflow pressures. "Additionally, rapid expansion led to pressure on working capital and a requirement for significant additional funding that was not available." He added: "Given these issues, the joint administrators have had to cease trading, resulting in 524 employees being made redundant. "A team of 16 staff will be retained to assist with the closure process and realisation of the business' assets. "Our priority is to work closely with all agencies and services to ensure employees receive every support and assistance at this very difficult time." According to the Dunne Group's website, the firm is also involved in a number of projects that were still under construction. A spokesman for the administrators said: "The joint administrators are assessing the position with regards to a small number of outstanding contracts across the UK." Mr MacLenann, Iain Fraser and Geoff Rowley, partners at FRP Advisory, have been appointed joint administrators to the Dunne Group and five subsidiaries. They said the firm's turnover last year was Â£74m and it was forecast this year at Â£96m. The business was founded in 2001 and it had grown rapidly in recent years, winning three high-profile contracts in London - Newington Butts, 100 Bishopsgate and One Blackfriars.
Lord Lisvane's paper on the Isle of Man's Tynwald found it had less female representation than Iran, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. There were only two women among Tynwald's 35 members when his report was commissioned by the parliament. Lord Lisvane said while the number of women had since improved, there was some way to go. "There are now six female members of Tynwald, but when I was writing the report, the representation of women stood at 5.7%," he said. That figure would place the parliament 181st on the Inter-Parliamentary Union's table of female representation in 193 countries. "This a major problem for Tynwald both in demonstrating diversity and in reflecting the society it serves," he said. "If we can now move from six to 12 and perhaps eventually to parity, then nobody would be more pleased than I." Lord Lisvane, who served as clerk to the UK's House of Commons, added he was "certainly not suggesting electoral quotas or anything like that". Manx government figures show that women outnumber men on the Isle of Man, making up 50.3% of the population. A record five women - Kate Beecroft, Ann Corlett, Julie Edge, Clare Bettison and Daphne Caine - were elected into the House of Keys in 2016 Manx general election. Since then, Jane Poole-Wilson has been elected to Legislative Council, the parliament's upper house. The review, which was commissioned by Tynwald itself, will be debated during the June sitting.
Media playback is not supported on this device The 29-year-old triumphed in 58 minutes and 55 seconds - nine seconds ahead of Bermuda's Flora Duffy, with Australian Gillian Backhouse third. Holland's team-mates Non Stanford and Helen Jenkins finished sixth and 27th respectively in heavy rain. South Africa's Richard Murray won the men's event, outsprinting Spaniard Javier Gomez to the line. The 26-year-old finished in 53 minutes and 19 seconds for just his second World Series victory, four seconds ahead of series leader Gomez, whose countryman Mario Mola was third. Thomas Bishop was the highest placed Briton in 11th, forty seconds behind, while Alistair and Jonny Brownlee missed the event through injury. England's Holland remains fifth in the overall standings after victory on a course that comprised of a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. The four women ahead of her - Americans Gwen Jorgensen, Katie Zaferes and Sarah True, and New Zealander Andrea Hewitt - did not compete in Edmonton. "I had a really good swim, that set me up for the rest of the race and I didn't have to chase on the bike," Holland said. "I kept working hard to keep myself warm. I had a few problems in T2 getting the shoes on and the helmet off but once I got going I felt OK. I wanted to give myself as good a session as I could." Holland and Stanford will qualify for the Olympics with a top-three finish at the World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago on 15-19 September. Holland emerged from the swim in Edmonton in a leading group of 15 athletes that also included Welshwoman Jenkins, who was later dropped during the transition from bike to run. Wales' Stanford, the 2013 world champion, struggled in the swim and bike disciplines but rallied to finish 49 seconds behind Holland. British Triathlon performance director Brendan Purcell said: "Non got so cold she just couldn't undo her helmet. She would have made the podium if it wasn't for that. "Helen got too cold too - we were just shouting at them to work hard so they could keep warm. They all approached it as a training session, but really it was too cold and perhaps should have been a duathlon."
The iPlayer service was out of action over most of the weekend thanks to problems with the database behind the catch-up service. The faults also meant only a simplified version of the BBC's homepage was shown, while online video and audio clips were also disrupted. A BBC spokesman said it was "pretty confident" the faults were now cleared. "BBC iPlayer, BBC iPlayer Radio and other parts of BBC Online that were affected by problems over the weekend are now up and running," he said. "Our teams continue to investigate the problem to ensure this doesn't happen again." He added: "We will be publishing more details about the problem in due course on the BBC's internet blog." The duration of the outage led reporters to question BBC boss Tony Hall about the problems on a day when the corporation unveiled its annual report. Mr Hall said that he would look into the cause of the problems and added: "99.9% of the time the iPlayer works very well". While the iPlayer was not working the corporation put out statements via Twitter apologising several times for the inconvenience. The apology did not mollify many people who strongly criticised the BBC about the length of the disruption. The problems for the iPlayer and many other sites started on the morning of 19 July when engineers noticed that there was a "severe load" on the servers underlying the video-on-demand system. In addition, reports reached the BBC that viewers were getting slow response times for some services or were seeing errors saying a programme or clip was not available. Soon after the BBC noticed, messages were also received from network engineers at internet service providers (ISPs) including Virgin Media, which were also logging problems with the iPlayer and other BBC video traffic. Later in the day, the service became unavailable via the web and through smartphone apps. Internal logs of the incident and how it was handled showed that database administrators, network engineers and system analysts were all called on to see if they could diagnose the problem and fix it. Work continued throughout the weekend to try to stabilise the servers and database supporting the iPlayer and many other BBC services. The final fixes for the problems were expected to be applied on 21 July when the vast majority of people should be able reach the web-based video services as normal. The BBC said it would issue a statement when it knew more about the cause of the glitches.
It's one of several ideas to use the resort's connection with Alice to bring more visitors to the town and develop the tourist industry. Alice Liddell, the little girl who was the inspiration for Alice in the books, spent her family holidays in Llandudno in the 19th Century. But a Wonderland-themed visitor centre in the town closed in 2008. The house which had been the Liddell family's seaside home was demolished in the same year. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who went by the pen name Lewis Carroll, came up with the story of Alice and her trip to a fantasy world while on a boat trip with the real Alice and her family in Oxford in 1862. Jim Jones, coastal community development officer for Conwy council, said the town had not been very good at using its connections with Alice in Wonderland in the last few years. "For the last five or so years, we've been in the doldrums in terms of selling Alice to the world," he said. "Now, we've got a partnership with Llandudno town council, community groups and private businesses, and we've got a real opportunity to build on the Alice brand to promote Llandudno to the world as a destination to come and learn about the story of Alice in Wonderland." Conwy council is now developing an interactive Alice in Wonderland trail around the town, marking the resort's connections with Alice and the Wonderland books, written by Lewis Carroll. Mr Jones said the council hoped to mirror the success of areas like the Lake District which used its connections with the children's author Beatrix Potter. He added: "It's a well known fact that the Japanese flock into the Lake District to follow Beatrix Potter and to buy souvenirs and memorabilia. "If we can replicate that within Llandudno, then we're on to a winner. "Tourism is vitally important to the economy here. We estimate that in the area around Llandudno alone, it is responsible for providing around 5,000 jobs." Conwy council isn't the only organisation trying to make better use of the connection with Alice in Wonderland. The Coffee Culture cafÃ© inside Waterstone's bookshop in Llandudno will soon be re-decorated with an Alice theme. Barry Mortlock, the managing director, said: "There'll be plenty of the well known characters in there, from the Queen of Hearts to the Mad hatter. "Alice will be watching whether you 'eat me' or 'drink me'. We're really excited by the changes." Mr Mortlock is working with Conwy council on the Alice trail. He has also bought the exhibits from the old Wonderland visitor centre, and has started working on plans to open a new visitor attraction in the next few years. He said: "In the past, you'd see coach loads of Japanese and Americans here because of the Alice connection. It brought a lot of interest to Llandudno, and that's what we'd like to recreate. "It will be two or three years before we can get things off the ground, but we're looking
A mass ascent began at 06:00 BST where weather conditions were ideal for the balloonists who took part. The four-day event at Ashton Court attracts 500,000 every year and is in its 39th year. Other popular events in the fiesta include the evening night glow displays where the tethered balloons glow in time with the music.
Carpenters called in to rectify the problem discovered a dusty postcard addressed to a World War I soldier, hidden behind a panel in Shepreth village hall in Cambridgeshire. The building was used as a military hospital between 1915 and 1919 and it is thought the card, dated 1915, was sent to a soldier while convalescing. As local historians worked to uncover the story behind it, and identify relatives of the soldier, other people came forward to say they also had postcards and photographs of the hospital from that time. Many of these have now been published on a new website. The postcard that inspired so many to share their memories was addressed to Pte Edward Wolstencroft of the Royal Fusiliers, from a woman named Nellie who was believed to be his elder sister. It contained several spelling errors and read: "Dear Teddy, Don't think I have forgotten you letter following hopeing you are quite alright love from Nellie xxxx" Pte Wolstencroft returned to France after leaving Shepreth, where he died on 7 July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. He is remembered on the war memorial dedicated to missing World War I soldiers at Thiepval in the Picardie region of France. Amateur family researcher Chris East managed to trace a relative - Paul Wolstencroft, whose father, Thomas, was Pte Wolstencroft's brother - and reunite him with the postcard. Jordan Smith, 20, one of the founders of the Shepreth Memory Preservation Society has been collating a number of photographs sent in since the Wolstencroft postcard story was publicised. Many of them are from relatives of nurses who had worked at the hospital during the war, and had taken pictures to add to their family albums. "Several families very kindly said we could copy the photographs and we felt that as many people as possible should be able to see them," Mr Smith said. "We hope people find them as fascinating as we do. They show servicemen with nurses in and around the village hall - which hasn't changed that much in the past century." Not much is known about the convalescing soldiers and others who feature in the photographs, but Mr Smith said he hoped people might recognise some of their relatives. That would enable him to add more stories to the site in time for the centenary of the outbreak of WWI, which will be commemorated in 2014.
20 November 2015 Last updated at 12:44 GMT The unusual creature was spotted in Grove Park, Dunstable, where Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue has spent the past fortnight searching for it. Dr Helen McRobie, a lecturer in biomedical science at the Anglia Ruskin University, said its lack of hair is probably caused by a genetic defect. "This is very rare, I have been studying squirrels for years but I have never come across one without any hair," she said. "Sadly, the squirrel is probably not going to survive the winter if it remains at large. It needs to be kept in the warm once the temperature drops." BBC journalist Toby Friedner said he came across the squirrel on his way to the supermarket.
We've been talking to some people affected by the fuel shortages. Sylvia Prebois, a teacher from Niort in the Deux Sevres region of France, went to her local petrol station in the morning but there was no fuel left: "Later I managed to find some at another station where there were signs saying, 'Filling up extra petrol in cans not allowed.' Gardening companies are getting very frustrated as it's a busy season for them. One gardener in his van behind me complained: 'How are we supposed to work if we can't fill up our cans?' Truly the petrol strike is gradually taking a toll over our daily lives. It's quite distressing. I guess that's just the beginning. We're starting to feel the same kind of insecurity as in Paris." Stefan Brooks, from the US, is visiting his aunt in Melun, a south-eastern suburb of Paris. "I had planned a trip to Lyon, Avignon, and Arles, but I cancelled my trip, including the rental car and hotels, owing to the fuel shortages. I come over here about four times a year. I've now booked a trip to Budapest instead. I'll be flying. I'm fighting with the hotel in Lyon to get my money back. It's frustrating because it's not my fault. At my aunt's, we've been filling up with fuel every day. She needs the car and is pretty disgusted by what's happening. Strikes keep happening. When I visited last year the baggage handlers were on strike." Ian Patton, from Antrim, says he is concerned the strike will ruin his trip to France to see the European Championships. "I'm flying to London on 9 June and picking up a car there. From there we'll go to Calais and drive down to spend four days in Lyon to watch the Northern Ireland game against Ukraine. I hadn't thought about this strike until I saw the news today. I've got tickets for all three qualifying games. We will be really stuck if it isn't sorted out because our 14-day trip involves a lot of driving." Robert Adcock lives in La Mothe-Achard, Vendee, France, and is concerned about how the strikes will affect flights. "On Friday there were no reports at all about any blockades but there were queues at the petrol pumps right down the road. Each one had a 45-minute-to-an-hour wait. When I went out today there were five or six cars at each pump. It didn't look that bad. We have three cars, all full, so are more concerned about how this will affect airports. My wife works in London and is coming back on Thursday. It's about 45 miles to Nantes airport from here. She's got a couple of trips left in her car. The nearest city to us is Nantes. A lot of boats are coming over from New York. That will increase the population. Let's see what an effect fuel shortages will have then." Nick Baker from Kent, UK, is in Nimes, having travelled down the west coast
The former Linfield striker was named Sky Blues boss in 2011 and twice guided the club to Co Antrim Shield success during his reign at the Showgrounds. United are ninth in the Premiership and just seven points clear of bottom spot. "The club felt a change was needed to freshen up the team after getting dangerously close to the relegation zone," said United on Monday night. Ferguson also took Ballymena to the Irish Cup final in 2014 and last season's League Cup decider. United beat Linfield to win the Co Antrim Shield two months ago but Ferguson has failed to make the team a force in the league and he departs after Saturday's 4-2 home defeat by Dungannon. The Warden Street club has terminated Ferguson's contract with immediate effect and he leaves with coaches Lee Doherty and Norman Kelly. "The board of directors felt it was time for a change because success in the knockout competitions hasn't been replicated in the Danske Bank Premiership," Ballymena added. "We thank Glenn for his service to the club and for what he achieved and we wish him well for the future."
He said there was a "clear implication" from their remarks that Leave had created a "bad atmosphere." The PM has faced criticism for sharing a link to Mrs Cox's last article, in which she said the UK could better deal with immigration from inside the EU. He said his comments were intended purely as a tribute to Mrs Cox. Mrs Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire on Thursday, shortly before holding a constituency surgery. MPs and peers returned to Parliament on Monday to pay tribute to the Batley and Spen MP, who leaves behind a husband and two children. Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Farage said: "I think there are Remain camp supporters out there who are using this to try to give the impression that this isolated horrific incident is somehow linked to arguments that have been made by myself or Michael Gove or anybody else in this campaign, and frankly that is wrong." Asked by an LBC listener how he felt about the killing being linked with Brexit, Mr Farage said it was "despicable...but that's what is happening". He added: "We have a prime minister and a chancellor and other big political leaders in Britain who are scared witless. "They thought they would win this referendum by a country mile. "They know it's neck and neck, they know it's down to who turns out on the day to vote, and there is no level of denigration or false association that they will not stoop to, but I think people are intelligent enough to see through this sort of thing." UKIP donor Arron Banks, meanwhile, told LBC his Leave.EU campaign group had undertaken polling on the impact Mrs Cox's death on public opinion. Asked if he thought the polling was "tasteless", he said: "I don't think so." Mr Cameron, during a campaign visit to Cowley, Oxfordshire, was asked whether he was using the MP's death for political advantage. He said: "What I have been talking about in respect of Jo is what a wonderful human being and great politician and great campaigner she was." The PM added: "What everyone has been saying, and what I say again, is paying tribute not only to her but the values she lived by and epitomised in public life of tolerance, of service, of community. "That's what we are saying about her." Speaking earlier to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Farage said the EU project was "doomed" regardless of the outcome of Thursday's referendum - but he predicted Leave would win. The UKIP leader said the EU was a "failing club" that had "divided" northern Europe over the migrant crisis, and "ruined" the south with the euro. "Why would we wish to be a member of a union where, in the north, [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel's policy is leading to political dislocation... and, in the south, where the eurozone crisis will come back in July, with Greece looking for a third bailout?" he said. Mr Farage - who
Brendan Duddy acted as an intermediary between the government and the IRA, hosting secret talks at his Derry home. He died on Friday after a long illness. Duddy was not afraid to take risks, mourners were told at his funeral Mass in St Eugene's Cathedral. They included ex-SDLP leader John Hume and Irish President Michael D Higgins. A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said no UK government representatives were at the funeral. But Michael Oatley, a former MI6 spy, who acted as Mr Duddy's conduit to the British government, was among mourners. Mr Duddy, who was 80 and had suffered a stroke in 2010, was at the centre of a chain of events that ultimately led to the IRA ceasefire of 1994 and the Good Friday peace agreement. Codenamed "Soon", he was the key link between then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the IRA during the 1981 republican hunger strikes. "He knew the value of creating and maintaining trust on all sides", said Fr Chris Ferguson in his homily. He deserved a Nobel peace prize for his "historic" contribution, said the BBC journalist Peter Taylor, who interviewed Mr Duddy in 2008 about his role in the peace process. His role as a mediator helped to "allow the seeds planted through dialogue to produce the peace process", said Fr Ferguson. He told mourners that Mr Duddy had led a "life dedicated to working for peace" and never sought "recognition or acknowledgement" for the part he played. "His sole desire was to provide a safe, secure and peaceful future for his family," said Fr Ferguson. "Being a husband and father, Brendan had a vested interest in seeing an end to conflict through real and meaningful negotiations." Mr Duddy also "possessed the determination and persistence" required to create the "opportunity for dialogue" between the government and the IRA, added Fr Ferguson. "Brendan worked hard at creating trust, ensuring there would be no disclosures which could have harmed the building of relationships. "Brendan had a great ability to think outside the box which was so necessary in the infancy of the political discussions in which he was involved. "He possessed an intuitive ability to understand people. "Once the talking had started, Brendan knew his job was done." Figures from across the political spectrum have paid tribute to Mr Duddy. Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, praised Mr Duddy's work during Northern Ireland's Troubles. "In a world of violence, conflict and threats of war, we need more people like Brendan Duddy. Rest in peace," he tweeted. Mr Duddy was also well known in the north-west due to his business portfolio, which included property, bars, restaurants and hotels, including Derry's City Hotel and the Ramada Hotel in Portrush.
