document
stringlengths 0
174k
| summary
stringlengths 1
399
| id
stringlengths 8
8
|
---|---|---|
The Scottish champions released a short statement following news of talks with Malky Mackay and Brendan Rodgers.
David Moyes, Roy Keane, Paul Lambert and Neil Lennon have also been strongly linked with the vacancy.
"We will take our time to go through this process thoroughly and in the proper manner," added the statement from the Glasgow club.
Deila delivered two titles, taking Celtic to five-in-a-row, but the Norwegian fell at the semi-final stage in both domestic cups this season and suffered a miserable European campaign.
"The club has been and will be speaking to a number of candidates," adds the statement.
"We will continue this process with the aim of identifying a new manager who we believe will deliver success to the club." | Celtic insist they have "no preferred candidate" as they seek a replacement for departing manager Ronny Deila. | 36319900 |
The education department, which is introducing the tests, says it would be "unfair" to use them as a measure.
There are three different testing systems that schools can use - but the study says the results are not "sufficiently comparable".
A head teachers' union said: "It is hard to avoid saying 'we told you so'."
Tests for pupils at the beginning of school, known as "baseline tests", were intended as a starting point against which to measure progress through primary school.
But they have faced opposition from teachers' union leaders who criticised them as introducing an unnecessary set of tests for young children who had just started school.
The Department for Education has now backed away from using the tests for measuring progress this year - after publishing a study that it had commissioned looking at the comparability of the three testing systems.
"That study has shown that the assessments are not sufficiently comparable to provide a fair starting point from which to measure pupil progress," says a statement from the Department for Education.
"In light of that, we will not be using this year's results as the baseline for progress measures. This would be inappropriate and unfair to schools."
The study from the Standards and Testing Agency concluded that the tests in literacy and numeracy, with three separate systems in use, were not sufficiently comparable.
Schools could choose between versions of the test provided by Early Excellence, Durham University's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
The study suggested that pupils of similar ability could get different results, depending on which test they had taken. As such the results could not be reliably used as a standard benchmark to measure progress.
The National Association of Head Teachers said the government had "outsmarted itself by choosing multiple providers of these assessments - none of which compare to each other".
"They cannot provide a measure of progress that can be compared between schools.
"This outcome is symptomatic of the general chaos on assessment in the primary phase, with poor planning and a lack of consultation with the people who know what will actually work."
Delegates at the National Union of Teachers had attacked baseline tests at their annual conference at Easter. The union said that its campaign had "made the government come to its senses and realise that baseline assessment was never a good idea in the first place".
Malcolm Trobe, interim leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said: "It was too narrow a way of assessing the ability of young children and having different assessment methods in different schools was muddled."
Labour's shadow children's minister Sharon Hodgson said the government was "u-turning on assessment policies that they were championing only weeks and months before".
"This government's piecemeal approach to assessments lacks any joined-up or coherent strategy, threatening standards in our schools."
Early Excellence, a widely-used provider of baseline assessments, said that it would continue to offer its version of the test next year.
The education department says it is still committed to the principle of baseline testing and "will continue to look at the best way to assess pupils in the early years".
As such, there will be optional baseline tests if schools want to take them next year, but the results will not be used for "accountability purposes". | Baseline tests for reception pupils in England are not reliable enough to measure progress this year, says a study for the Department for Education. | 35989662 |
With Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg absent, Labour's Ed Miliband was challenged to be "bolder" on spending.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood called on Mr Miliband to hold an "emergency budget" to reverse cuts made by Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg
The Labour leader said there was a "huge difference" between his plans and those of the Conservatives.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she would encourage Labour to spend more, in the event of a hung parliament.
"If Labour won't be bold enough on its own, I think people should vote for parties who will hold Labour to account and make them bolder," she said.
Ms Wood said people were "seeing through the austerity myth", and that austerity and old politics were not inevitable.
"We will work for a new politics for all," she pledged.
Mr Miliband said Labour would defend the NHS, with more doctors and nurses, and stand up for working families.
He said Labour's plans included a "mansion tax", ending the so called "bedroom tax" and a bankers' bonus tax to fund jobs for young people.
He said he would "reject" the arguments of parties trying to break up the United Kingdom.
Asked by Ms Wood to commit to £1.2bn extra for the Welsh government's annual budget, Mr Miliband said he would not make "false promises".
UKIP leader Nigel Farage called parties' spending plans "farcical".
He also accused the BBC of selecting an audience that was too "left-wing".
"The real audience is at home," Mr Farage said.
David Dimbleby, who hosted the event, said the audience had been chosen by an independent polling organisation.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett called the austerity agenda "spiteful".
"The Green Party are the real challengers, offering a million new jobs, combating climate change, protecting vital community services," she said.
In later exchanges on the NHS, Ms Wood told Mr Miliband Labour's record on running the service in Wales was "not good, you know".
Mr Miliband said there were "challenges" for the NHS in Wales, but suggested cuts to the Welsh government's budget - set in Westminster - were to blame.
In a BBC interview following the debate, Conservative Leader of the Commons William Hague said the debate highlighted the "interesting" relationship between Labour and the SNP.
"Nicola Sturgeon, it is very clear from this debate, wants to put Ed Miliband into Downing Street and then drive him into more and more extreme positions," he said.
"It is also very clear that she would be in the driving seat."
Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said a "centre-ground voter" would have been "alarmed" by the debate.
A "responsible, strong and balanced" coalition needs the Lib Dems, he said.
"Listening to that rabble tonight people will be very worried about the future of their country." | Party leaders have clashed over public spending, in a BBC election debate. | 32343004 |
10 May 2015 Last updated at 11:44 BST
Amongst the nominations for best entertainment show are Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice and The Great British Bake Off.
But which programme will be leaving with a world-famous BAFTA award?
The TV awards are being held at the Theatre Royal and hosted by Graham Norton.
If you can't make it to the red carpet the event will be shown on BBC1 at 8pm on Sunday. | The stars of the small screen will be out in force at the 2015 TV BAFTAs. | 32681081 |
The small letterbox was on top of a pole at the corner of Sir George Bruce Road and Erskine Wynd in Oakley.
It was removed from its mountings sometime between 18:30 on Tuesday 25 November and 09:30 on Wednesday 26 November.
Police have been pursuing a number of lines of inquiry and have appealed for witnesses. | A postbox has been removed from its mounting and stolen from a Fife village. | 30293855 |
The government is confusing GDP per household with household income.
GDP per household is what you get when you add up everything produced in the economy in a year and divide it by the number of households. GDP per household does have an impact on household income, but not on a pound-for-pound basis - so you would expect it to fall by somewhat less than £4,300.
If you think about it, this must be the case. GDP is currently about £1.8tn a year - if you divide that by 27 million households you get £66,666. But average household income is about £44,000. They are clearly not the same thing.
Another thing to stress is that the Treasury is not saying that the economy would be this much per household worse off than they are now in 2030. It is saying that the economy would be 6% smaller in 2030 if the UK left the EU than it would be if it stayed in.
But the question is, how much do we believe in this sort of study at all. Reality Check has discussed in the past the problems with economic modelling.
If you don't want to be influenced by economic modelling then look away now, after all, it is very difficult to predict anything in 15 years.
If you are still reading, the thing to take away from this morning's events is this: ignore the headline figures - the Treasury thinks that leaving the EU would be bad for the UK economy, reducing its output by a considerable amount.
If what you care about is economic modelling, then this is a perfectly respectable piece of modelling, following broadly similar methodology to the one from the Centre for Economic Performance, although headlining the figure taking into account dynamic effects rather than static ones (dynamic models include changes that happen over time such as trade increasing competition or efficiency).
This is not hugely surprising - economic models tend to assume that free trade and economic cooperation are a good thing.
Looking into the detail, it is a bit odd that the Treasury has used ONS forecasts for what will happen to population by 2030, without considering what difference leaving the EU would make. Given that one of the key points of leaving the EU is supposed to be to tighten up the UK's borders, it seems a mistake not to take into account that effect.
The same is true, as mentioned earlier, with the figures of GDP per household being based on the number of households in 2015, not a forecast for 2030.
One useful thing from this Treasury report is that it helps put into context the significance of the UK's contribution to the EU Budget. The Treasury says that the 6% of GDP in 2030 would cut tax receipts by £36bn, dwarfing the contributions to the EU. Indeed, the Treasury has reached the £36bn figure after subtracting the UK's £7bn a year average net contribution.
Reality Check verdict: The precise figure is questionable and probably not particularly helpful. If you want to be influenced by economic modelling, the useful thing to take away is that the Treasury thinks leaving the EU would be bad for the economy, by an amount that would dwarf the savings from not having to contribute to the EU Budget.
READ MORE: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | The poster at George Osborne's event this morning made a bold claim - that there would be a £4,300-a-year cost to families by 2030 if Britain leaves the EU. | 36073201 |
The 32-year-old Pole has not raced in Formula 1 since a horrific rally crash in 2011 left him with only partial movement in his right arm.
The test, Kubica's third for Renault, is described by the team as "a new phase in assessing [his] capabilities".
It will increase speculation about an impending - and remarkable - comeback.
Kubica has already done two tests in a 2012 Renault and has said that his physical limitations do not affect his driving.
But it cannot be certain that he can return until he has proved that is also the case in faster and more demanding 2017 machinery.
Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul said: "The first two days of testing allowed both Robert and ourselves to gather a great amount of information.
"The upcoming session with the RS17 at the Hungaroring will allow us all to obtain detailed and precise data in a current car and representative conditions.
"After this test, we will carefully analyse the collected information to determine in what conditions it would be possible for Robert to return to competition in the upcoming years."
The test in which Kubica is taking part is the official two-day F1 test on the Tuesday and Wednesday following this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
It will enable Kubica's performance to be measured directly against other teams and drivers and with the immediate context of Renault's performance over the previous race weekend.
A source close to Kubica has told BBC Sport that "Robert is ready to come back at his level".
Should Kubica prove to be anything close to his former abilities, it would leave Renault with a difficult choice.
They have been considering replacing their second driver Jolyon Palmer for some time as the Englishman has lagged behind the performance of team leader Nico Hulkenberg this season.
If Kubica performs successfully in the Hungary test, the temptation to draft him in for the Belgian Grand Prix on 25-27 August after F1's summer break may be difficult to resist.
A return by Kubica would be one of the most remarkable comebacks in sporting history.
He suffered a partially severed right arm and multiple fractures in his rally crash in February 2011.
At the time, he was regarded as one of the brightest talents in the sport, a winner of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix for BMW Sauber and considered to have similar levels of talent to superstars Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
But the injuries curtailed his career on the eve of his second season with Renault, at a time when he was widely considered to have been lined up to join Ferrari as Alonso's team-mate in 2012.
He has spent the past six and a half years struggling to get his body into a condition where he can make a comeback to F1 and in the past few months believes he has finally done so.
He said after his most recent test on 12 July: "My doubts about my capacities have disappeared with these two days of tests. I am no longer afraid of not being at the level but there remains a way to go."
That final remark is said by sources close to him to be a reference to the fact that he has not yet driven a current car. | Robert Kubica's return from life-changing injuries will take a step up when he drives a 2017 Renault at a test in Hungary on 2 August. | 40703059 |
First half profits fell 25% to €330m (£282m) due partly to falling demand in China and Italy.
But Prada said it saw 2016 as "a turning point."
It has been reviewing prices, product variety and online marketing to appeal to more customers.
Revenue fell 15% to €1.55bn compared to this time last year and in April Prada announced its lowest profits in five years.
It was previously criticised for opening too many new stores and failing to invest enough online.
Prada said it was on track with plans to double its e-commerce sales over the next two years by increasing the number of products it offered online, particularly shoes.
It will also expand its social media activities so it can raise its profile among "the 'always connected' millennials," referring to the 20s -30s age group.
The company added it was working on a "potential launch of 'shoppable' content with selected key items on Instagram".
This at a time when rival luxury brand Mulberry, also known for its leather handbags, reported a trebling of profits in June following a switch to more affordable products.
Mulberry has struggled in recent years as a result of the company's failed attempt to compete with higher end brands, such as Prada and Fendi.
Mulberry has spent the past two years introducing new designs and bringing in lower priced bags in the £500 to £800 range. | Italian luxury fashion group Prada has predicted a return to growth as it seeks to connect with younger customers through online sales and flexible pricing. | 37193913 |
The group of states, which includes Russia, said on Saturday that they will cut supplies by 558,000 barrels per day.
Opec announced last month that it would be slashing its own production to ease an oversaturated global market.
It is the first time in 15 years that a global pact has been struck.
"I am happy to announce that a historic agreement has been reached," said Qatar's Energy Minister, Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, whose country holds Opec's rotating presidency.
The agreement was made at a meeting at Opec's Vienna headquarters.
Opec, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, has already committed to halting the supply of 1.2 million barrels a day, starting from January.
Opec said then it was seeking for non-member states to also lower their output, and Russia had signalled it would co-operate.
The moves come after more than two years of depressed oil prices, which have more than halved since 2014, due to a supply glut on the market.
Among the non-Opec countries attending the meeting were Azerbaijan, Oman, Mexico, Malaysia, Sudan, South Sudan and Bahrain.
Opec will also have its next meeting on 25 May 2017 to monitor the progress of the deal. | Eleven oil-producing countries, who are not members of the Opec oil cartel, have agreed to cut their output to boost prices. | 38276667 |
She said that raising interest rates would show "how far our economy has come in recovering from the effects of the financial crisis".
Her remarks come after a string of data indicated a strengthening US economy.
Many investors are confident the Fed will raise rates at its next meeting on 15 and 16 December.
Wall Street stocks dipped following the remarks.
Manufacturing data released during her testimony showed factory orders in October rose after two months of decline. New orders were up 1.5%.
Ms Yellen recognised that the slowing global economy and a stronger dollar had had an impact on the US, but said consumer and business spending along with housing investment was still strong.
On Wednesday, she told a group of economists that she expected the US economy to continue to experience steady growth.
The Fed has kept its short-term benchmark interest rate near zero since 2006.
The central bank will be paying close attention to Friday's jobs report. The bank has previously said it is watching the labour market and inflation rate closely to determine when to make its increase.
"Ongoing gains in the labour market, coupled with my judgement that longer-term inflation expectations remain reasonably well anchored, serve to bolster my confidence in a return of inflation to 2%," Ms Yellen said.
Chair Yellen said a rate of 100,000 new jobs per month would be enough to sustain the labour market. She also indicated that she expected this growth to help raise wages which have been mostly stagnant since the financial crisis.
"I would expect to see some upward pressure on wages - I think we've seen some welcome hints," she said.
Follow Wednesday's mass shooting in California, Ms Yellen was asked about the impact of these events and global terrorism on the US economy.
She said that the central bank had not seen any impact from the recent mass shootings or terrorist attacks, but that "it does have the potential to have a significant economic effect," she said. | US Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen has told Congress that the economy is reaching a point where it can handle an interest rate rise. | 34999941 |
The Premiership fixtures for the coming season gave Thistle, Motherwell and Hamilton Academical fewer guaranteed games against Celtic and Rangers.
Thistle will meet the Scottish Professional Football League this week.
"As fixtures can't be changed, the question of compensation remains live for clubs affected," said Thistle.
"We look forward to a positive and robust exchange of views on this matter at the meeting.
"We are also in touch with the other clubs in the league and will be arranging to meet them at a separate time."
Thistle and Motherwell had both expressed anger that they would only have one home game against both Celtic and Rangers before the Premiership splits into two for the final five fixtures.
Dundee, Hearts and Inverness Caledonian Thistle will have two home games against both the Glasgow clubs.
Thistle and Motherwell have complained that it not only left the financially disadvantaged because of the Old Firm's travelling support but would hamper their search for league points.
"Reluctantly, we accept that there will be a sporting disadvantage in the coming season," Thistle said in a website statement.
"However, we will press the SPFL to show how it intends to avoid this recurring in future.
"Contrary to press reports suggesting the SPFL has already decided there will be no compensation or fixtures changed, Thistle has secured a meeting with the SPFL this week to discuss the situation in more detail.
"The board hopes that, despite media comment suggesting otherwise, the SPFL would not have agreed to a meeting if minds have already been made up on this important matter." | Partick Thistle will continue to press for compensation after accepting that a fixture list they claim damages the club financially cannot be altered. | 36643639 |
In a strong display with contributions from all 13 players, GB started well and improved throughout the first three quarters to establish a winning lead.
Gabe Olaseni led their scorers with 16 points and Dan Clark and Teddy Okereafor added 11 each.
GB will face Greece in Tuesday's final after the hosts beat Romania.
The first match of a summer that will feature a minimum of 12 games - including at least five in the Eurobasket finals - featured some encouraging signs for GB coach Joe Prunty.
They took the first quarter 26-17 with the aid of two three-pointers each from Clark and Ben Mockford, but it was the crispness of their passing and the energy in their defensive hustle that extended the lead to 41-23 in the second period as they held their opponents scoreless for four and half minutes.
Ahead by 19 at the interval, GB kept up the defensive pressure virtually to the end of the game, allowing their opponents just 35 points in the second half.
Prunty was enthused by the display: "There were a lot of positives, and they came from a lot of people," he told BBC Sport..
"Our spacing was good…I liked the way we shared the ball - like whether we missed something like a screen or the ball, we still kept playing, moving and sharing the ball." | Great Britain made an assured start to their Eurobasket preparation programme by beating Ukraine 84-64 in the Patras International tournament opener. | 40858201 |
In a statement, Bangor said Dawes had failed "to gain his acceptance on the current Pro Licence course, in accordance with Uefa club licensing criteria".
Former Premier League striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher will take temporary charge for the remainder of the season.
Taylor-Fletcher joined the Citizens in February.
Find out how to get into football with our special guide. | Bangor City have sacked manager Ian Dawes despite being fourth in the Welsh Premier League. | 39431907 |
The metal figure of Terpischore, the muse of dancing and choral music, had been hanging from its base 90ft (27m) above the ground since Saturday.
Part of High Street West and Garden Place had to be cordoned off and shows at the theatre were cancelled.
A crane has been brought to the site and the statue taken down.
Sunderland City Council had said removal could not take place until the wind had died down.
It apologised for the inconvenience the street closure had caused to local businesses and residents but said the prime concern was safety.
The theatre said the weekend's shows had been rescheduled. | A statue on the dome of Sunderland Empire theatre, which toppled toppled over on to its side during high winds, has been brought down to the ground. | 30793243 |
It was rescued by a member of the public behind Higher Fore Street, Redruth, on Wednesday evening.
Veterinary surgeon Sharon Stevens said the otherwise healthy young adult animal had been sprayed with an aerosol and set alight.
"We see enough horrible things, but this is simply inexcusable," she said.
The animal died moments before arriving at the emergency veterinary treatment centre, CVets.
The vet said the woman who rescued the hedgehog heard and witnessed the "sustained" attack on the defenceless creature, but was too scared to confront the youths on her own.
"She heard the boys shouting 'it's still alive, go on do it again' and they knew what they were doing," Ms Stevens told BBC News.
"If it had been a cat, it could have fought back, but all a defenceless hedgehog can do is curl up in a ball.
"It was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has suffered this horrible attack.
"All its spines were burned and it would have suffered badly."
The vet said she wanted to speak out in the hope of preventing this type of horrific attack happening again.
"I just hope those boys feel sorry and ashamed of what they've done," she added.
The incident has been reported to the RSPCA and Devon and Cornwall Police. | A hedgehog suffered a slow and almost certain painful death after being deliberately tortured by a group of youths in Cornwall, a vet has said. | 33946833 |
The two leaders, who hugged each other in front of reporters, also praised their countries' warm relations.
They discussed increasing trade links and security co-operation.
Mr Modi was also the first foreign dignitary to have dinner at the White House with Mr Trump.
A White House statement said the two leaders "resolved that India and the US will fight together" against terrorism which they called a "grave challenge to humanity", pledging to expand the sharing of intelligence and deepen joint counter-terrorism efforts.
They also "called on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries".
The leaders said they would strengthen co-operation against threats including Pakistan-based militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
They urged Pakistan to "expeditiously bring to justice" those behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and last year's attack on an air base in Pathankot, which Indian officials have suggested were perpetrated by those two militant groups.
India has seen several terror attacks in recent years which Delhi claims were conducted by Pakistan-based militants.
It has also accused Pakistan of secretly sponsoring some of these attacks, which Pakistan has strongly denied.
India also "appreciated" the recent move by the US to label top Kashmiri militant Syed Salahuddin a "specially designated global terrorist", the White House said. The move effectively blocks him from transactions in the US.
The Trump administration's strong words on Pakistan and terror will be seen as a major diplomatic victory for India.
Previous US presidents, such as Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, also came out with similar rhetoric but it never translated to anything more substantial, mainly because both were warned by the state department of the perils of isolating Pakistan.
In Donald Trump, however, Delhi senses a difference - a president who is more blunt and outspoken on Islamist terror without worrying about any potential diplomatic fallout.
So on that score, Trump and Modi are on the same page. But India's main concern is Pakistani support for Kashmiri separatist groups, at a time when the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir is particularly tense.
The US, on the other hand, is more concerned with the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan's perceived support for militant groups operating there as well as the Taliban, at a time when President Trump has approved plans to increase American troops on the ground.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Modi and Mr Trump gave a joint news conference in the White House's Rose Garden.
"The relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, never been better," President Trump said.
He praised Indian airline SpiceJet's recent order of 100 planes from US manufacturer Boeing, and said he looked forward to exporting more energy resources to India, including natural gas.
