The BBC reports that the UK's National Health Service is considering a ban on the sale of alcohol to under-18s.
The move would be in line with a similar move in the US, which has seen a rise in binge drinking among teenagers.
The move would also be in line with a similar move in

A baby has been born to a previously infertile couple in Ukraine using a new type of "three-person IVF".

Article: The original ruling, made by the Belgian Privacy Commissioner (BPC) in November, relates to Facebook cookies that track the activity of non-users.
The company expects to receive an order this week, which it will contest.
But in the meantime, cookies will not be set for non-users and accounts will be needed to access content.
Cookies are text files, and some record the web activity of users. The one in question, which Facebook has named datr, can live in a web user's browser for two years.
Facebook has argued that the cookie provides better security for the site's members by preventing the creation of fake accounts, reducing the risk of accounts being hijacked, protecting users' content against theft and deterring denial-of-service attacks.
"We had hoped to address the BPC's concerns in a way that allowed us to continue using a security cookie that protected Belgian people from more than 33,000 takeover attempts in the past month," said a Facebook spokeswoman.
"We're disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement and now people will be required to log in or register for an account to see publicly available content on Facebook."
In a letter on Tuesday, the company told the BPC it would comply "fully" with the order as soon as it was received.
As well as blocking access to pages for non-users, datr cookies will no longer be set for non-users and existing cookies for such individuals will be deleted where possible.
Facebook also says it will implement cookies for users who are logged in to protect against certain attacks on its network.
"We continue to have significant concerns that requirements set forth during these proceedings in respect of cookie practices have not been applied fairly and equitably within Belgium to other internet services, as demonstrated in the reports we have submitted in the past," commented Facebook in the letter.
"I think the other protection authorities all over Europe will be looking at this," said Paul Bernal, a privacy commentator and law lecturer at the University of East...

Summary: Facebook has said that it will respond to a privacy ruling in Belgium by requiring users to log in to view pages on the site.
###
Article: The spectrum, formerly used by the Ministry of Defence, will provide 4G services for mobile companies.
The communications watchdog has suggested that a 42% share could be the largest one mobile company could own.
BT, which includes mobile network EE, currently owns 45%. Vodafone owns 28%, Three 15% and O2 12%.
These figures, provided by Ofcom, account for the existing spectrum available for "immediate use". The addition of the extra spectrum would bring BT/EE's share down to 42%, it said.
Firms have until 30 January 2017 to respond to the proposals.
However there is no suggestion that the cap could be extended to a different bandwidth of spectrum set aside to handle 5G when it launches in the UK, Ofcom added.
That comprises around 75% of the spectrum to be auctioned, it said.
EE chief executive Marc Allera said the firm disagreed with the idea.
"While we don't agree that competition measures should be introduced for this auction, we will now examine Ofcom's detailed proposal carefully and respond to the consultation," he said in a statement.
Three had lobbied for a 30% cap.
"If you've got one or two players in the market that dominate spectrum, then there is always a fear that innovation is slower because you don't have people pushing each other," Three chief executive Dave Dyson told the BBC in September.
Analyst Kester Mann from CCS Insight said the proposals represented "a partial victory" for Three.
"Expect this announcement to be just the start of another round of wrangling and protestation from the UK networks, that could see the award of licences further delayed," he said.
"Any additional hold-up works against Three and O2, which are most in need of new airwaves.
"The auction is crucial to UK providers as it will likely represent the last opportunity to buy mobile spectrum for several years."
Ofcom has not confirmed a date for the auction itself, which the BBC understands is expected to take place next year.
The total reserve price for all the spectrum on offer will be Â£70m ($86m).

Summary: Ofcom has proposed a cap on some of the newly available 4G spectrum it is preparing for auction, which would prevent BT from bidding.
###
Article: The Times reports that doctors in Kiev used a method called pronuclear transfer in what is a world first.
It is not the first baby born with DNA from three parents, however.
The baby girl, born on 5 January, is thought to be the world's second "modern three-parent baby" - another child was created using a slightly different method in Mexico last year.
The Kiev team fertilised the mother's egg with her partner's sperm. They then transferred the combined genes into an egg taken from a donor.
The child has the genetic identity of the parents, alongside a tiny amount of DNA from the second woman.
Doctors developed three-person IVF to help women who are at risk of passing on serious genetic disorders, called mitochondrial disease, to have a healthy child.
Eggs from a mother with unhealthy mitochondria and a donor with healthy mitochondria are collected.
The Nadiya clinic in Kiev used the technique to treat an infertile couple, not a couple carrying a mitochondrial disease.
UK experts said this was "highly experimental".
Valery Zukin, who led the work, said they had a hunch it would work for the Ukrainian couple who had not been able to conceive with conventional IVF.
He said he had a second patient - in a similar situation - who is expected to give birth in early March.
The UK has already passed laws to allow three-person IVF for couples with mitochondrial diseases, although no such baby has been born in Britain yet.
The science is new and controversial and raises ethical questions, including how any child from the technique might feel about having DNA from three people.
Prof Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "Pronuclear transfer is highly experimental and has not been properly evaluated or scientifically proven.
"We would be extremely cautious about adopting this approach to improve IVF outcomes."

Summary:


The family of a boy who died after being hit by a roadsweeper in a Wiltshire town have paid tribute to their "beautiful, loving child".
Article: The family of a boy who died after being hit by a roadsweeper in a Wiltshire town have paid tribute to their "beaut

Steve Dillon, the legendary British comic book artist, known for his work on Preacher, Punisher, and 2000AD's Judge Dredd has died aged 54.