After spending the winter inland in Finnmark, Europe's last great wilderness, the animals are moved to pastures near the coast for the summer. The reindeer play a central role in the livelihoods and culture of the indigenous people of the region, the Sami, but this way of life is under pressure, as I saw on a journey in northern Norway earlier this month. Look at a map of the region and you'll see very few roads and only a handful of towns. Our expedition of nine people, each towed by a team of huskies, hardly encountered another soul. Led by our guide, Tom Frode Johansen, we passed through valleys and over hills, along the border between Norway and Finland, and then across frozen lakes and uplands of unblemished white. When it was cloudy - or when there were flurries of snow - the landscape appeared almost lunar and barren, and it was impossible to imagine any kind of animals enduring here. But when the sun came out, a golden light would transform the scene, revealing the details of cliffs, streams, clumps of woodland and - most significantly - herds of reindeer. Brown and sturdy, their antlers silhouetted against the white, the reindeer clear away the snow to reach the food they rely on in winter: lichen. It does not seem to amount to much but it does mean that life is possible here. And one night we saw how central the reindeer are to the lives of the Sami people. We had been on the move for 12 hours and shelter from the cold couldn't come soon enough. It was well below freezing and the snow was so deep that we sank into it past our knees. A tiny glimmer of light shone from the window of a hut ahead of us. This was to be our sanctuary. Our torches picked out the wooden walls of the small building; otherwise we were in a landscape so empty it was hard to remember that Finnmark is part of the overcrowded continent of Europe. My mobile phone hadn't had a signal all day. As soon as we walked in, our host, Ellen-Anna Siri, welcomed us with an enormous dish of stew - of reindeer meat, of course - and exactly what we needed. For breakfast the next day she and her mother Kristine offered a plate of dried reindeer heart which was also delicious. And the two of them couldn't resist dressing my daughter Kitty in the full traditional Sami woman's costume of reindeer leather and embroidered hat. The connection between the Sami people and their reindeer has been about survival in a hostile land and it runs very deep: there is a legacy lasting millennia of living together in the polar North. The most immediate threat, we were told, is from wolves, bears and wolverines. Attracted by the reindeer herds, these predators are highly aggressive so Ellen-Anna warned us about going outside at night. If you need to go to the
Laurie Seaborn, 71, from West Bergholt, Essex, who is 6ft 6in (1.98m) tall, cannot fit inside Colchester General Hospital's MRI scanner and instead has to travel to Croydon. He is calling on Colchester's managers to get a "decent-sized" MRI scanner. The hospital has apologised for the "inconvenience this causes". Mr Seaborn said he damaged his knee, back, head and neck in a motorbike accident 43 years ago and has been receiving treatment ever since. He is awaiting an MRI scan for a problem with his spine but says he is too "broad-shouldered" to fit in the scanner at Colchester or a mobile unit. Mr Seaborn, who weighs about 20 stone, said the situation was "unacceptable". "It was a proper emergency ambulance that had to take me there - there was a driver, his assistant and a chaperone to take me there and back," he said. "I think the hospital ought to get their act together and get this thing sorted out as soon as possible, because everyone knows the NHS is in dire straits, and surely this is adding insult to injury." A spokesman for Colchester General Hospital said: "As far as we are aware, there is not a single NHS hospital in Essex which currently has a wide-bore MRI scanner for scanning larger patients. "Therefore, about 10 of our patients a year who are either too heavy for the table or too wide for the scanner have to travel further afield for their MRI scan. This is about half the number of patients who have to travel to be scanned in a wide-bore or open MRI scanner because they have claustrophobia. "We will look at the needs of all patients requiring MRI scans when the current arrangement for providing this service expires."
Three of the four major industrial sectors declined, with the biggest contraction in manufacturing, according to the Office for National Statistics. Analysts warned the outlook for UK industry remained "cloudy". Chris Williamson of Markit said manufacturers were increasingly worried about Brexit-related uncertainty. He said the decline in May was less painful than had been expected, but there were now "serious doubts" it could be sustained. On an annual basis industrial output was up by 1.4% on May 2015. And in the three months to May, output grew by 1.9% at its quickest pace in six years. Manufacturing output was down 0.5% month-on-month in May, but was ahead by 1.7% year-on-year. As well as manufacturing the industrial sectors of mining and quarrying, and electricity and gas also declined month-on-month, but the water and waste management sector experienced growth. "While the steep drop in sterling seen since the referendum should provide a boost to exports, more important for the longer-term prospects for manufacturing is the extent on the UK's access to the single market can be maintained," said Mr Williamson. The trade deals that the UK negotiates with other key export markets will also be crucial, he said.
Both far-right leader Marine Le Pen and radical leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon voiced sharp criticism of the EU in the early part of the programme. The TV encounter was then overshadowed by a deadly shooting in central Paris. Centrist Emmanuel Macron and centre-right François Fillon both paid tribute to the police targeted by a gunman. Mr Macron said "the first duty of a president was to protect" citizens, while Mr Fillon said he was cancelling all his campaigning events on Friday, the final day of the campaign. Ms Le Pen said she was doing likewise. Opinion polls suggest a tight race with some 30% of voters still undecided. It is turning out to be the most unpredictable election in generations in France and the programme is a last chance for all of them to speak to the nation, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. Who are the candidates? French election quick guide What are your hopes? Election explained in five charts Ms Le Pen and Mr Macron are seen as frontrunners to progress to the second round in May. However, Mr Fillon of the centre-right Republican party and Mr Mélenchon are also in the frame. The candidates drew lots to establish the order of speakers, with Mr Mélenchon coming first. Each candidate was interviewed individually for 15 minutes. Ms Le Pen said she wanted to "give back to the French the keys of the house". As she delivered her line, she dangled a key before viewers. She called for withdrawal from the euro "to restore competitiveness". On terrorism, a major concern for France after attacks claimed by so-called Islamic State, she said "hate-preaching imams" and foreigners who are on a police security watch list should be expelled. Is Le Pen far right? The young alt-right making waves Why gay men are voting far right Hinging on volatile voters When Mr Mélenchon was asked if France should leave the EU, he replied: "We change it or we leave it." He said he believed in an "independent France orientated towards peace". Asked about his controversial tax plans, he said: "We are actually going to tax incomes above 400,000 euros [£335,000; $429,000] a year at 90%". Firebrand Mélenchon galvanises French left Getting out the vote on an estate Benoît Hamon, the candidate of the ruling Socialist party who has plummeted to fifth place in the polls, attacked austerity, saying the European project was under threat. "I am the only candidate who will improve employees' pay slips," he said.
Stanning, 29, won pairs gold with Helen Glover at London 2012 before returning to active duty with the British Army, including a tour of Afghanistan. In Stanning's absence, Glover won the 2013 world title with Polly Swann. Stanning and Glover reunited in their first race together since London 2012. "We have decided to take the pressure off, knock back her training and we think that will open the opportunity for a swift return to top form," said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing's performance director. "We are sure that Heather will be back on song soon. We will now consider our options in terms of the open women's squad before finalising the selections for Belgrade." Stanning, who lives in Reading, Berkshire, said: "I am clearly disappointed not to be travelling with the team to Belgrade and I wish everyone luck out there. "I am still training and will focus on the programme I've been set to regain intensity at the very top end of the percentages".
Carwyn Jones believes the "status quo" has worked well. West Wales and the valleys - which had some of the highest number of leave voters in the EU referendum - qualified for more than Â£2bn in aid between 2014 and 2020. The payments are due to end after Brexit. Publishing its general election manifesto on Monday, the Conservative party announced plans to replace the method with a "shared prosperity fund" if it wins the June 8 vote. The manifesto suggests the current EU scheme is "expensive to administer and poorly targeted" and wants it replaced with something "cheap to administer, low in bureaucracy and targeted where it is needed most". While the Tories pledged to consult Welsh ministers on the changes, Mr Jones believes funding should continue to go where it is now. He said: "To my mind what we need to do is the UK government needs to guarantee the level of funding that we have had so far from the EU, and that funding should be distributed according to the rules we have now, keep the status quo, it has worked very well for Wales. "It is the same for agriculture and fisheries for example." Mr Jones said it should not be "one government telling everyone else what is going to happen". Instead, he wants the party that wins the UK general election to sit down with representatives of the devolved administrations to work out a way forward. Plaid Cymru has promised to demand Wales continues to receive "every single penny" of the money it currently receives from the EU, once the UK leaves. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Mark Williams said EU aid had been essential "in creating and safeguarding jobs, bringing our infrastructure into the 21st century". He said if his party won the election, it would invest Â£100bn in creating jobs, building homes and the green economy.
Russian planes have attacked several sites in northern Syria, activists say. Russia has not confirmed any sorties on Sunday and says it has also identified nine breaches of the truce. A cessation of hostilities was agreed as part of a US-Russian plan. Russia says that in general it is holding. It is the first major cessation of hostilities in the five years of war. More than 250,000 have been killed in the fight against President Bashar al-Assad. Millions more have been forced from their homes. Humanitarian agencies are hoping use the truce to deliver aid to besieged areas of the country. Read more: The Syrian opposition has complained of 15 violations of the ceasefire by the government side, which is supported by Russia. The Syrian opposition umbrella group the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said it would be sending a formal letter of complaint about the breaches to the UN and other world powers. However, the HNC said that despite violations "here and there", it was "positive to see people getting relief â€¦to be safe, and free from fear". Some Syrian activists say the target of the air strikes in the north, near Aleppo, was the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The truce involves Syrian government and rebel forces, but not the so-called Islamic State group (IS) or the Nusra Front, so an attack on them would not count as a breach. But the villages also contain fighters from the Western-backed opposition as territorial control in Syria is often blurred, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen from the Turkish border. Given the terms of this ceasefire deal, it is conceivable that the rebels were targeted under cover of striking the Nusra Front, he adds. The HNC said two of the strikes were in areas where designated terrorist groups were not operating. Meanwhile, among the breaches reported by the Russian military was what it described as a "cross-border" attack from Turkey near Tal Abyad. Russia has asked the US to investigate. The US military told the BBC that it had continued to attack IS targets in Syria on Saturday, including 10 air strikes near Tal Abyad. The "cessation of hostilities" began at midnight on Saturday (22:00 GMT Friday). The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone on Saturday welcoming the ceasefire and, Moscow says, discussing ways of supporting it through military co-operation. UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has said that peace talks will resume on 7 March if the truce "largely holds", adding that he had no doubt there would be "no shortage of attempts to undermine this process". The cessation was brokered by the US and Russia, and is backed by a UN resolution. Previous talks in Geneva collapsed in early February after making no progress. The UN resolution names about 30 areas in dire need of aid, including eastern and western rural Aleppo and the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, which is under siege by IS. Almost 100 rebel factions have
Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdullah, a member of the ruling family, has been moved to another senior security role. The inquiry, published last week, found that "excessive force" had been used against pro-democracy protesters. More than 40 people died during Shia-led protests in February and March. Abel bin Khalifa Hamad al-Fadhel has been named as the acting security chief, while Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdullah was appointed secretary general of the Supreme Defence Council, an official statement said. Bahrain's Independent commission of Inquiry was set up after the country faced international criticism of its handling of the protests, which have continued sporadically. The majority of the population of the Gulf state is Shia Muslim and the violence has fuelled anger against the ruling Sunni royal family and political elite. More than 1,600 people have been arrested since the start of the protests. The commission found that many detainees had been subjected to "physical and psychological torture" and their basic human rights were violated.
The worst affected area is the north-western province of Salto, on the border with Argentina, where almost 2,000 people were evacuated. The provinces of PaysandÃº and Artigas have also been hit. Uruguay's defence minister said the army, navy and air force were helping with the evacuation. More heavy rains have been forecast for the coming days and the authorities fear the Uruguay river could rise further, putting more towns at risk. Some residents who had to flee their homes have been sheltering in temporary accommodation, while others are staying with relatives or friends in drier areas. The region is no stranger to flooding. In December 2015 more than 150,000 people in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil were driven from their homes by some of the worst flooding in decades.
Media playback is not supported on this device After Tuesday's session, boss Michael O'Neill said he had "no concerns" about Lafferty's fitness for Sunday's Euro 2016 opener against Poland. However, Lafferty, 28, was unable to take part in Wednesday's training. As his team-mates trained Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, Lafferty did a workout on an exercise bike. Norwich striker Lafferty pulled up in Tuesday morning's training session after appearing to stretch his groin, but O'Neill said it was "just a little twist". "It was precautionary to take him out of training. We're just being careful," added the Northern Ireland on Tuesday. "After examination by the doctor, he feels good. We're more concerned about the thunder and lightning, to be honest." Media playback is not supported on this device Lafferty was the only member of the Northern Ireland squad to miss training on Wednesday morning as Craig Cathcart and Gareth McAuley took part in the session after not being involved on Tuesday. The Norwich striker's seven goals were crucial to Northern Ireland's surprise qualification for the finals in France. The county Fermanagh man appeared to be in some pain after reaching to control a ball during Tuesday's session. He was directed into an ice bath on the side of the pitch at Northern Ireland's training base at Saint-Georges-de-Reneins near Lyon, and afterwards walked gingerly to the changing rooms.
John Bradford, 62, elephant manager at Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, was working with the 41-year-old female. Patience suddenly moved, fatally injuring him, the zoo said. She will not be put down, the zoo said. Recently, the zoo euthanised the herd's matriarch, Pinky, who had advanced kidney disease. "This is a very sad day for the zoo family, as well as our community as a whole," Mike Crocker, director of the zoo, said in a statement. The zoo said members of staff had kept a close watch on Patience and another female in the herd since Pinky's death. Two other zoo employees were with Mr Bradford when he was killed, out of caution over Patience's history of aggression. Officials cannot determine why the elephant, who had been at the zoo since 1990, moved suddenly at Mr Bradford. "This has never happened before," Springfield city spokeswoman Cora Scott told the BBC. "There are counsellors on hand for the park employees, as it is a pretty tight-knit family here." Mr Bradford had worked at the zoo for 30 years, 25 as elephant manager. The park remains open, though the elephant exhibit has been closed.
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire roads policing unit posted a photograph on Monday, saying the trailer overturned near Royston. The unit sent a tweet that said: "Make up trailer due for the set of Downton Abbey but only got as far as Royston." A spokeswoman for Carnival Films, which makes Downton Abbey, said it did not own the trailer. She said it did use production trailers provided by the company involved in the crash, but denied this one was intended for the Downton Abbey film set. The period drama is partially filmed at Ealing Studios in London. A spokeswoman for the studios said several productions were filmed there, including films and TV series. Police tweeted the photograph of the crash, close to the border of Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, at just after 13:00 BST on Monday. A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said an officer from Hertfordshire police sent the tweet. Hertfordshire police is yet to comment on the circumstances. It is understood police were told the vehicle was "sub-contracted" and "linked to Downton Abbey".
Ronnie Coulter, 48, from Wishaw, denies murdering Mr Chhokar, 32, in Overtown, North Lanarkshire, on 4 November 1998. He has lodged a special defence blaming his nephew Andrew Coulter, and another man, David Montgomery. Judge Lord Matthews told jurors: "In order to convict Ronnie Coulter you must be convinced he used a knife and stabbed the deceased." At the High Court in Glasgow, the judge told the 10 women and four men to take as much time as they needed. Lord Matthews said: "It's not a case where you want to rush to judgement and I'm sure you won't do that." The judge also told the jurors there were three verdicts open to them - guilty, not guilty or not proven. The jury has already heard that Ronnie Coulter, his nephew Andrew and Mr Montgomery went to see Mr Chhokar on the night he died following a row over a Â£100 Giro cheque. After an altercation, Mr Chhokar collapsed in front of his partner Liz Bryce. He was stabbed three times in the chest and one of the blows pierced his heart, resulting in his death from massive blood loss. The court has also heard how Ronnie Coulter was previously tried for Mr Chhokar's murder in 1999, but cleared of the charge. Andrew Coulter, who was convicted of stabbing and killing another man in 1999, and Mr Montgomery, were also cleared of Mr Chhokar's murder at another trial in 2000. Both men have given evidence during the most recent trial and admitted being there on the night Mr Chhokar died, but they denied murder.