Mr Trump, who regularly posts on Twitter, also described himself and Mr Modi as "world leaders in social media".
Mr Modi said the US was India's "primary partner" for its social and economic transformation, and that his plan for a "new India" converged with Mr Trump's "vision for 'making America great again'".
He invited President Trump and his family to visit India, which Mr Trump accepted, said the White House.
Mr Trump said his daughter, Ivanka, would also be leading a US delegation to an entrepreneurship summit in India later this year.
Earlier in his trip to the US, Mr Modi met the heads of 20 US companies, including Apple's Tim Cook and Google's Sundar Pichai.
He told them that his government had pushed through thousands of reforms to make India "business friendly".
He later tweeted: "Interacted with top CEOs. We held extensive discussions on opportunities in India." | US President Donald Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi have met for the first time in Washington DC, vowing to fight terrorism together while issuing a warning to Pakistan. | 40412834 |
Mr Buhari expressed "deep shock" at the past week's violence between herdsmen from the Fulani ethnic group and local farmers, an official statement said.
Several thousand people have been displaced, according to local media.
Benue has a history of violent attacks and reprisals between semi-nomadic herdsmen and farmers.
The clashes are often linked to cattle raiding.
Mr Buhari called for unity among Nigerians, saying: "There should not be any reason why Nigerians of any group or tongue cannot now reside with one another."
Different groups of Fulani militants killed a total of more than 1,200 people in 2014, meaning that if taken together they would be the world's fourth deadliest militant group, according to the most recent Global Terrorism Index.
The scope of their attacks is now enough to "pose a serious threat to stability", the report said.
The communal violence in central Nigeria is not connected to the six-year insurgency by Islamist militant group Boko Haram in the country's north-east.
Boko Haram was the world's most deadly militant group, according to the report. | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into communal clashes, which have left hundreds dead in central Benue state. | 35686264 |
New alleged victims of Jim Torbett have come forward claiming he sexually abused them during the 1980s and 90s.
Torbett "vehemently denies" the allegations against him.
The investigation also reveals new claims about former Hibernian and Rangers coach Gordon Neely, who died in 2014.
An alleged victim claims he was repeatedly raped by Neely from the age of 11. It has also been claimed that when allegations of abuse surfaced, Neely was sacked from Hibs but the police were not informed.
He then joined Rangers where it is claimed he began abusing boys there. Rangers also sacked him over alleged abuse. The club claims it informed the police.
The allegations about Torbett and Neely are made in a BBC programme Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game, to be screened on Monday.
They include:
Celtic Boys' Club was founded by Jim Torbett in 1966 with the permission of the then Celtic FC manager, the late Jock Stein and former chairman Sir Robert Kelly.
It was created as a separate entity from the football club, but it has been closely linked throughout its history and acted as a feeder club, producing a string of Celtic greats including Roy Aitken, Paul McStay and Tommy Burns.
Torbett had two stints at the Boys' Club, the first from 1966-1974. He returned to the Boy's Club around 1980 and stayed until a series of Daily Record stories revealed abuse claims against him in 1996.
He was jailed for two years in 1998 on conviction of abusing three former Celtic Boys' Club players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil, between 1967-74.
At the trial, former Celtic photographer and Boys' Club chairman Hugh Birt claimed Torbett was fired in 1974 after child abuse allegations arose.
Birt, who died four years ago, told the court Stein, then honorary president of the Boys' Club, sacked Torbett as a result of the abuse claims.
The BBC has spoken to three additional sources close to the events in the 1970s who support Birt's evidence to court that Torbett was ejected from the Boys' Club by Stein, following complaints of child abuse.
Stein was then the Celtic manager as well as honorary president of the Boys' Club.
Torbett returned to the Boys' Club in around 1980 after Stein had left Parkhead. But no allegations against Torbett in his second period at the Boys' Club have surfaced - until now.
Kenny Campbell, now 44, joined Celtic Boy's Club in 1985 as a 13-year-old. A year later, he joined the U-14s, which was managed by Torbett.
He said Torbett took a special interest in him and won the trust of his parents.
Kenny told BBC Scotland: "Pretty quickly he became a hero of mine. In my mind he was doing good things [for me].
"I'd have jumped in front of a bus for him if he had asked me, guaranteed. So it was as if he had a hold over us."
He said Torbett began the abuse while he was sitting on the couch with him one night.
Kenny said this was the beginning of up to four years of sexual abuse at the hands of Torbett, which carried on even after he was signed by the senior Celtic team.
The young player didn't tell anyone: "I just thought it was natural. I just thought that was what happened," he said.
Kenny made about 20 appearances for the reserves at Celtic but illness effectively ended his Celtic career. His life spiralled into drink and drugs, but he is now clean and sober.
He said he was angry that Torbett was allowed to return to Celtic Boys' Club despite previous abuse claims.
"I feel aggrieved at that, eh, if they had never let him back in it would … never happened in the first place, I could have had a normal life, normal people round about me. If Celtic had done their due diligence … it wouldn't have happened to me."
The BBC has spoken to a second former Celtic Boys' Club player who alleges he was abused by Torbett for three years from 1990.
Torbett's lawyer told the BBC he "vehemently denies these completely false allegations".
He added: "Clearly allegations of this kind must remain in the hands of the police and due process of the law must be followed here."
In a statement, Celtic FC said the club was "fully committed to safeguarding children".
The statement went on: "Celtic Boys' Club was separate and distinct organisation from Celtic Football Club. It was vital that justice was served at that time, due to the extremely serious nature of this issue."
The statement added that anyone with any concerns should contact the club.
The BBC has discovered what appears to be the "official" account of why Torbett left the Boys' Club in the archives of The Celtic View, which was the sanctioned, in-house magazine for Celtic FC.
Dated November 1974, the report is headlined: "Jim bows out…after another season of glory." It states that Torbett was leaving for his own personal and business reasons and is a glowing tribute to his time at the Boys' Club. There is no mention of abuse allegations.
The BBC understands the police were never called.
The Celtic View archives also reveal that in 1977, three years after he allegedly threw Torbett out of the Boys' Club, Jock Stein was pictured presenting Torbett with an award recognising his services to Celtic Boys' Club.
On the same evening, according to the archives, Stein made way for Celtic board member Kevin Kelly as honorary president of the Boys' Club.
Birt would tell the court in 1998 that he attempted to prevent Torbett returning to the Boys' Club and raised the issue with Celtic board members, including Kevin Kelly.
Two other sources have told the BBC that when Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys' Club in around 1980, Mr Kelly would have been aware of the previous claims of abuse against Torbett.
Mr Torbett's company The Trophy Centre had a lucrative contract with Celtic to provide branded merchandising.
Mr Kelly and Jack McGinn, a Celtic FC director from 1981, worked with Mr Torbett at his Trophy Centre business from 1986 and 1998 respectively. Their associations with the company continued long after Torbett was jailed for abuse.
Mr Kelly strongly denies being aware of allegations concerning Torbett when he returned to the Boys' Club, and told the BBC that he was not aware of any previous allegations against Torbett until his court case in the 1990s.
Jack McGinn, a Celtic FC director from 1981, also denies any previous knowledge of Mr Torbett's offending prior to his second spell at the Boys' club.
Both Mr Kelly and Mr McGinn said that if they had been aware of Mr Torbett's prior offending, they would have done all they could to prevent him returning to Celtic Boys' Club.
Jon Cleland, an alleged victim of Gordon Neely, was a prodigious talent. In around 1981, at the age of 10, he joined Hutchison Vale FC, the Edinburgh football talent factory known for producing players like John Collins, Allan Preston and Leigh Griffiths.
Neely was one of the coaches at the club. He was known for an ability to spot and develop youth talent, and was well thought of in Edinburgh football circles.
Jon says he was soon targeted by Neely, and subjected to 18 months of serious sexual abuse.
Describing his first assault at Neely's hands, he said: "He took me into a room at the back of our hall and told me to take my shorts down and he put me over his knee and he proceeded to spank me… I had done something wrong and it was my punishment. [I] didn't tell anyone."
Jon's silence seemed to be Neely's cue to escalate the abuse. Jon was 11 at the time.
He told BBC Scotland: "He said I looked like I had had an injury… then he asked me to lean over a desk, and that's when I was raped.
"At that age, hadn't a clue what was going on."
Jon said he was raped around 10 times over the next 18 months. Asked if he had been able to tell anyone, he said: "No. I couldn't have possibly at that age. I thought it was my fault. I thought I had done something wrong."
Jon began training with Hibs, but Neely was driving him to training, and abusing him in the car beforehand.
He said: "It was at that point that I couldn't do it, couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't face going to football training."
Jon said he gave up football to escape the abuse.
Neely took up a youth development position with Hibs in around 1983. In about 1986, abuse allegations concerning him were put to the late Hibs chairman Kenny Waugh.
Sports reporter Ray Hepburn told the BBC Waugh had confided in him.
Mr Hepburn said: "He said 'we've had complaints by two sets of parents about Gordon Neely. And his behaviour with some of the boys'.
"And of course it was quite devastating news. He went on to explain that he had sacked him that day, had reassured the parents by dealing with it in a very speedy and decisive way. And that was kind of the way people did things then."
The BBC has also spoken to the then Hibs manager John Blackley who confirmed Hepburn's story that Waugh had been made aware of complaints.
The police were never involved. Nor did anyone at Hibs warn Rangers about Neely's behaviour.
In a statement, Hibs said it was "saddened to be told that personnel at the club at the time were allegedly made aware of concerns about Neely and, again allegedly, did not contact the police.
"[This] is something which current policies and practices would prevent from happening today," the statement said.
Neely then moved to Rangers in 1986, where BBC Scotland learned the abuse continued.
One former player told the programme: "He had his own office inside Ibrox and he'd call you in and he'd make you close the door.
"He'd pull your shorts and pants down and then he'd spank you with like this rubber shoe. I mean I wasn't the only one. He'd give you 10 or twenty whacks for anything. I was only about 13."
Rangers told us it was aware of an alleged incident more than 25 years ago involving Neely, sacked him and informed the police.
Police Scotland told the BBC they were unable to confirm whether Rangers made a complaint or not, despite Freedom of Information requests.
The BBC also asked surviving senior executives and football personnel who were at Rangers at that time, for more details - but received none. The Crown was unable to find details of a report being sent to the fiscal in relation to a complaint about Neely in 1990.
In a statement Rangers said: "It is understood the individual was dismissed immediately and that the police were informed.
"All employees adhered to the strictest codes of conduct."
The club added that it would "always co-operate fully" with the authorities."
Several opportunities to put an end to Neely's abuse were wasted, according to BBC Scotland's investigation, and Neely simply changed tactics, by reinventing himself as coach doing one-to-one training and activity weekends in Dunkeld, and nearby Dalguise, in Perthshire for young footballers.
A decade after Hibs sacked him, and more than five years after Rangers got rid of him it is alleged Neely was still abusing.
"Paul," (not his real name), told BBC Scotland: "I was playing with one of the Edinburgh clubs [around 1995] and a man came up to me after a match. It was Gordon Neely. And he said he could make me a better player, and I needed some one-to-one coaching. Said he knew all the big players and managers. He was impressive.
"So every other weekend I'd go up to Dunkeld. He told me I had a condition that was hampering me. And that he could help me with it."
Paul was then abused by Neely.
"I knew it was wrong," he said. "It went on for about 10 minutes each time but I couldn't do anything. I just froze.
"I didn't want to complain because I thought it would ruin the chances of me getting the trial he'd promised me. So I just put up with it.… for almost three years."
Gordon Neely died in 2014.
The programme also features claims from former Clydebank and Rangers player Levi Stephen about a third alleged perpetrator.
Stewart Regan, the chief executive of the Scottish FA said an independent review into allegations of historic child sexual abuse in Scottish football was under way.
"We await its findings," he added.
"The latest allegations are a matter for the investigatory authority, Police Scotland.
"We would urge anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward using the dedicated, confidential NSPCC 24-hour helpline 0800 023 2642, directly to the police on 101 or via email to the Scottish FA at childrenswellbeing@scottishfa.co.uk."
Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game is being shown at 22:40 on BBC1 Scotland and will be available on the BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards.
Additional reporting by Liam McDougall, Calum McKay and Martin Conaghan. | Fresh allegations of child sex abuse have been made against the founder of Celtic Boys' Club, a BBC Scotland investigation has revealed. | 39553258 |
27 October 2016 Last updated at 08:53 BST
They may need to put animals like sharks in the same tanks as smaller fish - but they need to be sure the sharks won't eat their smaller tank-mates!
To do this, staff at the Blue Reef Aquarium in the north-east of England are teaching their sharks a special feeding technique called target feeding.
It means the shark will know what it is allowed to eat and what mustn't be dinner! | One of the challenges faced by staff in aquariums is making sure all the fish can live together peacefully. | 37773834 |
Members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith are taking the action as part of a campaign to get the powers transferred to the Welsh Assembly.
Chairwoman Heledd Gwyndaf said she was prepared to be jailed rather than pay for her licence until powers were devolved.
TV Licensing said the campaigners risked prosecution and a £1,000 fine.
"It's not an easy decision to make, we're obviously breaking the law," said Ms Gwyndaf of her refusal to pay the £147-a year licence.
"I have done this for many months now. I have a young family, I have three small children.
"I have received many letters telling me that I need to pay, telling me that a bailiff is on the way, giving me a date as to when the bailiffs will arrive."
But she said she believed devolving broadcasting was important to the Welsh language and to Wales as a nation.
"In other countries where broadcasting is already devolved, for example in Catalonia and the Basque country, they have six or eight radio stations and television stations in their mother language, or that broadcast bilingually," she said.
"There's no reason why we cannot devolve broadcasting to Wales."
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it could not comment because of the impending general election.
Labour's Welsh Government minister Alun Davies, who has responsibility for broadcasting, said he favoured greater accountability - but not full devolution.
"I don't think there's a groundswell of opinion across Wales for executive responsibility for broadcasting to be devolved to Wales," he said.
"But I think there is concern across Wales about what we see on our screens, and what sort of services we receive. And what I would like to see is a greater sense of accountability from broadcasters and regulators to Wales, and to the institutions of Wales."
He said he wanted to see broadcasters become more accountable to assembly members.
"We all know that we don't see enough programming made in Wales, we don't see the portrayal of Wales on our screens in a way that we deserve and should see, and I think it's time that both regulators and broadcasters came to Cardiff and explained what they are doing to serve Welsh audiences," he added.
Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats support the devolution of broadcasting. The Conservatives favour shared accountability but not full devolution, while UKIP do not support any devolution of broadcasting powers.
In a statement, TV Licensing said: "Regardless of personal opinion, a TV Licence is required to watch or record TV programmes as they are broadcast, or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer." | More than 50 Welsh language campaigners are refusing to pay their TV licences until broadcasting powers are devolved. | 39952115 |
The disruption is part of a UK wide strike called by the Unite union.
It balloted its members after failing to reach an agreement with the employer, Swissport, in a long-running dispute about pay.
A second 48-hour strike is planned to start on 6 January.
Belfast International Airport said it is looking into the implications of the strike: "December the 23rd is one of the busiest days of the year with around 62 inbound, and 62 outbound flights.
"Christmas Eve is also very busy for flights.
"We have contingency plans in place to deal with any industrial action.
"We have teams on stand-by to minimise any disruption over this busy time."
Unite Regional Officer, George Brash, has called on Swissport to engage with his union through the conciliation service ACAS.
He said: "We appreciate that this is a very busy time of year at our airports and we are urging management to make a serious offer to meet the workforce's pay expectations.
"This will be a UK-wide strike involving over 1,500 check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew.
"It is likely that this will result in severe disruption at both Belfast City and International Airports where Unite represents the overwhelming majority of workers." | Passengers at Belfast International and Belfast City Airports face disruption on the 23 and 24 of December due to a planned strike by baggage handlers and check-in staff. | 38349130 |
In a speech in London to trade unionists and activists, he said there needed to be more "transparency" over how Britain would leave the EU.
The High Court ruled on Thursday that MPs should be allowed to vote on triggering Article 50.
The government has said it will appeal against the decision.
Speaking to the Class think tank, Mr Corbyn said his party "accepted and respected" the decision of voters to leave the EU but insisted on "transparency and accountability" to Parliament about the government's plans.
"I suspect the government opposes democratic scrutiny of its plans because frankly there aren't any plans.
"There are no plans beyond the hollow rhetoric, which they keep on repeating - apparently - that Brexit means Brexit.''
The Labour leader accused Prime Minister Theresa May of reaching "secret deals" over Brexit with companies such as Nissan, which confirmed it will build two new models at its Sunderland plant following talks with the government.
"We can't have secret deals on Brexit, company by company," Mr Corbyn said.
"All our businesses need the kind of assurances that apparently Nissan has had about the shape of the government's Brexit plans to make the right investment decisions."
Mr Corbyn said that after "six wasted years of austerity and savage cuts", the Conservatives have started to change their rhetoric towards giving more help to ordinary working-class families.
This month's Autumn Statement from the Chancellor Philip Hammond would be "the test of whether they could back up their rhetoric with meaningful change", he added.
Labour has promised £500bn in investment over a decade in infrastructure improvements to railways, housing, energy and broadband, he said.
"A country that doesn't invest is a country that has given up, that has taken the path of managed decline," he told delegates.
"We offer a different way forward that meets the needs and aspirations of our people in 2016, not a 1980s - or even 1950s - never-never land."
The party leader said a Labour government would also hit out at tax dodging.
"This is the message to the tax dodgers - a Labour government will come after you. No more turning a blind eye, no more shabby deals - we will collect the taxes," he said.
The government has said MPs will get a say over any final deal relating to Brexit.
But it is challenging the High Court ruling that states Parliament has the right to vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU.
The appeal hearing at the Supreme Court is expected to be in early December. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to spell out its plans for negotiating Brexit to Parliament "without delay". | 37880603 |
Around 2,700 arrived in Slovenia on Saturday and more were expected overnight. Most aim to travel on to Austria, Germany and other countries.
Slovenia's army has been placed on standby to help police deal with the influx, Prime Minister Miro Cerar said.
He said Slovenia would accept the migrants as long as Austria and Germany kept their borders open.
Hungary said it closed its border with Croatia at midnight on Friday because European Union leaders had failed to agree a plan to stem the flow of asylum seekers.
Last month it also shut its frontier with Serbia, which was another transit route to Western Europe.
On Saturday, hundreds of refugees were bussed across Croatia, from its border with Serbia to its border with Slovenia.
Many had spent weeks walking through Greece, Macedonia and Serbia to reach the Croatian border.
Slovenian authorities registered them and then arranged transport to the Austrian frontier.
Slovenia's official STA news agency later some of the migrants had already reached the Austrian border and were being registered at the Spielfeld crossing.
A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said most of the migrants crossing Slovenia were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They are fleeing from war... they are literally running for their lives," Caroline van Buren told AFP news agency at the Petisovci checkpoint.
"Unlike other countries, Slovenia had time to prepare. It's not perfect, but things are moving."
A train carrying about 1,200 migrants arrived at the Sredisce ob Dravi crossing, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, two buses carrying mostly families with small children and babies arrived at the Gruskovje crossing where they were given medical help, food and warm clothes.
Can deeds match words?: The challenges ahead for the EU and Turkey
The pull of Europe: Five migrant stories
Merkel under pressure: Chancellor's migrant policy faces criticism at home
Focus on Turkey: Why the EU views Syria's northern neighbour as key
Crisis in graphics: Migration numbers explained
"We are going to focus even more on safety and security and order so our country can function normally,'' Prime Minister Cerar said.
Croatia is a member of the EU but, unlike Hungary and Slovenia, it is not part of the Schengen zone of passport-free travel.
However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said border controls with Slovenia would also be temporarily reinstated to safeguard Hungary from a "mass wave of unidentified, uncontrolled migrants".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to travel to Turkey on Sunday for talks on the migrant crisis with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Tens of thousands of migrants are arriving in the EU from Turkey, risking a sometimes perilous sea crossing to the Greek islands.
On Saturday, 12 refugees - four of them children - drowned while trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, the Turkish coastguard said. They were thought to be from Syria or Afghanistan.
615,895
arrived by sea so far in 2015
216,054
arrivals for whole of 2014
475,499 Turkey to Greece
137,500 Libya & Tunisia to Italy
2,797 Morocco to Spain
99 Libya to Malta | Thousands of migrants are crossing into Slovenia from Croatia after Hungary closed its border to them. | 34564830 |
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 77.79 points at 18493.06.
The broader S&P 500 index fell 6.55 points to 2168.48, while the Nasdaq slipped 2.35 to 5097.63.
The price of US crude fell 2.6% to $43.04 a barrel, its lowest level since April, while Brent crude slid 2.3%.
The drop in crude sent shares of US oil producers tumbling.
Exxon Mobile shares fell 1.9% and Chevron fell 2.5%.
Shares of Verizon and Yahoo both slipped after it was announced that the US telecoms giant would buy Yahoo's core internet business for $5bn.
Verizon Communications fell 0.4% and Yahoo shares were down 2.7%.
Kimberly-Clark, the maker of household goods including Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, fell 1.5% after reporting disappointing results.
Retail stocks were some of the day's top performers. Department store Nordstrom climbed 4.6% and Gap shares rose 3.5%.
Investors are preparing themselves for more earnings results released this week. Tuesday will be focused on Verizon in the morning and Apple and Twitter after US trading closes.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announces whether it will raise its benchmark interest rate. However, most investors believe the Fed will leave rates unchanged. | (Closed): Wall Street markets sank on Monday, as oil prices dropped 2% to three-month lows and investors remained wary ahead of a raft of quarterly earnings reports. | 36887070 |
"They don't feel that anyone listens to them, never mind speaks for them," opposition whip Conor McGinn said.