Article: Daniel Climance was struck by the vehicle while out riding his bike at about 19:20 BST on Wednesday on Station Road in Purton, near Swindon.
He died at the scene. Wiltshire Police described it as a "tragic accident".
In a statement issued through the force, Daniel's family said he would be "sadly missed" by his brothers.
"Daniel was a local Wiltshire lad who divided his time equally between his mum in north Swindon and his Dad in Purton," the statement continued.
It said he was in his final year at Bridlewood Primary School and was looking forward to starting Bradon Forest School in September, joining his older brother Robbie.
"Daniel was a beautiful, loving child, with a fantastic sense of humour, caring and loving with a wide circle of friends," it said.
"He will be sadly missed by his brothers Robbie, George and Noah, and all of the extended family."
Daniel, who "loved" playing football for the Wootton Bassett under-11 team, had just completed his second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, of which he was "immensely proud", his family added.
Police said the roadsweeper was travelling towards Hook and was not believed to have been operating at the time.

Summary: The family of an 11-year-old boy who died after being hit by a roadsweeper in a Wiltshire town have paid tribute to their "beautiful, loving child".
###
Article: Mike Hookem, a UKIP MEP and ex-soldier, has urged the monarch to "intervene" on behalf of the 3.8 million people who voted for the party in May's election.
He said the UK's third largest party must be represented at national events.
Ministers said a 30-year old agreement stipulated that only leaders of parties with more than six MPs could take part.
UKIP won almost 12% of the national vote in May but only had one MP elected to Westminster.
Ahead of this Sunday's remembrance service, the party has written to Buckingham Palace appealing for UKIP's non-participation to be reviewed.
In his letter, Mr Hookem wrote: "I write to you as our Queen, asking for you to intervene on the part of over 3.8 million of your people to allow UKIP to have representation at the Cenotaph on 8 November as is right for the third most popular political party in the country."
Mr Hookem, who represents Yorkshire and the Humber in the European Parliament, has also demanded an explanation from Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, whose department is responsible for co-ordinating the invitations to the ceremony, as to why party leader Nigel Farage has not been asked to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph.
"It seems convenient the government can so easily dismiss the largest group of UK MEPs when it comes to including us in national events," he said.
In reply, Mr Whittingdale wrote: "The laying of wreaths by Parliamentary leaders is governed by a formula put in place in 1984 with the agreement of The Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons following discussion with party leaders based on the number of Westminster parliamentary seats.
"This stipulates that only the leaders at Westminster of parties which had won and taken up six or more seats at the preceding general election should lay wreaths."
Under the formula, Plaid Cymru - which has three MPs - and the Green Party, which has a sole MP, are also excluded.
Mr Hookem, who served in both the RAF and the Army before being elected as an MEP, told the BBC he was unsatisfied with the...

Summary: The UK Independence Party has written to The Queen to complain about being excluded from the Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph in Westminster.
###
Article: His brother Glyn confirmed the death on Twitter, saying his "big brother and hero" had died in New York City.
Dillon was a prolific artist who began professional work at age 16, drawing for Marvel UK's Hulk magazine.
He was best known for his US collaborations with writer Garth Ennis, creating classic cult comic titles.
In his Twitter profile, Dillon, originally from Luton, describes himself as: "A comic book bloke. Co-creator/Artist of Preacher. Co-founder/Editor of Deadline magazine. Artist on Punisher, Judge Dredd and many others."
He was born in Luton in Bedfordshire in 1962. When he was 16 he embarked on his first professional job, drawing the character Nick Fury for Hulk Weekly.
In the 1980s his career started to take off and he regularly contributed to Doctor Who Magazine, creating the character Abslom Daak.
More work followed and he was on the comic anthology Warrior from its inception in 1982.
He also drew for the British sci-fi and fantasy comic 2000AD, where he was perhaps best-known for his work as an artist on Judge Dredd.
Dillon arrived in the United States in the late 1980s, where some of his most popular strips were created.
The Hollywood Reporter says it was at DC's Vertigo imprint that he collaborated with author Garth Ennis, first on the critically acclaimed Hellblazer and then on Preacher.
Vertigo Comics paid tribute on Twitter, saying: "We lost a giant among creators and artists today. He will be missed by all of us here."
The Preacher strip inspired the US television series of the same name. In a statement, TV company AMC said: "Steve Dillon was an enormously talented illustrator who, with Garth Ennis, created a cult classic comic we were so proud to bring to television."
Dillon and Ennis then worked together on multiple series of the Punisher at Marvel, who have described the artist as "a great storyteller" on Twitter, and said they will remember his "incredible work".
On his blog of British comics, Lew Stringer who describes himself as one of Dillon's "legions of fans", paid tribute,...

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The BBC's Nasidi Adamu Yahya in Lagos, Nigeria, says the country's political leaders are often under the media spotlight because of the huge money they earn.
The BBC's Nasidi Adamu Yahya in Lagos, Nigeria, says the country's political leaders are often under the media spotlight because

Nigerians have been reacting angrily to a draft bill being discussed in the Senate which aims to punish anyone who "propagates false information" on electronic media.

Article: The rarely seen event was witnessed by gig rowers in Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall.
Dolphin attacks on porpoises accounted for about one death a year on average, said Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT).
It is unclear why dolphins attack porpoises but it could be an aggressive response to feeding competition or even "misdirected sexual aggression".
More on the deadly attack, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
The pictures were captured by the Pendeen Pilot Gig Club in a training session.
CWT said: "We are unsure of why this happens and it is certainly not predation.
"Many theories have been put forward, including misdirected infanticide (bottlenoses will kill calves), misdirected sexual aggression or play behaviour and an aggressive response to feed competition are just some."
Marine Strandings Network said it found the carcass of the porpoise, which had "multiple severe injuries as a result of the attack".
"We do have a number of dead porpoise, and more unusually common dolphin, reported to us with injuries resulting from bottlenose dolphin aggression."