Ibrox boss Mark Warburton is keen to add a defender to his squad before the transfer window closes this month. Swiss international Senderos, 31, most recently played his club football with Grasshoppers in his homeland. "He is training for a week with us," Warburton told the Rangers website. "He is a very talented player with a very impressive CV." Capped 57 times, he has played in three World Cup finals and a European Championship. His spell with Grasshoppers last season followed an injury-hit 18 months at Villa. Senderos, an FA Cup winner with Arsenal in 2005, has made over 200 senior club appearances. "It is a case of he has not been training with a team so he is in for a week with us and nothing more than that," added Warburton. "He looks very good technically from his background and physically he looks in good shape so we will have him in for a week and then see what that leads to."
Almost 34,000 airline tickets had to be cancelled in one 18-month period - with lack of staff to escort detainees one reason, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration report said. A separate report suggests officials have lost track of thousands of foreign students whose visas have expired. The Home Office said it was working to reduce cancelled and failed removals. In some cases, the government argued cancellations were "out of [its] control", for example because of late legal challenges or disruptive behaviour of those scheduled for deportation. However, the report said a lack of security staff to accompany detainees on their journey out of the UK was also a "major constraint". The recorded loss on unused tickets was Â£1.4m - equivalent to 4% of the total amount spent on tickets On average, the private company which is contracted to provide staff, Tascor, was only able to do so 15 days later than requested, inspectors said. However, responding to the report, Tascor said it had no contractual requirement to complete removals within a specified timescale. "The majority of the cancellations fall outside of Tascor's control, largely due to legal challenges or lack of emergency travel documents," the company added. These two, rather dense, inspection reports merit close examination because they touch on a subject of public concern: Why is it that people who have no right to be in the UK cannot be removed? The reasons are complex because the process is complex. If one link in the chain breaks down - a last-minute legal challenge, missing travel documents or no available security escorts - then the removal has to be cancelled. However, the 15-day gap between the removal date requested by the Home Office and Tascor being able to provide staff suggests there are some serious recruitment problems that must be urgently addressed. The worry is that the problems will not be fixed. As the report on the student visa process points out, a recommendation by inspectors in 2012 for the removal of overseas students who are in the UK illegally to be made a priority has still not been acted upon. Lucy Moreton, general secretary of ISU, which represents border agency and immigration staff, said recruiting more Tascor personnel could help the deportation process but "whether the Home Office would be prepared to pay for that is another matter". Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "A large number of flights are missed because we simply can't move detainees from one place to another as we need to." The report found that between October 2014 and March 2015, on average 2.5 flight tickets were issued for each individual successfully removed. While some departments booked refundable tickets because of the high risk of cancellation, others simply chose the cheapest possible tickets which were normally not refundable, the report said. The refund rate varied between 48% and 93% and there was "little obvious agreement" within the Home Office about how best to manage the problem, it said.
The rate of personnel planning to leave, or who have given their notice, increased from 16% in 2011 to 25% now. Those planning to stay in the service for as long as they could also fell from 41% in 2011 to 34% now. However, the survey of 11,877 personnel also found there had been an increase in morale, with 45% rating their morale as high, compared with 41% in 2014. The 2015 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey was responded to between October 2014 and February 2015. The number of those who expressed dissatisfaction with service life rose five percentage points since last year to 32%. However, the attitudes survey indicated only 5% of respondents had actually handed in their notice. The findings come as research by The Royal United Services Institute suggested the armed forces might face Â£35bn of budget cuts in the next decade. Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker said: "The situation has gone from bad to worse over the past five years and is unlikely to get any better with the Tories' current plans. "The morale of our armed forces is of the utmost importance and the government needs to urgently address the issues that are making so many want to leave the forces." An MoD spokeswoman said: "We continually strive to ensure our people feel valued and that their contribution and sacrifice is recognised. "That is why we invest in a range of measures to improve service life, from welfare support to accommodation, while prioritising the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. "We have been seeing results; total outflow of personnel has been falling for the last three years. "We remain on course to meet Future Force 2020 targets as we move towards the agile and flexible force needed to keep us safe at home and abroad."
Cpl Matthew James Stenton, from Wakefield, Yorkshire, and L/Cpl Stephen Daniel Monkhouse from Greenock in Inverclyde died in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand on Wednesday. They served in the Royal Dragoon Guards and 1st Battalion Scots Guards respectively. Family members and comrades said their sacrifices "would never be forgotten". Paying tribute to Cpl Stenton, 23, his family said: "A loving son, brother and grandson who will be dearly missed. Matthew always took life in his stride and never lost sight of the important things in life - his family and friends. "Matthew died how he lived his life, surrounded by his friends. We are so proud of Matthew and it comes as no surprise to us to hear that he died whilst trying to help one of his fellow comrades." L/Cpl Monkhouse's family said: "Although Stephen died in very tragic circumstances, it is comforting to know that he died doing a job he loved - being a soldier. He loved the Army and the Scots Guards. "He died trying to help save another life, that sums Stephen up. He loved life and lived it to the full and his memory will live on with us and his friends forever. God bless you son." Cpl Stenton, who joined the Army after leaving school, had completed two operational tours of Iraq. Lt Col James Carr-Smith, Commanding Officer, The Royal Dragoon Guards, said he "loved soldiering" and "cared passionately for the soldiers under his command". "It was typical of Cpl Matt Stenton that on the afternoon of Wednesday, 21 July 2010 he was yet again looking out for those more junior than himself. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. We will miss him hugely but his sacrifice will never be forgotten," he said in comments on the Ministry of Defence website. Maj Denis James, Officer Commanding D (The Green Horse) Squadron, The Viking Group, said the soldier was an "uncomplicated man and the kindest of friends; he was also a hard, tenacious soldier who always fought for what he believed in". "His sacrifice will inspire us forever," he added. He leaves behind his father and stepmother, Michael and Gillian, and his sister, Charlotte. L/Cpl Monkhouse, 28, joined the Army in 2003 and was deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of July. Lt Col Lincoln Jopp MC, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion Scots Guards said L/Cpl Monkhouse - known as Monkey - had made an "immediate impression" and "shone and excelled" when he moved up into the Pipes and Drums. "He loved his drumming and only a week before he was killed, he proudly played here in Lashkar Gah for our colonel, His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. "He was always a proud father, son and brother, and a true friend to all. "Monkey died coming to the aid of a guardsman who had been shot. He did what every soldier hopes he will have the courage to do if the need arises: he laid down his life for his friend.
The coroner said Bennington apparently hanged himself. His body was found at a private home in the county at 09:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday. Bennington was said to be close to Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell, who took his own life in May. Formed in 1996, Linkin Park have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy Awards. The band had a string of hits including Faint, In The End and Crawling, and collaborated with the rapper Jay-Z. The album Meteora topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2003 and is regarded as one of the biggest indie rock records of all time. The band had been due to begin a tour next week. For a generation growing up in the early 2000s, it would have been hard not to find someone who didn't own a copy of the band's debut album Hybrid Theory. It's sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and remains one of the biggest selling albums released since the start of the millennium. Linkin Park's successful trick was to fuse elements of metal and rock with rap and hip-hop to shape the nu-metal genre on songs such as Crawling, In The End and Numb. Arguably their biggest asset was Chester's powerhouse voice. He had a huge, raspy vocal which suited their stadium-filling, singalong anthems. Whilst his vocal persona could be described as angry and harsh, in person he was warm, articulate and funny. The band's most recent album, One More Light, saw a different direction as they worked with prolific pop songwriters Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter - and collaborated with UK grime artist Stormzy. He leaves a wife, and six children from two marriages. The singer is said to have struggled for years with alcohol and drug abuse, and has talked in the past about contemplating suicide as a result of being a victim of abuse as a child. Bennington wrote an open letter to Chris Cornell on the latter's death, saying: "You have inspired me in ways you could never have known... I can't imagine a world without you in it." Cornell would have celebrated his 53rd birthday on Thursday. He hanged himself after a concert in Detroit on 17 May. Band member Mike Shinoda confirmed the news of Bennington's death on Twitter: "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one." Tributes to Bennington flooded in soon after news of his death. The band Imagine Dragons tweeted: "no words, so heartbroken. RIP Chester Bennington." Grime artist Stormzy, who collaborated with Linkin Park earlier this year, tweeted: "Bruv I can't lie I'm so upset serious." If you are affected by the topics in this article, the Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123 (in the UK) or by email on jo@samaritans.org. If you are in the US, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255.
The £80m attraction, called Jurassica, would be built in a 40m (132ft) deep limestone quarry in Portland, Dorset. Science journalist Mike Hanlon, behind the idea, said: "Jurassica has the potential to create something of global significance." If it goes ahead, an estimated 500,000-600,000 annual visitors are expected. It could be completed by 2020, creating more than 150 full-time jobs. Featuring a lid-like roof, Jurassica would span about 100m, about a third the size of the Millennium Dome. Comparable with the Eden Project, it would house robot swimming plesiosaurs, fossils and interactive displays. Mr Hanlon said: "Jurassica will put Dorset on the global map; a real focus that will drive tourism upwards and pour more than £20m into the county's businesses every year." Dorset Chamber of Commerce said the travel infrastructure to the attraction would be fundamental to its success. The charity is currently carrying out a £30,000 traffic impact study. Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce said: "There's no doubt its going to be a tremendous boost for Weymouth and Portland. "This is a really bold innovative project that could be fantastic for the whole of the county." Bournemouth University is conducting an economic study to determine the attraction's connections with other sectors of the economy and its likely impact. Prof John Fletcher, pro-vice chancellor for research and innovation at the university, said the attraction would make a "significant contribution" to the local economy. He added it would "broaden the visitor season through its international and educational pull". Sir David Attenborough is patron of the project and the Eden Project's Sir Tim Smit is its trustee. The project was awarded £300,000 in July from the Local Enterprise Partnership for a feasibility study and a lottery funding application. In November, the charity put in a first round funding bid for a £16m Heritage Lottery Fund Award. The outcome of the bid is expected in April. The 153 km (95 mile) Jurassic Coast, which begins in East Devon and stretches to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in Dorset, attracts about 12-15 million visitors a year. The Jurassic Coast is considered the only single site in the world that displays evidence of millions of years of the earth's history, exposed in layers of rock in its cliffs. It contains three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Visitor numbers to top paid-for England attractions in 2013 Source: Visit England This article was amended on 29 September 2015 after a clerical error by the Jurassic team led to incorrect projected visitor numbers being stated in a report by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
"Do you like it?" he asks her. "Yes," is her reply. It is an innocuous scene, except that the young man, Kanhaiya, has waited a long time to give his mother a gift. Nineteen years ago, his mother Vijai Kumari was convicted of murder - wrongfully, she claimed. She was granted bail on appeal but she did not have the 10,000 rupees ($180; Â£119) she needed to post bail. Her husband abandoned her and no-one else came forward to help her. "I thought I'd die in prison," she says. "They told me in there that no-one ever gets out." She was pregnant when she went to jail. Four months later, Kanhaiya was born. "I sent him away when he got a bit older. It was hard but I was determined. Prison is no place for a young child," she says. So she stayed in prison all these years, lost in the system and forgotten. All she had to keep her going was a passport-size photograph of her son and his visits to her every three months. Kanhaiya spent most of his childhood growing up at various juvenile homes. And he never forgot his mother. "I would think of her and cry," he says, speaking softly and with a lisp. "She was in prison, all alone. No-one else ever visited her. And my father turned his back on her." As soon as he turned 18, he was trained to work in a garment factory. And he began saving up to get his mother out. Eventually, he hired a lawyer. "Someone told me about him. He was surprised to hear about my mother's case." The lawyer took on his case and earlier this month, his mother was freed from prison. Judges expressed their shock at her situation and the "callous and careless" behaviour of the authorities. They have now ordered a sweep of all the prisons in Uttar Pradesh state to see if there are others like Vijai Kumari. The reality is that hers is not an isolated case. There are an estimated 300,000 inmates in India's prisons, 70% of whom are yet to face trial. And many of them have spent a long time in custody. It is a reflection of India's shambolic and sluggish legal system where it can often take years for a case to be heard and a trial to be concluded. But, for the moment, mother and son are reunited and anxious about their future. "All I want is for my son to be settled," Vijai Kumari says, her voice breaking and her eyes moist. "He's all I have in this world." Kanhaiya and his mother plan to approach his estranged father and fight for their rights, including a share of the family property. But for now, they are taking in the present and trying to make up for all the time they have lost.
Ahead of a visit to the UK, Mr Sisi told the BBC that Egypt was threatened by extremist groups and feared the collapses suffered by its neighbours. He underlined that Egypt's situation was different to that of Europe. The retired field marshal led the army's overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests. Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and more than 40,000 are believed to have been jailed in a crackdown on dissent. Most of them have been supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, but secular and liberal activists have also been prosecuted for breaking a 2013 anti-protest law that gives the interior ministry the power to ban any gathering of more than 10 people. In an interview with the BBC in Cairo before he embarked on his first official visit to the UK, Mr Sisi said Egypt was still on a path to democracy that started with the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, but needed time to achieve its goals. "We want to carry out the will of the Egyptian people," he said. "They have been calling for change for four years. We want to honour their choice and will do our best to achieve a better democratic future for them." "What has been achieved in our experience may not be the best, but we are going ahead with it and we will make further progress," he added. Mr Sisi said the low turnout in the first round of the parliamentary elections last month was neither unexpected nor evidence of growing disillusionment with his rule. He also defended the anti-terrorism legislation he enacted in August, which activists said further eroded basic rights and enshrined a permanent state of emergency. President Sisi knows he has a case to make to convince the West - and some in his own country - that he is taking Egypt on the road to what he calls a real democracy. It's a case he seems confident he can make even if critics deride him as a dictator. He appears at ease fielding questions on everything from his harsh counter-terrorism law to the West's failure to stop the rise of the so-called Islamic State in his region. The former army chief wants to dispel any impression he's still a military man who now wears a smart blue suit. But security is still clearly uppermost in his mind even as he invokes the spirit that inspired Egyptians nearly five years ago to rise up for greater freedom as well as jobs and bread. After all, he says, if Egyptians decide they don't want him in power they can now vote him out. But he speaks with the confidence of a man who believes he will be at the helm for a while. Egypt's Sisi UK visit puts spotlight on human rights The perils of reporting in Sisi's Egypt Enduring repression and insurgency in Egypt's Sinai "We want some stability," he explained. "We don't want to do this by force
Media playback is not supported on this device The Gunners retained the trophy they won against Hull City a year ago to put Wenger's total of wins alongside George Ramsay - who previously stood alone with the record for his victories with Villa between 1887 and 1920. Arsenal's 12th final victory was never in doubt as they dominated with a magnificent display, the only surprise being that it took until five minutes before half-time for their control to be rewarded with Theo Walcott's goal. Alexis Sanchez confirmed that superiority with one of the great FA Cup final goals shortly after the restart - a swerving, dipping 25-yard thunderbolt that flew high past startled Villa keeper Shay Given. Media playback is not supported on this device Villa were a shadow of the side that performed so impressively to beat Liverpool at Wembley in the semi-final, their flaws exposed ruthlessly as Per Mertesacker took advantage of an embarrassing lack of marking to head the third. Substitute Olivier Giroud's fourth in the final moments only completed what was a harrowing day for Tim Sherwood's side, who had travelled to Wembley high on optimism and expectation after an impressive run to the final. It was a day of triumph for Wenger, as he added another FA Cup to his three Premier League titles in a game that was a sharp contrast to the tension of last year's final, when the Gunners had to recover from two goals down. And Wenger recorded a tactical victory over Villa counterpart Sherwood, with his decision to use the pace of Walcott to take on Villa's defence rather than the power of Giroud reaping rich rewards. Media playback is not supported on this device Sherwood's big selection call - to play Charles N'zogbia ahead of Gabriel Agbonlahor - never looked like working. By the time the latter was introduced, just after Arsenal had gone two up, the horse had bolted for a Villa team that simply never performed. Arsenal's season can now be judged as a success, with the trophy adding to a third-placed finish in the Premier League that assured Champions League football again. This was a day of unrelenting misery for Sherwood and his players - watched at Wembley by owner Randy Lerner, who was sitting next to Villa fan Prince William. They will have to regard Premier League survival as their success this term, which was the main priority when the manager replaced Paul Lambert in February. Villa ended the league season by being thrashed 6-1 at Southampton and losing at home to relegated Burnley and the ominous signs of those performances were flagged up once more as Arsenal's pace and mobility ran them ragged. Goalkeeper Given showed great athleticism to save from Laurent Koscielny, and Kieran Richardson blocked crucially from Walcott as he looked certain to score. Media playback is not supported on this device Just as it looked as if Villa would somehow survive until half-time, Arsenal got the breakthrough they deserved, Walcott thumping
The Columba Declaration paves the way for future joint working between the two churches. It came after the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland addressed the synod. It is believed to be the first time a serving moderator has been invited to speak at the Church's governing body. The Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison told the gathering in London: "The strengthening of the bonds which already exist between us can only serve the 'advance of the Gospel' which is our united desire and aim." The declaration sets out how members and clergy will be allowed to worship and exercise ministry in each other's churches. It will also offer opportunities for congregational partnership, formal and informal, where there are churches close to each other. Members voted 243 votes to 50 to approve the document at the synod. The Bishop of Chester, the Right Reverend Dr Peter Foster, who co-chaired a study group which prepared the agreement, said: "As our country has become more secular, we find ourselves drawn together as we face common problems, and opportunities. "For all the ways in which our recognition and calling as national churches has had very different histories and legal structures, we have found that we have more in common, in our common tasks in mission, than we might have been led to suppose." The report will now go to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May for approval.