He said the challenge facing leader, and Islington MP, Jeremy Corbyn was to relate to the rest of the UK.
Mr McGinn also warned that Labour could lose votes if it adopted an anti-nuclear weapons stance.
A review of the party's defence policy is under way. The Labour leader opposes Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system, but many of his MPs support its renewal.
Mr McGinn, who falls in to the latter category, warned: "Defence might not win you a lot of votes, but it can definitely lose you a lot of votes if you're not in the right place on it."
In an interview with Parliament's House magazine, Mr McGinn, MP for St Helens North, said: "I think there is a political crisis that has engulfed what would be seen as the traditional Labour working class. They don't feel that anyone listens to them, never mind speaks for them.
"And I think that's a real problem for the Labour Party particularly. Sometimes it can seem that we're preoccupied with things that are insignificant to the population."
Labour, he said, needed to appeal to ordinary voters if it wanted to win elections.
"I think when you lose an election you should look at the reasons why and try, within the parameters of your own values, to move closer to the public, not further away from the public."
He also set out what he saw as the "challenge" for Mr Corbyn, who after 30 years as a backbench MP representing the London constituency of Islington North was elected party leader in September 2015.
"I love London, and it's a fantastic city, and Islington is a great place," he said, "but it's not like the rest of the country".
"I think the challenge for Jeremy having been an MP for 30-odd years for a seat like Islington, is how he relates to the rest of the country," he added.
The MP also said many people wanted a secure job with a decent wage that enabled him to afford his own home, and an annual holiday or a new car.
"The problem with sections of the left is that they sneer at people like that," he said.
He added: "There is a patrician socialism that not only wants to tell working class people what's best for them, but what they should and shouldn't think.
"I think if we are to have a genuine revival in the politics of the left, then we need to start listening to people and hearing their truths." | Working class voters feel that the Labour Party no longer understands them or their concerns, a Labour frontbencher has warned. | 36365284 |
Sky Atlantic's supernatural horror Penny Dreadful, set in Victorian London, won for original music, production design and make-up and hair.
BBC One's Sherlock won the sound and editing awards in the fiction category.
Mackenzie Crook won his first Bafta, for comedy writing, for Detectorists, which he starred in with Toby Jones.
Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright was honoured in the drama category for her rural police thriller.
The BBC One drama is one of four programmes leading the nominations at next month's Bafta TV awards, where it is up for three alongside The Missing, Line of Duty and Marvellous.
Julian Farino, the director of BBC Two's fantasy-biopic Marvellous - which starred Toby Jones as Neil Baldwin - was also honoured at Sunday night's Craft Awards ceremony, hosted by Stephen Mangan.
Staff on ITV talent show The X Factor won the entertainment craft team award, beating rival teams on BBC One shows The Voice and Strictly Come Dancing.
Other winners included the 2014 FA Cup Final (ITV Sport), Channel 4's Grayson Perry: Who Are You?, ITV's The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies and Messiah at the Foundling Hospital (BBC Two).
Work on BBC One's Doctor Who, Paedophile Hunter and Dispatches' Children on the Frontline on Channel 4, the BBC's Winter Olympics 2014 coverage and The Musketeers (BBC One) was also honoured.
Hilary Briegel was handed the evening's special award, for her work as a vision mixer on programmes including Absolutely Fabulous, Only Fools and Horses, Newsnight, the Wimbledon Championships and the Olympic Games.
Sherlock - starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - has now earned nine Baftas in four years.
Penny Dreadful, whose cast includes Helen McCrory, Eva Green and Simon Russell Beale, also triumphed in the original music category for Abel Korzeniowski's score.
British Academy Television Craft Awards winners in full:
Special award - Hilary Briegel
Breakthrough talent - Marc Williamson (The Last Chance School)
Costume design - Phoebe De Gaye (The Musketeers)
Digital Creativity - Live From Space: Online
Director, factual - Dan Reed (The Paedophile Hunter)
Director, fiction - Julian Farino (Marvellous)
Director, multi-camera - Paul Mcnamara (2014 FA Cup Final)
Editing, factual - Jake Martin (Grayson Perry: Who Are You?)
Editing, fiction - Yan Miles (Sherlock)
Entertainment craft team - Dave Davey, Robert Edwards, Falk Rosenthal (The X Factor)
Make up and hair design - Enzo Mastrantonio, Nick Dudman, Stefano Ceccarelli (Penny Dreadful)
Original music - Abel Korzeniowski (Penny Dreadful)
Photography, factual: Marcel Mettelsiefen - (Children On The Frontline, Dispatches)
Photography and lighting, Fiction - Mike Eley (The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies)
Production design - Jonathan McKinstry, Philip Murphy (Penny Dreadful)
Sound, factual - Mike Hatch, Kuz Randhawa, Matt Skilton (Messiah At The Foundling Hospital)
Sound, fiction - John Mooney, Douglas Sinclair, Howard Bargroff, Paul Mcfadden (Sherlock)
Special, visual and graphic Effects - MILK VFX, REAL SFX, BBC WALES VFX (Doctor Who)
Titles and graphic identity - Mark Roalfe, Tomek Baginski, Ron Chakraborty (Winter Olympics 2014)
Writer, comedy - Mackenzie Crook (Detectorists)
Writer, drama - Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley) | Penny Dreadful and Sherlock were the biggest winners at Bafta's Television Craft Awards, honouring British TV talent from behind-the-scenes. | 32478771 |
Ten Protestant men were shot by the IRA in County Armagh in 1976, in an attack known as the Kingsmills massacre.
An inquest has been told the original Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) investigation was short of manpower.
The court also heard RUC Special Branch denied police detectives permission to question a number of prime suspects.
The Kingsmills victims were travelling home from their jobs in a textile factory when an IRA gang ambushed their minibus.
The gunmen ordered the only Catholic man on board the bus to leave the scene, before lining up the Protestants and opening fire.
More than 150 bullets were fired at the defenceless men - 10 died and one survived but was very seriously injured.
The RUC's investigation was led by Det Ch Insp James Mitchell, an experienced officer who had joined the police force in 1959.
He rose from the rank of constable to a leading position in the RUC's Criminal Investigation Department, investigating some of Northern Ireland's most grisly murders.
Giving evidence to the inquest in Belfast, Mr Mitchell said that he arrived at the scene of the murders within 20 minutes of receiving the emergency call.
He was greeted with what he described in court as "one of the most gruesome murder scenes of the Troubles".
Mr Mitchell said that while responsibility for the attack was originally claimed by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force, he had no doubt it had been carried out by Provisional IRA members from north County Louth and south County Armagh.
The former officer faced questions over the RUC's handling of the investigation - including issues that had been raised in a 2011 review of the case by the Historical Enquiries Team.
Mr Mitchell told the court that he required between 40 and 50 detectives to work on such a huge murder investigation, but the maximum he was given was 12 detectives and two sergeants.
He said that from ballistics reports, the RUC knew that 11 weapons had been used in the Kingsmills attack - some of which had also been used in a string of other IRA murders.
These included the IRA gun attack on Tullyvallen Orange hall in 1975, which led to the deaths of five men.
A barrister acting for some of the families of the Kingsmills victims questioned Mr Mitchell about claims that the RUC failed to interview a number of witnesses.
The former officer confirmed that the RUC had planned to interview a suspected IRA man but RUC Special Branch officers denied them access to the suspect.
The court also heard that the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) had reported a sighting of a hijacked van - which was believed to have been used by the Kingsmills gunmen - parked outside the home of another suspected IRA member.
Mr Mitchell was asked why that man not brought in for questioning but he was unable to explain the decision.
The former detective was also asked why his officers had apparently failed to respond to a number of entries in the RUC's serious incident log.
One entry related to a phone call from a young woman who told police she saw a large group of men behind a shop in County Armagh on the afternoon of the Kingmills attack.
The court heard she was also able to describe the hijacked van used by the gunmen.
Mr Mitchell said he could not say why her report did not appear to have been acted on by the RUC.
The inquest also heard that the RUC failed to trace or question several eyewitnesses who came across the scene in the aftermath of the attack.
These included three men described in court as "potentially important witnesses" and a woman who gave a lift to the Catholic man who the gunmen had ordered to flee the scene.
The court heard that the woman, who had been driving a small car, brought the man back to his home after the shootings.
However, she was never identified let alone interviewed to check if she could help with the investigation.
Speaking outside court, Colin Wharton - who lost his brother in the Kingsmills attack - described the failures in the RUC investigation as "staggering". | The detective who led the investigation into the Kingsmills murders has faced questions over failures to trace and interview potentially vital witnesses. | 40047047 |
Sarah Louise Catt, 35, of Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, took a drug when she was full term, 39 weeks pregnant, to cause an early delivery.
She claimed the boy was stillborn and that she buried his body, but no evidence of the child was ever found.
Catt made a "deliberate and calculated decision" to end her pregnancy, a Leeds Crown Court judge said.
Catt, who already had two children with her husband, had a scan at 30 weeks confirming her pregnancy at a hospital in Leeds, the court heard.
Suspicions were raised when she failed to register the birth weeks later.
Catt had been having an affair with a work colleague for seven years, the judge was told.
The court heard her husband was unaware of the pregnancy and was not consulted about her decision to have an abortion.
She maintained she had a legitimate abortion at a clinic in Manchester.
But analysis of her computer revealed she had purchased over the internet a drug which can induce labour, from a company in Mumbai, India.
The defendant pleaded guilty in July to administering a poison with intent to procure a miscarriage.
She told a psychiatrist she had taken the drug while her husband was away and delivered the baby boy by herself at home.
Catt said the child was not breathing or moving and that she had buried his body, but did not reveal the location.
The defendant gave a child up for adoption in 1999, the court was told.
She later had a termination with the agreement of her husband, tried to terminate another pregnancy but missed the legal limit and concealed another pregnancy from her husband before the child's birth.
Mr Justice Cooke said Catt had robbed the baby of the life it was about to have and said the seriousness of the crime lay between manslaughter and murder.
Sentencing, the judge told Catt she clearly thought the man with whom she was having an affair was the father and she had shown no remorse.
Ch Insp Kerrin Smith, who led the North Yorkshire Police investigation, said the case was "unusual, disturbing and very complicated".
Catt had proved to be "more than capable of being extremely deceitful in her actions", said Ch Insp Smith.
"Catt has proved to be cold and calculating and has shown no remorse or given an explanation for what she did." | A woman who aborted her own baby in the final phase of her pregnancy has been jailed for eight years. | 19621675 |
William Wright told the Ballymena Guardian newspaper: "I am totally in favour of getting out."
He is a director of the Wrights Group which turns over almost £300m a year and employs more than 1,500 people.
Chief executives of other major local employers, such as Norbrook and Moy Park, support staying in the EU.
The UK is holding a referendum on its EU membership on 23 June.
EU referendum: All you need to know
Last week the chief executive of the Wrights Group, Mark Nodder, said the company did not have a corporate position on the referendum but "each of us has our own personal view".
The EU is not a major export market for the Wrights Group, though Dublin Bus is a significant customer.
Mr Wright said he believed that the UK could strike better trade agreements outside the EU.
He added that farmers do not need to "fear an exit" as the UK government would put in place support measures after the withdrawal of EU subsidies.
In Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is the only major party supporting an exit with Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Alliance all in favour of remaining.
Last year, Mr Wright signed general election nomination papers for the successful DUP candidate in North Antrim, Ian Paisley.
The party also held its Westminster manifesto launch at a Wrightbus factory. | The founder of bus-maker Wrightbus has become the first major business figure in Northern Ireland to support a UK exit from the European Union (EU). | 35752575 |
Sgt Steven William Darbyshire, 35, from Wigan, in Greater Manchester, was shot by insurgents on Wednesday while on security patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province.
The father-of-two was the fourth member of 40 Commando to die in as many days.
On Thursday, the MoD announced that four British soldiers had been killed in a road accident in Helmand.
A total of 307 UK military personnel have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001.
In a statement released by the MoD, Sgt Darbyshire's family said "being Royal Marine was Steven's life and [while] growing up it was all he wanted to do".
"Our world will be a bleaker place without him, his infectious laughter and fantastic sense of humour," they said.
"Mere words do not begin to convey the deep grief and painful heartbreak his untimely death has brought to his shattered family and friends."
Sgt Darbyshire joined the Royal Marines in 1996 and served in Northern Ireland and Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan.
His first tour was in 2007 and he returned again in April this year as part of Alpha Company.
His commanding officer, Lt Col Paul James, said he was "a charismatic, loyal, determined and dedicated sergeant with an irrepressible and infectious sense of humour".
Lt Col James said: "The last time I saw him he was covered in thick mud having just fallen into an irrigation ditch, but he gave me a beaming smile and in the manner that only he could deliver, illuminatingly described his misfortune to all."
"He never took life too seriously, but he cared passionately for the lives of others. He was a selfless, honest and extraordinarily courageous leader who thrived in the role of troop sergeant."
Known as "Darbs" to his colleagues, Sgt Darbyshire had two young sons, Ryan and Callum, with his wife Kate.
He was a fan of football, golf and rugby, and had represented the marine corps as a rugby league player.
Defence Secretary Liam Fox said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of his death.
"The tributes from Sergeant Steven Darbyshire's colleagues paint a picture of a talented marine and an inspirational leader, who has made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the national security of his country," he said. | A Royal Marine shot dead in southern Afghanistan has been named by the Ministry of Defence. | 10407468 |
West Mercia said an allegation had been made towards the officer, based in Shropshire, relating to a "personal relationship".
The force refused to confirm the PCSO's name or gender, but said they had served for six years.
A hearing found the PCSO's behaviour had fallen "below the standards expected".
The decision is subject to the normal appeals process. | A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) has been dismissed for gross misconduct. | 32519326 |
Gwynedd council says the ward of Bryncrug/Llanfihangel in Meirionnydd has attracted no nominations.
It follows a decision by the sitting independent councillor Arwel Pierce to stand down from the authority.
The council said a by-election for the vacancy would have to be held some time after the elections on 3 May.
Mr Pierce was Gwynedd council's portfolio leader for highways and consultancy.
A Gwynedd council spokesperson said after nominations closed on Wednesday: "We can confirm that no candidates have been nominated for the Bryncrug/Llanfihangel ward.
"In accordance with the Representation of the People Act 1983, a by-election to fill the vacancy will be held in due course."
The ward covers a largely rural area on the south western edge of Snowdonia, including the villages of Bryncrug, near Tywyn, and Llanfihangel-y-Pennant in the foothills of Cadair Idris. | While thousands of local council candidates are hitting the campaign trial, one corner of north Wales has failed to tempt anyone to step forward. | 17622555 |
They were flown home from Mexico where he had lived for years and where he died in 2014 at the age of 87.
A ceremony was held in the cloisters of Cartagena University, near Garcia Marquez's family home in the city.
He is best known for his magic realist novels "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Love in the Time of Cholera."
A bronze bust of the writer was unveiled by the writer's son Rodrigo Garcia Barcha in the centre of the cloisters of the university as the centrepiece of the memorial.
"It's a day of joy mixed with sorrow," his sister Aida Rosa Garcia Marquez told the French news agency AFP.
"But there is more joy than sorrow because to see a brother get to where Gabito reached can only bring joy."
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born in the town of Aracataca near Colombia's northern Caribbean coast and started working as a journalist in the late 1940s in Cartagena.
He had lived since the 1980s in Mexico but his family decided he should be buried in Cartagena where many of his family members were also interred.
"Cartagena is the city where the Garcia Marquez family is based. It is where my grandparents are buried." said Gonzalo Garcia Barcha, one of the author's two sons, from France where he now lives in an interview with AFP.
"It seemed natural to us that his ashes should be there too."
Garcia Marquez had a love-hate relationship with Cartagena; the city appears in several of his novels often depicted as a decadent place full of conflict with a class-ridden and racist society. | The ashes of the late Nobel Prize winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, have been laid to rest in the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena. | 36355670 |
The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm will form the basis of the serial, which will be made with the assistance of the Harry Potter author.
The BBC said it was a "coup" to secure the books, which feature private detective Cormoran Strike.
Filming details for the series have yet to be determined.
The number of episodes for the series are still in discussion, and it is not yet clear when it will be broadcast.
The BBC - together with US broadcaster HBO - has already made a small screen version of Rowling's A Casual Vacancy, which is due to be aired in February.
Production company Bronte Films, which made the mini-series, will also be responsible for the new crime drama.
BBC director of television Danny Cohen said: "It's a wonderful coup for BBC TV to be bringing JK Rowling's latest books to the screen.
"With the rich character of Cormoran Strike at their heart, these dramas will be event television across the world."
It emerged Rowling had written The Cuckoo's Calling under a male pseudonym last year, which immediately propelled the book into the bestsellers' list, three months after publication.
She said it had been a "liberating experience" writing under an unknown identity and had hoped to "keep this secret a little longer".
It later transpired a legal firm was the source of the leak of information to The Sunday Times, which revealed the news.
At the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival earlier this year, Rowling revealed the series of books were open-ended and she would produce more than her seven Harry Potter books.
"It's not seven. It's more. It's pretty open ended," she said, adding she could keep giving more cases to Strike.
At the event in July, the author said she had begun work on plotting the fourth book. | A series based on the detective novels written by JK Rowling under the name Robert Galbraith is to be made for TV, the BBC has announced. | 30409174 |
More illegal immigrants have been caught between the ports at the Hook of Holland and Harwich so far this year than in the whole of last year.
Josh Fallow, from Norfolk-based Richard Long Transport, said stowaways were becoming a "bigger and bigger problem".
The UK Border Agency has not yet responded to requests for a comment.
Dutch and UK lorry drivers are lobbying for more checks on Stena services crossing the North Sea.
More than 200 stowaways have been detected this year, including 68 at Harwich earlier this month, and another 50 bound for Hull last week.
I was able to board a Stena crossing in the Hook on Tuesday without showing any tickets, or a passport.
It was possible to reach the lorry deck unchecked during the crossing to Essex.
I also found a hole in the fence at the terminal at the Hook into a secure area where trailers were stored.
I spoke with one UK driver in Belgium who had been offered £2,500 to smuggle three migrants to the UK only last week.
Lorry drivers were also not security checked before boarding. My passport was shown in Harwich although I only witnessed one lorry being scanned on arrival.
Artur van Dijk, president of Transport and Logistic Nederland, which represents 5,500 truck companies, is lobbying his government and the European Union.
"We are quite worried about the situation," he said. "We all know about the problem at Calais and fear a lot of refugees will change from Calais to the Hook."
Last week representatives from the UK Border Agency travelled to Holland to discuss the stowaway problem with border security counterparts at the Hook.
Krijn Torreman, who owns Dutch-based Mammoet Ferry Transport, said he had spent £300,000 on increased security on his 450-strong fleet, but it was not enough to stop three Albanians from stowing away on one of his trailers.
The migrants had broken into a secure area on the Stena-owned dock at the Hook and were sealed by a trafficker. Their attempts to reach the UK were thwarted because the lorry drove inland. They flagged down the driver and were arrested by the police.
Mr Torreman said: "We need to have 100% CO2 control or sniffer dogs. If it continues, the problem will grow in any terminal in Belgium and Holland. We can't protect my drivers if they are on the way anymore. That is the worrying part about it.
"We need the help of the authorities to make sure that we can do safe transport and also that we can protect not just our drivers, but our cargo."
Last week MP Bernard Jenkin said only 6% of lorries arriving at Harwich were checked.
Mr Fallow said he dove heavy agricultural machinery between the Hook of Holland and Harwich in Essex twice a week.
Although he has not been targeted by stowaways so far, he said he was making extra checks on his loads.
"They are trying to find any way they can into the UK," he said. "Some have been found in Rotterdam. That is now going to become a bigger and bigger problem. More of them are going to find their way up here because Calais is getting tighter and tighter."
A spokesman for Stena said the company did not want to respond to the BBC's request for an interview. | Lorry drivers are lobbying for more security checks on ferry services to combat growing numbers of stowaways. | 33176382 |
Dieudonne was also fined €9,000 ($9,500; £6,300) by the court in the city of Liege. He was not in court.
The comedian, who insists he is not anti-Semitic, made the remarks during a show in Liege in 2012.
He has several convictions for anti-Semitism and hate speech.
One of his most recent was after the attack in January on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Dieudonne rose to prominence through the invention of the "quenelle", a hand gesture critics have likened to an inverted Nazi salute.
Several French cities have banned the comedian from performing.
The Belgian court's judgement on Wednesday said that "all the accusations against Dieudonne were established - both incitement to hatred and hate speech but also Holocaust denial".
Eric Lemmens, a lawyer for Belgium's Jewish organisations, said the guilty verdict was a "major victory".
Earlier this month the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Dieudonne in a separate case. It judged that freedom of speech did not mean his performances could be racist or anti-Semitic.
Dieudonne was at that time appealing against a fine he received from a French court in 2009 for inviting a Holocaust denier on stage.
In March, Dieudonne was found guilty by a French court of condoning terrorism and given a two-month sentence.
He had posted on Facebook "I feel like Charlie Coulibaly" just days after the January Paris attacks..
The post combined the "Je Suis Charlie" slogan with the name of one of the three gunmen involved in the attacks on Charlie Hebdo. | Controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala has been sentenced to two months in jail by a Belgian court for racist and anti-Semitic comments he made during a show in Belgium. | 34921071 |
The unmanned aerial vehicles captured a rare white southern whale calf on film as well as recording scenes little known about by scientists.