Summary: A bottlenose dolphin has been pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in a deadly attack.
###
Article: However, the fallout following the failed test of the Trident nuclear deterrent is also covered by a number of newspapers.
The Scotsman reports that Theresa May is facing "calls to come clean" over the incident. It said she failed to answer direct questions about her knowledge of the test.
Nicola Sturgeon has challenged the prime minister to make a full disclosure about what she knew about the misfire, according to The National.
Under the headline "Do Ya Think I'm Tipsy", The Scottish Sun reports that Sir Rod Stewart appeared to have had a few drinks before taking part in a live TV Scottish Cup draw. He turned the draw into "comedy gold", the paper said.
The Herald reports that there have been a "catalogue of blunders" at the body which distributes £1bn to Scottish universities. It claims two universities were forced to shelve or scale back redevelopment plans as a result of the problem.
Theresa May has insisted she "won't be afraid" to tackle Donald Trump as she prepares to become the first foreign leader to visit the White House since his inauguration, according to The Times.
The Daily Record reports on a legal wrangle which has led to a murder victim lying in a mortuary for two months. It says that defence lawyers cannot find a pathologist to do a second post-mortem examination on the body of Stewart Rexter.
One in seven murders is carried out by a criminal who was spared prison in favour of community service, according to the Scottish Daily Mail.
The Lord Advocate has apologised to the family of five people who died in a Western Isles storm a decade ago for the "unacceptable" way they were treated after the tragedy, the Press and Journal reports.
The Scottish Daily Express leads with news that a move to outlaw cheap deals on junk food and fizzy drinks is to take a major step forward.
Celebrities who joined protests against Donald Trump make the front page of the Daily Star.
And The Courier reports that NHS Tayside paid more than £1,200 for an agency nurse to cover one shift.

Summary: Photographs of the stars of the Trainspotting sequel dominate the front pages, following the world premiere of the much-anticipated film in Edinburgh.
###
Article: Tweeters have been using #NoToSocialMediaBill to campaign against the proposal.
It proposes up to a seven-year sentence or $25,000 (£16,000) fine for anyone found to be sending "abusive messages".
Human Rights Watch condemns the move as an attempt to muzzle free speech.
Millions of social media users in Nigeria, as well as those sending text messages, could be affected, it says in a statement.
The bill does not define "abusive statement or messages."
There will be a public hearing on the bill before it can be passed.
Activists see the bill as an attempt to target critics of lawmakers and politicians.
The BBC's Nasidi Adamu Yahya in the capital, Abuja, says Nigerian MPs often come under the media spotlight because of the huge money they earn.
However, Senator Bala Ibn Na'allah of the governing All Progressive Congress, who sponsored the bill, said the publication of false stories was becoming rampant in the country.
"You can't write false stories just because it is social media," he told the BBC Hausa service.
The offences the proposed bill seeks to criminalise already exist under Nigerian laws including those on treason, defamation, and libel, our reporter says.
Nigeria has a vibrant civil society, with many activists who use social media for their campaigns. It has the largest number of mobile phone users in Africa.

Summary:


The Egyptian government has blocked Facebook and Twitter, and has also shut down the internet in the country.
Article: The Egyptian government has blocked Facebook and Twitter, and has also shut down the internet in the country.
Summary: The Egyptian government has blocked Facebook and Twitter, and has also shut down the internet in the

Egypt's internet activists have played a key role in the pro-democracy protests from the outset, but they tell the BBC that the online campaigning is evolving to suit their real-life activism in Tahrir Square.

Article: A total of 181,880 people were summoned to appear at magistrates' courts in England for the offence last year.
The figures, revealed in the House Of Lords, prompted some critics to accuse the BBC of "clogging up" the courts.
But the TV Licensing authority said most cases were dealt with in "bulk sessions" that took up a "small proportion" of court time.
The authority is contracted by the BBC to collect and enforce the fee, which is Â£145.50 for a colour television.
Most people who own a television set, or who stream live broadcasts through their computer, must pay the annual charge.
Those who do not face a fine of up to Â£1,000. Anyone who refuses, or is unable, to pay the fine could face prison.
The number of people caught watching TV without a licence has remained steady since 2010, at about 400,000.
However, the number of prosecutions for evasion has risen from 164,444 in 2010 to 181,880 in 2012, Ministry of Justice figures show. With magistrates handling 1.48m cases in 2012, licence fee evasion accounts for 12% of their workload.
Two-thirds of those prosecuted were women - believed to be because they are more likely to be at home when inspectors visit.
About 15% of the cases, a total of 26,745, were unsuccessful last year.
Lord Pearson, leader of the UK Independence Party in the House Of Lords, called the figures "outrageous".
"I believe that non-payment should be treated in the way that parking tickets are," said the peer, who is sponsoring a bill to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee.
"It is absurd that the courts are being clogged up by such a minor offence," he told the Telegraph.
The figures came to light after Lord Laird submitted a written question to Parliament.
A TV Licensing spokesman said: "We always prefer people buy a licence so we work with money advice organisations to inform the public of the many payment methods available, including small weekly cash payments.
"However, we have a duty to enforce the law on behalf of the 95% of people who pay. TV Licence evasion cases take up a...