World number three Murray had to play on to a second day after the contest was rained off at 4-4 on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Scot went a break down in the second set but recovered and faces Gilles Muller of Luxembourg next. "It was tricky conditions, very windy, completely different to yesterday. When the shadow came across it became hard to pick up the ball," said Murray. "I lost my timing in the middle of the second set but came up with some good shots towards the end. "I feel much better on the court. I am hitting my backhand better and it forced Tommy to slice the ball. Then I could dictate the points. It wasn't something I could do early on in the year." Should Murray reach the final in Montreal he will replace Swiss Roger Federer as number two in the world rankings. He last held the position - the highest of his career - in 2013. Third seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland went out after withdrawing with a back injury as he trailed Australian Nick Kyrgios in the third set. Croatian US Open champion Marin Cilic also lost, beaten 6-3 6-4 by Bernard Tomic of Australia. Fourteenth-seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria was beaten 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 by unseeded American Jack Sock, who now plays top seed Novak Djokovic. Spanish seventh seed Rafael Nadal beat Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, while fourth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan went through with a 6-3 6-3 win over Spain's Pablo Andujar.
A $2.5bn (Â£1.5bn) deal that will see Microsoft acquire Mojang was announced in mid-September. But Vu Bui, chief operating officer of Mojang, said there were no plans in the offing to change the game or what people can do with it. Feedback from players would still be crucial in helping to develop the game, he said. "Nothing's really changing," said Mr Bui. " We have no plans on anything changing and, of course, I can't talk about the deal and I don't know everything but we're still here, the game's still here and it's business as usual." Mojang had always sought to preserve the original impetus that helped to make the game so popular, he said. "Maintaining that original culture is really difficult," he said. "It's a culture which respects the community and allows that community to do what they want with the game and make it theirs. "It is absolutely our intention, as it always has been, to continue with that," he told the BBC in an interview at London's Olympia exhibition centre where he was giving a keynote speech at the Brand Licensing Europe trade show. Mr Bui acknowledged that the deal was "still in the works" but said Mojang's intention was to keep working closely with its huge community of players. Many fans of the block-building game have expressed fears about what will happen once Microsoft is in ultimate control. Minecraft inventor Markus Persson, aka Notch, has written about his reasons for approaching Microsoft and said he was handing it over as it had become a burden for him to run. "I can't be responsible for something this big," he wrote soon after details of the deal were announced. "It's not about the money," he added. "It's about my sanity." Mr Bui said there would undoubtedly be some changes in the future, but these would still be done with the input, comments and feedback of fans. The current system, in which Minecraft developers share what they are working on long before it is added to the game, would continue. "We don't keep features secret," he said. This openness would also operate as Mojang started to show off the new titles developers were working on, even though the studio was not yet ready to talk specifics, he said. When they were ready, said Mr Bui, Mojang would let players try early versions of a game and help the title's creators refine it and help it become a commercial property. A similar approach was used with Minecraft, and Mojang wanted to repeat the process because it was proven to help developers as they worked on a project. It was not about trying to replicate what happened with Minecraft to make another title that proved just as popular. It was more about faith in the overall approach, said Mr Bui. "We believe in that model," he said. "Regardless of your art form people should definitely put their energy into what they believe in, regardless of whether it will be successful.
The film took £5.9m over the weekend - bringing its overall UK total to £52.1m. On the last day of 2016, the movie overtook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to become the UK's highest grossing film of the calendar year. Disney said the film took £50.7m up to and including 31 December, just enough to beat the Harry Potter spin-off. Official UK box office figures for 2016, which will be released later this month, are expected to show Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts were the only two films to cross the £50m threshold in the course of the year. Their success is particularly notable for the fact both films were released late in the year. Rogue One in particular achieved the feat in less than three weeks. Over the New Year weekend, Rogue One took more than twice its closest competitor - the Bryan Cranston comedy Why Him? The film, which also stars James Franco, entered the chart at number two after taking £2.2m on its first weekend of release. Passengers, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, was the third most popular film, taking £1.9m. Sci-fi film Monster Trucks debuted at number four with £1.7m, while the animated children's film Moana rounded off the top five, taking £1.6m. The only other new entry in the top 10 was Collateral Beauty - which stars Will Smith, Keira Knightley and Dame Helen Mirren. The film, which has received poor reviews from critics, took £1.2m to debut at number seven. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The so-called Egtved Girl was discovered in 1921 in a burial mound in the Jutland Peninsula, along with the cremated bones of a young child. She was estimated to have been between 16 and 18 when she died. It was assumed she was Danish, but this research has challenged that view. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. A team led by Dr Karin Margarita Frei from the National Museum of Denmark analysed girl's teeth for levels of the radioactive element strontium. Strontium exists in the Earth's crust and is absorbed by humans, animals, and plants through water and food. But natural levels of strontium vary from region to region, and the amount found by researchers in one of the girl's first teeth indicated she grew up in the Black Forest area of southwestern Germany, 800km (500 miles) to the south of her burial place. It was already known that the Egtved Girl was born on a summer's day in 1370 BC, but there were few clues in her coffin to where she spent her life. Her clothes pointed to a person of high standing. The girl's bones had been dissolved by the acidic water in the coffin but her blond hair, teeth, nails and parts of her brain and skin were extraordinarily well preserved. Dr Frei's team traced the final two years of the girl's life by analysing the elements in her 23-cm-long hair. Their groundbreaking chemical sleuthing showed she had been on a long journey shortly before she died. "If we consider the last two years of the girl's life, we can see that, 13 to 15 months before her death, she stayed in a place with a strontium isotope signature very similar to the one that characterises the area where she was born," Dr Frei said. "Then she moved to an area that may well have been Jutland. After a period of nine to 10 months there, she went back to the region she originally came from and stayed there for four to six months before she travelled to her final resting place, Egtved." That timeline represents the first time researchers have been able to so accurately track a pre-historic person's movements. Prof Kristian Kristiansen from the University of Gothenburg said the discovery confirmed that Bronze Age Denmark shared close ties with southern Germany, and that the girl was likely given in marriage to cement ties between two families. "In Bronze Age western Europe, southern Germany and Denmark were the two dominant centres of power, very similar to kingdoms," he said. "We find many direct connections between the two in the archaeological evidence, and my guess is that the Egtved Girl was a southern German girl who was given in marriage to a man in Jutland so as to forge an alliance between two powerful families." Parts of Sweden and Norway and the geologically old Danish island of Bornholm were also identified as possible locations for her birth, but southwestern Germany was by far
Serge Haroche of France and David Wineland of the US will share the prize, worth 8m Swedish kronor (Â£750,000; $1.2m). Their "quantum optics" work on single photons and charged atoms has opened up a whole new field of study in physics. It could lead to advanced modes of communication and computation. The Nobel citation said the award was for "ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems". Light and matter, when the minuscule scales of single particles are reached, behave in surprising ways in a part of physics known as quantum mechanics. Working with light and matter on this level would have been unthinkable before the pair developed solutions to pick, manipulate and measure photons and ions individually, allowing an insight into a microscopic world that was once just the province of scientific theory. Their work has implications for light-based clocks far more precise than the atomic clocks at the heart of the world's business systems, and quantum computing, which may - or may not - revolutionise desktop computing as we know it. But for physicists, the import of the pair's techniques is outlined in a layman's summary on the Nobel site: they preserve the delicate quantum mechanical states of the photons and ions - states that theorists had for decades hoped to measure in the laboratory, putting the ideas of quantum mechanics on a solid experimental footing. Those include the slippery quantum mechanical ideas of entanglement - the seemingly ethereal connection between two distant particles that underpins much work on the "uncrackable codes" of quantum cryptography - and of decoherence, in which the quantum nature of a particle slowly slips away through its interactions with other matter. The prize is the second in quantum optics in recent years; the theory behind decoherence formed part of 2005's Nobel physics prize citation. Prof Haroche was reached by phone from the press conference. He had been told he had won just 20 minutes before telling reporters: "I was lucky - I was in the street and passing near a bench, so I was able to sit down immediately. "I was walking with my wife going back home and when I saw the... Swedish code, I realised it was real and it's, you know, really overwhelming." Prof Sir Peter Knight of the UK's Institute of Physics, said: "Haroche and Wineland have made tremendous advances in our understanding of quantum entanglement, with beautiful experiments to show how atomic systems can be manipulated to exhibit the most extraordinary coherence properties." The Nobel prizes have been given out annually since 1901, covering the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics. Speculation had been rife, in light of the discovery of the Higgs boson announced in July, that Peter Higgs or his colleagues may have been in the running for the prize, but historically the prizes tend to honour discoveries after a period of years. The first-ever Nobel prize in physics was awarded to Wilhelm Roentgen of Germany for his discovery
The Peterborough Society of Model Engineers had to leave Thorpe Hall after 20 years after owners Sue Ryder wanted to use the land. The society wanted to re-locate to the Hostel Site in London Road, Yaxley. Peterborough City Council's planning committee has rejected planning permission. The Yaxley site, which is owned by O & H Hampton, would have included a clubhouse and 5,100ft (1,500km) of track offering rides to visitors. Jim Rowden, secretary of the society, said: "We've been homeless for two years and the Yaxley site is ideal as far as we're concerned. "Thousands of people will remember the track at Thorpe Hall and we want to resurrect it for ourselves as railway enthusiasts, for the people of Peterborough and for tourists. "We're disappointed with the decision, but hope to work with the council to find a different site." Council officers recommended the application was rejected because it was on land earmarked as an open space in the Great Haddon Urban Extension masterplan and the railway would have been fenced-in. Yaxley Parish Council objected to the proposal on the grounds of road safety and said it would mean the village would lose more "buffer" land between it and Peterborough. The site used to be an army training barracks and a prisoner of war camp. The Peterborough Society of Model Engineers said the project would have cost about Â£50,000 to Â£60,000. The society currently has a 328ft (100m) section of track which they can take to provide rides fetes and other outdoor events.
The situation has improved a little in the 10 years since the auditor last investigated, but he said there were still challenges to be faced. Out of 300,000 school children in NI, 20,000 are missing at least six weeks of lessons each year. The level of unauthorised absences is now proportionately twice as high as in England. "Our attendance policy is living and vibrant. We talk about great initiatives for getting children into school. At Holy Cross Boys' School, we have a breakfast club. When the children come in, they can join the i-pad club, the book club or the chess club. These children come in their droves because they want to be part of what we have to offer. We have had many challenges over the years. We are in a highly socially deprived area, at the minute we have 78% free school meals. Despite all that, we do send 42% children to grammar school. We have a rigorous, robust but very fair attendance policy. We talk about an early intervention programme. If I have a problem with attendances, I will speak to the parents. Sometimes, I've been at homes and I've been taking children out of bed and into school. I am known as the headmaster who gets the children out of bed and into school. We would offer great rewards for getting children into school. We make it competitive and fun. With children who have 100% attendance in a month, they are put into a draw for Â£5. That is some incentive to come in. Kevin McArevey Principal, Holy Cross Boys' PS Commended for good practice in the Audit Office Report Alarm bells should ring where a pupil misses around six weeks of schooling, but the auditor is concerned that schools are not being encouraged to report all cases. Of the 20,000 pupils who are persistently absent, less than a fifth were referred to the authorities. Non-attendance is said to not only waste money, it also affects a child's long-term prospects. Persistent offenders are seven times more likely to be out of a job and not in education or training when they leave school. Children in socially deprived areas and in traveller families are most likely to be affected. Auditor General Kieran Donnelly said the cost to society, in terms of lost career opportunities, amounted to Â£22m a year. The audit office published its last report on school absenteeism in 2004. Ten years later it said there had been a marginal improvement. The Department of Education has been praised for improving the way information is collected and commissioning research, but the report said there was not enough joined-up thinking among the education and library boards.
Former journalist, Ian Bailey, 53, is wanted by authorities in Paris over the killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 39, who was beaten to death in west Cork in 1996. On Friday a judge in Dublin's High Court ruled he would make an order for Mr Bailey's surrender to authorities in France. He denies any involvement in her death. Mr Bailey was arrested twice by gardai in connection with the murder investigation but he was never charged. Ms Toscan du Plantier was found dead outside her holiday home at Toormore, near Schull, two days before Christmas 1996. Under French law, authorities can investigate the suspicious death of a citizen abroad but cannot compel witnesses to go to Paris for questioning. Investigating magistrate Patrick Gachon was appointed by officials in Paris to conduct an inquiry into Ms Toscan du Plantier's violent death after the Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland announced nobody would be charged. A European arrest warrant was issued for Mr Bailey. During a two-day hearing in December 2010 barrister Martin Giblin, senior counsel for Mr Bailey, argued there has been no new evidence against him to support an extradition. He also maintained the application was an insult to the Irish state and the DPP, who has repeatedly directed that no prosecution be taken. Manchester-born Mr Bailey, a recent law graduate, lives in Schull with his partner. He worked as a journalist in Gloucester and Cheltenham before moving to Ireland in 1991.
The Register news site has published a report in which it suggests that a variety of personal data was removed from a database. However, some information, such as users' GPS co-ordinates, gender and date of birth was retained. The "Full Delete" option has been available for several years. It allowed users to pay $19 (Â£15) to erase "all traces of [their] usage" but Ashley Madison had not issued complete details on how the tool worked. Following the release of the user database by hackers last week, there were several reports suggesting that the pay-to-delete function was flawed. 33m User accounts leaked 500,000 Canadian dollars reward for information on hackers 300 gigabytes Data reported stolen by hackers 197,000+ Emails leaked from chief exec's work account $115m Sales reported by parent company Avid Life Media in 2014 13 years ago Infidelity site founded Although some data does seem to have been retained, the report by the Register implies that a significant amount of information was removed after payment. This included: This matches other evidence seen by the BBC. Previously, Ashley Madison had said that the full delete function would erase photos and messages sent to other users on the site, but that some user profile data could be deleted for free. Ashley Madison could not be reached for comment.
The error on Friday caused the social network to show a memorial banner on user profiles for people who were still alive. Users posted status updates to reassure friends and family they were not dead, despite Facebook's message. "This was a terrible error that we have now fixed," a Facebook spokesperson said. "We are very sorry that this happened." The message, intended for "memorialised profiles", erroneously appeared on the profile pages of a large number of users - including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "We hope people who love Mark will find comfort in the things other share to remember and celebrate his life," the banner on his page read. Both technology reporters and Facebook users, however, saw a humorous side to the story. "Why Is Facebook Saying I'm Dead?" asked the New York Times' Katie Rogers. "At first, I was indignant. I was definitely not dead. (Was I? It had been a long week.)" "Facebook is capping one of the longest weeks in American history by telling everyone that they are dead," quipped The Verge, a technology website, in reference to the presidential election. The memorial feature was introduced by Facebook in 2015 after a number of high-profile cases where family wanted to access the social accounts of deceased loved ones. User can opt to have their account turn into a memorial page upon their death, where Facebook contacts can leave message and share memories. An alternative option is to have your account deleted after your death.
The man, understood to be Mohammed Murtaza, 47, from Kirkcaldy, was convicted for continuing as a landlord after his registration was refused. He was found guilty on 27 April of breaching the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004, and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. He was fined Â£500 and banned as a private landlord for 12 months. Sheriff Gilchrist said it was "a flagrant breach of legislation". The landlord had previously been convicted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in November 2014 for failing to comply with his private landlord duties under the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004 and for being in breach of Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998. He had six convictions with fines of Â£540. He was refused entry onto Fife's landlord register, as a result of the convictions, in June 2015, making it a criminal offence for him to rent out a residential property in Fife. John Mills, Fife Council's head of housing said: "A significant proportion of private landlords are of good character and comply with the law, however, there are some who act unlawfully. "The outcome of this particular case sends a clear message to private landlords in Fife that the council will continue to take all appropriate action to protect tenants and improve property standards in the private sector."
Fighting on the Groves-Froch rematch undercard DeGale, 28, knocked down Gonzales with two quick hits. Gonzales appeared to regain his composure, but after DeGale landed with another punch, the fight was stopped. Fellow Britain Jamie McDonnell earlier won the WBA bantamweight title. The 28-year-old knocked out Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat in the 10th round at Wembley with a sharp left hook. McDonnell, who has won 24 of his 27 fights, held the IBF bantamweight title last year, but was stripped of the belt for a contractual breach. Dagenham fighter Kevin Mitchell beat Ghislain Maduma with a late stoppage, but will not get the chance to fight Miguel Vasquez for the IBF world lightweight belt after breaching maximum weight rules. Mitchell, 29, initially struggled with Maduma's speed but started to take control as the latter tired and scored two official knockdowns in the 11th round, the second of which prompted the referee to stop the fight. British Olympic champion Anthony Joshua, 24, beat Matt Legg with a first-round knockout to take his professional record to six wins from six. Joshua knocked down his 38-year-old compatriot with a right uppercut after just 83 seconds of their heavyweight fight.