Record numbers of the whale species have been recorded in their Great Australian Bight breeding grounds.
Australia's southern right whale population is estimated to be 3,000 - 20% of its pre-whaling population.
Murdoch University and Curtin University have been researching southern right whales for almost two decades.
The whales are found only in the oceans of the southern hemisphere. They inhabit waters close to Antarctica during the summer and migrate north in winter.
Curtin University researcher Claire Charlton said it will take many years for the animals to come off the endangered list.
"To assess their health and recovery, long-term population monitoring in the order of decades is required," she said.
The Great Australian Bight is famed for its vast stretches of sheer cliffs. With water access restrained, the whales can be sighted only from the air.
Drones are equipped with rangefinders which allow the vehicles to assess the size and health of mothers and their calves over the three-month breeding season.
Murdoch University researcher Fredrik Christiansen said the research team have assessed more than 170 whales since the season began in late June.
"This project will benefit the conservation of southern right whales by teaching us more about their health and reproduction," he said. | Drones are being used by researchers to study endangered southern right whales in their Australian breeding grounds. | 37241892 |
Mr Jones told the Senedd it was "utterly wrong" to use EU citizens living in the UK as "bargaining chips".
He said: "It makes them sound like hostages. They are not hostages. They are welcome in Wales."
He replied to a question from Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood who called on him to give reassurances to people from other parts of the EU living in Wales.
The comments come amid a debate in the Conservative leadership on guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens already in this country after Brexit.
Mr Jones told First Minister's Questions that he has written to Home Secretary Theresa May over the issue.
Ms May had suggested last weekend that the status of existing EU residents in the UK could be part of Brexit negotiations.
But Tory leadership contender Andrea Leadsom has said citizens of other EU countries living in the UK cannot be "bargaining chips" in Brexit negotiations.
Rival leadership contender, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Stephen Crabb, echoed Ms Leadsom's pledge.
During an urgent question session in the Senedd on EU citizens, Simon Thomas of Plaid Cymru said: "There are 67,000 people from European Union nations living in Wales, and 500 of them are doctors in our health service. We can't afford to lose these people.
"They are part of our families, part of our communities and part of contemporary Wales. It is disgraceful that these people are treated in the way that they have been in the past week."
Jenny Rathbone, Cardiff Central Labour AM, said she spent part of Monday morning "trying to remove a racist slogan from somebody's front door".
"Unfortunately these sort of incidents are not isolated." | First Minister Carwyn Jones has said EU citizens should not be "hostages" in any Brexit negotiations. | 36716469 |
The 17-year-old, who has not been named, was arrested in connection with the deaths of Barry Street, 32, and Nathan Oakley, aged 18, on Thursday.
Post-mortem tests carried out on Saturday confirmed both men died as a result of stab injuries.
The suspect has been remanded in custody and will appear at Ipswich Youth Court on Monday.
Suffolk Police were called to West Meadows traveller site at 13:15 GMT on Thursday after reports that a man in his thirties had been stabbed and collapsed close to the entrance of the camp.
Fifteen minutes later, another person arrived at Ipswich Hospital with suspected stab wounds. | A teenage boy has been charged with the murder of two men who were stabbed at a travellers' site in Ipswich. | 38279011 |
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned if the Budget forecasts were right "we should all be worried".
"This will lead to lower wages and living standards, not just lower tax revenues for the Treasury," it said.
Mr Osborne blamed global factors for the cut, but Labour said his credibility was "completely shot".
Labour also accused him of cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
The independent forecasting body, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), revised the UK growth forecasts down for the next five years in Wednesday's Budget, and Mr Osborne warned the outlook for the global economy was "markedly weaker" with the UK "not immune" to a slowdown.
The IFS said lower UK productivity was largely to blame for the downgrade.
Another think tank, the Resolution Foundation, warned that the richest households would be the greatest beneficiaries from next year's tax changes.
From April 2017, no one will start paying income tax until they earn £11,500 - up from £11,000 from April 2016. And the threshold for the higher rate of tax will be raised from £43,000 to £45,000.
The Resolution Foundation said that would mean the poorest 20% of households gaining just £10 a year on average, while the richest 20% would gain £225.
Despite the lower-than-expected growth, Mr Osborne said he was still on track to get the UK back in the black by 2020, insisting on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he would clear the deficit.
But he added the proviso that it would happen "in normal times when the economy is growing".
However, the IFS warned Mr Osborne was "running out of wriggle room" and gave him just a 50% chance of hitting his target of a £10bn surplus on the public finances by 2020.
It also warned that if growth deteriorated further then Mr Osborne would need fresh spending cuts or tax rises to meet his pledge.
"If there was another downgrade in fiscal forecasts of a similar magnitude and the chancellor did wish to remain on course to deliver a budget surplus in 2019-20 then this would surely require more real policy change," said IFS director Paul Johnson.
Mr Johnson also said the chancellor had "managed to shift quite a lot money around" to try and meet his target but he can only "get away with this once".
Political editor Laura Kuenssberg: A Budget conspiracy?
Economics editor Kamal Ahmed: Osborne stakes reputation on 2020 surplus
Business editor Simon Jack: Small businesses are the winners
Political correspondent Iain Watson: Corbyn gets mixed reviews
In the Budget, Mr Osborne said he would cut spending by a further £3.5bn in the last year of parliament, on top of the cuts announced in November, but did not specify where these would fall.
Mr Osborne said he would also bring forward capital spending, previously due in 2019, and delay tax revenues for the same year to make sure he achieved his budget surplus target.
"If we get another downgrade in prospects or prospects for tax receipts which is perfectly possible - it's almost a 50:50 chance that that will happen - if that happens again he won't be able to get away with a similar set of actions next time," said Mr Johnson.
"He will either have to actually impose some real tax increases of some more spending cuts or he'll have to say, 'look I'm just not going to meet my target. This is the last chance, this is the last time he's going to be able to get away with moving things around like this."
Mr Johnson also warned that there would be an additional "year of austerity" after the next election as a result of Mr Osborne's pledge to maintain the surplus.
"The chancellor has added another year of austerity, another year of spending cuts to the end of his plans so even if we get - if we get - to surplus in 2019/20 which is the plan, we'll have to have another year of pain to stay there the following year," Mr Johnson told the BBC's World at One. | Growth in wages and living standards is set to slow, a think tank has warned, after Chancellor George Osborne revised down forecasts for economic expansion. | 35830754 |
The names Cateryn, Jane and Amee Maddyngley and the date were inscribed on stonework in Kingston parish church.
It was found by Norfolk and Suffolk Medieval Graffiti Survey volunteers.
Archaeologist Matt Champion said the project had shown church plague graffiti was "far more common than previously realised".
"The most heartbreaking inscriptions are those that refer to long-dead children," he said.
The Maddyngley graffiti is hidden under limewash near the door in All Saints' and St Andrew's church.
The family lived in Kingston, seven miles from Cambridge, and were tenant farmers who "rarely turn up in parish records", he said.
Mr Champion believes Cateryn, Jane and Amee must have been children because their names are not found as adults in any of the records.
In 1515, there was an outbreak of bubonic plague in London which spread across south east England.
Mr Champion said Cambridge University suspended its classes and large gatherings of people were banned, "just as we see today with the Ebola outbreaks in Africa".
Children were particularly hard-hit and usually hastily buried in unmarked graves.
The graffiti survey was set up in 2010 and is the first attempt to survey pre-Reformation graffiti in churches since the late 1960s.
Volunteers use digital cameras and powerful lamps to reveal previously hidden or faded markings.
At least 60% of the 650 churches surveyed in Norfolk, Suffolk and north Essex have "significant amounts" of graffiti and volunteers have recorded up to 500 pieces in many of them.
The project has confirmed more graffiti is found to have been created during times of pestilence such as the Black Death of 1349 and subsequent outbreaks of plagues.
"It was a votive offering at a time where prayer counted," Mr Champion said. | "Heartbreaking" graffiti uncovered in a Cambridgeshire church has revealed how three sisters from one family died in a plague outbreak in 1515. | 31459761 |
Lyndhurst starred as a time-travelling TV repairman who had a second life in 1940s London in the popular 1990s show.
Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran said his character Gary Sparrow had been "trying for the last 17 years to find a way back to the present".
The one-off special will be part of a season marking the 60th anniversary of Hancock's Half Hour's first broadcast.
The season will also include new episodes of Are You Being Served?, Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Porridge, Keeping Up Appearances and Up Pompeii!.
Goodnight Sweetheart was first broadcast on BBC One on 18 November 1993.
The initial cast included Michelle Holmes as Gary's wife Yvonne Sparrow, Victor McGuire as his best friend Ron Wheatcroft, while his war-time companions were Christopher Ettridge as bumbling PC Reg Deadman and Dervla Kirwan as Phoebe.
The writing duo said the new episode would feature "much-loved old Goodnight Sweetheart friends and one or two new ones".
BBC Comedy Commissioning controller Shane Allen said the whole season was "geared towards giving comedy royalty their due recognition".
"In Goodnight Sweetheart, we have heavyweight writing and performing talents reunited in this hugely popular and fondly remembered show," he said.
"The conceptual update is sublime and it was heart-skipping stuff to read - it's an absolute belter."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Actor Nicholas Lyndhurst is to take a step back in time in a revival of the BBC sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart. | 36715695 |
"The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution," he said during his inaugural address in parliament.
It should be "negotiated in accordance with international law", he said.
Sweden last month voted out the centre-right Alliance coalition of Fredrik Reinfeldt after eight years.
That allowed the Social Democrats led by Mr Lofven to form a government with other parties on the left including the Greens.
"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine," Mr Lofven said on Friday, without giving a timeline for the recognition.
Sweden will join more than 130 other countries that recognise a Palestinian state.
Most of the EU's 28 member states have refrained from recognising Palestinian statehood and those that do - such as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - did so before joining the bloc.
The Palestinians have long sought to establish an independent, sovereign state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem as its capital, and the Gaza Strip - occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.
Correspondents say Sweden's move is likely to be strongly criticised by Israel and the US, who argue that an independent Palestinian state should only emerge through negotiations.
In 1988, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat unilaterally declared a Palestinian state within the pre-June 1967 lines.
This won recognition from about 100 countries, mainly Arab, Communist and non-aligned states - several of them in Latin America.
The 1993 Oslo Accord between the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel led to mutual recognition. However, two decades of on-off peace talks have since failed to produce a permanent settlement.
In 2012, the UN General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinians to that of a "non-member observer state".
It followed a failed bid to join the international body as a full member state in 2011 because of a lack of support in the UN Security Council. | Sweden is to "recognise the state of Palestine", Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has said, the first long-term EU member country to do so. | 29479418 |
The England international has been ever-present for the Super League leaders so far this season, scoring five tries in nine games.
The 27-year-old is the second Rhinos winger to be sidelined in recent weeks after Tom Briscoe was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
"It's a massive shame for Ryan and a big blow to us," Leeds coach Brian McDermott said. | Leeds Rhinos winger Ryan Hall is facing a month out with a fractured hand. | 32233146 |
In a written answer to Alliance's Stewart Dickson, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said he wants the assembly to legislate on the matter as soon as possible.
Mr Ó Muilleoir acknowledged he has "a little way to go" in securing the necessary support from other MLAs.
But he said he feels legislation can be passed during this assembly term.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is not legal.
Previously, the Democratic Unionist Party has used cross-community 'petitions of concern' to veto motions in favour of same sex marriage.
In its last manifesto, the DUP said it had "stood by its commitment to family values and marriage and will continue to do so".
On Wednesday, Mr Ó Muilleoir also expressed a belief that MLAs are likely to choose to legislate rather than "be forced to legislate on foot of an adverse judgment" in the courts.
He said he wants his officials to "do the groundwork now" so that his department - which has responsibility for the registration of marriages - is "able to move swiftly towards introduction".
Besides preparing a draft bill, the finance minister has asked his officials to initiate discussions with other departments, given that a civil marriage equality bill may touch on matters not within his remit. | Northern Ireland's finance minister has asked his officials to work on a draft bill to introduce same sex marriage in Northern Ireland. | 36599370 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Farah established a new British record of seven minutes 32.62 seconds, with Butchart, 24, running 7:45:00.
Butchart ran the fastest Scottish 5,000m last month in what was a second Olympic qualifying standard.
He also managed a personal best over 10,000m in May, with the Olympic trials to come in Birmingham on 24-26 June.
Eilidh Doyle continued her fine start to the season with a second place in the 400m hurdles, finishing with the same time [54.57 secs] as USA's Cassandra Tate but missing out on the photo finish.
Doyle, 29, had won the Diamond League opener in Doha and then taken third in Rome, and she led to the line here before Tate's late surge and dip.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It's a brilliant class of athletes out there, so to be that close, I can't complain," Doyle told BBC Sport.
Lynsey Sharp ran under two minutes for the 800m but that was only good enough for fourth place, with Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi clocking an impressive 1:56.92 to win. | Andrew Butchart set a new Scottish record over 3,000m, finishing fourth behind Mo Farah at the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham. | 36456177 |
The picture also spells out "2017", if one takes stands a certain distance away and stares at it for a while.
Mr Corbyn's minimalist selection contrasts with cards sent by Prime Minister Theresa May and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who both opted for pictures by children in their constituencies.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon went for cartoon character Oor Wullie.
Mr Corbyn's card bears the message "With warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", the dove often being used as a symbol of purity and peace.
The Labour leader's offering last year showed snow-covered bicycles chained to a rack next to a red telephone box. The traffic light in the photograph was also on red.
This year, her first as prime minister, Theresa May has sent three different Christmas cards, bearing pictures of Downing Street by children in her Maidenhead constituency.
Mr Farron also featured a drawing by a youngster from his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, in which a dog lies asleep on a crescent moon (also sleeping), both wearing Santa hats.
Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones chose a design by a schoolboy, showing a red dragon pulling Santa's sleigh over a Christmas tree, with a mountain range in the background.
And Ms Sturgeon's features Oor Wullie - the comic-book character celebrating his 80th anniversary this year - whom she described as a "much-loved national treasure adored by both children and adults across Scotland". | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has chosen a white dove on a red background as the design for his official Christmas card. | 38286790 |
The 28-year-old Kenyan said on Twitter it was "sad and disappointing" to miss out on the event, which runs from 4 to 13 August in London.
He is the only person to ever run under one minute 41 seconds for the event.
He won gold in London at the 2012 Olympics and again in Rio last year.
Rudisha said earlier this week he was "excited" to return to London, where he set the 800m world record of one minute 40.91 seconds five years ago.
He is ranked only 19th in the world this year, but would have been bidding for a third successive gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.
Fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Korir and Botswana's Nijel Amos are expected to battle for the gold in Rudisha's absence. | Defending champion and 800m world record holder David Rudisha has pulled out of next month's World Athletics Championships with a quad muscle strain. | 40781379 |
The alert on the Brians Well Road has now ended.
PSNI officers have been searching the area since a suspicious object was reported on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, army bomb disposal experts declared the object to be a viable explosive device.
It has now been made safe and has been taken away for forensic examination.
In a statement, Ch Supt Chris Noble said he believed the device was "designed to kill or seriously injure officers serving the local community in west Belfast".
He added: "It was also left in a position where there is every possibility that it could have killed or maimed members of the public.
"Those who left it have shown callous disregard for the safety of the local community and the police officers serving this community. We are extremely fortunate that no one was killed or seriously injured."
Praising the local community for their patience during the operation, Ch Supt Noble said: "The security operation caused significant disruption to the people of the area, but was required in order to keep people safe."
He also condemned the "reckless individuals" who planted the bomb, saying: "The overwhelming number of people in the community do not want this type of activity and we as a police service will continue to work to bring those responsible before the courts.
"We have had officers in the area since yesterday evening. These officers have worked hard to keep people safe during the security operation.
"However, these same officers could have been better used in meeting areas of community concern. Arresting drug dealers, drink drivers or working with victims of domestic abuse, for example." | The PSNI have said an explosive device discovered during a security operation in Poleglass, west Belfast, was "designed to kill or seriously injure police officers". | 38629910 |
A Bronx Tale, which began its life as a one-man stage play before being filmed, will run at the Longacre Theatre in New York from 3 November.
The show was first staged at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey last year.
De Niro, 72, said he was "very excited" to "bring this special story to new audiences".
"A Bronx Tale has always had a very special meaning to me and I always thought it had great potential to be a musical," he said.
Co-directed by Jerry Zaks, the show tells of an Italian-American teenager who finds himself torn between the contrasting examples set by his father and a mob-boss father figure.
Zaks, whose Broadway credits include Guys and Dolls and La Cage aux Folles, previously directed Chazz Palminteri's one-man show when it ran on Broadway in 2007.
De Niro, who played the "good" father role in the 1993 film, described Zaks as "a great person" from whom he had "already learned a lot".
The musical features a score by Aladdin composer Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, who previously worked together on Disney's Tangled and the stage version of The Little Mermaid.
A Bronx Tale is one of two films De Niro has directed to date, the other being 2006 espionage drama The Good Shepherd. | A musical version of the 1993 film that marked Robert De Niro's directorial debut is to come to Broadway later this year, with De Niro as its co-director. | 36546901 |
The North Korean women's team walked off after a video introducing their players showed the South Korean flag. They later returned to play the match.
BBC Scotland understands the video package was sent from London and Hampden organisers had no input.
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "an honest mistake".
In a news conference on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Games, he told assembled journalists: "This was an honest mistake, honestly made.
"An apology has been made and I'm sure every step has been taken to ensure these things don't happen again.
"We shouldn't over-inflate this episode - it was unfortunate, it shouldn't have happened and I think we can leave it at that."
BBC Scotland's Olympics correspondent Kheredine Idessane said: "These video packages are sent centrally from London, out to the other venues, so, this isn't a Glasgow problem.
"There were the correct North Korean flags flying in the top tier of the stadium where they have all the flags displayed from countries who are competing in the tournament."
The North Korean team could only be persuaded to return for their match against Colombia after the error was corrected.
As yet the London games organisers have been unable to clarify who made the video.
The blunder had the impact it did because of the situation which exists between both Koreas.
Both countries are still technically at war after the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice.
Speaking after the match, North Korea's coach Sin Ui Gun said: "Our team was not going to participate unless the problem was solved properly."
A statement released by London 2012 organisers said: "Ahead of the women's football match at Hampden Park, the Republic of Korea flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea flag.
"Clearly that is a mistake, we will apologise to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."
The incident made headlines around the world - except in communist controlled North Korea.
State news agency KCNA reported the women's Olympic football team beating Colombia 2-0 but made no mention of the flag row.
Meanwhile, Hampden Stadium will host two more Olympic football games on Thursday.
In the men's preliminaries, Honduras play Morocco at 12:00, followed by Spain v Japan at 14:45. | Olympic officials in London are to blame for a flag row which jeopardised a women's football game at Hampden Stadium in Glasgow, it has emerged. | 18995657 |
Families left the Indian Ocean islands in the 1960s and 70s to make way for a US Air Force base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the group of islands.
An Immigration Order preventing anyone from going back was issued in 1971.
The Supreme Court - UK's highest court - upheld a 2008 House of Lords ruling that the exiles could not return.
Olivier Bancoult, the Chagossian leader who has been fighting in the courts on behalf of the islanders, had argued that decision should be set aside.
In the latest challenge, justices were told it relied heavily on a 2002 feasibility study into resettlement, which concluded that the costs of long-term inhabitation of the outer islands would be prohibitive and life there precarious.
Information about the feasibility study was not disclosed before the decision was made, the islanders said.
But the five justices dismissed the islanders' appeal by a majority of three to two - the same numerical split as the Law Lords in 2008.
Sabrina Jean from Crawley, West Sussex, chairs the Chagos Refugees UK group. Her father was originally from Chagos Island and is one of the 3,000-strong Chagossian community who live in the town, which is near Gatwick Airport.
She told BBC Sussex: "We are disappointed about the result but we will never give up. We will continue our fight to find justice for the Chagossian community. All the people have the right to live on the islands."
At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Henry Smith, MP for Crawley asked David Cameron if it would be a good legacy to allow the islanders to return.
Mr Cameron said the National Security Council was considering the case and had looked at the alternative options and costs.
"We will be making an announcement in the coming months," he said.
Stefan Donnelly, of the UK Chagos Support Association, said the decision was "disappointing" after decades of "peaceful and powerful" campaigning but "justice is still within reach though".
"It is ministers' responsibility to conclude their long-running policy review on the resettlement of the Chagos Islands," he said.
"Chagossians are our fellow citizens and we need to stand together and demand ministers get started on a fair return programme now."
TV presenter Ben Fogle has supported the campaign.
He said it was "hard to accept the ruling", but added: "The government's own policy review has already concluded that return is feasible, costs are modest and plenty of Chagossians are ready to go.
"So this fight for justice will continue - and grow."
UKIP's Commonwealth spokesman James Carver MEP said he was "dismayed" by the ruling, saying: "This moral injustice continues to be a stain on our history."
The Supreme Court case was the latest in a long legal battle over the right of the islanders to return.
In 2000, High Court judges ruled that Chagossians could return to 65 of the islands, but not to Diego Garcia.
In 2004, the government used the royal prerogative - exercised by ministers in the Queen's name - to effectively nullify the decision.
Then in 2007, the court overturned that order and rejected the government's argument that the royal prerogative was immune from scrutiny.