Summary: More than one in 10 criminal prosecutions in 2012 were for non-payment of the BBC licence fee.
###
Article: Dr Alec High "repeatedly" engaged in sexual activity between 2013 and 2015 at the University of Leeds despite being warned not to, a General Dental Council (GDC) committee heard.
He was "erased from the register with immediate effect", meaning he can no longer practice dentistry.
Dr High had ignored a warning by a senior colleague, the committee heard.
The dentist, who had refused to attend the hearing in London, lied during a university investigation giving a false account of his whereabouts, the tribunal was told.
The allegations relate to the period between January 2013 and March 2015.
On one occasion, a colleague trying to comfort a grieving student overheard him having sex with a woman who was often seen coming and going from his office.
Dr High qualified in 1966 and worked for the NHS in the North East before moving to the University of Leeds in 1981.
He was a senior lecturer and consultant specialising in the head and neck, but left the university in 2014.
At the end of the two-day hearing, the GDC committee said: "Dr High continued with his inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour even following an informal warning.
"[We have seen] nothing to show Dr High has any insight into the seriousness of his actions or the potential consequences, and he has not provided any assurance that his misconduct would not be repeated."
The GDC said Dr High's breaches of the standards of the dental profession were "serious and fundamental".
The committee said: "Engaging in sexual activity during working hours at his place of work within the hearing of colleagues, and potentially also of students, would be considered deplorable by fellow professionals.
"Further, the deliberate and calculated false account provided by Dr High during the university's investigation with the intention to mislead investigators and undermine the allegations made against him was conduct that fell significantly below the standards expected."
The GDC continued: "Dr High's misconduct, including his unprofessional behaviour and dishonesty, was...

Summary: A dentistry lecturer who had sex in his office has been struck off the General Dental Council register.
###
Article: This revolution is the result of someone sending a Facebook invitation to many people.  I got it like other people on our network.  The buzz around it was then created on different social media websites and with videos.  I was here on 25 January when riot police forced us out and by the 28th, we were back following the violence.  I've been sleeping here most of the time since.
Our social network was established in 2005, when there was a democratic opening around the time of the presidential elections. People from different backgrounds all met through blogging and hoped to use technology for social change.  It meant we have all gained good contacts, experience and strong networks.
I like to think the social network is the people itself.  Things like Facebook, Twitter, SMS and phones are just social tools.  When they blocked Facebook and shut down technology, our network still operated because it's about people.  Internet activists are also people and a lot of our organising, social work and relationships are developed offline.
This is something that people dreamt of but didn't anticipate happening in reality.  If anything, it shows that all the effort we put in over the past few years has not been wasted.  It has climaxed into this critical mass of people you see in the square.
At the moment I'm not getting a lot of internet connection.  I'm trying not to drain my phone battery. We're still using it to distribute footage people are bringing to us that we've sorted through.
I hope the internet will continue to play a complementary role in activism.  At the moment we physically exist in downtown Cairo and I hope that when we have finished this sit-in, we will have won the right to organise ourselves outside the internet.
Twitter: Amr Gharbeia
I was involved in this revolution from the first day, 25 January, and I've now been spending my nights here for a while. For the past five years, I was very active online, blogging and tweeting.  As we live under emergency laws in Egypt it has been very difficult to meet or...

Summary:


A man has been jailed for 15 months after he was found with a 9mm pistol, ammunition, four Enfield pistols and a rifle component at his home in Hereford.
The 65-year-old was jailed at Hereford Crown Court.
He had already admitted three firearms offences, possessing prohibited ammunition and possessing

A former SAS soldier has been jailed for possessing weapons and ammunition.

Article: That is the conclusion of astronomers who surveyed thousands of galaxies, living and dead, to assess whether the transition is rapid or slow.
In the dead galaxies they detected high levels of metals, which build up during star formation and point to a slow strangulation process.
The work appears in the journal Nature.
"Metals are a powerful tracer of the history of star formation: the more stars that are formed by a galaxy, the more metal content you'll see," said Dr Yingjie Peng from the University of Cambridge, the paper's lead author.
"So looking at levels of metals in dead galaxies should be able to tell us how they died."
If a galaxy's death was quick and violent, with the cool gas that feeds star formation stripped away by internal or external forces, it would immediately stop forming stars and its metal content would remain the same.
On the other hand, if the galaxy is cut off from its supply of gas but it continues to use up what remains, metal would continue to build up until the galaxy eventually "suffocates".
In a commentary for Nature, fellow astronomer Andrea Cattaneo from the Observatoire de Paris compared this tell-tale evidence to the high levels of carbon dioxide seen in a strangled human body.
"During [strangulation], the victim uses up oxygen in the lungs but keeps producing carbon dioxide, which remains trapped in the body," wrote Dr Cattaneo.
"Instead of building up CO2, the strangled galaxies accumulate metals - elements heavier than helium - produced by massive stars."
The team led by Dr Peng spotted that accumulation of metal when they compared the spectrum of light emitted by 23,000 red, passive galaxies and 4,000 blue, star-forming ones.
They used data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - a vast collection of detailed, multi-coloured images spanning a third of the sky, which has been used to compile a precise 3D map of the universe.
On average, the living, star-forming galaxies were four billion years younger than the dead ones. This matches the amount of time that the astronomers...