In a statement, he called on civilians and fighters to "plant one or several fruit or non-fruit trees for the beautification of Earth and the benefit of almighty Allah's creations". Afghanistan has a severe problem of deforestation. Trees are cut down for heating and illegal timber sales. Statements from the Taliban on environmental issues are rare. Akhundzada, who became leader of the Taliban last May, has a stronger reputation as a religious leader than a military chief. Sunday's "special message", carried on official Taliban outlets, was in stark contrast to the more familiar fiery rhetoric against the Afghan government and its Nato coalition backers. "Tree plantation plays an important role in environmental protection, economic development and beautification of earth," the Taliban leader said, in a report carried by the Afghan Taliban Voice of Jihad website. "Planting trees and agriculture are considered actions which hold both worldly good and benefit as well as immense rewards in the hereafter." A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, described the statement as an attempt to deceive public opinion and to distract from the Taliban's "crimes and destruction". The Taliban is more usually associated with Afghanistan's illicit production of opium, which it taxes in areas under its control. The group ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until it was toppled by a US-led coalition in 2001. It has since been offered a role in government in return for ending their insurgency but its leaders have so far refused. The presence of international troops in the country is believed to be the main stumbling block.
He will have a private meeting with the monarch at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Wednesday to "honour her importance to Canada's history". He will also thank her for her "continued dedication to Canada", his office said. Mr Trudeau will visit Scotland after meeting Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for the first time the previous day. He will then go on to the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on 7 and 8 July. The Canadian Prime Minister's office said his visit to Ireland and the UK will "serve to recognise the strong family ties, history and common purpose our countries share". Mr Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, was elected as Canada's prime minister in 2015 and said he is looking forward to his meeting with the Queen. He said: "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's commitment to public service has long inspired me and many other Canadians. "With this year marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation, I look forward to thanking her personally for her dedication to our country and for carrying out her duties with such grace and strength."
Blizzard Entertainment no longer operates servers for the original WoW so some gamers have set up their own. The company said giving its blessing to pirate servers would damage its legal rights, but was considering adding a stripped-back realm to appease fans. One former WoW developer called for the original game to be "preserved". World of Warcraft is an online multi-player game in which players explore a vast landscape, complete quests and interact with other gamers. At its peak in 2010, World of Warcraft attracted almost 12 million subscribers, but the game today attracts about five million paying customers. The original game from 2004 has since been updated with new instalments that some players say have materially changed the experience of the game. Some fans have set up their own servers to play the original, "vanilla" WoW although the practice is technically illegal. On 10 April, a popular fan server known as Nostalrius, with 150,000 active members, was closed after the threat of legal action by Blizzard Entertainment. It sparked a petition which has attracted 240,000 signatures. "The honest answer is, failure to protect against intellectual property infringement would damage Blizzard's rights," Blizzard wrote in a forum post. "There is not a clear legal path to protect Blizzard's intellectual property and grant an operating licence to a pirate server." Due to the nature of intellectual property law, turning a blind eye to pirate servers would make it difficult for Blizzard to challenge other abuses of its franchise in the future. The firm added that it could not operate its own server for the original game "without great difficulty", but said it was considering whether opening a "pristine realm" within the latest game would appease fans. A pristine realm would simulate some aspects of the gameplay in the original WoW within the latest edition of the game. "In essence that would turn off all levelling acceleration including character transfers, heirloom gear, character boosts, Recruit-A-Friend bonuses..." the company wrote. "We aren't sure whether this version of a clean slate is something that would appeal to the community and it's still an open topic of discussion." The suggestion received a mixed reaction from fans on WoW message boards. "I would love the idea of a pristine server updated to current WoW that you could build a community around without being stuck in the old game," said one player. But other fans were critical: "From a personal stance, a pristine realm isn't even what I want. Nothing in a pristine realm fixes the major issues of retail WoW for me." Another added: "When you actually start listing all the improvements to the game since vanilla, you see why it should stay dead... the sheer amount of people clouded by nostalgia is staggering." The closure of fan-run servers such as Nostalrius has highlighted the difficulty in preserving modern video games for historical record. On Tuesday, game developer Mark Kern who worked on the original WoW, said: "WoW is an important game, it's part of gaming
The Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes G63 6x6 and Bentley Flying Spur, were parked with a gold Rolls Royce in Cadogan Place near the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel. There are two separate £80 penalty charge notices on the Lamborghini, and one each on the Mercedes and Bentley. The cars appear to be in pay-and-display bays and risk being towed away. The cars are believed to be Saudi Arabian-owned. The fines will be reduced to £40 each if paid within 14 days. A nearby NCP car park charges £50 for 24 hours. Timothy Coleridge, councillor for the ward in Kensington and Chelsea said he would raise the issue with the borough's parking department. "It's very rare that anyone would leave their car in a pay-and-display bay and leave it for more than a day as they risk the chance of it being towed away. "No one has done this before. Normally they rent a garage rather than park them in the street. "We would not differentiate between somebody with a gold Rolls or a beaten-up Renault 5." Every summer exclusive cars belonging to the super rich descend on London's streets and many attract parking fines. Last year in November, Kensington and Chelsea council put a ban on motorists from revving engines, sudden acceleration and racing on the streets of Knightsbridge following complaints from residents. Many people gathered to take a look at the supercars, among them was Charlotte Eaton, from London. She said: "They are incredible, they're amazing - I mean they're disgusting, you wouldn't want one. "It's ridiculous, but I suppose when you've got that sort of money, you don't give a damn."
The 17-year-old took 2-28 on her one-day international debut in the West Indies earlier this month. Seam bowler Anya Shrubsole is also unavailable after she sustained a neck injury in Jamaica, but batter Fran Wilson is recalled to the squad. England need one win from the final three ODIs in Sri Lanka to qualify for the 2017 World Cup, which they host. An extra ODI on 9 November has been added to the start of the tour, but only the last three of the four matches will count towards the ICC Women's Championship which determines World Cup qualification. A 15th player will be added to the 14-strong squad, and is likely to come from an additional group of players who will join the main party for a training camp in Abu Dhabi from 1-7 November, before the ODI series takes place in Colombo from 9-17 November. Ecclestone, who has played two ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals for England, is available to take part in the training camp because it takes place during the half-term break at her school. However, the Sri Lanka tour is during term time. England ODI squad: Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt, plus one other. Additional players for Abu Dhabi training camp: Georgia Adams, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Hennessy, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Bryony Smith. Ecclestone will return to school after the training camp
In recent weeks, six arrests have been made in connection with the illegal practice, with hare coursing taking place in the north and the south of Scotland. Hare coursing involves chasing hares with large dogs. Some farmers are concerned about confronting those involved because of the possibility of violence. Farmer and NFU representative Ian Wilson told BBC Scotland about those involved in the illegal hunting. He said: "Not only are they disturbing hares but they could potentially be disturbing livestock too. "Also there's any damage that's been done when they're in the fields and the crops. "Some of them they'll take vehicles anywhere, not necessarily keeping them on the road." Recent arrests for hare coursing have been at least in part due to the work of specialist wildlife crime officers. PC Daniel Sutherland said: "The hare, it suffers a terrible death. It's chased around the field for several minutes, sometimes up to five minutes. "It's exhausted and at the end it's torn apart by a chasing dog. "It's not nice. It's a barbaric sport that's been banned for good reason." Although farmers may suspect hare coursing is going on in their areas, it can be difficult to tackle those involved. Mr Wilson added: "I suppose another concern that farmers have is if they ever confront them they seem to be quite threatening and potentially violent people. "There's a wee feeling that they might also be involved in other crimes as well."
Tequiilah Burke sustained fatal injuries during a row between her mother Victoria and her partner Paul Nicholson in December 2013. Newcastle Children's Safeguarding Board said social services staff were "stretched" at the time of her death. The council's children's services boss said it accepted the findings. A serious case review said agencies should have made more of reports of past violence within the family. Reports of violence and neglect within the family in the months leading up to Tequiilah's birth should have alerted agencies to potential dangers, it said. The report made 11 recommendations, including the need for increased vigilance on the part of social workers involved in child neglect cases. But, it concluded, even if practices had been different, the outcome "may well have been the same". Director of Children's Services Ewen Weir said: "The death of Tequiilah Burke at the hands of those responsible for her care was a tragedy. The two individuals responsible for her death are now rightly serving long sentences behind bars. "All the agencies involved did all they could to keep her safe within the resources available to them. "But there were a number of procedural issues which, taken together, could be seen as 'missed opportunities' to identify the risks facing Tequiilah, and to act on them. This is a matter of huge regret to everyone involved in this case. "We accept all the findings in the report. The important thing to do now is to make sure that we act on them to make sure that we reduce the risks of such tragedies happening again in the future." Burke and Nicholson were jailed for causing or allowing the death of a child. A trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard the couple had argued in the early hours of 14 December, after Burke, 24 came home late from work in a nightclub, and Nicholson, 20, believed she was associating with other men. At some point Tequiilah was injured by one or both of them. She was taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary where she died.
More than 20 Northern Irish sites feature in the HBO series to make the mythical worlds of Westeros and Essos. Binevenagh mountain in County Londonderry, Ballintoy harbour in County Antrim and Tullymore forest in County Down are some of the places that have been used for filming. The mobile app was the idea of the film agency Northern Ireland Screen. It gives fans an interactive tour of the locations, as well as information about them and the show's scenes in which they featured. A trailer for the sixth series of Game Of Thrones was released earlier this week. Northern Ireland Screen's Richard Williams said "people will be surprised by the range" of locations the series uses for filming. "This is a celebration of these locations in Northern Ireland," he added. "Game of Thrones has now become a huge part of Northern Ireland culture and we know the appetite for information about the show is vast around the world." John McGrillen, the chief executive of Tourism Northern Ireland, said the app would "enable visitors to make the link between the Game of Thrones fantasy and the spectacular real-life setting". In January, a distinctive tunnel of trees at one of the show's Northern Ireland locations was damaged by high storm winds.
In a single-celled pond slime, they observed how incoming rays are bent by the bug's spherical surface and focused in a spot on the far side of the cell. By shuffling along in the opposite direction to that bright spot, the microbe then moves towards the light. Other scientists were surprised and impressed by this "elegant" discovery. Despite being just three micrometres (0.003mm) in diameter, the bacteria in the study use the same physical principles as the eye of a camera or a human. This makes them "probably the world's smallest and oldest example" of such a lens, the researchers write in the journal eLife. Cyanobacteria, including the Synechocystis species used in the study, are an ancient and abundant lifeform. They live in water and get their energy from photosynthesis - which explains their enthusiasm for bright light. Bug eyes "It has a way of detecting where the light is; we know that because of the direction that it moves. But we were puzzled about this because the cells are very, very small," said study co-author Conrad Mullineaux, from Queen Mary University of London. He told the BBC it was a chance observation through a microscope that put his team on the right track. "We noticed it accidentally, because we had cells on a surface and we were shining light from one side, in order to watch the movement towards the light. "We suddenly saw these focused bright spots and we thought, 'bloody hell!'. Immediately, it was pretty obvious what was going on." After more than three centuries of scientists eyeballing bugs under microscopes, Prof Mullineaux said it was remarkable that nobody had picked up on this before. "It seemed really, really obvious afterwards." To confirm and describe this single-cell "vision", he worked with colleagues in the UK, Germany and Portugal on a series of experiments. As well as studying the bacteria's focusing ability with different types of microscope, they used a laser beam to probe exactly how such focused light affected the bugs' behaviour. With the laser beam trained steadily on the centre of a dish, the team shone a bigger, separate light on the Synechocystis cells from one side. This drew the little critters across the surface in the usual way, pulling themselves towards the light with tiny tentacles. The usual bright "image" of the light was visible, focused on their trailing side. But the moment any of the bugs strayed into the laser beam, there was an abrupt about-face. "When they hit it, they bounced off it," Prof Mullineaux said. "As soon as the laser was hitting one side of the cell, the cells moved away. They switched direction." In other words, bright light focused on one side of the bacterium definitely does drive it to run the other way - which under normal circumstances takes it towards the source of the light. In fact, because some amount of light is hitting the cell from all around, the team says that each microbe will have a "360-degree
Officials at MacArthur High School in Irving alerted police because they thought the device was a "hoax bomb". Ahmed Mohamed's arrest has been sharply criticised, and the boy has received an outpouring of support including an invitation to the White House. Ahmed told reporters it was "very sad" that his teacher thought his clock was a threat. "I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her she thought it was a threat to her. I'm very sad that she got the wrong impression of it." At the same news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Ahmed announced he plans to transfer schools. Ahmed's father Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, who is originally from Sudan, praised his son's ingenuity, saying he fixes everything around the house, including his father's phone and computer. "He's a very smart, brilliant boy and he said he just wanted to show himself to the world," he said. The police have rejected the claim made by Ahmed's family that he was detained because of his name. "We have always had an outstanding relationship with the Muslim community," Irving Police Department chief Larry Boyd said on Wednesday. "Incidents like this present challenges. We want to learn how we can move forward and turn this into a positive". The boy was placed in handcuffs and fingerprinted. He was released after it was determined there was no threat. Under the hashtag "#IstandwithAhmed," thousands of Twitter users praised the boy's initiative and questioned why he was detained including Nasa scientists, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and US President Barack Obama. "Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great," Mr Obama wrote on Twitter. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it is investigating the incident. Ahmed said that he had made a clock at home and brought it to school to show his engineering teacher. He said his engineering teacher had congratulated him but advised him "not to show any other teachers". The teenager said another teacher became aware of it when the device beeped during the lesson. "She was like - it looks like a bomb," he said. The homemade clock consisted of a circuit board with wires leading to a digital display. Later in the day the boy was pulled out of class, interviewed by senior teachers and four police officers, and put into juvenile detention. The school issued a statement saying it "always ask our students and staff to immediately report if they observe any suspicious items".
Solskjaer stepped down as Bluebirds boss on Thursday after less than nine months in the role. Asked if he would take the Cardiff job if owner Vincent Tan called him, ex-Bluebirds forward Bellamy said: "No, certainly not." Pulis meanwhile is not being considered for the role. The former Stoke and Crystal Palace boss was favourite with bookmakers and many fans to take over from Solskjaer, but he is not an option that appeals to Tan, reports BBC Sport's David Ornstein. The Malaysian businessman is unlikely to opt for a big name - with former Bluebirds boss Dave Jones also understood to be out of the running. Tan is keen for the next appointment to help create a new culture at the Championship club and assume a head coach role, in a more continental set-up, that sees areas such as transfers left to the Cardiff hierarchy. He is also keen to avoid paying significant compensation to lure an in-work manager out of their current job and will expect the new man to work with the players at his disposal, rather than make substantial changes in January. He plans to consider younger candidates and coaches already working for the club. It is not known whether these include veteran defender Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young, who are in temporary charge, and will take control of the team for the visit to Derby on Saturday. Bellamy, 35, ruled himself out of the running on Thursday. He made 90 league appearances in two spells with Cardiff City, scoring 17 goals. The 78-times capped Wales international claimed to have turned down the role before Solskjaer was appointed to replace Malky Mackay in January. "Look, I had the opportunity at Christmas to do it when Malky left," Bellamy told BT Sport. "They offered it to me then; whether it was part-time I didn't really give them a chance to get into so much of a conversation. "It was that simple, I'm not right for the club at this present moment. "They need to go in a different direction and the club's not right for me at this present moment." Bellamy retired as a player at the end of the 2013-14 season, and has previously said his ambitions include managing Wales and Cardiff City. Born and raised in Cardiff, Bellamy secured a place in the club's folklore by helping them secure promotion to the Premier League under Malky Mackay in 2013, and scoring the winning goal in a south Wales derby against Swansea City in 2011. The announcement of Solskjaer's departure was made after the 41-year-old former Manchester United striker held talks with Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman. The Bluebirds are 17th in the Championship after three losses in seven games, including Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat by Middlesbrough and a 4-2 capitulation against Norwich.
The Bee Gees singer, who died aged 62 after a lengthy battle with cancer, was born in the Isle of Man in 1949. His family have requested donations to children's hospice Rebecca House in Douglas. The facility, which provides care for children with life-threatening conditions, was officially opened by Gibb and his wife, Dwina, in 2008. Speaking of the arrangements, hospice chairman Sir Miles Walker said: "You never really think people as famous as Robin would remember a hospice in the Isle of Man. "To think that through all this difficulty the family have made this gesture, well, I don't know, words fail me - I just think it is so generous." The Gibb brothers were all born in the Isle of Man and although the family soon moved to Manchester, Robin later bought a home in the west of the island, near Peel, where he and his wife Dwina spent holidays. Speaking in an interview in 2009, Robin Gibb said: "The Isle of Man is ancient, mystical and magical, that is why I have always loved this place."
The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner beat rivals Seventh Sky and Southfield Theatre on Sunday to claim his first win since taking steeplechasing's blue riband prize in March. Jockey Nico de Boinville guided the eight-year-old to a 25-length triumph. Coneygree, who is unbeaten over fences, will ride in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday, 28 November. "He felt great. We were in tight a couple of times and he shortened up well. He's just the same old Coneygree," said De Boinville.