However, the following year the government won an appeal, with the House of Lords ruling the exiles could not return.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been a long-standing supporter of their campaign to go back. | Former residents of the Chagos Islands who were forcibly removed from their homeland more than 40 years ago have lost their legal challenge to return. | 36659976 |
The Friday slot makes Muse the first band to have headlined every night of the festival - they played on Saturday night in 2010, and Sunday in 2004.
Muse posted a video on Friday titled "Playing a little show at home…" showing clips from their previous Glastonbury performances.
The Devon three-piece won a Grammy for best rock album earlier this month.
Their seventh studio album, Drones, was released last June.
Coldplay revealed last week they would headline the Pyramid Stage on Sunday.
The Saturday headliners are yet to be announced - but Jeff Lynne's ELO have been confirmed for the Sunday teatime slot.
The 2016 festival runs from 23 to 26 June. | Muse have been announced as the Friday night headliners on the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival. | 35670052 |
The internet giant said it would open the 310,000-sq-ft Dunstable site in the autumn.
Central Bedfordshire councillor Nigel Young said it was an "important milestone" in the area's regeneration.
The centre, at Prologis Park in Boscombe Road, will be the company's ninth in the UK, and the second in the East of England.
Councillor Young said the new centre would benefit from local transport improvements which form part of the Conservative-led authority's wider regeneration efforts.
Amazon's UK operations director John Tagawa said the firm looked forward to the new site playing an "integral role" in the business.
"Over the last two years, we have added well in excess of 2,000 new employees to our UK workforce and we are delighted to be able to create a further 500 permanent jobs at our new Dunstable centre." | Five hundred permanent jobs are to be created at a new Amazon distribution centre in Bedfordshire. | 32703047 |
As 2017 gets underway, here's a rundown of the MPs and peers who are going to be making the political weather in the coming 12 months.
As Chairman of Ways and Means, the senior deputy speaker, Lindsay Hoyle will have a key role in the Brexit legislation coming down the track.
The promised Great Repeal Bill and the possible bill to give parliamentary authorisation to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty (which will surface if required by a Supreme Court ruling, due in January) and begin the formal process of leaving the EU will both be constitutional measures which will have to be considered by a Committee of the Whole House - and guess who gets to rule on the amendments to be considered.
The government is promising to make both as "amendment proof" as possible, thus repelling any attempts by pro-EU MPs to attach terms and conditions to Brexit - and Labour is determined to attach riders on issues like employment rights.
As Chairman of Ways and Means, Mr Hoyle decides on selection of amendments in a Committee of the Whole House - the Speaker, by ancient tradition, is not allowed to be involved in committees (in the 17th Century, one of the reasons the House spent so much of its time in committee was because they wanted to minimise the time the King's toady in the form of the Speaker was in the Chair, ready to grass them up).
Mr Hoyle could find himself taking some highly-charged decisions, potentially setting up some very awkward Commons votes - although he will do so on the basis of the expert advice of the Commons clerks. This could be a severe test of both the chairman himself, and of the hidden wiring of the House, its unseen system of behind-the-scenes deal-making, involving the clerks, the whips and the Chair.
The formidable former permanent secretary to HM Treasury is to chair a Lords Committee to find a way to reduce the number of peers thronging the red benches.
Peers know the burgeoning size of their House is now a severe embarrassment, but as elsewhere in Parliament the Turkeys-Early Christmas principle operates, and while a few might be ready to hang up their ermine robes, the numbers are nowhere near enough to bring the size of the Lords close to parity with the Commons.
The key issue is whether any change is made on a pro-rata basis, or whether it changes the political balance of the House, perhaps to reflect the result of the last general election - if the latter, then the Lib Dem peers will face a cull.
I know, that's two parliamentarians, but hear me out.
As chairs of the Health Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee, Sarah Wollaston and Meg Hillier have formed an important cross-party axis to press for action on the financial sustainability of the NHS (they both questioned the PM on this at the Commons Liaison Committee) and they will be in a good position to keep up the pressure on ministers, with regular hearings to highlight the problems.
In fact, this kind of cross-committee cooperation is the hot new trend on the committee corridor, with considerable collaboration between different chairs on cross-cutting issues.
Also known as "Rebel Commander", the Tory MP for Wycombe may well be the most influential backbencher you have never heard of.
He's the key strategist who ring-mastered the backbench manoeuvres which cornered David Cameron into conceding a referendum, which involved high level diplomatic skills to keep the principalities and powers on the Tories' Leave wing working together.
He's now marshalling the same forces to argue against any form of Brexit which amounts to EU membership-lite. Media-shy, but utterly determined, he will seldom break cover, but will undoubtedly shape events.
The smartest guy in the room in most Labour Party meetings, Tony Blair's former political secretary now sits on the Brexit Committee, where his interventions are few, but pointed. Since the referendum he has repeatedly told Tory Brexiteers that they must be held responsible for the consequences of the policy they persuaded the voters to back: "You broke it, you own it," is his refrain.
His calculation seems to be that a hard Brexit is on the way and that the political responsibility for any resulting economic pain must be pinned firmly to the government.
The Conservative MP and former soldier who's chairing an inquiry into the treatment of troops accused of war crimes in Iraq gave the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, and his supporting cast a very tough time at the most recent hearing of his special defence sub-committee - far tougher than Conservative MPs usually hand out to their leadership in a public forum.
The committee reports in January and on this showing the government will not be spared the lash - and with a parallel issue surfacing in Northern Ireland, there could be major implications to their conclusions there.
The SNP's Westminster leader is the class act in PMQs at a time when the two main protagonists are struggling to cope with this most demanding of Westminster occasions.
He uses his modest quota of questions to some effect - and could offer lessons to less effective interrogators. Expect his to be an effective advocate for the SNP's carefully-honed message on Brexit.
The stand-out orator of the 2015 intake (only the SNP's Mhairi Black comes close), she's the antithesis of the office-seeking Westminster clone and already has a resignation under her belt, from the lowly office of bag carrier to the former shadow education secretary, Lucy Powell.
She's such a confident speaker she may even find it too easy to busk - which could one day get her into trouble.
The crossbench super-lawyer's main impact on UK politics this year was as counsel for the legal action to force a parliamentary decision on the triggering of Article 50.
A few years ago I wrote that he was probably the most influential backbench peer in the Lords, because when he spoke in favour of some amendment to government legislation, other peers from all parties and none tended to follow his lead. I suspect that when Brexit legislation arrives before Their Lordships, his voice will be heard again.
If the ex-Chancellor thought he had no future in politics, I suspect some smart young man from a high-powered Tory think-tank would, by now, have delivered a maiden speech as the new MP for Tatton.
Certainly, Leave campaigners suspect that he and his network are organising a soft Brexit strategy - an impression that pictures of him carousing with his coalition colleague, Nick Clegg, do nothing to dispel. He has recently broken his post-departure silence, both in the Commons and in the media; expect to hear more of him.
As leader of his party's 103 peers he is arguably the most powerful Lib Dem in the land...and if anyone in the Lords is going to attempt to derail Brexit legislation it would be them.
As a former chief whip, Lord Newby can work out the numbers, but his prospects of success or even making a decent showing, depend on his ability to lure peers from elsewhere, particularly Labour.
The senior Conservative backbencher has put himself at the head of a counter-revolution against plans to move Parliament out of the Victorian palace of Westminster to make way for a multi-billion pound refurbishment scheme.
When, late in January, MPs are asked to vote on the plan, which would see them decamp to a temporary chamber in, perhaps, 2021, he plans to propose an alternative scheme, which would ensure they remain in the building, with the Commons sitting in the Lords chamber, while peers are bumped to the Royal Gallery, next door. (Something similar happened when the Commons chamber was bombed out during World War II.)
He argues that the parliamentary authorities are pushing for an unnecessarily elaborate and unjustifiably expensive makeover. He won loud applause for attacking current plans at the Conservative 1922 Committee and he claims cross-party support for his alternative.
One obvious omission from this list is Hilary Benn - the chair of the new Brexit Select Committee; this is not because he is unimpressive or because his committee is not full of interesting folk.
I hesitated over including him because I still wonder if the Brexit Committee can deliver useful reports that bridge the chasm between its Leave and Remain members. Mr Benn has proved a tactful and effective chair of its hearings, so far.
And if anybody can forge something more than a lowest common denominator consensus from its deliberations, then it is he - so, who knows, maybe he will top next year's list. | Who are the 12 parliamentarians who will shape Westminster this year? | 38496744 |
The plan, which must still be ratified next year, abolishes the two-term limit for presidents.
The United States has criticised the proposal, and a crowd protested outside parliament in the capital, Managua.
Mr Ortega first came to power during the Sandinista revolution, in 1979.
He served initially as president until 1990, and then won elections again in 2006.
The Sandinista-controlled National Assembly approved the constitutional reform bill by 64 votes to 26.
The National Assembly will have to vote again on the plan in 2014.
But members of the opposition said the changes were "illegitimate" and only designed to perpetuate Mr Ortega's power.
Dozens of people protested against the reform and criticised the members of the Parliament for approving it.
Besides scrapping term limits on the presidency, the proposed changes would allow the appointment of active duty police and military officials to government offices currently set aside for civilians.
When the Sandinistas came to power in 1979, they redistributed property and made huge progress in the spheres of health and education.
However, their pro-Cuban orientation alarmed the United States, which launched a sustained campaign of embargo and armed subversion.
In 1990, the Sandinistas were defeated in elections. But Mr Ortega made a come-back at the polls in 2006 and was sworn in as president the following year.
A Supreme Court ruling allowed Mr Ortega to run for re-election in 2011. | A constitutional reform which would allow Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to run for an unprecedented fourth term has been approved by the National Assembly. | 25325926 |
The petrol bomb was thrown at a house in Alfred Street Place at about 03:45 BST on Friday.
A window in the house was smashed and scorch damage caused to an exterior wall.
"This attack has caused a great deal of shock to the family involved and the wider community of Ballymena," DUP MLA Paul Frew said.
"Thankfully nobody was injured in this attack, but we could have a very different story emerging from this area today."
Police have appealed for anyone with any information about the attack to contact them. | Four people, including an 11-year-old boy, have escaped injury after a petrol bomb attack in Ballymena. | 39666785 |
Ronnie Coulter, 48, from Wishaw, was originally cleared of stabbing the 32-year-old in Overtown, North Lanarkshire, following a trial in 1999.
The Crown was given permission to bring a second prosecution following changes to Scotland's double jeopardy laws.
Coulter was convicted at the second trial at the High Court in Glasgow. He now faces a mandatory life term.
His conviction is only the second time in Scottish legal history that an accused has been tried twice for the same crime. The other saw Angus Sinclair convicted of the World's End murders after a second trial.
Coulter was convicted by a majority verdict following a four-week trial.
Judge Lord Matthews deferred sentence until 31 October for background reports.
The judge told Coulter: "There is only one sentence I can pass of life imprisonment. The only question for me is how long you should serve before being eligible for parole."
Lord Matthews said he was calling for background reports given the relatively minor nature of Coulter's previous convictions and his mental health issues.
Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who began campaigning for the Chhokar family when he was a final year law student at Strathclyde University, said: "Today's verdict is not a cause for celebration but relief that finally justice has been done after nearly 18 years.
"No-one can imagine the devastating toll on a family who were forced to campaign for justice.
"In 2000, I stood on the steps of this court, accusing our justice system of acting like a gentleman's colonial club - of being arrogant, unaccountable and institutionally racist.
"But the Chhokar family want to thank today's prosecutors, Crown Office and Police Scotland for their unwavering commitment to justice."
Mr Anwar said the Chhokar family's campaign for justice had "placed victim's rights at the heart of a modern criminal justice system" and would "be their legacy for generations to come".
He added: "Their is real sorrow that Mr Darshan Singh Chhokar is not here to see justice, but I hope that both he and Surjit are finally at peace."
Two official inquiries were ordered after the original trial of Mr Coulter and the subsequent acquittal of his nephew Andrew and David Montgomery over Mr Chhokar's death.
One of the reports made allegations of "institutional racism" and the other said that all three men should have stood trial together.
Following the publication of the reports in 2001, the then Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC, said the Chhokar family had been failed by the police and prosecution services.
In his last interview before his death in November 2015, Mr Chhokar's father said his only wish was that those responsible for his son's death "face justice".
After the verdict a spokesman for the Crown Office said: "We welcome the decision of the jury and the fact that this means someone has now been convicted for the appalling murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998.
"We would like to pay tribute to his family who have behaved with great courage and dignity throughout their long wait to see someone found guilty of his murder.
"As a result of this case, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has transformed the way it deals with allegations of racial crimes including a complete review of how we manage High Court business and significant improvements to the way we communicate with relatives."
Det Ch Supt Clark Cuzen, who led the investigation, said: "Coulter has been cowardly for showing absolutely no remorse for his crimes and the fact that he has actively and deliberately tried to evade justice for years speaks volume about the individual."
The detective paid tribute to Mr Chhokar's father, Darshan Singh Chhokar, who died last year.
He described the case as "a complex and challenging two-year investigation" that "ultimately...pointed the finger firmly at Ronnie Coulter".
Det Ch Supt Cuzen added: "Whilst we were unable to find evidence of racial motivation at the time of the murder, there was evidence to support the fact that Ronnie Coulter described Surjit using racist terms when confessing to the murder."
The trial heard that Ronnie Coulter, his nephew Andrew Coulter and another man, David Montgomery, went to see Mr Chhokar on 4 November 1998 following a row over a stolen £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 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.
In 2011, changes were made to the double jeopardy law which prevented an accused person from being tried for the same offence twice.
In January 2013, the Crown Office ordered a new investigation into the Chhokar case.
The following year, three high court judges granted prosecutors permission to retry Ronnie Coulter.
He denied the charge and lodged a special defence blaming his nephew Andrew and Mr Montgomery.
Both men gave evidence during the trial and admitted being there on the night Mr Chhokar died, but they denied murder.
A jury has now decided Ronnie Coulter committed the murder and convicted him following a second trial.
November 4, 1998: Surjit Singh Chhokar murdered
9 March 1999: Ronnie Coulter acquitted of murder, but convicted of assaulting Mr Chhokar. He was not sentenced because of the time he had already spent in custody. In a Special Defence of Incrimination he had blamed his nephew Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery for the murder. Trial judge Lord McCluskey fiercely attacked the Crown for having failed to indict all three men together. He said: "For reasons that I cannot begin to understand, one, and only one of those persons was placed in the dock and charged with the crime. That is a matter which, to me, as a judge of considerable experience, passes my understanding altogether, I cannot begin to understand how it happened and I shall be taking steps to see if I can discover what the reason was for the course that was taken. Unfortunately I know no more than you do about that particular background."
The then Lord Advocate, Lord Hardie replied in a statement: "It is a matter of regret that a judge of such experience should make such public pronouncements in ignorance of the background to the case. Such uninformed and ill-advised remarks do not serve the interests of justice and fail to appreciate the respective roles of the Lord Advocate and the Judiciary. Prosecution decisions fall within the independent exercise of the discretion of the Lord Advocate, who is not accountable to the High Court of Justiciary, or any of its judges, for such decisions. From the preliminary report given to me I am satisfied that the action taken in this case was the most appropriate in the circumstances and the reasons for it are sound."
2 July 1999: Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery indicted for Mr Chhokar's murder. They lodged a "plea in bar of trial" at the High Court, claiming the case should not be allowed to go ahead because pre-trial publicity meant they wouldn't get a fair hearing.
14 September 1999: Appeal Court in Edinburgh rejects plea. The men appealed to the Privy Council.
28 November 2000: Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery acquitted of murder. They had named Ronnie Coulter as the killer in their own Special Defences.
24 October 2001: Report of Sir Anthony Campbell QC into the way prosecution decisions were made in the Surjit Singh Chhokar case. He said all three men should have been indicted together, and recommended a review of Crown Office procedures.
24 October 2001: Report of Dr. Raj Jandoo into allegations of institutional racism on the case. Among his findings: institutional racism was evident in the police and the procurator fiscal system, and police failed to appreciate the impact which a major crime has on members of a vulnerable minority community.
21 January 2015: Crown Office indicts Ronnie Coulter for Mr Chhokar's murder. This follows an application to the High Court seeking permission to raise a prosecution under Double Jeopardy laws. Coulter's case will be only the second such prosecution. The only other was that of Angus Sinclair in the World's End murder case.
5 October 2016: Ronnie Coulter convicted of murder | A man has been convicted of the 1998 murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar after being tried for a second time. | 37561791 |
I note that a Nigerian court recently cleared a man who had been charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace for naming his dog after President Muhammadu Buhari.
The man said he did it out of love: "I named my beloved pet dog, Buhari, who is my hero... My admiration for Buhari started far back when he was a military head of state."
Regardless of my love or otherwise for a head of state I am unlikely to ever face the kind of problem that led to this man's entanglement with the law.
I do not own a dog, have never owned one, have never been tempted to own one, and will never own a dog. Dogs just do not feature in my world.
My story, or to be accurate, my non-story about dogs has to do with the place I call my hometown, Abutia, which is a little village in the Volta Region of Ghana.
I lived with my grandmother in Abutia, between the ages of five and nine, and I never saw a dog.
I suspect that the first time was after I left Abutia as dogs are not allowed in the village, neither at that time or now.
And it was only when I left Abutia that it dawned on me that dogs can play a major role in people's lives.
I went to San Francisco and was taken to a pet cemetery which was far, far more beautiful than any cemetery I had seen for human beings.
I met someone laying a bunch of beautiful flowers on the grave of his dog which had died five years previously. I decided I would let people have their dogs and I will keep out of their way.
Then I went to live in the United Kingdom and I discovered dogs occupied an elevated place in the lives of the natives there.
I saw dogs being cuddled and being kissed, I saw dogs licking the faces and mouths of their owners. I saw dogs lying on sofas and beds and I saw dogs being groomed in very fancy and expensive salons.
I noted that every news report about famine and unrest anywhere contained a line about a hungry dog.
I noted the frequency with which Queen Elizabeth's corgis got mentioned.
I came close to changing my position on dogs when I got mesmerised by the guide dog of visually-impaired cabinet minister David Blunkett.
I decided I should make an effort to learn the ways of my hosts and learn about dogs.
I went to the greyhound races in Oxford with friends. It was a great outing but it did nothing for me in raising the status of dogs in my estimation.
In 1987, I became very excited when the dog belonging to someone with a Ghanaian sounding name - Chris Amoo - won the top prize at Britain's premier canine show, Crufts, with his Afghan hound.
The next year I surreptitiously went to the Crufts show and saw dogs at their most exotic.
I tried, but I am afraid after living in the UK for 19 years I stuck firmly to my Abutia upbringing: No dogs.
Elizabeth Ohene:
Dogs just do not feature in my world.
I should state that my position and the attitude in Abutia is not universal in Ghana.
Increasingly, we have ferocious guard dogs. And there are some people here who do have pet dogs; we once had a first lady who attested to having dogs that she named Candy and Sweetie Pie.
Indeed, there are parts of Ghana where dogs are a delicacy. I make no comments about that.
But in the place where I come from, no-one has to think about a name for a dog as they do not exist there. So there is no danger I will be caught naming a dog after friend or foe.
More from Elizabeth Ohene:
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa, on Instagram at bbcafrica or email africalive@bbc.co.uk | In our series of letters from African writers, veteran Ghanaian journalist Elizabeth Ohene reflects on her lack of passion for "man's best friend". | 40793140 |
There have been ongoing industrial problems at the school over the past few months.
Mr O'Dowd had previously been reluctant to sanction an investigation.
However he says new information received from parents and other sources has led to his decision.
The investigation will look at staff relationships, the role of senior leadership, governance of the school and the impact of the ongoing disputes there on pupils.
"Following a recent meeting with the Concerned Parents of De La Salle Group, further information being provided to me earlier this week, and other important issues that have come to light in recent days from official sources, I have decided to take forward an investigation regarding the current situation at the school," he said.
"My priority remains the education of these young people, in particular those due to sit examinations soon."
"Work continues to be undertaken by the relevant authorities and Associate Principal Imelda Jordan to address the immediate concerns within the school and this investigation will not impede that important work," he said.
"However, it is important to independently review all the circumstances that gave rise to this serious situation in the school and to come up with recommendations that will ensure the school's success going forward."
No-one has been appointed to carry out the probe yet, but the minister wants it to be completed by early summer.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) have said they will "carefully study" the Minister's announcement.
In a statement INTO said they will ensure that, "if and when we decide to engage with this independent inquiry it will be for the benefit of INTO members in De La Salle College and the education of pupils which they have responsibility for.
"In the meantime, INTO will continue to work with the groups established under the agreed process to find a way forward in De La Salle College." | The Education Minister John O'Dowd has ordered an independent investigation into events at De La Salle College in Belfast. | 36099191 |
Dr Nihal Weerasena was accused of various failures in the care of six children and one adult while employed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust between 2008 and 2012.
The surgeon had claimed he was made "a scapegoat" for shortcomings at the unit.
The tribunal will now decide whether his fitness to practise is impaired.
The trust referred the doctor to the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2014 after a review of paediatric care services, which included looking at clinical outcomes.
A report later concluded the unit did not have excessive mortality rates.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found the surgeon had shown "substandard practice" in his treatment of a seven-year-old patient in 2012 in a "complex" surgery.
However, he was cleared of missing a key event during the operation in his typed report which had appeared in his handwritten note.
He also failed to keep an accurate record of surgery on a six-year-old patient in November 2010, the panel found.
Failings also occurred in an operation on an eight-year-old patient in September 2010 to repair narrowing of the arteries into the heart.