Summary: When galaxies stop making stars, their death is usually a slow process that chokes them of the necessary cool gases over about four billion years.
###
Article: It is one of the recommendations in a survey of major food processing companies.
Around 11,500 EU nationals currently work in food, mostly in the meat and vegetable sectors.
The Northern Ireland economy is heavily reliant on agri-food.
It is estimated to support 92,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly.
It generated Â£4.5bn in sales in 2014, a quarter of which was exported to EU countries, the bulk of it to the Irish Republic.
The report by the Northern Ireland Food and Drinks Association was carried out to assess the implications of  Brexit.
It says that, as well as setting the numbers, the responsibility for agreeing entry requirements for a "foreign labour pool" should also be devolved.
It added that if this does not happen, there is a risk some companies may relocate processing plants across the border to the Irish Republic, where free movement for EU nationals will continue.
Chair of NIFDA Declan Billington said the industry was "facing a period of great uncertainty".
He said his association was trying to help shape the plan for a post-EU market by highlighting areas of concern.
A huge amount of milk and meat crosses the border in both directions for processing.
The report, based on the responses of 39 companies, calls for a free trade agreement with Europe and the maintenance of the common travel area.
If a trade agreement proves difficult, tariff free quotas for key products should be put in place and there should be minimal disruption at the border for cross border trade, it said.

Summary: Stormont should have the power to decide the number of migrants who can come to Northern Ireland to work in agri-food after the UK leaves the EU, according to an industry report.
###
Article: A 9mm self-loading pistol, ammunition, four Enfield pistols and a rifle component were found at Albert Patterson's house in Hereford, the Hereford Times reported.
The 65-year-old was jailed for 15 months at the city's Crown Court.
He had already admitted three firearms offences, possessing prohibited ammunition and possessing ammunition without a certificate.
More on this story and others from Herefordshire
West Mercia Police said Patterson was arrested in January last year and charged in December.
Two charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and a second charge of possessing ammunition without a certificate will remain on file following Wednesday's hearing.
Former SAS soldier Lofty Wiseman who helped train Patterson, described him as a "good lad" who had been naive.
"He broke the law unfortunately. He had to get punished," he said.
"If he wanted a weapon as a keepsake, you could have had it de-activated, but by having a weapon, a serviceable weapon and ammunition, I think it's the ammunition that's really been the nail in the coffin.
"If you have a weapon in a house with ammunition, there's always that temptation... you can never say you're going to use it but different circumstances, state of mind, if it's there, it can be used so that's where you must have laws."

Summary:


The Welsh government has spent more than £52,000 on a campaign to promote the new rail link between Cardiff and Swansea.
The Welsh government said it was "unapologetic" about the campaign.
A spokesman said: "We are not going to apologise for informing the Welsh public about one of the most important

An advertising campaign promoting the South Wales Metro has been criticised as "useless" and a "cynical way of spending public money".

Article: In a letter to school governors seen by the BBC, the employers said the proposed strike action by some NASUWT members later this month is based on a ballot conducted five years ago.
In response, the NASUWT maintain their plans for action are entirely lawful.
Their members at schools in Belfast and Newtownabbey are due to stage a one-day walk out on 30 November.
The action is over pay, workload and job insecurity.
The letter is from the management side of the Teachers' Negotiating Committee.
It represents the main school employing bodies, including the Education Authority (EA) and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS).
The letter points out that the strike is based on a ballot taken "in November 2011".
"We reserve the right to challenge the legality of the current action with particular reference to the unacceptable continuous rolling over and escalation of the industrial action purportedly authorised by historic ballots notwithstanding clear changes to the nature of the disputes," it said.
Last month, all teaching unions in Northern Ireland rejected an offer which would have seen their pay frozen last year and a rise of 1% for 2016-17
The other teaching unions - INTO, UTU and ATL - are currently taking non-strike industrial action.
For example, INTO members are not attending school meetings arranged before school or at break or lunchtime.
The employers' letter said that they want to resolve the industrial action.
However, it said they "are concerned about the long-term nature of the industrial action the unions are currently engaged in and the detrimental impact on the education of pupils and effective running of schools".
In response, the NASUWT said that they are pursuing "a lawful trade dispute on pay, pensions, working conditions and jobs which has been recognised by the education minister
"The NASUWT's plans for strike action are entirely lawful and members participating in the NASUWT industrial action will continue to be protected in law by the existing yes vote from the ballot of all...

Summary: The body representing teaching employers is considering legal action against a strike plan by some teachers.
###
Article: The High Court refused to rule in a case brought by campaign groups seeking to exclude him from the 4 March poll.
Mr Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga are seen as the favourites.
Mr Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto deny the charges brought against them in The Hague.
They are due to go on trial in April at the International Criminal Court  (ICC) in connection with the violence that followed disputed elections in 2007.
"The High Court lacks jurisdiction to deal with a question relating to the election of a president," the panel of five judges said in a statement read to a crowded courtroom.
"This is an issue that is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court," the judges said.
The BBC's Will Ross in the capital, Nairobi, says Mr Kenyatta's supporters celebrated in the streets after the ruling was announced.
Correspondents say it is not immediately clear if any application would be made to move the case to the higher court.
Edgar Kavu-Lavu from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) - one of the civil society groups to bring the case to court - says they won't appeal as there is not enough time before the elections are held.
The ICC case against four Kenyans - including Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto - is taking centre stage in the elections and was an issue that featured prominently in the first presidential debate last week between the eight leading candidates for the post.
Mr Kenyatta was forced to fend off claims of impunity during the debate and was put on the spot by the moderators and his presidential challengers who demanded to know why he would not pull out of the race to concentrate on his case at The Hague.
Both he and Mr Ruto have been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity emanating from the violence that killed more than 1,000 people and forced about 300,000 people from their homes after the disputed election that was won by President Mwai Kibaki, who is now stepping down after two terms.
Mr Odinga said he welcomed the High Court ruling.
"I have repeatedly said...