The Scottish government's quarterly national accounts show that the amount received in tax receipts between January and March was £168m. This was down from £742m oil revenues in the final three months of 2014. Finance Minister John Swinney said oil was a bonus - not the basis of the economy. The industry has suffered from the collapse of global oil prices, which have tumbled sharply since June last year. The Scottish Conservatives said the figures for Scotland's geographical share of oil revenues, which they claimed were "buried" in a table in a report, showed "how wildly wrong" the SNP's pre-referendum calculations had been. The Tories said the figures also further demonstrated the case against full fiscal autonomy for Scotland - an SNP policy. In its oil and gas bulletin published in May 2014, the Scottish government estimated that oil revenues would be between £15.8bn and £38.7bn between 2014/15 and 2018/19. It latest bulletin, published in June this year, said revenues could be as low as £2.4bn for 2016/17 to 2019/20, with it highest estimate at £10.8bn, based on a best-case scenario of the oil price returning to 100 US dollars per barrel. Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: "The plunge in oil revenues for the first three months of this year is incredible. "Whichever way you look at it, and with the best will in the world, there is just no way an independent Scotland could survive on this. "We knew the price of oil was volatile and that this would be a risk. But to see such a radical drop is alarming." Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "Our oil and gas bulletin, published in June, confirmed that Scotland remains, by some margin, the biggest oil producer in the entire European Union. "Recent provisional figures from DECC suggest that May saw the most oil and gas produced in the North Sea since March 2012. If this trend is sustained production could increase this year for the first time in 15 years. "Oil, however, is a bonus, not the basis of Scotland's economy. Even without it, Scotland's output per head ranks third of the 12 countries and regions of the UK, behind only London and the South East."
Giles has penned his first professional deal only a year after signing development terms with the Welsh region. The 18-year-old won an U20 Grand Slam in March and was called up to Warren Gatland's senior squad as injury cover for the New Zealand tour in June. "It's been a pretty surreal year for me if I'm honest," Giles said. "I want to kick on from where I am and keep improving." Giles made an impact for Swansea in last season's Championship and featured for Ospreys' Premiership Select team in the British & Irish Cup. He was an ever present in Wales Under-20's Six Nations Grand Slam winning campaign and also featured at June's Junior World Championship in Manchester. During the same month he was called up to Wales' summer tour of New Zealand as injury cover but did not feature for Warren Gatland's side. "Keelan is a young man who potentially has a very bright future ahead of him," said Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy. "His development over the last year or so has been impressive and is a sign of his character and attitude. "He's a level headed and diligent individual who is prepared to work hard and put the effort in on and off the field."
Thank you to all those who sent them in on Twitter via the hashtag #AskStewie. Who is the most promising new talent in England's cricket team? JReesh46 The England Test team is pretty established really, but Joe Root has come into the side in the last year and has not looked out of his depth one bit. He understands his own game and, while he has found opening the batting harder than being in the middle order, he is one of those people who just doesn't look fazed when he is playing at the top level. He has the talent to back it up too. Other young players who appear to have bright futures are Yorkshire's Gary Ballance and Dominic Sibley at Surrey. If wicketkeeper Matt Prior gets injured on the Ashes tour, would you play Jonny Bairstow or bring someone else into the team, like Steven Davies? Mike Linwood Jonny Bairstow is England's reserve wicketkeeper and, for the purposes of continuity, he would come into the team. However, if Prior suffered a serious injury then the selectors would add another keeper to the squad. They would then consider players like Davies, Jos Buttler and Craig Kieswetter. Which shot did you like to play to get guaranteed runs on the board early in your innings? Rob Green Anything which brought me a run to get off the mark really, Rob! I didn't have a certain shot I used because you are very much reliant on what type of ball is being bowled. Whether you are on nought or 150 not out, you still need to wait for the right ball to score off and know when to defend the good deliveries. In terms of my favourite shot, I liked the pull and hook but I was also strong when turning the ball off my hip behind square leg. What was your favourite Test century? Jonathan Veal Any century in a winning cause is up there, but I'd have to go with my two hundreds in the same match against West Indies in Barbados in 1994. It came after we had been bowled out for 46 in the previous Test in Trinidad and against an attack containing Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. Those two would get into most people's World XI of that time, and it was always a challenge against them, but we bounced back strongly in Barbados and became the first touring side to win there for 59 years. In your opinion, who is the best bowler of all time and who is the best you faced in your career? Carl Oxborough It's hard for me to judge bowlers from before the mid-70s because I didn't play against them or, in other cases, just don't remember them! I've always said the two best quicks I faced in my career were Malcolm Marshall and Wasim Akram. They had pace, regularly getting above 90mph, and they also had control. They were clever bowlers. The best spinner I faced was Shane Warne.
Local authorities recorded 4,236 data breaches during a three-year period from April 2011, a study by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch said. Its director Emma Carr said this showed "shockingly lax attitudes to protecting confidential information". The Local Government Association said breaches were "proportionately rare" given the volume of data handled. The report is based on responses to Freedom of Information requests sent to all local authorities in the UK. Its findings include how: Specific cases detailed included a social worker at Lewisham City Council leaving a bundle of papers on a train, which contained personal or sensitive data relating to 10 children. Also, a CCTV operator at Cheshire East Council used cameras to watch part of the wedding of a fellow member of their team, while an employee at Thanet in Kent was dismissed after accessing benefit claim records "inappropriately". Big Brother Watch is calling for custodial sentences for the most serious data breaches. Ms Carr said: "Despite local councils being trusted with increasing amounts of our personal data, this report highlights that they are simply not able to say it is safe with them. "A number of examples show shockingly lax attitudes to protecting confidential information. For so many children and young people to have had their personal information compromised is deeply disturbing. "With only a tiny fraction of staff being disciplined or dismissed, this raises the question of how seriously local councils take protecting the privacy of the public." Local authorities with the highest number of data breaches from April 2011 to April 2014 Source: Big Brother Watch Big Brother Watch said 167 town halls reported no data breaches at all over the period under scrutiny. A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Councils take data protection extremely seriously and staff are given ongoing training in handling confidential data. "When [breaches] do occur, robust investigations and reviews are immediately undertaken to ensure processes are tightened."
A five-year strategic plan for the health service's future says growth in cash funding has been one-third lower than that for NHS England. The assembly government said the gap was a legacy of underfunding of Wales as a whole. The Lib Dems called it "shocking". The Tories blamed ministerial management. The strategic plan warns that NHS organisations in Wales "enter this more challenging economic period from a less financially secure platform" than England. By Hywel GriffithBBC Wales Health correspondent Few cross-border comparisons between England and Wales paint the Welsh NHS in a positive light. Waiting lists in England are shorter, ambulance response times are faster. But for the Welsh Assembly Government to openly admit they've not been as generous with their NHS funding is extraordinary. It is perhaps at least a pragmatic way of preparing people for the pain that lies ahead. Massive savings must be made if the Welsh NHS is to survive the squeeze on public spending over the next five years. To justify some of the changes planned, this report sets the scene with a fairly hefty dose of reality. However, the assembly government said that health spending was a "priority". Health Minister Edwina Hart has already warned that without radical reform and cost savings, the health service faces a potential deficit of nearly £2bn a year in five years' time. The five-year strategic plan said: "NHS Wales faces significant and increasing financial challenges. "The state of public finances means that funding growth will be much smaller over the coming years than it has been in the recent past, while cost pressures are likely to continue to increase. "In addition, the total growth in [cash] funding provided to NHS Wales over the last six years has been a third lower than that provided to NHS organisations in England, while operating cost pressures and the targets set for improving service quality and service access have been very similar in the two countries." The admission has been seized on by the Welsh Liberal Democrats, who said the report should be a source of concern for patients. 'Very fragile' Veronica German AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said the NHS in Wales was in a "very fragile position". She said: "The shocking report reveals for the first time that the momentum of improvements to the funding of our health service has stalled significantly compared to England. "If this has been the case for the past six years, there will be deep concern about the very financial future of the NHS as public spending tightens." Ms German said it was "scandalous that the health minister has repeatedly refused to ensure that money is being spent effectively within the NHS". She added: "She has spent millions of pounds on costly reorganisations, refused to look at claims that a fifth of her budget is spent ineffectively and refused to cut the number of senior management posts. "At the same time we have lagged behind England in waiting list performance, ambulance response times, stroke
Three Mile Island - which experienced a partial reactor meltdown in 1979, spawning nationwide protests - will shut in 2019. Exelon Corp, which owns the facility, said the low cost of natural gas extraction had made nuclear-generated electricity unprofitable. Since 2013, six nuclear reactors in the US have shut for economic reasons. Fragile future for US nuclear power Nuclear plants have closed before their licences expired in California, Florida, Nebraska, Vermont and Wisconsin, with more set to be decommissioned in the next several years. The low cost of electricity is being attributed to natural gas extraction from shale formations such as in Pennsylvania's Marcellus region. The Three Mile Island meltdown occurred on 28 March, 1979, alarming more than two million people who lived nearby and the city of New York 180 miles (300km) away. A federal inquiry found no deaths or injuries were caused by the accident, though it dented public confidence in nuclear energy for years. In 1994 a protester drove through the gates of Three Mile Island, causing the company to spend more than $1m (Â£777,000) on security upgrades. Further upgrades were ordered after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Three Mile Island employs 675 people, supplies power to 800,000 homes, and pays more than $1m in state income taxes, according to the company. No one died, there were no direct health impacts, but the Three Mile Island nuclear accident burned so deeply into the US psyche that it has helped limit the future use of the power source across America. While citizens were frightened by TMI, so too were investors. The accident happened after just three months of commercial operation causing the plant owner to go bankrupt. The whole clean up effort took 14 years and cost almost $1bn. In the wake of TMI, demand for nukes fell through the floor. The Watts Bar plant in Tennessee, the first new nuclear installation in the US, became operational in 2016, two decades after the previous one. Many US scientists, greatly concerned by the threat of climate change, have come out in support of nuclear. They argue that the need for large-scale low-carbon energy outweighs concerns over safety. Read more from Matt
The band of rain which fell on Tuesday cleared by Wednesday morning but more bad weather is set to move in. Natural Resources Wales has four flood alerts in place for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings for strong winds in the same area on Thursday and for heavy rain across south and mid Wales. It warned travel could be disrupted and trees damaged. Tuesday's rain was the second time in a week that Pembrokeshire has suffered flooding. Roads and properties in Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock as well as Neyland and Haverfordwest were affected. Mid and West Fire Service said it also took calls from parts of Carmarthenshire. South west Wales was badly hit by storms over the weekend, with several flooding incidents in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion following a yellow warning for the south Wales coast. The yellow warnings are currently in place up to Friday.
The Scot is due to perform at the part-publicly funded Féile an Phobail in Belfast next month. Opponents have called for the event to be cancelled because of jokes he has made about people with Down's syndrome. The Féile has grown to become a major community festival, since it began in 1988 with an open-air party at Dunville Park, on the Falls Road. The park was the first to be donated to Belfast as a gift to the city, and was presented by Robert Grimshaw Dunville in 1891. The Dunvilles were a wealthy family whose distillery on the Grosvenor Road in the city produced the popular Dunville Irish whiskey. Robert Dunville's granddaughter Una was born in 1903. She had Down's syndrome, although the condition was not known as this at that time. Down's syndrome is named after Dr John Langdon-Down, who pioneered education and training of people living with mental disabilities in his own Normansfield Hospital in Teddington, Middlesex, from 1868. He and his wife Mary, known as "Little Mother", ran a community surrounded by a farm and wooded grounds, where the patients would learn trades in an environment free of imprisonment and teasing. His own grandson, born in 1905 nine years after his death, had what would become known as Down's syndrome. Dr Langdon-Down published works classifying conditions by their mental and physical characteristics. In line with popular theories of the time, he classed these types in racial terms, most of them long forgotten - but the term "Mongolism" was common until it was officially replaced by Down's syndrome in the 1960s. Una Dunville was brought by her parents at the age of four to Normansfield Hospital, and she lived in the private institution until her death in 1958, having outlived her parents and three brothers. The doctor who signed her death certificate was Dr Langdon-Down's grandson. Una's brother Robert Lambart Dunville had taken over the running of the whiskey business in 1929 upon the death of their father John. However, he had never fully recovered from being shot in County Louth by republicans during the Easter Rising in 1916 as he was being chauffeured from Belfast to catch a boat at Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire. He died in 1931 at the age of 38. The company was liquidated five years later. His collection of animals that he kept in Holywood, County Down in his private zoo at Redburn House - the grounds of which are now Redburn Country Park - formed the basis of Belfast Zoological Gardens, which opened to the public in 1934. While Dunville Irish whiskey is no longer a household name, the family's name has survived in the west Belfast community where its company was once a major employer. The firm also gave rise to Distillery Football Club - now known as Lisburn Distillery - which was formed by employees at the whiskey factory in 1880. At Dunville Park's official opening in 1892, the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava said the public park would benefit
The Herald and The Scotsman both enjoyed their best sales for several months although their circulations were both well down on last year. The Herald had headline sales of 55,135 while The Scotsman had an average circulation of 46,138 copies each day. Meanwhile, The Daily Record's Scottish sales moved above the 300,000 barrier again after a dip in recent months. The recovery at The Herald may be a sign that its sales are starting to stabilise. This is its best circulation figure since April. New editor Jonathan Russell made a change in his first few days in the job which would have been immediately obvious to many regular readers, radically redesigning the front page to make it much more bold and eye-catching. The move was the subject of much discussion amongst other media professionals and the sales figures may indicate that it has caught the eye of casual readers too. The Scotsman always tends to put on sales in August during the Edinburgh Festival. But for both the papers, which consider themselves to be Scotland's quality press, the annual comparisons are still ominous. The Scotsman dropped from 50,570 in August 2009 to 46,138 last month. The Herald fell from 58,157 to 55,135. In the case of The Scotsman almost 4,000 of the circulation is accounted for by copies given away free at places such as hotels and airports. Across the UK, The Times, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian all saw bigger annual percentage declines than The Herald and The Scotsman within Scotland. The Daily Mail sold more than 120,000 copies a day in Scotland last month while The Times sold nearly 24,000. The Daily Telegraph was bought by just over 23,000 people a day. The Scottish edition of The Sun had a circulation of 344,000. On Sundays, the Sunday Herald had a circulation of 43,788 within Scotland, Scotland on Sunday 57,119 and the Sunday Times 63,850. The Sunday Times scaled back its Scottish operation in June but it still comfortably outsells the quality papers published north of the border.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has announced a strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a regional political organisation that brings together seven Arab states. The move comes after a series of bilateral talks and a stream of multi-million dollar investments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While the East African nation's government leans ever closer to the Arab world - Sudan joined the Arab League two weeks after its independence in 1956 - millennials are taking to social media to celebrate their African heritage. South Sudan's secession in 2011 came after more than 30 years of civil war and a dichotomy of a mainly Arab, Muslim north and a mainly African, Christian south. The split further polarised those who remained in Sudan, especially those from the Nuba and Darfuri ethnic groups, who are marginalised in the government and in state-backed initiatives to promote a national identity. President Bashir's focus is on "Arabisation" and establishing Arab supremacy. This is smothering the hundreds of diverse ethnic groups in Sudan, and the country's rich East African heritage. Yousra Elbagir: Many southern Sudanese in Khartoum bleach their skins to emulate the northerners they now live amongst. Popular culture in the capital, Khartoum, is dominated by TV, film and music hailing from Egypt and the Middle East. Arab celebrities are revered and imitated, sometimes with devastating consequences. Skin bleaching creams are now an accepted norm, sold at pharmacies and supermarkets throughout Khartoum. While the phenomenon is prevalent across much of Africa, many southern Sudanese in the city bleach to emulate the northerners they now live amongst. The northerners, in turn, whiten their skins to strengthen their claim to Arab ancestry. The resultant raw, reddened skin is almost as much a symbol of the push to "Arabisation" as the government's political alliances in the region. So what has changed to prompt this millennial movement to celebrate afro-centricity and Sudanese pride on social media? Primarily, it is a space for identity expression that the government cannot control. Jewellery designer Nawar Kamal has made a name for herself by using Instagram to promote and sell her African-inspired beaded pieces. Photo shoots featuring Sudanese models wearing African prints, and exploring an Afro-Arab identity, are generating excitement across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. One shoot in particular, the "Dominance Series" by Enas Satir and Enas Ismail, shows Sudan's "African" face dominated by Arab culture, with a woman in a headscarf and Middle Eastern accessories overshadowing another woman wearing braids, beads and tribal markings. This new-found - and public - celebration of African identity is not just controversial at home. When Sudanese tweeters posted photos to the trending topic "#ILoveBeingAfrican", West Africans asked: "What is Sudan and why is it here?" Sudanese users responded by flooding the hashtag with photos, asserting their right to join the conversation. Twitter feuds aside, many of Sudan's artists - from painters to poets - are drawing inspiration from this conflicted identity, using artistic mediums to capture customs and traditions that are neither African
The game raised funds for a memorial to Worthing United players Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, killed in the crash, and former club manager Matt Chaplain. The game in Lancing finished on Monday with a score of 1,009 goals to 872. Organiser Mike Standing said the players continued through storms, torrential rain and blistering heat. The result is still to be verified but players believe they broke a world record in the match at Lancing College. The record for the longest marathon playing football currently stands at 105 hours, achieved by The Craig Gowans Memorial Fund in Edinburgh, on 4-8 July 2015. Mr Standing said players began to slow down near the end but added: "When the record was in sight, they actually found a massive boost of energy from somewhere, I don't know where - and it turned into a proper competitive game again." John Burton, from Team United, said: "I can't believe it's happened. The excitement doesn't even come close." Jason Martin, from Team Heartbeat, said: "It's been the best experience of my life. I don't think anything can match that for a long time." Funds raised by the match are to go to the British Heart Foundation and to providing a permanent memorial to all three men. Mr Grimstone and Mr Schilt were among 11 men who died when a vintage jet crashed into traffic on the A27 during last August's Shoreham Airshow. They were travelling together when the Hawker Hunter hit their vehicle. The plane fell on to the carriageway, destroying a number of vehicles and bursting into flames. The pilot, Andy Hill, survived and was interviewed by Sussex Police last year. Mr Chaplain died after he had a cardiac arrest at the age of 38.