Dr Weerasena was cleared of failing to seek senior surgical help during another procedure and not explaining in his typed operation report why the patient had died.
His treatment of two other children was also found to be substandard. An allegation involving his care of a sixth child was not proved.
Another charge that he failed to obtain informed consent from a male patient to repair an aortic valve, when the patient was "100% certain" he was supposed to have a replacement, was proved.
The surgeon did not attend the hearing in Manchester but explained his absence in writing and alleged he had been the victim of a "cover-up". | A surgeon has been found guilty of misconduct after a number of errors at a hospital's child heart unit. | 38650594 |
Roger Pion crushed the county sheriff's cruisers on Thursday before making his getaway on the farm vehicle.
The 34-year-old was stopped by police in Newport city, northern Vermont, not far from the crime scene.
Sheriff's deputies were unaware of the destruction in their department car park until a resident called 911.
Orleans County Sheriff Kirk Martin said they were initially unable to give chase as their cars had been wrecked.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Rene Morris, who saw the crash, told a local news station: "I felt like I was in a monster jam rally or something.
"I just couldn't believe it, just backing up going over it, turns around makes his way to the other vehicles smashes those up."
Mr Pion was detained last month accused of resisting arrest and marijuana possession, said police.
He was in custody on Thursday evening, facing a number of additional charges. | A farmer in the US state of Vermont who was facing a minor drugs charge is now in more serious trouble after driving a tractor over seven police cars. | 19112837 |
The England Under-23 international scored 14 goals last season as Doncaster finished second in WSL 2 and were promoted back to the top flight.
England, 21, said: "I feel I am at the stage in my career to test myself at a higher level.
"There is no doubt that will happen at Chelsea, not just during games but in every training session."
Her arrival is Chelsea's fourth signing of the close season. They have also brought in midfielders Karen Carney and Jade Bailey and goalkeeper Becky Spencer.
England will be reunited with Chelsea assistant manager Paul Green, who signed her during his time at Doncaster.
"Beth is a great character and a young player who is hungry to develop and improve her game," said Green. | Women's Super League champions Chelsea Ladies have signed forward Bethany England from Doncaster Belles. | 35364826 |
The Swiss insurer announced in July that it was considering buying its British counterpart for £5.6bn.
RSA said that the approach had been unsolicited but that Zurich's decision not to proceed had not been a result of anything unexpected in the due diligence process.
Zurich warned profits in its general insurance arm would miss forecasts.
"Given the deterioration in profitability in certain parts of the General Insurance business, and following his appointment as General Insurance CEO, Kristof Terryn is conducting an in-depth review of the business," Zurich said in an update on third quarter trading.
It estimated that it would lose about $275m (£177m) as a result of the explosions at a container storage station in the Port of Tianjin in China in mid-August.
Overall, it expects an operating loss of about $200m from the general insurance business.
RSA shares closed 20.8% lower, as some banks and investment houses advised clients to be less enthusiastic about the stock.
The falls came despite the company announcing that its trading results for July and August had been "positive and ahead of our expectations". | Zurich Insurance has announced that it has finished its discussions with RSA and does not plan to make a bid. | 34311822 |
Rachel Miller has paid "brokers" up to £7,500 a time to free sex slaves.
She travelled to parts of southern Turkey this summer that the Foreign Office had declared no-go zones.
But the recent coup attempt in Turkey means she cannot work "under the radar" any longer, she said.
Ms Miller, 40, a mother-of-three from Cinderhill in Nottingham, said her Kurdish husband supported her work but she did not always tell him the full story until after she had returned.
"I don't deal directly with the slavers - but I deal with a broker who has contacted a family that wants to free their child from slavery," she said.
"He says I can get your daughter but it will cost - it can cost up to $10,000."
Her husband often stays in Britain with their two young children, who are seven and eight years old, while she makes her trips abroad.
She said she would not be returning to Turkey in the near future as "the police presence and road blocks have increased".
"I could feel the tension and I was worried I might be arrested," she explained.
She has raised almost £40,000 in crowd funding to take supplies to the refugees and has travelled to camps in France and to the island of Kos in Greece.
"A lot of people say 'you are funding Isis' but you have to got to remember these are children," she said.
"You can't change the world, but you can change a life."
Ms Miller, who has even sold some of her own gold wedding jewellery to fund freeing the girls, said she would continue working to help refugees and was planning to travel next to northern Iraq.
She is setting up a charity shop called Mesopotamia in a former bank in Nottingham to raise more money.
"You sell what you've got - I've sold at car boots and on eBay and on internet sites and begged and borrowed," she said. | A British woman who has spent years helping refugees by taking supplies to Turkey and Greece has said she will stop her mercy missions because they are "too dangerous". | 37266436 |
The ceremony, a 255-year-old tradition, sees buns thrown from the roof of the county hall to crowds below to mark royal occasions.
Each of the 4,500 currant buns fired into the crowd on Saturday evening was marked with a 90.
Organised by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, the last bun-throw was in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee.
The buns were thrown by council members into the crowds below who tried to catch them.
The Mayor, Councillor Alice Badcock, who started the event of by throwing the first bun, said: "Bun throwing is a major event for Abingdon.
"It does not take place every year and therefore people very much look forward to taking part when there is a royal event to celebrate."
Buns marked with the letters 'C' and 'W' were also thrown in 2011 to celebrate the Royal Wedding. | Thousands of people turned out to watch a bun throwing event in Abingdon to mark the Queen's 90th birthday. | 36510593 |
The Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) sees it join foods such as Arbroath smokies and Stornoway black pudding in the assurance that consumers are buying a genuine product.
The company said it was "delighted".
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "It's superb news that Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar now holds this protected status."
General manager Tim Deakin said Orkney Cheddar was produced with locally-sourced milk, and using a traditional recipe and process.
He said the techniques of those who created the cheese in 1946 had been passed down through the generations.
"The accreditation communicates to our consumers the uniqueness and heritage of Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar, which differs from other traditional cheddars," he said.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Carmichael, said: "Orkney's cheese making industry has a long history and is regarded as a symbol of excellence. This news provides valuable protection for one of the island's most loved products." | Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar has been granted protected status by the European Union. | 25053082 |
Its foreign affairs ministry spokesman Hua Chunying was responding to a BBC report which documented China's construction work in disputed waters.
The Philippines has accused China of illegal building in the area.
China is locked in a dispute with several countries over maritime claims in the South China Sea.
The BBC report by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes said China was building new islands on five different reefs.
He and his team documented Chinese work to dredge tonnes of rock and sand from the sea floor to pump into Johnson South reef in the Spratly islands, which are also claimed by Manila.
At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Ms Hua was asked by the BBC why China was reclaiming land.
She responded: "We have answered this question many times before, and I suppose you must be fully aware of China's position."
Using the Chinese name for the Spratly islands, she added: "China asserts indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the adjacent waters, and China's activities on relevant islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands fall entirely within China's sovereignty and are totally justifiable."
Asked whether the reclamation was for commercial or military use, Ms Hua replied that it was "mainly for the purpose of improving the working and living conditions of people stationed on these islands".
When the BBC pointed out that the land masses were new, Ms Hua declined to elaborate further, saying: "I have already answered your question."
The works appear to have been going on for months.
In May the Philippines released photos appearing to show Chinese land reclamation on Johnson South reef, saying China appeared to be building an airstrip.
Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have competing claims with China over various islands, reefs and shoals in the region.
Separately, relations between China and Japan are also currently under strain over a territorial row involving islands in the East China Sea. | China says its land reclamation work in the South China Sea is "totally justifiable" as it has "sovereignty" over the area. | 29139125 |
Malik is working on the NBC show, titled Boys, with TV producer Dick Wolf, the Hollywood Reporter said.
"Zayn certainly brings an authentic point of view to this world where kids are catapulted into fame at a dizzying speed," NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said.
Malik, 23, left the globally successful boy band last year to go solo.
Boys will focus on the formation of a boy band which goes on to huge success, but also looks at the pressures it puts on the members.
It may draw on the experiences of One Direction, who formed on X Factor in 2010 and went on to achieve mass popularity and success plus a cluster of awards including six Brits.
Since going solo, Malik has had hits including Pillow Talk and Like I Would but has struggled with performing live, pulling out of a Dubai concert on Tuesday because of what he calls "extreme anxiety".
The singer, who will be one of the show's executive producers, said: "Dick Wolf is a legend and the opportunity to work with him and NBC to create a compelling drama series is awesome."
Writer and producer Wolf is most famous for the hugely successful and Emmy-winning Law & Order TV series.
However Simon Cowell, who signed One Direction after The X Factor, said he was disappointed Malik did not approach him with the idea first.
"I think he should have come to me with it, if I'm being honest with you," Cowell told Entertainment Tonight.
"I do actually believe that when they've got these ideas, bearing in mind where we started, they should actually come to me."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik is making his first foray into TV with an hour-long drama about a boy band. | 37295564 |
Barrie McKay's superb 25-yard strike after 30 minutes opened the scoring but the hosts missed a string of chances.
Martyn Waghorn, Lee Wallace and debutant Lee Hodson all went close before Barton curled a free-kick just wide moments after his entrance.
Waghorn eventually made it 2-0 after 74 minutes from Hodson's through ball.
Kenny Miller then headed over late on from fellow substitute Harry Forrester's cross.
After opening their campaign with victory at Motherwell on Saturday, Rangers' win puts them top of Group F on goal difference, with Stranraer snatching two late goals to beat East Stirling 3-1 after winning at Annan in their opener.
As well as Barton, the Ibrox fans also got a first glimpse of fellow summer signings Matt Gilks, Clint Hill and the lively Hodson, while Josh Windass and Niko Kranjcar also started following their debuts at Fir Park.
Kranjcar's quality in midfield was obvious, but despite his probing the hosts had to wait half an hour to find the breakthrough.
It was worth the wait though as McKay cut in from the left and bent an unstoppable strike past a helpless Blair Currie.
The Annan goalkeeper had done better with two efforts from Hodson though, parrying the former Kilmarnock full-back's header from point-blank range before pushing away a long-range shot.
A slick combination move involving McKay, Waghorn and Lee Wallace should have produced a second goal early in the second half but the Ibrox skipper prodded his shot wide, while Kranjcar was denied by Currie's finger-tip save.
That was the Croatian's last involvement as Barton was introduced on the hour to huge cheers from a crowd of 31,628.
The 33-year-old almost made himself an instant hero with just his second touch, whipping a 20-yard free-kick just wide of the target.
Miller was foiled by another Currie save soon after but Waghorn, Rangers' top scorer last season with 28, bagged his second of the new campaign with a composed finish.
Rangers boss Mark Warburton: "It was a warm night and a good, physical work-out for us.
"We dominated possession but it's hard to play against teams who have 10 players behind the ball. What we have to do better is penetrate more."
Annan boss Jim Chapman: "We can't complain. It was a fantastic learning experience for my guys against such quality players."
Rangers: Gilks, Hodson, Hill, Kiernan, Wallace, Halliday, Windass, Kranjcar, O'Halloran, Waghorn, McKay. Subs: Foderingham, Tavernier, Wilson, Barton (for Windass, 60), Holt, Forrester (for Kranjcar, 60) Miller (for McKay, 60)
Annan: Currie, Black, Lucas, Krissian, Swinglehurst, Cuddihy, Omar, Robertson, McKenna, Wright, Ribeiro. Subs: Mitchell, Norman, Park, Watson, Dachnowicz, Asghar, Liddell.
Attendance: 31,628 | Joey Barton made his debut as a substitute as Rangers sealed a second win from two League Cup group games against League Two Annan at Ibrox. | 36841671 |
Photographer Richard Nicholson took a look inside that box, capturing those who have helped bring the silver screen to life.
"When I first stepped into a projection box, I was struck by the claustrophobic atmosphere," says Nicholson.
"It was a dark, cramped space, and, as the projector whirred into motion, it became increasingly hot and noisy.
"As I watched the projectionist wrestle with a giant spool of film, the scene reminded me of a railwayman shovelling coal into a locomotive."
Working with The Projection Project, Nicholson's pictures are accompanied by the thoughts of the projectionists, many of whom are experts on the history of cinema.
Nicholson usually works on a large-format film camera - but, paradoxically, for this project, he shot the images on a digital camera.
Following a test shoot, he realised he would require a vast amount of lighting to work on film, whereas a digital approach allowed him to use smaller flashguns to light the projection boxes.
With cinemas across the country still under threat from redevelopment and closure, it is perhaps the perfect time for this project.
"I think it's a wasted opportunity if you go to a cinema and it's just a blank screen, and no curtains, with some feeble lighting, and it just sort of starts," said projectionist Peter Howden.
"I remember going to the cinema and the lights would change colour and the organist would come up out of the floor. It's simple and it's effective and it would be a pity to lose that.
"I think it's part of the magic of going to the cinema. Putting on a show rather than just showing a film."
The projectionist is the final step between the film and the public. And, for many, that flickering light that pierces the darkness of the cinema is still magical.
"When I used to go to the cinema with my mother, I was never looking at the film, I was always looking to see where it came from," said projectionist Rachel Dukes.
"In those days everybody used to smoke. And so when the beam of light was coming down, you'd have these pretty patterns of the smoke in the light.
"I'd be looking at these patterns and my mother would tell me off because she's paid for the tickets to watch the film and I'm not watching it.
"I'm looking to see where it's coming from."
Thankfully, the smoky cinema is no more, but it will be a sad day if the remaining sites capable of projecting film shut the gates once and for all.
The Projectionists is part of the Flatpack Film Festival and can be seen at The Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 20-24 April 2016. | At the start of the decade, many of Britain's cinemas made the switch from analogue projection to digital, changing forever the role of those inside the projection box, with many films now projected by a computer. | 36071726 |
The 26-year-old has agreed a deal to the end of the season with the Silkmen.
Haworth joined Barrow in the summer of 2015 following a loan spell and made 16 appearances this season, including the 1-1 draw with Macclesfield in October.
The deal was not completed in time for Saturday's FA Trophy tie against Forest Green, but he could make his debut at Torquay United on 11 February. | Macclesfield Town have signed winger Andy Haworth following his release by National League rivals Barrow. | 38858930 |
The bizarre plan was revealed in files published by the National Archives.
The novel idea came from a lecturer who warned that the British colony's 5.5 million inhabitants would need a home when it was returned to China in 1997.
It sparked some debate among officials, with one saying there were "real advantages" in taking it seriously.
Prof Christie Davies, an expert in the sociology of morality, censorship and humour at the University of Reading, suggested a new "city state" could be created in Magilligan, between Coleraine and Londonderry.
The move could revitalise the stagnant Northern Ireland economy, he said.
When details of his idea first appeared in the Belfast News Letter in October 1983, they caught the eye of George Fergusson, a junior official in the Northern Ireland Office.
He sent a memorandum to David Snoxell, a colleague in the Republic of Ireland Department of the Foreign Office, saying: "At this stage we see real advantages in taking the proposal seriously."
Among the benefits, he suggested, was that it would help convince the unionist population that the government in Westminster was truly committed to retaining Northern Ireland in the UK.
Mr Snoxell's reply suggested the conversation was not entirely serious.
"My initial reaction... is that the proposal could be useful to the extent that the arrival of 5.5 million Chinese in Northern Ireland may induce the indigenous peoples to forsake their homeland for a future elsewhere," he wrote.
"We should not underestimate the danger of this taking the form of a mass exodus of boat refugees in the direction of South East Asia."
A second Foreign Office official commented: "My mind will be boggling for the rest of the day."
But Mr Snoxell, now retired, revealed the exchange "was a spoof between colleagues who had a sense of humour".
"You can see it wasn't intended seriously," he said.
"Sadly, it's impossible to make jokes like this any more, the Diplomatic Service has lost its sense of humour.
"I think that's a shame because it's through humour that you build relationships, with other departments, with other diplomats at home and abroad."
Other archives in the National Archives release reveal: | A suggestion to move the population of Hong Kong to Northern Ireland sparked a flurry of correspondence in Whitehall in 1983, newly released documents show. | 33361999 |
The pair have been given one-year contracts after trials at Sixfields.
Manager Aidy Boothroyd believes 6ft 1in Hooper, 19, has a lot to learn but does have genuine potential.
"JJ is a very talented individual, I expect him to be challenging for a first team place towards the end of the season," he told the club's website.
"We are giving him an opportunity to make a name for himself and to get his career going."
Deegan, 25, began his career in the Republic of Ireland playing for Shelbourne, Longford, Galway and Bohemians before joining Coventry City in 2010.
He scored five times in 43 appearances for the Sky Blues, but moved on to Hibernian in the summer of 2012, where he played 23 times before being released at the end of last season.
"Gary is a player with a good pedigree and I am pleased to have signed him," added Boothroyd.
"He will give us bite and aggression in the midfield and he is a good blend with the midfielders we already have here." | Northampton Town have signed former Newcastle United striker JJ Hooper and ex-Coventry City and Hibernian midfielder Gary Deegan. | 23449468 |
The appeal has again been ruled "not admissible" by the court.
Liberia had requested the suspension and cancellation of the governing body's changes.
Cas once again said that it accepted Caf's contention that its own appeals procedure must be followed first.
The latest decision follows the ruling by Cas in November that Liberia had submitted their case too early.
At the time Liberia Football Association chief, Musa Bility said his body had chosen not to appeal to Caf, despite the court's instructions.
Cas has always maintained it is unable to get involved because it recognises Caf's own internal appeals procedure.
Liberia's concern is that any appeal would not be heard until Caf's General Assembly in March, the same meeting at which the presidential elections are due to be held.
The new amendment determined that only voting members of the Caf executive committee can run for the presidency - which prevented Jacques Anouma and Danny Jordaan from bidding for the role.
It effectively left the current president, Issa Hayatou, unchallenged for the job.
The Cameroonian, who is bidding for a new term that will keep him in power until 2017, has been in charge of African football's ruling body since 1987. | Liberia have failed in a second appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) over the Confederation of African Football's decision to change its rules on presidential elections. | 20959165 |
The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the move comes after recent assaults on staff, and said the jail was "flooded with drugs, mobile phones and weapons".
A recent inspection report sparked claims of "Dickensian squalor".
The Prison Service said all inmates would remain in their cells and there was "no danger to the wider public".
Mike Rolfe, of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said about 50 staff were outside the prison.
Wormwood Scrubs, located in Hammersmith and Fulham, was built between 1875 and 1891. It is a Category B prison and holds around 1,200 men. | Staff at Wormwood Scrubs prison have walked out in a row over health and safety. | 36225714 |
Seonaid (Shona) Bacon was reported missing after she was last seen at about 12:20 in the Skelmanae area, near the A98 Fraserburgh to Banff road.
People living in the area have been asked to check garages and sheds.
She is described as 5ft 6in, with short, white hair. She was last seen wearing a white dressing gown, slippers and grey tracksuit bottoms.
Insp Kevin Goldie, of Police Scotland, said: "It is out of character for Seonaid to not be in touch with family or friends and as time goes by we are increasingly concerned for her well-being.
"We are asking residents in the local area to please check any outbuildings, garages or sheds for signs that someone may have sought shelter there.
"Searches are being carried out in the local area including the use of a search dog and the Police Scotland helicopter." | A police helicopter and search dog team have been involved in a search for a 52-year-old woman in Aberdeenshire. | 39482841 |
Michael McDermott, 68, from Waterford, Ireland, was found guilty of trying to import over a tonne of cocaine, with a street value of about £80m.
Two other men, David Pleasants, 57, from Grimsby, and Gerald Van de Kooij, 27, from Amersfoort, Netherlands, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
All three will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court next month.
More on the cocaine court case and other news from Devon and Cornwall
Thirty-eight bales of cocaine were found hidden under bags of sand and gravel in the boat's fish hold, in what is believed to be the third biggest-ever haul of the drug in British waters.
The trawler was intercepted as it entered UK territorial waters off the coast of Cornwall and brought into Falmouth on 18 August 2016.
The Border Force had tracked the vessel for more than 24 hours, acting on intelligence from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
It is believed to have taken the drugs on board from another boat south of Ireland before turning back to the UK.
Both Pleasants and Van de Kooij admitted drug importing offences, but McDermott denied the charge, claiming he had been forced into shipping them.
Mark Harding, senior investigating officer from the NCA's border investigation team, described McDermott as "a crucial link in a chain that leads from cocaine manufacturers in South America to drug dealers in the UK".
"In stopping this consignment we have prevented further criminality by the gangs who bring violence and exploitation to our streets," he said.
Mike Stepney, director National Operations Border Force, said the prosecution of "this crooked captain and his criminal crew" underlined how close partnership work with the NCA was helping to keep UK communities safe. | The skipper of a fishing boat has been convicted of one of Britain's biggest-ever cocaine smuggling operations. | 39285237 |
The bill was drawn up by DUP MLA Paul Givan, after a Christian-run bakery faced legal action for refusing to bake a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan.
The clause would allow businesses to refuse to provide some services if they clash with their religious convictions.
A delegation led by the Bishop of Down and Connor met the DUP for talks.
After meeting Mr Givan and the DUP leader Peter Robinson at Stormont, the Catholic delegation said that any change to the law would have to be carefully defined, to prevent it from leading to spurious claims of religious conscience.
However, Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor said politicians must accept there was a real problem that needs to be addressed.
He said it would be wrong to swap one form of discrimination for another.
The Catholic Church has concerns about the impact of anti-discrimination law on its adoption agency and, potentially, its marriage guidance service.