Summary: Kenya's deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta - accused of crimes against humanity - can stand in next month's election, after a court declined to bar him.
###
Article: Liberal Democrat AM Eluned Parrott said the Welsh government had "wasted" more than £52,000 on them at railway stations in south Wales.
She accused ministers of spending public money to "promote themselves before an election".
The Welsh government said it was unapologetic about the campaign.
A spokesman said: "We are not going to apologise for informing the Welsh public about one of the most important economic and social projects in Wales' history.
"Are the Liberal Democrats really saying that we should not be providing people in Wales with this important information?"
Ms Parrott said her party backed the project, but added: "To all intents and purposes, here we have Labour ministers spending over £50,000 of public money to promote themselves before an election.
"This is money spent only on marketing the fact that one day, years in the future, there will be a Metro in south Wales.
"This is a cynical way of spending public money. The minister is wasting tens of thousands of pounds on a useless poster campaign."
Work on the Metro is set to start in 2017 and finish in 2020, a government spokesman said.
Formal consultation for the £600m programme to develop an integrated network of rail, bus and light rail services begins in 2016.

Summary:


The Football Association has announced a new partnership with the National Lottery.
The deal will see the FA and National Lottery share £1.5m a year.
The money will be used to help grassroots football clubs and community projects.
The FA said: "The FA is committed to supporting grassroots football and

Oldham Athletic have offered free entry to all fans for their rearranged League One fixture against Peterborough United on Tuesday, 24 January.

Article: The areas have been identified as having "high wildness" and include islands, mountain ranges, moorlands and blanket bogs, said the agency.
Among the 42 sites are parts of Jura and also Hoy in Orkney, Breadalbane-Schiehallion in Perth and Kinross, Lochnagar and Skye's Cuillin Hills.
Public comments have been sought on draft guidance on protecting the areas.
Other sites include Talla-Hart Fells north of Moffat, Causeymire-Knockfin Fells in Caithness and Ronas Hill and North Roe in Shetland.
SNH said descriptions were based on extensive field study work and illustrated with photographs and maps.
Peter Hutchinson, SNH's planning and renewables manager, said: "Our Wild Land Areas have a distinct and special character.
"They are part of Scotland's identity and bring broad and significant benefits. For example, they attract many thousands of visitors each year and provide important havens for Scotland's wildlife."
The public consultation on the draft guidance, which is designed to protect the areas from new developments, runs until 7 April.
Landscape conservation charity, the John Muir Trust, has welcomed the publication of the descriptions and draft guidance.
Stuart Brooks, the trust's chief executive, said: "We would applaud the work that SNH has carried out to create vivid and detailed descriptions of each individual wild land area, which examine landscape, ecology, geology, archaeology and current human activity.
"They will help bring to life Scotland's most beautiful, wild and remote places - turning lines on maps into real places."

Summary: Descriptions of 42 Wild Land Areas of Scotland have been published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
###
Article: The Home Affairs Committee heard evidence about the councils, which use Islamic law to grant divorces.
Maryam Namazi, of One Law for All, said the council process was "tantamount to abuse", with women told to stay silent and domestic violence justified.
Khola Hasan, a woman who sits on a UK Sharia council, said they offered women a service not available elsewhere.
At the hearing, witnesses explained that even after a civil divorce, a family or community might not accept the marriage was over until a religious divorce had taken place.
MPs also heard that between 30 and 40% of Muslim marriages were religious only, meaning the women did not have the same rights as wives in a civil marriage.
Zlakha Ahmed, founder of Rotherham-based domestic violence organisation Apna Haq, said that without Sharia councils most of the women she had helped would still be in "limping marriages".
She said their husband might be living with another woman, while they did the housework and were treated as a slave.
But asked if the councils were discriminatory, she nodded, saying: "There are certain behaviours that need challenging."
Another witness - Shaista Gohir, chair of the Muslim Women's Network UK - called on the government to make civil marriage compulsory before Islamic marriage, and fine imams who contravened this.
She said her organisation was trying to encourage more Muslim women to get a civil marriage.
Ms Gohir said it was then a case of educating Muslim communities that a civil divorce meant a religious divorce, which would eventually make Sharia councils redundant.
She advised against sudden abolition of the councils, saying it would drive the problem underground, push up Sharia divorce charges and reduce transparency.
In the meantime, she called for councils to:
She also suggested that the government should draw up a list of those councils which followed best practice.
Khola Hasan, who also gave evidence, told the BBC that the UK's estimated 30 Sharia councils were giving Muslim women a service they could not get...

Summary: Sharia councils discriminate against Muslim women when they are seeking a religious divorce, MPs have been told.
###
Article: The original game was postponed on 26 November because of a frozen pitch.
The offer from the Latics is for both home and away supporters visiting SportsDirect.com Park.
Oldham, who are next to bottom of the table, three points from safety, have just exited a transfer embargo and reappointed John Sheridan as manager.
"We want as many supporters to welcome back the manager to the football club as he takes his place on the sidelines for the first time," said a club statement.
Supporters are, however, being invited to make a donation to a local charity.
Brentford were the first team to offer free entry for a league game in England when they played Peterborough in 2001.

Summary:


A Welsh Government minister has said the organisation is facing a "budget shortfall" and "all options" are being explored.
Article: A Welsh Government minister has said the organisation is facing a "budget shortfall" and "all options" are being explored.
Summary: A Welsh Government minister has said the organisation is facing

One tenth of the workforce at a Welsh Government-funded careers service is facing redundancy, according to Unison.