China says the support base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia. It will also be used for military co-operation, naval exercises and rescue missions, Xinhua said. China has ramped up investment in Africa, as well as rapidly modernised its military in recent years. The Xinhua report said the ships departed from the port city of Zhanjiang in China's southern Guangdong province on Tuesday. It did not specify the number of troops or ships that departed for Djibouti, nor when the base would start operations. The report said the Djibouti base came after "friendly negotiations" between the two countries. Previous reports said construction began last year. The base is widely seen as a move by China to stake its military presence in the region. But an editorial (in Chinese) on Wednesday in the state-run Global Times said that the "essential purpose of China's development of its military might is to protect 'China's safety', and is not about seeking to control the world". The newspaper pointed out that the US, Japan and France also have military bases in Djibouti. Djibouti, a tiny country at the Horn of Africa, is favoured for its location as it sits near a busy shipping route. It is also seen as a stable country in an otherwise volatile region. In 2015, at a major summit with African nations, China pledged to invest $60bn (then Â£40bn) in Africa's development. Besides becoming the continent's largest trading partner, it has also poured in funds and manpower for infrastructure projects. Many of them are railways linking up African countries, including one that connects Djibouti with the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, as well as railways in Angola, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia. In return, Africa supplies China with natural resources, minerals and energy. China also embarked on its first foreign peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in 2015.
Five-year-old Gracie Mackay from Muir of Ord was rescued after the boat overturned off Gairloch on Sunday. Police confirmed she passed away at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow on Monday afternoon. Two brothers, Ewen Beaton, 5, and two-year-old Jamie also died in the tragedy. Their father, Ewen, 32, is still missing, presumed dead. Gracie's father and her eight-year-old sister swam to shore. It is understood the girl reached the shore shortly before her father, aged 36, at about 16:15, and managed to alert the coastguard. A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: "This is a very difficult time for Gracie's family and they have requested their privacy to be respected." Meanwhile, a Beaton family statement said they were "utterly devastated by the loss of our beautiful little boys". It said: "We appreciate all that has and is being done by emergency services to find their adoring father, Ewen." The families on board the Canadian canoe had been on a day trip from their homes in Beauly and Muir of Ord. Ewen and Jamie Beaton were airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, but Northern Constabulary later confirmed they had both died. The search resumed for their father on Monday morning but the coastguard said it was now being treated as a recovery - rather than a rescue - mission. Ewen Beaton was a Primary 1 pupil at the 61-pupil Teanassie Primary School, near Beauly. Acting head teacher Alison Donald said: "As we are a small community, the school, parents and the wider community will feel this loss deeply." James Martin, chairman of the school's parent council, said: "The Beatons are a well known and highly-respected family and the impact of their loss will be felt throughout the community." The coastguard believes the canoe capsized several hundred metres from the shoreline, between a small island and the beach.
Work on the new teaching block in Londonderry began last year after being given the green light by Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry. When finished, the building will include a 340-seat lecture theatre, 20 classrooms and a café. T&A Kernoghan Limited said it was "profoundly disappointed". The Newtownabbey based company has been operating for more than 25 years but has run into financial problems. It said that upwards of 50 jobs could be lost. In a statement, Ulster University said: "The university continues to manage the construction work under way to ensure the continued progress of the development of the new teaching block at our Magee campus." The steel frame of the building on the Northland Road is in place, some underground pipes have been laid but workers from T&A Kernoghan are no longer on site. In April 2016, Minister Stephen Farry said the new teaching block would be an essential component of the Magee campus. BDO Northern Ireland have been appointed as joint administrators over T&A Kernoghan Limited. They confirmed to the BBC that "due to the extent of the company's financial difficulties, the joint administrators have been required to make all staff redundant and cease operations across the various building sites throughout the UK". The new teaching block at Magee campus was expected to take two years to complete. It is unclear how long the project will be delayed.
Experts from the National Nuclear Security Commission used a remote-controlled robot to place the radioactive waste into a container. The material, 60g (2.1oz) of cobalt-60 used for cancer treatment, was stolen while it was being taken from a hospital to a waste storage facility. Six people have been arrested in connection with the theft. The six were taken to hospital with signs of radiation exposure shortly after their arrest, but were later given the all clear by doctors. One of the suspects was later released by police. They are believed to have been oblivious to the material inside the truck, which could potentially have been used to make a "dirty bomb" - an explosive device that can spread radioactive material over a wide area. Investigators think the thieves took advantage of a security lapse by the driver, who had stopped at a petrol station to sleep. The theft triggered an alert by the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which warned that the source could be "extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged". Two days after the theft, police tracked the teletherapy device down to a field near the town of Hueypoxtla in Mexico State, very close to where the truck was stolen. The IAEA said the radioactive source contained in the device had been removed from its protective shielding, but that there was no indication it had been damaged or broken up. The Mexican authorities say they are monitoring the area for any potential radiation exposure, and nearby hospitals have been asked to watch for symptoms of exposure. Police believe the thieves had planned to sell the device for scrap metal.
For cars registered after 1 April 2017, VED will be transformed into three bands - zero, standard and premium. George Osborne said the "standard" charge of Â£140 would cover 95% of all cars. Revenues will be paid into the Roads Fund from 2020-21. The chancellor also said that fuel duty would remain frozen this year. Mr Osborne said: "There will be no change to VED for existing cars - no one will pay more in tax than they do today for the car they already own." He added that the Â£140 rate was less than the average Â£166 that motorists pay at present. However, the new rates will not apply in the first year after registration. There will be special first year rates linked to a car's carbon emissions. Motoring groups gave a mixed reaction to the move. Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the change "came as a surprise and is of considerable concern". "While we are pleased that zero-emission cars will, on the whole, remain exempt from VED, the new regime will disincentivise take up of low emission vehicles," he said. "New technologies such as plug-in hybrid, the fastest growing ultra low emission vehicle segment, will not benefit from long-term VED incentive, threatening the ability of the UK and the UK automotive sector to meet ever stricter CO2 targets." He also said the introduction of a surcharge on premium cars risked undermining growth in UK manufacturing and exports. "British-built premium cars are in increasing demand at home and globally, and the industry helps to support almost 800,000 jobs in the UK. Levelling a punitive tax on these vehicles will almost certainly impact domestic demand." Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Costs for many drivers will rise, but two things help offset the financial pain. "One is that new car prices have dropped in real terms over many years and the other is that money raised from VED will be ring-fenced for road investment, something not seen since the 1930s." July 2015 Budget full BBC online coverage BBC Budget Live HM Treasury link to Budget documents
In a match played under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof because of heavy rain in New York, Serb Lajovic served for the first set but Nadal broke back to love. After taking the first set on a tie-break, the Spaniard dominated against the world number 85. Nadal will face Japan's Taro Daniel or American Tommy Paul next. "It was tough at the beginning, he was playing well and not making many mistakes and I felt he was controlling the points too many times," the 15-time Grand Slam champion said. "At the end of that first set it was important to get the break point back and I played a good point at 6-6, then hit a good winner to win the set. Then everything was changing. Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide. "I need to keep improving, but the first round is never easy, there are nerves out here when you play in his amazing place. Always at the beginning you want to do it well." Earlier this year, Lajovic broke eventual champion Roger Federer at the first opportunity in their second-round meeting at Wimbledon on his way to losing an opening-set tie-break and the match. Once again, the 27-year-old's best work came early as he matched Nadal for much of the first set with an unexpectedly high standard of tennis. But his first-serve percentage (83%) and the rate of winners (nine) both dropped substantially over the next two as Nadal's class showed. No other men's matches were completed on day two because of the rain that arrived after less than two hours' play and forced the cancellation of the schedule on the outside courts.
Supporters ran onto the pitch and violence broke out among rival fans after Hibernian beat Rangers 3-2 at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Police said that a total of 63 people had now been arrested over the incident on 21 May. The five men arrested are aged 16, 23, 25, 29 and 36. They are due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday.
The 47-year-old, who is currently the Bishop of Tewkesbury, will take over from the recently-retired Tim Stevens. Bishop Snow, who will undertake the role from Spring 2016, said the job was "a little daunting... but exciting". The Dean of Leicester, the Very Reverend David Monteith, said he was "ideally placed" to serve the diocese with "wisdom, imagination and love". Bishop Snow is married with three children and is the youngest serving bishop in the Church of England. He has been the Bishop of Tewkesbury since 2013 and his ministry has taken him to Sheffield and West Africa. Bishop Snow said he hoped his experience "will be very useful as I come to this very diverse place". "For us to model, at a local level, how different faith communities can live well together and work in partnership for the common good, that has to be a priority for me. "I look forward to meeting other faith leaders in the coming weeks." "I'm very aware It'll take me a while to build relationships and trust," he added. In July, Tim Stevens, sometimes criticised for being "too political", held his last service ahead of retirement after 16 years as Bishop of Leicester. During his career, he was widely commended for his work on inter-faith relations. He also led the re-interment service for Richard III earlier this year.
They had been battling a blaze in the 17-storey Plasco building when it came crashing down in a matter of seconds. Four civilians are also known to have died, while six more are still missing. The tragedy shocked the nation, and the firemen were laid to rest in the "martyrs'" section of a cemetery in the south of the capital. "They gave their lives for us. We see it as our duty to attend," one tearful onlooker, 27-year-old Tahereh Sheydayi, told AFP news agency. The Plasco building, which was Tehran's tallest when it was completed in 1962, contained a shopping centre and dozens of clothing workshops. Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told reporters last week that an initial investigation had found that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. Tehran's fire department said on the day of the collapse that the Plasco building's managers had been warned that it was unsafe, with corridors and staircases blocked by goods and no fire extinguishers. The disaster was the deadliest in Tehran since 2005, when a fire at a crowded mosque in the city centre killed 59 people.
The 25-year-old spent a week in St Mary's Hospital, London after his clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill. Both Hull and his former club Tottenham wore training shirts with printed wishes of support for Mason. No timeframe has been placed on a return to action and Mason added: "I will be taking each day as it comes." Hull supporters had a minute's applause for Mason in the 25th minute of their League Cup semi-final with Manchester United last week, a reference to his squad number at the club. At Tottenham's FA Cup match with Wycombe at White Hart Lane, Spurs fans sang that academy graduate Mason was "one of our own". "It has been an emotional rollercoaster and I feel I am lucky to be alive, but I'm happy to say that I'm now at home resting and recovering," Mason's statement said. "I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support that has been shown to both me and my entire family."
They say it is down to protein molecules called cyclins which cause cells to divide rapidly in the malaria parasite. The study, led by a team from the University of Nottingham, could lead to new treatments for malaria, the researchers said. Malaria is responsible for nearly half a million deaths a year. A cyclin is one of the most important protein molecules needed for cell division. They have been well studied in humans, yeasts and plants - but until now, little has been known about cyclins in the malaria parasite and how they affect cell development. This research, published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, has been able to classify the number and type of cyclins present in malaria parasites. Dr Bill Wickstead, from the University of Nottingham's School of Life Sciences, identified three different types of cyclin genes in the malaria parasite. This is far fewer cyclins than are present in humans - and compared with other sets of cyclins, he said, they caused an "exciting type of cell division". Prof Rita Tewari then carried out an in-depth analysis of a cyclin in the malaria parasite to find out more about what they do and why they do it. She worked out that the cyclins found in malaria parasites made cells divide very quickly and enabled them to spread quickly in blood cells. Working out why this happens could aid understanding of how the malaria parasite thrives within the mosquito and its human host, and lead to new treatments. Dr Magali Roques, lead author of the study, said the research "will definitely further our understanding of parasite cell division, which I hope will lead to the elimination of this disease in the future."
Susan Edwards, 56, and her husband Christopher, are on trial for the murder of William and Patricia Wycherley in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in 1998. Their bodies were undiscovered for 15 years until last year. They deny murder but Mrs Edwards has admitted the manslaughter of her mum. The jury at Nottingham Crown Court had been told the pair murdered Mr and Mrs Wycherley at their home and pretended they were alive to claim their pension. On Friday, Mrs Edwards told how she walked into her parents' bedroom to find her mother standing over her dead father's body. She said she picked up the gun, a World War Two revolver, from the bed to keep it from Mrs Wycherley. The court heard her mother began to taunt her, saying she had never been wanted as a child, that she had been abused by her father and that she had an affair with Christopher Edwards. Speaking quietly from the dock, the grey-haired former librarian told the court of the moment she killed her mum. "She kept saying all of these things. She said she knew of my father's abuse," Mrs Edwards said. "She kept saying things over and over again. I asked her 'please stop saying these things and go away. Please stop saying these things.' "She didn't. She kept going on and on. It seemed like a long time. "At some point I lost it. I shot my mother." Mrs Edwards, who was visiting her parents over the May Bank Holiday, then wrapped both bodies in a duvet and hid them under the bed, she told the court. She went home to Dagenham two days later but returned the next weekend with her husband and told him what happened. Mrs Edwards said her husband wanted to go straight to the police but she persuaded him not to. "I emotionally blackmailed him," she said. "I held his arm and pulled him away. He wanted to go to the phone. I used everything in my power - the love between us - for him not to call the police." The pair buried the remains in the back-garden of the house, where they lay undiscovered for 15 years. The court heard previously the police were tipped off after Mr Edwards asked his stepmother for money and gave her an account of what happened. The prosecution claims the couple were murdered for their cash and pensions. The case continues.
The 36-year-old Poland international provided cover for first-choice centre-backs Wes Morgan and Robert Huth last season, starting just eight games. He said on Instagram: "Signed a new contract. I am glad I will be one year longer part of this team and club." Wasilewski joined City on a free transfer in the summer of 2013. He has made a total of 72 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. The centre-half has won 60 international caps but last played for Poland in 2013 and is not in their squad at Euro 2016.
The High Court in Mumbai dismissed arguments that treated sewage could be used to prepare pitches. In parts of the state, water shortages are so acute that hospitals are being forced to cancel operations. The ruling casts uncertainty over the latter part of the IPL tournament. The final was due to have been played in the state capital Mumbai on 29 May. The IPL attracts some of the world's top players and is one of the richest cricket leagues in the world. The Twenty20 matches are played annually in India and began on Saturday. Parts of Maharashtra are enduring one of its worst droughts in 100 years. Earlier the High Court criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India along with the state government for not giving priority to ordinary people amid the growing demands for water. The court on Wednesday ordered the games to be relocated despite promises made by the the Mumbai and Pune IPL teams to donate a substantial amount towards drought-relief measures. Eight teams are participating in this year's tournament, with one report estimating that six million litres of water are needed for the upkeep of pitches in Maharashtra - in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The drought is taking place as a heat wave extends across much of northern India with temperatures exceeding 40C for several days in a row. There is growing public concern over the lack of water in many parts of the state following two successive years of drought and crop failures. In an unprecedented move earlier this week, a train carrying half a million litres of drinking water was sent to the worst affected area. Last year, as many as 3,228 farmers in Maharashtra took their lives, the highest in the last 14 years, a government minister recently said. Many of the deaths were attributed to stress over crop failures.
Hansen, 46, who initially retired from the European Tour at this event last year, is on course for his first Tour win since the Joburg Open in 2009. Ireland's Padraig Harrington (67) is a shot back on 17-under. Defending champion Andy Sullivan (69) of England had six birdies and four bogies to be in a tie for fourth. Sullivan is on 16-under alongside compatriot Chris Paisley and Scotland's Paul Lawrie, who both shot 65. The forecast for overnight storms had resulted in a delayed two-tee start but the weather stayed fine and Hansen prospered. Hansen had announced his retirement at the Victoria Clube de Golfe in 2015, but will be glad he chose to use his exemption to play five events in 2016, including here. There were birdies on the first, second, fifth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th to give him only his second 62 in 1,499 European Tour rounds. He said: "I didn't really have a strategy. Just go out and play and just try to enjoy it and hit good shots and it turned out all right." On his semi-retirement from the European Tour, he added: "It probably helps a little bit because it doesn't really matter to me either way - it is what it is. "I'm not going to come back and play full-time; that decision has been made so I'm just enjoying playing being here."