The row over the pro-gay marriage cake began last year, when Northern Ireland's Equality Commission said it would take legal action against Ashers bakery for refusing to accept a customer's order.
The family-run firm said fulfilling the order would have contravened the owners' strongly held Christian beliefs that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Mr Givan is currently carrying out a consultation into a Private Member's Bill, but opponents have pledged to block the conscience clause bill if it ever gets to the Stormont chamber.
Sinn Féin said it had gathered enough support for a petition of concern, which means that the bill would need cross-community support and, therefore, would not pass into law.
Sinn Féin's 28 MLAs have pledged to sign the petition, as have the Green MLA Steven Agnew and NI21 MLA Basil McCrea.
This brought the potential petition to 30 signatures, which is the number needed to make it valid.
SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said that if the bill was ever tabled in the assembly, his party would also take part in a petition of concern.
An Alliance Party spokesperson said: "When the bill is tabled, Alliance MLAs will vote against the so-called 'conscience clause', due to the flawed nature of the proposal and we believe there is a very good chance it could be defeated on a straight vote, without any special measures such as a petition of concern."
Mr Givan said that "Christians do not feel there is space being made for their religious beliefs".
"The issue at stake is when you're asked to produce a particular service," he said.
"It's about the message you're being asked to endorse, not the messenger who's asking for it. Say someone comes in and asks for a cake saying 'I support gay marriage' - that's a direct form of communication you're asking this Christian-owned company to produce and they don't want to be forced to do that.
"I don't think that's unreasonable, I think that's tolerant and if we live in a pluralist, liberal society we need to make space for difference."
Mr Givan's bill aims to create a legal exemption on grounds of strongly held religious beliefs.
Last month, more than 1,000 people gathered at Belfast's City Hall to protest against the bill.
A public consultation on the bill closes on 27 February. | The Catholic Church has said it supports the general objective of a DUP Private Member's Bill seeking to build a conscience clause into equality law. | 31596699 |
A future Labour government would introduce a three-year cap on structural spending, including housing benefits, from 2015-6, its leader said.
He also said those in work for under five years may not be eligible for some jobless benefits while those who had worked for longer should get more help.
The Conservatives said the "vacuous" plan would not bring down costs.
In a speech in east London, Mr Miliband announced a series of changes to Labour policy:
The Labour leader said the government's "short-term" approach was failing and history showed that cutting individual benefits alone would not reduce the overall cost of social security.
Instead, Labour would tackle the "underlying causes" of rising welfare costs, such as unemployment, low pay and high rents.
By Nick RobinsonPolitical editor
"The next Labour government will have less money to spend. If we are going to turn our economy around, protect our NHS, and build a stronger country we will have to be laser focused on how we spend every single pound.
"Social security spending, vital as it is, cannot be exempt from that discipline."
He said Labour, if elected, would introduce a cap on "structural spending" - such as housing benefit and disability allowances - for three years from 2015-16 to deal with the long-term pressures on welfare budgets.
The idea of a cap - which would not affect parts of the welfare budget affected by changes in unemployment - was suggested by Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in March's Budget.
Mr Miliband did not give an overall figure for the cap, saying it would have to be set at a "sensible" level, but argued that it would help "to control costs" and introduce "greater discipline".
He said the country could not afford to continue paying billions on housing benefit when there was a chronic shortage of new homes being built.
A future Labour government would give councils the power to negotiate with landlords on tenants' behalf over rents and keep any savings they make to invest in building new homes.
"This government talks a lot about getting housing benefit under control," he said. "But let me be clear: any attempt to control housing benefit costs which fails to build more homes is destined to fail."
Mr Miliband also outlined plans to cut long-term unemployment and encourage employers to pay a "living wage", keeping the costs of in-work benefits down, as well as increasing opportunities for disabled people.
Welfare could not be "a substitute for good jobs and decent employment", he said.
The Labour leader said people's faith in the welfare system has been "shaken" by the appearance that a minority of people were getting "something for nothing and other people nothing for something."
He pledged to restore the "contributory principle" to jobseeker's allowance, so that only people who have paid in "for significantly longer" than the current minimum of two years will be eligible.
The party, he said, will look at whether to give more than the current £71-a-week rate to those who have contributed longest, as this was not "a proper recognition of how much somebody who has worked for many decades has paid into the system".
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Labour believed they could reduce the benefits bill by getting more people into work, getting employers to pay higher wages and reforming the private rental market.
In that sense, he added, it did not mark a fundamental change in approach since Labour were not yet spelling out what benefits they would cut and who would get less.
Earlier this week, shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the party would end winter fuel payments for pensioners on high and top-level income tax rates, but this is only likely to raise £100m.
Labour MP Frank Field, a critic of the party's welfare policies in the past, said the speech was a move in the right direction but more must be done to allay public perceptions there was a "something for nothing" culture in the system.
"There's a difference between putting a cash ceiling, which will be difficult to operate in some areas of welfare expenditure, and dealing with what is the main criticism of voters," he said.
But speaking on his weekly phone-in on LBC 97.3 FM, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Labour had spent the last three years "vilifying" coalition benefit changes but had now "flip-flopped" to support them.
And Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps called the speech "completely empty".
He added: "Ed Miliband is too weak to deliver the tough decisions on welfare hard working people rightly want to see. His plans would actually increase welfare spending, and mean more borrowing and more debt."
The government is introducing a £26,000 annual cap on total benefits that can be paid to a single family, which it says means no-one on state support will get more than the average annual income.
An estimated 67,000 households will be affected by the cap this year. | Ed Miliband has promised to cap spending on benefits as he unveiled his party's new approach to welfare. | 22785282 |
Audience Council Wales said there had been "no improvement" after its concern in 2014 at the "diminishing budget" for programmes reflecting Welsh life.
The comments appear in the the BBC Trust's Wales annual review.
BBC Cymru Wales director Rhodri Talfan Davies said a public debate during charter renewal was important.
About 900,000 people tuned into BBC Wales TV for at least 15 minutes each week.
This was a fall of 70,000 on the previous year, according to BBC Wales' management review for 2014/15, which was also published.
Despite the overall decline in audience figures, more than 800,000 viewers and listeners tuned into the BBC's coverage of the Dylan Thomas centenary.
BBC Wales Today remained the most popular English language programme, with an average of 293,000 viewers at 6.30pm, while Pobol y Cwm was the BBC's most popular programme on S4C with an average of 58,000 viewers
There was a fall in the BBC's audiences on S4C, with a weekly 15-minute reach of 131,000 viewers. The figure for 2013/14 was 155,000.
Digital growth in its Welsh language output saw its online services attract 89,000 weekly browsers during 2014/15, compared to 40,000 in 2013/14.
But there was a fall in the number of online visitors to its English language pages, with 3.48m weekly unique browsers in 2014/15 compared to 3.65m in 2013/14.
ACW scrutinises output on behalf of the corporation's governing body, the BBC Trust.
Mr Talfan Davies said it was "important" there was a public debate about the BBC's programming during the forthcoming review of the BBC's charter.
He identified four priorities as the process of charter review begins:
Reflecting on the past year, he added: "More than 800,000 people in Wales - and many millions across the UK - turned to BBC Wales for an extraordinary celebration of Dylan Thomas' life and work.
"It was BBC Wales' biggest ever season of cultural programming - and delivered a remarkable slate of output full of real passion and distinction across TV, radio and online." | Spending cuts have moved BBC Wales's English language TV provision "closer to the cliff edge", according to the body that represents audiences. | 33522586 |
They were described as "virtual incendiary" devices which were a danger to people, farm animals, wildlife and property.
After agreeing the ban, the council's cabinet expressed a desire for lanterns to be banned across Wales.
Powys is the 14th Welsh local authority to ban their use on its property.
Cabinet member for environment and sustainability John Powell said there is "widespread concern" about the impact of Chinese lanterns.
"They are a virtual incendiary device consisting of a candle or a fuel cell filled with paraffin wax suspended inside a frame, capable of reaching heights of 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) and drifting for miles," he said.
Mr Powell added they are a fire hazard. | Releasing sky lanterns from all council-owned and managed property in Powys has been banned. | 34593151 |
Prof Dame Sally Davies says in her annual report that the NHS must deliver her "genomic dream" within five years.
Over 31,000 NHS patients, including some with cancer, have already had their entire genetic code sequenced.
Dame Sally wants whole genome sequencing (WGS) to become as standard as blood tests and biopsies.
Humans have about 20,000 genes - bits of DNA code or instructions that control how our bodies works.
Tiny errors in this code can lead to cancer and other illnesses.
Sometimes these mistakes are inherited from a parent, but most of the time they happen in previously healthy cells.
WGS - which costs about £700 - can reveal these errors by comparing tumour and normal DNA samples from the patient.
Dame Sally says that in about two-thirds of cases, this information can then improve their diagnosis and care.
Doctors can tailor treatments to the individual, picking the drugs mostly likely to be effective.
And WGS can also show which patients are unlikely to benefit, so they can avoid having unnecessary drugs and unpleasant side-effects.
Dame Sally wants DNA testing to become standard across cancer care, as well as some other areas of medicine, including rare diseases and infections.
"I want the NHS across the whole breadth to be offering genomic medicine - that means diagnosis of our genes - to patients where they can possibly benefit," her report says.
People with rare diseases could benefit from having greater access to the technology, speeding up diagnosis.
Doctors are already using genetic tests to identify and better treat different strains of the infectious disease tuberculosis.
Dame Sally said patients could be assured that their genetic data would be stored securely and "de-identified" so that their privacy would be protected.
Over 10 years ago, international scientists reached a breakthrough in DNA work - sequencing the entire genetic blueprint of man. The Human Genome Project meant experts now had a catalogue of DNA code to explore and refer to.
They began to understand which genes controlled which processes in the body and how these could go wrong.
Doctors then started to "read" a patient's DNA to get a better idea of what might be causing their symptoms and how best to treat their illness.
Genomic medicine - tailoring care based on an individual's unique genetic code - is now transforming the way people are cared for by the NHS.
Genes can predict if a woman with breast cancer might respond to certain drugs, or whether radiotherapy is likely to shrink a tumour, for example.
Currently, genetic testing of NHS patients in England is done at 25 regional laboratories, as well as some other small centres.
Dame Sally wants to centralise the service and set up a national network to ensure equal access to the testing across the country.
A new National Genomics Board would be set up, chaired by a minister, to oversee the expansion and development of genomic services.
Dame Sally told BBC Breakfast that a lot of money was being spent because it was currently operating like a "cottage industry".
By having centralised laboratories, more could be done with the money, including keeping up with the latest technology, she said.
She said one hurdle could be doctors themselves, who "don't like change", and she urged cancer service patients to press their doctors to move from a local to a national service.
She also said patients must understand they needed to allow use of their data, alongside other data, in order to get the best diagnosis, and therefore the best treatment.
Phil Booth, from campaigning organisation, MedConfidential, said this move had "huge potential" for patients and the NHS, but there were "great risks with large collections of sensitive data".
"Every single use of patient data must be consensual, safe and transparent," he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme, and patients should be able to opt-out if they so wish.
Follow Michelle on Twitter | Cancer patients should be routinely offered DNA tests to help select the best treatments for them, according to England's chief medical officer. | 40479533 |
Naweed Ali, Khobaib Hussain and Mohibur Rahman pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in 2012.
They and a fourth man, Tahir Aziz, deny preparing for acts of terrorism between 25 May and 27 August 2016.
The judge warned the Old Bailey jury not to let last Wednesday's Westminster terror attack influence their decision.
Naweed Ali, 29, Khobaib Hussain, 25, both of Birmingham, Mohibur Rahman, 32 and Tahir Aziz, 38, both of Stoke-on-Trent were arrested last August in the West Midlands.
Police seized a meat cleaver, a long sword and a partly-built pipe bomb.
The Arabic word for "infidel" was scratched onto the blade of the cleaver.
The court heard how in 2012, Mr Ali and Mr Hussain had travelled to Pakistan intending to train for terrorism and Mr Rahman had admitted possessing copies of a terrorist article.
In both of the cases the men had been under surveillance.
Mr Justice Globe said "no one is suggesting that these defendants on trial before you are in any way connected to any of the events of last Wednesday or the person responsible or to any of his associates."
The men were arrested as part of an operation involving the security services and undercover police officers.
The court heard that on 26 August 2016, Mr Ali arrived for his first shift at a company called Heroes Couriers in Birmingham, not knowing that his new boss Vincent was actually an undercover police officer.
Mr Hussain had already started working for Vincent a few week earlier.
When Mr Ali went out on a delivery, officers searched the Seat Leon in which he had arrived for work and found the partly constructed pipe bomb and machete.
He said the weapons were nothing to do with him and denied conversations with his co-accused were about planning an attack.
Mr Aziz's Ford Fiesta was also searched on the same day and a Samurai sword was found by the driver's seat, the jury heard.
Police examined the defendants' phones and computers allegedly revealed they held extremist views.
They found Mr Rahman had made computer searches for "liquid bomb plot" and Mr Aziz's phone contained partly deleted files with instructions on how to make home-made poisons and bombs.
Gareth Patterson, prosecuting, told jurors the evidence showed that the planned attack in the UK was "imminent".
He told the court it was not necessary to identify which people were to be attacked or when or where it was to happen, "although clearly it would be in the UK".
During the trial, members of the press and public were sent out for 20 minutes so jurors could hear secret evidence from two unnamed prosecution witnesses. | Three men accused of plotting a terror attack with a meat cleaver and a pipe bomb have previous terrorism convictions, a court has heard. | 39423601 |
The figure is worked out by assessing the value of agricultural output and subsidies and subtracting the cost of production and finance.
The profit was less than the total value of subsidies, which were £236m.
Total turnover fell 9% to £1.74bn while input costs were down by 4% to £1.39bn.
The output value of the dairy sector was down by 27% to £480m, reflecting persistently low milk prices.
The output value of cattle was marginally higher at £394m.
While the number of animals slaughtered fell by 2%, this was more than offset by a 9kg increase in the average carcase weight.
Output values for sheep meat, pork and poultry were all down due to lower farm-gate prices.
The only bright spots were in the increased output values of eggs, mushrooms and flowers
The Department for Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has forecast that at the individual farm level profits are likely to be down by 46% in 2015/16.
The average farm profit was £24,942 in 2014/15 and is expected to drop to an average of £13,451 in 2015/16.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said: "Without subsidies in 2015 market receipts would not have covered all costs (including consumption of fixed capital and depreciation costs).
"This also occurred in 2012 and previous years in the past." | The Northern Ireland farming industry saw its profit fall by 42% to £183m last year, driven by a big fall in prices for the dairy sector. | 35429319 |
Gabe McGeown, from the Glenavy Conservation and District Angling Club, said he received a report that slurry had been dumped in the river on Thursday.
He said the club had restocked the river with 900 fish in April.
The Northern Ireland Environmental Agency (NIEA) said it is "currently pursuing a definite lead" and samples have been taken. | Dozens of fish have been found dead in the Glenavy River in County Antrim. | 34487808 |
The inside right from Treorchy in south Wales won seven caps for his country and played professionally for Norwich City, Birmingham City and Port Vale.
Kinsey scored in the 1956 FA Cup final for Birmingham as the Blues lost 3-1 to Manchester City.
The match is best remembered for the bravery of Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, who played on with a broken neck suffered in a collision.
Kinsey played youth football for Cardiff City, and was appointed player-coach at Vale in 1960 before moving on to King's Lynn and Lowestoft Town. | Former Wales forward Noel Kinsey has died at the age of 91. | 40038726 |
Ms Villiers said it would be a legal requirement.
She said she remained "hopeful" that the political parties could "resolve this issue".
The Alliance Party have been offered the justice ministry but have yet to decide whether to join the executive.
The party's ruling council is due to meet on Thursday to decide whether or not to do so.
Ms Villiers said she "very much" hoped that the Alliance Party would form part of the executive.
"I think David Ford has done an excellent job as justice minister and I'm sure one of his party colleagues would carry on with that excellent record if the Alliance chose to go into government," she said.
"I think they've played a very positive role in the executive over many years.
"I think it would be a pity if they were not part of the government, not least because it would make the executive less inclusive, so, certainly, when I saw the Alliance a couple of days ago I was warmly encouraging them to get involved.
"Yes, it's often tough on smaller parties in coalitions, but I believe that they will play a really positive influence as part of the executive if they take up the justice minister post."
Earlier, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the ministers of the new Northern Ireland Executive would be appointed next Wednesday.
The SDLP has yet to say whether it will join the executive.
The Ulster Unionists have already said they will enter opposition.
The majority of the posts in the executive will be filled by ministers from the DUP and Sinn Féin.
In 5 May's election, the DUP maintained the 38 seats it held in the last assembly, while Sinn Féin lost one and now holds 28.
The Ulster Unionists have 16 seats, while the SDLP have 12.
The Alliance Party secured eight seats during the election, meaning it does not have enough seats to automatically qualify for a ministerial department. | The Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, has warned that fresh assembly elections will have to be held if a justice minister is not appointed by next Wednesday. | 36326861 |
Some have staged sit-ins, gone on hunger strike or even threatened to kill themselves if they are not allowed to cross the Channel.
An estimated 2.1 million people have so far fled the fighting in Syria.
The UN says more than 100,000 people have died so far in the civil war, which has been raging for more than two and a half years.
Ahmed and Ali told BBC Radio 5 live why they wanted to come to Britain: "Britain would provide us with shelter. France gives us nothing.
"Britain will give you a house straight away."
When asked how he knew that, Ahmed said: "We know. Our friend is there, lives there, we get phone calls."
Did he know people who have done that already?
"Yeah, a lot of people - they've crossed that border by the lorry."
The deputy mayor of Calais, Philippe Mignonet, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Victoria Derbyshire programme, said Britain was a target for Syrian refugees because it was regarded as a "paradise" for people trying to start new lives.
"The only thing they want is not to stay in France but to go to England - it's because of the mafia.
"In their original countries those people are saying if you go to England you will have everything - you will have a house, you will have money, you will have a job, your family will be able to join you. Right or wrong, it is what is said.
"We have now in Europe to understand that and to fight against those mafias."
He says mafia gangs are operating in his town and charge more than £10,000 (11,800 euros) per person to smuggle someone into Europe.
Mr Mignonet called for more support from the EU in dealing with the problem.
Richard Ashworth, the leader of Conservative MEPs, told 5 live: "If the mayor of Calais has evidence of such criminal gangs operating in his jurisdiction he should ensure they are investigated, rooted out and prosecuted will the full force of the law.
"Criminality is criminality wherever it happens."
( Source UNHCR)
He added: "What he should not seek to do is pass his problem on to the UK by seeking financial help just because some immigrants in Calais happen to say their intention was to head for Britain."
France is one of 12 countries in Europe that have agreed to offer a limited number of Syrians the right to resettle.
The group in Calais have been told by French officials they would be able to claim asylum in France, with a 95% chance of success. Most, though, still seem determined to cross the Channel and are angry at how they have been treated in France.
Last week, two men threatened to jump from the roof of the Port of Calais departure lounge unless a representative from the British government went to speak to them and granted them refuge in the UK.
They were eventually talked down. They remain in the town and line up daily for food near the port exit.
The European Commission says it expects the number of refugees to increase. About 50,000 have so far asked for protection from European countries, the majority in Germany and Sweden.
Michele Cercone, the commission's home affairs spokesman, has called for other countries to help.
He said: "With a crisis of this magnitude, and the possibility of a prolonged refugee situation, we need to face the situation in the spirit of solidarity. When the pressure is too high on the reception systems of some of our member states, those countries less exposed should be able to step in and support."
A Home Office spokesman told 5 live there were no plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians entering the UK, and added: "Legal and illegal migration in France is the responsibility of the French authorities."
The British government has promised to pay £500m to the international relief effort for the victims of the civil war, with that money targeted at providing help to Syria's neighbours. | Hundreds of Syrians say they are stuck in the French port of Calais waiting to claim asylum in the UK. | 24573575 |
There was plenty of talk from the leader and his supporters ahead of the result of "coming together" after a second bruising campaign.
He even provided proof on BBC TV that he was growing a diminutive olive tree outside his office - the presumed purpose of which is to break off a branch and proffer it to his internal opponents.
But some of the MPs who voted for a motion of no confidence in him believe that those around the leader will only sue for peace on their terms.
Jeremy Corbyn - with a strong interest in the politics of the Middle East - will be familiar with the speech of the late PLO leader Yasser Arafaf to the UN general assembly in 1974 when he said he came bearing an olive branch in one hand and a freedom fighter's gun in the other.
Arafat beseeched the UN "don't let the olive branch fall from my hand".
One former frontbencher welcomed Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to "wipe the slate clean" following his re-election but said that if he continued to criticise the leadership then he fully expected them to "unleash the dogs of war".
And he is not the only one expecting to be mauled.
He believes Momentum - the group set up by veteran leftwinger Jon Lansman - is likely to pursue a strategy of deselection of anti-Corbyn MPs.
"Jeremy will stay above it all, of course, adopting his 'see no evil' approach. He will say it's just a matter of local Labour parties taking individual democratic decisions. The boundary changes will unlock the whole process."
Of course, motivated by loyalty to their party - or in some cases by personal ambition - some of the 172 MPs who voted for no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn at the start of the summer will - as the sun sets on Owen Smith's challenge - sue for peace and signal their willingness to serve on the frontbench.
But just how many will do so depends on what decision Labour's ruling national executive comes to on holding elections to the shadow cabinet - discussions were set to resume within hours of the leadership election result.