Article: To New Zealanders, their big brother across the Tasman Sea in Australia was always brash and exciting. Lured by the prospect of well-paid jobs and sunshine, the Kiwis have traditionally flocked west in vast numbers.
But things are changing. New Zealand has a renewed sense of confidence, and buoyed by the international success of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies it is not only foreign tourists that are heading to Middle Earth. Others are seeking fresh opportunities in a "rock star" economy.
For the first time in 24 years, more people are now heading east from Australia to New Zealand.
The end of a long mining boom in Australia and the rebounding of its trans-Tasman neighbour's fortunes are among the main factors.
"We've been describing New Zealand as a rock star in the sense that it has been outperforming almost all of the other developed world economies over the past couple of years," says Paul Bloxham, HSBC's chief economist for Australia and New Zealand
Recent figures show that employment growth in Australia is running at 2%, while across the Tasman Sea the Kiwis are enjoying rates of more than 3%.
The government in Wellington is expecting a budget surplus within the next year or two, while its counterpart in Canberra can see only deficits ahead.
At the heart of the Kiwi recovery are construction booms in Auckland and post-earthquake Christchurch.
"The tide has turned a little bit now and we are seeing Australians suddenly taking more notice of what's going on in New Zealand that has an economy which is growing really strongly," says Peter Townsend, chief executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce.
"New Zealand has the second-largest diaspora in the world, as I understand it on a per capita basis, so we have a million Kiwis living offshore.
"It is the New Zealand way to go offshore and experience new things, and the economic positioning of New Zealand now and the rebuild of Christchurch is attracting some of those Kiwis back home," he says.
Official reports show that New Zealand...

Summary: It has long been like a fractious, but ultimately friendly, relationship between siblings.
###
Article: Avon and Somerset chief Nick Gargan was suspended over allegations he made inappropriate advances to female staff.
The police watchdog said he may have breached the Data Protection Act by sending emails with personal data to individuals unconnected to the force.
Mr Gargan, who denies the charges, is due to be interviewed soon.
Rachel Cerfontyne, of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), said: "Mr Gargan has now been served with a notice informing him that this aspect of his conduct is subject to a criminal investigation."
Investigators have "examined a large amount of computer and telephone data" during the probe, with 50 members of staff from the force providing "information and intelligence", said the IPCC.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Gargan, a spokesman for the Chief Police Officers' Staff Association said Mr Gargan would "continue to cooperate" with the investigation.
"Chief Constable Gargan is pleased that progress has been made in relation to the allegation concerning inappropriate behaviour and that this allegation is no longer being treated as a criminal matter," the statement continued.
"He is keen to return to work and hopes that the investigation can be progressed expediently."

Summary: A chief constable being investigated for gross misconduct will also be interviewed on suspicion of data protection offences.
###
Article: A total of 60 jobs at Careers Wales, which employs around 600, are to be axed, the union has said.
Careers Wales said it is facing a "budget shortfall" and "all options" are being explored.
The Welsh Government said it was aware Careers Wales was consulting on a "voluntary release scheme".
Unison said all employees of Careers Wales, which provides careers advice and information and is funded by Welsh ministers, had been written to asking if they would take voluntary redundancy.
The union said that, although Careers Wales' core funding for the year remained at £18m from the year before, the organisation was facing a £2.7m cut in overall funding for 2016-17 through the withdrawal of a fund that had prevented redundancies in the last financial year.
The Welsh Government said the fund was a one-off project actually worth £1.7m, and it was disingenuous to suggest extra funding had been withdrawn.
Jeff Baker, Unison regional organiser, said: "The government's plans don't make any sense."
"The Welsh Government hasn't concluded its strategic review with Careers Wales and by slashing funding to that organisation, it's forcing Careers Wales to sack people and its future is threatened.
"This is a ridiculous way to plan and fund a key public service."
Unison said Careers Wales staff numbers have halved in the last five years and it was making the staff cuts despite bidding to provide the Welsh Government's Employability and Apprenticeship training programme.
Richard Spear, chief executive of Careers Wales, said: "An anticipated reduction in our overall funding for 2017-2018 and a need to make further savings has resulted in a budget shortfall for the organisation.
"All options are being explored to address this shortfall.
"We will attempt to make the required savings via a voluntary early release scheme, in line with compulsory redundancy-avoidance best practice."
He said a 30-day consultation had started.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We are aware of Careers Wales' decision to initiate consultation on a voluntary...

Summary:


The bank said it was "working flat out to get these payments updated for our customers no later than Saturday".
Article: The bank said it was "working flat out to get these payments updated for our customers no later than Saturday".
Summary: The bank said it was "working flat out to get these payments updated

Ulster Bank is working to restore payments and direct debits that were delayed by a computer glitch involving the RBS group of banks.

Article: Christy Norman, 70, from Poole, Dorset, told a court she dialled 999 and performed CPR while everyone else fled.
The English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), which supported her, said she was only a cleaner working two days a week at the brothel in Bournemouth.
Norman denied assisting in the brothel's management but was found guilty at Poole Magistrates' Court.
She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay Â£400 court costs.
Cari Mitchell, from the ECP, said the "traumatised" defendant was only guilty of trying to save a life.
Ms Mitchell, who was present in court, said: "It is a terrible injustice that a woman who performed a civic duty by trying to save another human being should find herself with a criminal record.
"Shame on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the judge.
"If they had any morals or were in anyway concerned for women's safety this prosecution would never have been brought."
The man had asked to come and sit in the Bunnies Ranch premises on 19 May 2016 after feeling unwell, the court heard.
He then collapsed and Norman spent eight minutes performing CPR before paramedics and police officers arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Norman was later arrested and charged.
In a statement, the CPS said Norman was "clearly involved in the running and management of the brothel".
District prosecutor Tim Cole said: "She had been publicising the Ranch's services on local sex sites and was keeping a book where she would record the sexual practices of the employees with their clients."
Norman, of Arley Road, was "too upset to comment", the ECP said.