World champion Gwak Dong-han of South Korea defeated Sweden's Marcus Nyman by an ippon to win bronze. Find out how to get into judo with our special guide. And in the the other bronze medal contest, China's Cheng Xunzhao beat Mongolia's Otgonbaatar Lkhagvasuren by a yuko. It was a good day for Japan in the Carioca Arena, with Haruka Tachimoto winning gold in the women's -70kg. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
The bridge was lit with green light at midnight. The city is the first in the UK to be given the status since the award was launched in 2008 and has taken over the title from Copenhagen. The initiative rewards cities making efforts to improve the urban environment and create healthier and more sustainable living areas. Previous title holders are: Stockholm in 2010, Hamburg in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2012, Nantes in 2013 and Copenhagen in 2014. Ljubljana, in Slovenia, will take over from Bristol in 2016.
Welsh Water said it had faced "significant" engineering difficulties after a high pressure water main ruptured. People in Crymych, Boncath, St Dogmaels, Tegryn, Moelgrove and Nevern were still affected on Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, supplies in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire were also cut off. Bottled water was delivered to vulnerable customers and Welsh Water said it was "really sorry for the inconvenience". A Welsh Water spokesman said: "We are very sorry to those customers affected by the disruption. "Our teams have been working tirelessly through the day to repair the damaged main, and will continue working through the night to get water supplies back to normal as soon as possible." Water may be discoloured for a period of time, but this is normal, the company said.
13 December 2016 Last updated at 16:31 GMT The country is in the middle of a civil war that has been going on for over five years. It is being fought between soldiers who support the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and a group of fighters known as rebels, who don't want him to be in power anymore. The city has been divided between the two sides for the last four years. But now, the government is close to taking over the whole city. Leah explains the situation. If you're upset by this story, or anything in the news, click here for advice.
Members of the Gamela tribe suffered gunshot wounds, stabbings and amputations in a land rights dispute in the Amazon state of Maranhao. Reports say the attackers were farmers and landowners. There has been a rise in such assaults across Brazil, with the perpetrators rarely caught. Human rights groups say proposed government cuts in the budgets of environmental enforcement agencies will worsen the situation. According to reports, the Gamela tribal camp was surrounded by farmers and landowners armed with clubs, guns and knives. Several tribespeople were shot and stabbed - and at least two had their hands hacked off with machetes. The severely wounded victims, who numbered at least a dozen, were taken to hospital in the state capital, Sao Luis. The impoverished and violent north-eastern state of Maranhao is at the forefront of the fight against illegal deforestation and encroachment on indigenous lands, the BBC's Wyre Davies says. But he adds that the perpetrators of attacks on tribal people are often protected by corrupt politicians and police allied to landowners. Indigenous leaders who try to take legal action, and their supporters in environmental pressure groups, are often deliberately targeted or even assassinated in a country where rural violence often goes unpunished.
Monmouth MP David Davies has written to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, urging the UK government to set out a detailed handover plan. The M48 Severn Bridge and M4 Second Severn Crossing are due to come back into public ownership in April 2018 once construction cost debts are repaid to Severn River Crossing (SRC) PLC. Mr Davies said tax changes and traffic volume will see this repaid sooner. The Conservative MP, who is chairman of the Welsh affairs committee, led a parliamentary inquiry into the economic impact of the Severn tolls in 2010. "Changes to corporation tax and an increase in traffic due to low fuel prices mean that the sum promised to SRC will inevitably be paid months earlier than expected," he said. "I believe it could happen as soon as October or November 2017, so we have less than two years to put a proper plan in place." Government ownership should see an "immediate removal" of the 20% VAT applied to the Severn Bridge tolls, Mr Davies added, as under EU rules it would not be chargeable on a government-owned piece of infrastructure. Figures obtained by Mr Davies from the Department for Transport showed SRC collected a net revenue of Â£91.4m in 2014 - of which just Â£13.16m was operational expenditure, including maintenance, while Â£17m was paid in VAT. "These figures prove there is scope for a huge cut in tolls," he said. "However, reducing the tolls would increase traffic levels and could lead to big queues on the toll plaza unless SRC introduces an electronic pre-pay system similar to the one used for the London congestion charge. "This would take time and require government involvement. As far as I am aware, nothing has been done yet. "A lot of local people work as toll collectors and I know some of them are getting concerned at the lack of information about what the future holds post-concession." Mr Davies said the Welsh affairs committee would "want to look further into this" and would press the government for the latest estimate of the handover date.
Prosecutors said they came from a type of tiger that became extinct in the 1980s, and one of the dead animals may have been among the last of its kind. Dovile Vaitkeviciute, who traded on the auction site as Mr Muffins Tiny Shop, admitted five offences in court. The 31-year-old, of Woodstock Avenue, Nottingham, was given a six-month sentence, suspended for two years. Vaitkeviciute was prosecuted after police saw one of the adverts on eBay. One of the skins was advertised for £5,000. Animal rugs are classed as antiques and can be legally sold if the creature was killed prior to 1947. However, an expert examined the skins and thought both had been killed after 1947. Further tests indicated one of the tigers was killed in the late 1970s. Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Yemi Awosika said sales of such items was a "highly lucrative criminal business" which threatened the survival of tigers in the wild. "Sadly the sub-species of tiger that these skins came from became extinct in the 1980s and a prosecution expert said this particular tiger may well have been one of the last of its kind. "That these items were from a species that is already extinct shows how critical it is that we prosecute this illegal criminal activity," she added. Tigers are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In order to trade tiger skins, sellers need to prove they originate before 1947, the item is tanned and lined and they were obtained legally. Source: Crown Prosecution Service Police raided a home in Mark Road, Haringey, London, where Vaitkeviciute was living, in 2014. Officers seized several animal skins but the defendant continued to offer a second tiger rug for sale while still under investigation. She pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly/ recklessly making a false statement/representation to obtain a permit/certificate and four counts of purchasing/offering to purchase/selling/keeping for sale a specimen of an endangered species. As well as the suspended sentence, Vaitkeviciute was ordered by Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, pay £605 costs, and a £80 victim surcharge.
An incident involving a woman and three children happened outside Griffin Courtyard on Leg Street, Oswestry, at about 16:00 GMT on Friday. Two men received minor injuries, but the woman and three children were not believed to be hurt, West Mercia Police said. Four men from West Bromwich, aged 38, 36, 31 and 27, are due at Telford Magistrates' Court on Monday. The 38-year-old man and the 27-year-old man have been charged with four counts of kidnap. The other two men have been charged with four counts of kidnap and one count of assault.
There is an even greater chance now that we will never know what happened to those 239 people who boarded a flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on 8 March 2014 and then vanished. The decision to call off the search - which has scoured 120,000sq km (46,332 sq miles) of sea floor in the southern Indian Ocean - was not entirely unexpected. The three countries involved - Australia, Malaysia and China - had agreed last year that unless they found major new evidence, they would suspend operations. But informed experts and relatives of the passengers are dismayed, saying that this major new evidence does exist, and if they keep looking, they will find it. "Commercial planes cannot just be allowed to disappear without a trace," said Voice370, a group supporting relatives. "Stopping at this stage is nothing short of irresponsible, and betrays a shocking lack of faith in the data, tools and recommendations of an array of official experts assembled by the authorities themselves." The 120,000sq km area of Indian Ocean off southern Australia was chosen based on satellite data as the most likely place the Boeing 777 could have come down along what is presumed to have been its flight path. "They picked the area based on the best information that was available at the time," says Don Thompson, a British engineer who is part of the Independent Group, a handful of informed experts around the world who have been investigating MH370 themselves. "But everything seems to point a little further north-east, which is where the ATSB's most recent review is pointing." That's the Australian Transport Safety Board, which has been co-ordinating the underwater search. It said in December that there was "a high degree of confidence" the plane was not in the specified search zone. That was starting to look fairly obvious, as there was only a fraction of the defined area left to search. But the report also recommended searching a 25,000sq km area to the north of the presumed flight path. It drew on new information by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which analysed where confirmed debris from the plane washed up and used that to narrow down where it must have come down. The report concluded that "if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted". "When CSIRO came out with that drift analysis I was really excited," says Blaine Gibson. He has become something of a legend in MH370 circles for his self-funded trips to Malaysia, Mauritius and the Maldives looking for answers. He has found several pieces of debris which contributed to the new theory. "I really thought they would extend the search," Mr Gibson said. "The debris that I and other people have found resulted in very strong scientific evidence and it's been ignored." Blaine Gibson believes other evidence has been ignored, including reports from people in the Maldives who say they saw
However, the EU advocate general said other benefits would be justified if an EU migrant was genuinely seeking work during that period and could prove it. Germany took the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which usually follows the advocate general's advice. The case involved a Spanish family. A Spanish man, Joel Pena Cuevas, and his son, arrived in Germany in June 2012, and were supported by a working Spanish woman, called Ms Garcia-Nieto, with whom they were living. Mr Pena Cuevas was refused basic German benefits for August and September 2012, as they had spent less than three months in Germany. Such benefits are a hot topic in the EU, coming as UK Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to renegotiate the UK's EU membership terms, including a tightening of the benefit rules. The latest legal opinion from the EU advocate general, Melchior Wathelet, confirmed a similar ruling by the ECJ in November 2014, known as the Dano case. The benefits covered by the Garcia-Nieto case "must be regarded as social assistance benefits", not linked to the labour market, Thursday's legal opinion said. Non-payment of social assistance in the first three months is justified on the grounds of "maintaining the financial equilibrium of the social security system", the legal opinion stated. The opinion recognised the right of EU states to refuse benefits that risked "relocation en masse, liable to create an unreasonable burden on national social security systems". Commenting on the opinion, British Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder said "this is yet another nail in the coffin of the EU benefit tourism myth". "It shows the UK government can reform unemployment benefits for EU migrants without having to change a single EU law." ECJ judges in Luxembourg are now considering the case and no date has been set yet for a final judgment. In a separate case, the court said a Dutch test for long-term residents from non-EU countries was justified under EU law. The Netherlands requires such residents to pass a "civic integration exam", testing knowledge of the Dutch language and society. They face a maximum fine of €1,000 (£734; $1,134) if they fail to pass the test by a certain deadline. The applicant has to pay a €230 fee each time he or she sits the Dutch test. The court ruling criticised that fee and the "relatively high" fine that can be imposed but it is up to the Dutch courts to decide whether to change the cost.
The report, written by former Cabinet minister Dame Margaret Beckett, said the comparative standing of the two men was one of four reasons for the defeat. Other factors identified were failures in economic and immigration policy and the fear of the SNP propping up Labour. The report said Labour faced a "huge challenge" to win again in 2020. The report concludes that the party needs a massive upswing in its fortunes in England and Scotland if it is to be returned to power in five years time. It urges the party to do more to appeal to older voters and to construct a clear "policy narrative" that can be sold to the public. The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the analysis made "sobering reading" for Labour, with weaknesses identified in key areas. The report concluded that Labour's "ground campaign" during the election was strong but suggests many voters had already made their minds up and opinion polls suggesting it was neck and neck with the Conservatives were wrong. Pollsters and activists on the doorstep consistently heard four reasons for the party's defeat, which saw it lose ground in key marginal seats in England and found itself all but wiped out in Scotland. They were: On the issue of leadership, the report argues that Mr Miliband enjoyed a "surge" in 2015 and performed well during the campaign itself. But it says he was unable to shift public perceptions, borne out in opinion polls, that David Cameron was regarded as more "prime ministerial". "Over the period 2010-15, what the polls did consistently show was that, when asked if 'this man could be prime minister', David Cameron was rated above Ed Miliband. Since he actually was prime minister, this response was perhaps less than surprising. "It is the fate of every Labour leader of the opposition to be the target of ferocious attack from partisans sections of the media," it added. "However, Ed Miliband faced an exceptionally vitriolic and personal attack." The report says assumptions that Labour lost the election because it was too left-wing and because its policies were unpopular was overly simplistic and should be treated with caution, pointing out that the party's most radical initiatives - such as an energy price freeze and mansion tax on expensive properties - were among those most liked by the public. But it says Labour lacked a consistent over-arching theme and struggled to communicate its approach to the voters in contrast to the "brutal simplicity of the Tories and UKIP". "The reaction to the 2015 result was inevitably an emotional one for Labour because it was such a surprise," Dame Margaret said. "There was certainly no complacency in the Labour ranks, but the polls showed us neck and neck with the Tories, when clearly we weren't. "There are certainly lessons to learn from defeat. This report has been a key part of recognising areas we need to improve on and building on aspects of our campaign that performed well." On the challenge
About 100 of the fish were recorded in one shoal, as part of Natural Resources Wales' (NRW) annual count to see how many head upstream from the lake to spawn. They were monitored at the end of last year, when they traditionally migrate up Afon y Bala. As well as underwater cameras, NRW used a sonar acoustic device. This was essential to monitor the fish in murky water and in the dark - Arctic charr usually migrate at night and return to the lake before daylight. Anglers who argued NRW had failed to protect Arctic charr at the Gwynedd lake lost a judicial review in December 2015. NRW said that over the last few years, several measures had been taken to improve the environment in Llyn Padarn and conserve the fish. A spokesman said young charr, reared in NRW's hatchery from eggs taken from Llyn Padarn's charr population, have been released into the lake to boost the population. Work has also been done to improve water quality in the lake, which is now graded as excellent. Sian Williams, NRW's head of north west Wales operations, said: "Gathering evidence like this is a vital part of our work. "I'm delighted that measures to conserve and enhance Llyn Padarn and its Arctic charr are now bearing fruit, with improved spawning runs in Afon y Bala."
Judges overturned a theft conviction against Roman Ostriakov after he stole cheese and sausages worth €4.07 (£3; $4.50) from a supermarket. Mr Ostriakov, a homeless man of Ukrainian background, had taken the food "in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment", the court of cassation decided. Therefore it was not a crime, it said. A fellow customer informed the store's security in 2011, when Mr Ostriakov attempted to leave a Genoa supermarket with two pieces of cheese and a packet of sausages in his pocket but paid only for breadsticks. In 2015, Mr Ostriakov was convicted of theft and sentenced to six months in jail and a €100 fine. For the judges, the "right to survival prevails over property", said an op-ed in La Stampa newspaper (in Italian). In times of economic hardship, the court of cassation's judgement "reminds everyone that in a civilised country not even the worst of men should starve". An opinion piece in Corriere Della Sera says statistics suggest 615 people are added to the ranks of the poor in Italy every day - it was "unthinkable that the law should not take note of reality". It criticised the fact that a case concerning the taking of goods worth under €5 went through three rounds in the courts before being thrown out. The "historic" ruling is "right and pertinent", said Italiaglobale.it - and derives from a concept that "informed the Western world for centuries - it is called humanity". However, his case was sent to appeal on the grounds that the conviction should be reduced to attempted theft and the sentence cut, as Mr Ostriakov had not left the shop premises when he was caught. Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation, which reviews only the application of the law and not the facts of the case, on Monday made a final and definitive ruling overturning the conviction entirely. Stealing small quantities of food to satisfy a vital need for food did not constitute a crime, the court wrote. "The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the seizure of merchandise took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of an immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity," wrote the court.
Pools took the lead in the 31st minute when Nathan Thomas' cross-shot from a short corner found its way into the far corner and doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Padraig Amond converted a fine cross from Thomas on the left. However, defender Liam Donnelly was sent off for tripping John Akinde when he was clean through and the Barnet striker got up to roll home a confident 68th-minute penalty - his fifth goal in four games. Hartlepool suffered another blow when Thomas was taken off on a stretcher with a pulled groin muscle. Barnet were level almost immediately when Luke Gambin's cross from the left drifted in at the back post in the 76th minute. And the comeback was complete 11 minutes from time when substitute Shaun Batt scored his first goal for Barnet, who held on for the win through 10 minutes of time added on. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Barnet 3, Hartlepool United 2. Second Half ends, Barnet 3, Hartlepool United 2. John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick on the right wing. Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United). Foul by Curtis Weston (Barnet). Lewis Alessandra (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Hartlepool United. Conceded by Josh Vickers. Attempt saved. Jake Carroll (Hartlepool United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Foul by Shaun Batt (Barnet). Josh Laurent (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick on the left wing. John Akinde (Barnet) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United). Foul by Bondz N'Gala (Barnet). Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Bira Dembélé (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Nicky Featherstone (Hartlepool United) is shown the yellow card. Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet). Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Barnet. Conceded by Scott Harrison. Substitution, Hartlepool United. Nicky Deverdics replaces Lewis Hawkins. Attempt missed. Shaun Batt (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Corner, Barnet. Conceded by Aristote Nsiala. Attempt saved. Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Corner, Hartlepool United. Conceded by Michael Nelson. Attempt blocked. Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Goal! Barnet 3, Hartlepool United 2. Shaun Batt (Barnet) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Curtis Weston. Corner, Barnet. Conceded by Nicky Featherstone. Goal! Barnet 2, Hartlepool United 2. Luke Gambin (Barnet) left footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left to the top right corner. Substitution, Hartlepool United. Jordan Richards replaces Nathan Thomas because of an injury. Delay over. They are