If MPs were to be permitted to elect most of the members of the top team rather than the leader choosing the whole lot, then some who are still sceptical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership could return - arguing they are putting party before personalities, and are answerable to their parliamentary peers.
If Jeremy Corbyn doesn't go along with this and allows instead the increasingly left-wing membership to choose many of his frontbenchers, then he might find it difficult to put together a broad-based team.
But I have been told that some who have been vocally critical of their leader would return even if appointed rather than via shadow cabinet elections. However some want more freedom to question their leader and guarantees they won't be deselected.
Informal soundings have taken place and if a concordat is reached, this may be enough to ensure there is a functioning shadow cabinet. But some of the more junior shadow roles may remain unoccupied.
It is a measure of how deep divisions run in Labour that one MP denounced colleagues considering a return to the front rank as "collaborators".
As for the other Corbyn-sceptics, they are likely to fall in to three broad - and not mutually exclusive - categories.
One group are worried about what is being termed the "Corbyn cushion". Although Labour's record in local government by-elections suggest that the party is holding on to most of its seats, there have been ten losses since May - and three of the most recent to the Lib Dems.
This, along with Labour's deficit in the national polls, has lead some MPs to believe that only big majorities will cushion them for what they believe will be Corbyn's continued unpopularity.
So those with marginal seats will spend more time there than at Westminster and certainly won't take on the distraction of a front bench job.
"It's not like it would lead to a ministerial job anyway so what's the point," one confided - and those fearing deselection will also be spending more time in their constituencies.
Then there is a group who are already thinking about standing down, or expect to be defeated and will be putting out feelers for a post-politics career.
But there are also those who are bloody minded and will stay and openly fight Jeremy Corbyn. One of them said "we will be just like the Campaign group" - the left-wing faction to which Jeremy Corbyn belonged under Tony Blair - slagging off the leader.
"But as I won't vote with the Tories, I think I will be hard pressed to be able to rebel against my own party the hundreds of times that Jeremy Corbyn did," they said.
Some in this group have even been subtly sounded out as to whether they would continue to take the Labour whip in the event of Jeremy Corbyn's re-election.
The answer, so far, is yes because while tensions in Labour will stretch unity to the verge of breaking point the party - for now at least - is unlikely to split.
Both sides see that as mutually assured destruction and even Labour MPs who - unlike the leader - back Trident, aren't ready to press the nuclear button when it comes to their own party.
The former frontbencher Chris Bryant set out at length on Facebook why he wouldn't return to the shadow cabinet but he also pointed out that the British electoral system "punishes" parties which split.
Progress, the modernising - or 'Blairite' depending on your point of view - group is also calling on its activists to remain within the Labour Party.
It's possible this will embolden Jeremy Corbyn to further change his party and its policies.
When I spoke to him just before his first leadership victory last year I asked him what lessons he had learned from his election to Parliament in 1983, when Labour went down to a disastrous defeat under Michael Foot.
He told me: "It taught me the formation of the SDP was catastrophic to the election chances of Labour.
'The Conservative so-called triumph in 1983 owed more to the division of the opposition vote than a move to the left."
He certainly didn't share Gerald Kaufman's analysis that the anti-nuclear weapons and anti-EU manifesto was "the longest suicide note in history".
His close political ally Tony Benn hailed Labour's 1983 performance as achieving "eight million votes for socialism".
So - free from the threat of another SDP-style split - it is possible that Jeremy Corbyn will resurrect Labour's defence review and while unilateral disarmament isn't on the agenda at this year's conference it could feature next year.
A review of Labour Party democracy is also promised - and it is possible that Jeremy Corbyn could leave an important legacy for those on the left of the party.
If he reduces MPs' role in nominating the next leader - for example requiring them to have just 5% support before going to a members' ballot - he may feel he has made the leadership safe for a left-wing successor.
He is likely to reject his deputy Tom Watson's suggestion of a "electoral college" giving more say to MPs and the abolition of the cut-price registered supporters' scheme. Many of those supporters backed him.
And he is almost certainly going to open up more policy proposals to online consultation with the burgeoning membership. But he is likely to receive competing advice over how far and how fast he should change his party.
Even Tony Blair's close friend and former shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer accepts that Labour is now 'an anti-austerity party' and some of Jeremy Corbyn's allies want him to bank this and consolidate.
As one leading supporter said "he was only supposed to blow the doors off".
This week in Liverpool, Momentum are holding their own series of events under the slogan "the world transformed".
Jeremy Corbyn will be urged to continue to transform Labour too from a conventional parliamentary party to a genuine social movement battling for change at Westminster but also beyond it.
It is what the left used to call "extra-parliamentary action" and many in the current generation of Jeremy Corbyn's supporters believe it's an idea whose time has come. | So Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected as Labour's leader with a larger mandate than a year ago. | 37449631 |
Vettel's first win since the Singapore GP in September 2015 was final proof Mercedes' domination is over after the introduction of faster cars.
Hamilton started in pole but Vettel had an advantage on pace and tyre wear.
The German pressured Mercedes into an early pit stop and benefited when Hamilton was held up by Max Verstappen.
Ferrari were simply quicker in Melbourne and the world champions were forced into a position where they had to make a decision that did not work out.
Mercedes were telling Hamilton he needed to up his pace to build a gap before his pit stop. The Briton was complaining his tyres were going off and he had no more pace.
Mercedes had the choice of leaving him out and risking Vettel passing him by and stopping earlier, or bringing him in and hoping Red Bull's Verstappen would stop soon afterwards or that Hamilton could pass him.
Hamilton returned to the track 1.7 seconds behind Verstappen. He soon caught him and was told by his engineer Peter Bonnington: "This is race-critical - you need to pass Verstappen."
Hamilton replied: "I don't know how you expect me to do that."
Sure enough, Hamilton was quickly on Verstappen's tail but could not pass for four laps.
Vettel stopped on lap 23 and rejoined right in front of the Red Bull and Hamilton, fended off Verstappen's challenge into Turn Three and disappeared off into the distance.
By the time Verstappen stopped himself on lap 25, Vettel was nearly six seconds up the road.
Hamilton could keep pace but no more, and found himself being caught by team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who had struggled in the first stint, dropping back 10 seconds in 17 laps, but closed in on the former world champion in the second stint to finish just 1.2 seconds behind. This was because Mercedes had turned down Hamilton's engine once they realised he was not going to catch Vettel.
Ferrari's pace was not exactly unexpected - the red cars had looked competitive in pre-season testing and Vettel qualified less than 0.3 seconds behind Hamilton.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said on Saturday evening that his team faced "a hell of a fight" this season - and they are right in it following Vettel's imposing victory.
Mercedes accepted that the Ferrari was simply a faster race car on Sunday - something that was clear from Vettel's ability to stick close to Hamilton in the opening laps despite the turbulent air from the Mercedes costing him aerodynamic downforce.
The leaders might have made only one pit stop, which some might not like, but the intensity of the fights created by cars that test drivers to their limits for the first time in years made for a compelling afternoon.
However, the suggestion from this race is that a corollary of the quicker cars may well be that racing is harder.
As FIA president Jean Todt said before the race in a media briefing, this may have been a price the sport had to pay to return it to a position closer to its essence than the tyre-managing era of the previous six years.
Home hero Daniel Ricciardo had a turbulent afternoon. The Australian's Red Bull stopped on the way to the grid.
It was returned and Red Bull were able to get it going again, but not before the race was two laps old.
Ricciardo was sent back out and told "to have some fun" but the car stopped for good after about 30 laps.
Britain's Jolyon Palmer also had a difficult weekend, starting from the back after a troubled qualifying and suffering brake problems before an early retirement.
Fernando Alonso looked poised to rescue a surprise point for a McLaren-Honda team that came to the race in disarray after reliability and performance problems with the Japanese company's engine.
But while running in 10th place and holding off Force India's Esteban Ocon, which had been behind for a long period, the Spaniard's car suffered what he suspected was a suspension problem.
He was passed by Ocon and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg in one go and then was told to retire the car.
Australian Grand Prix results | Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in a straight fight as Formula 1's new era started at the Australian Grand Prix. | 39396809 |
15 March 2016 Last updated at 16:32 GMT
Researchers have been working on the Tugbots for months, but have just recently focused on making them work as a team to maximise the power they can exert.
Six of the bots - weighing less than 100g (0.22lb) in total - exerted a force of 200 Newtons, which was enough to pull the 1,800kg (220lb) vehicle. | A team of tiny robot ants that can work together to pull thousands of times its own weight has been developed at Stanford University. | 35810224 |
The point to extend the Robins' unbeaten run to four games leaves them 22nd in the table, but moves them to within two points of safety after Bury were beaten by Rochdale on Thursday.
Wimbledon's Tom Soares could have seen red in the 24th minute after his high boot forced John Goddard off the pitch with blood pouring from his head.
The Dons should have taken the lead in the 30th minute when Tyrone Barnett was gifted a chance but he scuffed his effort into the hands of Lawrence Vigouroux.
Goddard returned shortly afterwards and almost gave the home side the lead when his curling shot from outside the area forced Joe McDonnell into a fingertip save.
Swindon's Bradley Barry tried his luck from long range in the 77th minute, but his stinging shot went just over the crossbar.
Jake Reeves almost won it in the final moments for the Dons when he broke free on goal but he fired his effort straight at Vigouroux.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Swindon Town 0, AFC Wimbledon 0.
Second Half ends, Swindon Town 0, AFC Wimbledon 0.
Jonathan Obika (Swindon Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Dannie Bulman (AFC Wimbledon).
Bradley Barry (Swindon Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Sean Kelly (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt missed. Darius Charles (AFC Wimbledon) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Corner, AFC Wimbledon. Conceded by Lawrence Vigouroux.
Attempt saved. Jake Reeves (AFC Wimbledon) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, AFC Wimbledon. Alfie Egan replaces George Francomb.
Corner, AFC Wimbledon. Conceded by Bradley Barry.
Corner, Swindon Town. Conceded by Paul Robinson.
Jonathan Obika (Swindon Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Darius Charles (AFC Wimbledon).
Substitution, AFC Wimbledon. Dean Parrett replaces Tom Soares.
Substitution, AFC Wimbledon. Andy Barcham replaces Tyrone Barnett.
Attempt blocked. Ben Gladwin (Swindon Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Fankaty Dabo (Swindon Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tyrone Barnett (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt missed. Bradley Barry (Swindon Town) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Raphael Rossi Branco (Swindon Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Sean Kelly (AFC Wimbledon).
Substitution, Swindon Town. Luke Norris replaces Charlie Colkett.
Foul by Ben Gladwin (Swindon Town).
Darius Charles (AFC Wimbledon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jake Reeves (AFC Wimbledon) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Hand ball by Ben Gladwin (Swindon Town).
Bradley Barry (Swindon Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Foul by Rohan Ince (Swindon Town).
Darius Charles (AFC Wimbledon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, AFC Wimbledon. Conceded by Ben Gladwin.
Corner, AFC Wimbledon. Conceded by Dion Conroy.
Attempt blocked. Tyrone Barnett (AFC Wimbledon) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, AFC Wimbledon. Conceded by Dion Conroy.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Swindon Town. Ben Gladwin replaces John Goddard.
Delay in match Jake Reeves (AFC Wimbledon) because of an injury.
Foul by Rohan Ince (Swindon Town).
Jake Reeves (AFC Wimbledon) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Swindon's League One survival hopes took a blow after they were held to a goalless draw by AFC Wimbledon. | 39523235 |
It shows that acorns are ripening 13 days earlier, while rowan berries are ready to eat nearly a month earlier.
Experts warn that one consequence could be that animals' food reserves would become depleted earlier in the winter.
The findings were published by Nature's Calendar, a data collection network co-ordinated by the Woodland Trust.
"Some of the changes are really quite big and quite surprising," explained Tim Sparks, the trust's nature adviser.
"This caused me to go back and look at the data again to make sure it was valid because even I did not believe it initially."
Prof Sparks said Nature's Calendar, formerly known as the UK Phenology Network, was established in 1998 to collect spring-time information.
"But the gap in data was in the autumn So, since about 2000, the scheme has also been collecting data on things such as fruit ripening dates, leaf colour change and fall dates, and the last birds seen," he told BBC News.
"We now have 10 years worth of data that can look at and identify changes.
"In terms of looking at the fruit-ripening dates and the thing that came out was that they all seem to have steadily advanced over the past decade."
Disruption concerns
Prof Sparks, from Coventry University, observed: "Rowan was the big one as it seemed to have advanced by nearly a month over the course of a decade."
He added that it was still uncertain what the ecological consequences of the advances would mean.
"Anything that changes out of synchronicity is likely to cause disruption," he said.
"What the actual consequences will be is slightly harder to work out. In this particular case, if all of this fruit is ripe earlier, and if all the mammals and birds are eating it earlier, what are they going to be feeding on during the rest of the winter?
"In terms of feeding birds, you have big flocks of thrushes coming down from Scandinavia and feeding on berry crops in Britain, and they tend to do that after they have exhausted the supply of berries in Scandinavia.
"You get these periods when hedges are being stripped bare, but the birds are going to have to do that earlier because that is when the fruit is ripe."
Although phenological records have shown that the arrival of spring is also advancing, Prof Sparks said it was "still a bit of a mystery" why the ripe-fruit dates had advanced over the past decade.
He suggested: "There is a very strong correlation between these ripening dates and April temperatures, and that might be a result of flowering dates - it might just be that warmer springs result in earlier flowering dates, and subsequently result in earlier ripening.
"But it might be a result of more sunshine; longer, warmer summers and therefore earlier ripening.
"So the exact mechanisms really are still a bit of a mystery. We know it is happening, but we are uncertain why."
Nature's Calendar is a web-based observations network and is a partnership between the Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
To date, it has more than 60,000 registered recorders across the UK that observe signs of seasonal changes in the natural environment.
The trust is calling on the public to plant a million native trees in gardens as part of its "Jubilee Woods" project.
A spokesman said that the scheme would increase the abundance of food sources for birds and animals in future years. | Britain's native trees are producing ripe fruit, on average, 18 days earlier than a decade ago, probably as a result of climatic shifts, a study reveals. | 15721263 |
Calls for extra money for the service are intensifying after the latest figures showed the deficit growing as performance deteriorates.
Halfway through the 2014-15 financial year the service's deficit had reached £630m - up from £500m a few months ago.
It comes as targets are being breached for A&E, hospital operations and cancer treatment.
In a briefing document, the King's Fund said the levels of deficits - revealed in official NHS board papers - were "unprecedented" and showed financial distress had become "endemic".
It follows an indication by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that he expected extra money for the health service to be part of next week's autumn statement from Chancellor George Osborne.
The NHS budget, which currently stands at £113bn, has been increasing in real terms over the course of this parliament by an average 0.7% a year. Next year it will rise to £115bn - but the think-tank said it still needed another £2bn.
But the King's Fund said increasing demand combined with the need to invest in extra staff after the Stafford Hospital scandal had pushed many parts of the NHS - particularly hospitals - into the red.
It comes after almost a decade of surpluses in the health service was brought to a halt in 2013-14 by a £100m deficit.
But that now looks set to be dwarfed by the debts mounting this year.
While the second half of the financial year tends to be better than the first, most forecasts are not predicting a significant improvement in fortunes.
King's Fund chief executive Chris Ham said: "There is scope to improve productivity in the NHS, but this will not be enough to respond to unprecedented pressures on budgets and meet rising demand for services.
"Unless more money is found a financial crisis is inevitable next year and patients will bear the cost as waiting times rise and quality of care deteriorates."
The warning comes just weeks after the government announced a total of £700m will be pumped into the system to help it cope this winter.
The four-hour waiting time target has been missed almost on a weekly basis since the summer with performance at its lowest level for this time of year for a decade.
Howard Catton, of the Royal College of Nursing, said one of the key issues to tackle was the "runaway spending on agency staff".
The board papers issued by the two regulators in the health service - Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority - highlighted this as a problem.
"It is a direct consequence of short-term workforce planning and a failure to train and retain enough nurses, which has forced desperate trusts to spend over-the-odds just to maintain safe staffing levels," Mr Catton said. | The NHS in England should be given £2bn more next year, the King's Fund health think tank has said. | 30201023 |
He was held in connection with an incident at William Perkin Church of England High School in Greenford, west London, which happened on 28 June.
The teenager was released on bail until late July, police said.
Karanbir Cheema died on Sunday, almost two weeks after collapsing.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Wednesday.
Alice Hudson, executive head teacher of Twyford Academy Trust, said: "Karanbir Cheema (known as Karan) was a popular Year 8 student at the school. He had many friends who are devastated at his death, as are the staff.
"He was a bright and keen student who excelled in maths. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karan's family." | A 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of another 13-year-old boy who died following an allergic reaction, it has emerged. | 40558099 |
This figure has risen by 2.5m from the 6.8m total the UN gave in September.
The Syria crisis "continues to deteriorate rapidly and inexorably", Ms Amos told the UN Security Council.
Meanwhile, UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is due to hold talks with US and Russian diplomats aimed at paving the way for a Syria peace conference.
In Geneva, Mr Brahimi will also meet representatives from the rest of the UN Security Council and Syria's neighbours ahead of the conference planned for later this month.
The Syrian government and opposition groups disagree over how the formal negotiations should be structured: the opposition demands that President Bashar al-Assad should resign, while Damascus says there should be no pre-conditions.
In a separate development, Damascus announced a nationwide vaccination campaign to immunise every Syrian child against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, even in rebel-held territories.
This comes weeks after cases of polio were confirmed in the country for the first time in 14 years.
Baroness Amos said the UN Security Council "should put its full political weight with both the regime and opposition parties" to ensure access for humanitarian workers.
Interactive: Tent city now home to 130,000
The baroness "continues to press the council for their help and influence over those parties who can ensure the protection of civilians and civilian facilities; the safe passage of medical personnel and supplies; the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance," her spokeswoman Amanda Pitt said.
More than half of those in need are people living in Syria displaced by conflict, a total of 6.5m, up from 4.25m internally displaced people in June.
Last month, the UN Security Council expressed alarm at the "rapid deterioration" of the humanitarian situation in Syria and demanded immediate access for aid.
It followed a resolution on eliminating Syria's chemical weapons.
The UN says the number of those needing help has risen by more than 30% from 6.8 million in September. Syria has a population of 23 million.
There are more than 2.5 million people in isolated or besieged areas of Syria, many of whom are living without adequate food or electricity or access to medical supplies.
Source: UNHCR/AFAD - Oct-Nov 2013
Aid agencies complain that the Syrian government has hindered access to visas and tried to limit the number of foreign groups operating in the country.
Neighbouring countries such as Jordan are warning that they cannot cope with the influx of refugees crossing from Syria.
The UN estimates that more than 2m people have fled Syria since the unrest began in March 2011 resulting in a humanitarian crisis.
Most have sought refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the conflict began. | Some 9.3 million people in Syria - or about 40% of the population - now need outside assistance, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said. | 24813902 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
The 25-year-old beat Jana Cepelova at the Topshelf Open in 's-Hertogenbosch before boyfriend Martin Emmrich joined her on court to propose.
Krajicek met Emmrich, a 29-year-old German doubles player, at the Netherlands venue a year ago.
Krajicek said: "It was a huge surprise. It's such a special place to do it."
Krajicek, the half-sister of 1996 Wimbledon men's singles champion Richard Krajicek, added: "I'm really happy and I feel so lucky he did it like this.
"For the first 10 or 15 seconds when he came on the court I thought, 'OK, it's nice to see him, but this is strange'. But then I saw he had tears in his eyes, and I realised what was going to happen.
"I was so focused on him the whole time I didn't hear anything he was saying.
"I just knew I was for sure going to say 'yes'." | Dutch tennis player Michaella Krajicek accepted an on-court marriage proposal after her WTA Tour event first-round victory. | 27879099 |
The station passes the UK twice on Tuesday, first late in the afternoon and then again in the evening.
BBC Weather said north west Scotland could potentially have skies clear enough to catch glimpses of it.
US space agency Nasa provides timings on when ISS comes into view from Earth.
The station appears as a bright star-like object.
On Tuesday, Mr Peake will head off on his six-month mission on-board the station.
He is set to launch aboard a Russian rocket with fellow crew members Tim Kopra and Yuri Malenchenko. | Parts of Scotland could offer the best views of the International Space Station (ISS) following UK astronaut Tim Peake's arrival on it, weather forecasters have said. | 35091451 |
Insurgents who carried out the attack did so on pick-up trucks and motorbikes, waving black flags.
The soldiers were in the area to guard Burkina Faso's long and porous border with Mali, where a number of Islamist groups are active.
No group is reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.
However al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is based in the Sahara Desert between Mali, Niger and Algeria and has attacked west African countries.
In January AQIM claimed to have killed 29 people - many of them foreigners - in a hotel attack in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
Soum Province High Commissioner Mohamed Dah told the AFP news agency that Friday morning's attack - about 260km (160 miles) from Ouagadougou - was "the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated" against the army.
Burkina Faso hotel attackers named
'Like a scene out of a movie'
In video: How Burkina Faso hotel attack unfolded
Profile: Al-Qaeda in North Africa
"They [the attackers] were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, the tents and set fire to some of the vehicles," he said.
The "murderous" attack on "the army's anti-terrorist force" has been denounced by President Rock Marc Christian Kabore in an address to the nation.
"I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators," he said.
Authorities have not revealed how many troops were injured.
The army says it has sent reinforcements to the Mali border, an area where attacks and abductions are regularly reported. | Twelve soldiers have been killed and two are missing after an attack by Islamist militants near Burkina Faso's border with Mali, the army has said. | 38345220 |