Summary: A woman who tried to save a man's life at a brothel has been found guilty of helping to run the establishment.
###
Article: The company said like-for-like sales grew by 4% in the year to April, although trading in southern Europe continued to perform badly.
It said it expected underlying profits before tax to be at the top end of market expectations of Â£75-85m.
Sales fell 8% in Italy, Greece and Turkey, where economic growth has been relatively weak.
Dixons also said trading at its online electric retail site, PIXmania, "continues to be very challenging".
Sales at the website were down 24% for the year.
In contrast, sales at UK and Ireland operations, which consist of Currys, Currys Digital, PC World and Dixons.co.uk, grew 7%.
Dixons.co.uk closed in October last year, though PC World and Currys continue to trade online, alongside PIXmania.
Chief executive Sebastian James said he believed the company had "a clear business model that allows us to flourish in an internet world".
"We remain steadfastly focused on sorting out our businesses in more challenged markets and, in particular, PIXmania," he said.
"Above all, we are enjoying the feeling of a little wind in our sails and we want to make sure that, in spite of continued economic uncertainty, this carries on into next year and beyond."

Summary: Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World, has reported growth in sales in the last 12 months.
###
Article: A spokesman for the bank said they were "working flat out to get these payments updated for our customers no later than Saturday".
Its parent company RBS said about 600,000 payments were affected.
It said it had now identified and fixed the underlying problem.
Ulster Bank said concerned customers should "come into a branch or get in touch with our call centres".
"We will ensure no customers are left out of pocket as a result of this issue," a spokesman said.
In 2012, the RBS group was hit by a major IT meltdown that led to a large fine.
RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank customers were affected in June 2012 after problems with a software upgrade. On that occasion, the IT failure affected more than 6.5 million customers in the UK over several weeks.
The banking group said it had invested hundreds of millions of pounds to improve its computer systems since then.

Summary:


The Great Yorkshire Show has been cancelled after one day due to heavy rain.
The show, which is held at Harrogate's Knaresborough Showground, is expected to attract around 135,000 visitors.
The show is expected to be cancelled after one day due to heavy rain.
The show,

A Lady Penelope puppet, donated by the son of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, is to be sold for charity.

Article: An investigation by the commission found that 307 payments totalling £184,676 were missing from the party's spending return.
The commission said it had referred the matter to the police to see if any criminal offences had been committed.
The Lib Dems said "human error and failures of process" were to blame.
Bob Posner, director of political finance at the Electoral Commission, said their investigation uncovered "systemic failures in ensuring that the rules were being followed".
"This is an experienced party that failed to meet the basic requirements of the law, and cases like this undermine voters' confidence in our political finance system," he said.
"This is why we have applied the highest financial penalty available to us."
The commission repeated its call for an increase to the maximum penalty, saying a £20,000 fine was no longer a strong enough deterrent to the larger political parties which spend millions of pounds.
The commission said it had notified the Metropolitan Police that the campaigns officer, Tim Gordon, may have committed a criminal offence if he "knowingly or recklessly signed a false declaration" about the spending.
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said the mistakes had been caused by issues with a small number of local accounting units.
He said steps were being taken to ensure these mistakes were not repeated, and the party would co-operate fully with any investigation.
"We always endeavour to ensure our reports of national campaign expenses are completed in full, in good time and according to all applicable rules," he added.
The Liberal Democrats were badly defeated in 2015, keeping just eight of the 57 seats they had won in 2010.
In October, Labour was also fined a maximum £20,000 for failing to declare all of its general election expenses, including an 8ft stone tablet, known as the "Ed Stone", that was carved with ex-leader Ed Miliband's key pledges.

Summary: The Liberal Democrats have been fined £20,000 by the Electoral Commission for failing to declare all their spending in the 2015 general election campaign.
###
Article: Soaring temperatures this week helped the three-day show in Harrogate attract 134,837 visitors - just 274 short of the record 135,111 set in 2006.
Last year's event was cancelled after one day, costing organisers about ??2m.
Show director Bill Cowling said: "I am absolutely delighted with our visitor numbers this year."
Mr Cowling said the success of the show was "a welcome boost" after what had been a difficult year in the aftermath of last year's cancellation - the first in its 155-year history.
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the show, commissioned research earlier this year which showed that it generates about ??15m for the local economy each year.

Summary: Attendance at this year's Great Yorkshire Show came close to the highest on record - a year after the event was cancelled due to heavy rain.
###
Article: Mr Anderson, who also created science-fiction series Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Stingray, died in 2013 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
His son Jamie, from Highworth in Wiltshire, said the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Society.
The 19in (48cm) replica with optic eyes and the "same make of teeth as the original", is being auctioned on eBay.
The science-fiction fantasy about a daring rescue squad, was filmed in a studio on the Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire and was first aired on TV screens in October 1965.
At its peak, Thunderbirds was attracting an audience of 100 million fans in 66 countries around the world.
But, according to Jamie Anderson, after his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011 - he "had no idea" he was its creator.
"For a man who made Thunderbirds, created it and was best known for that - he would say to me: What was that show that I made?," he said.
"I could say the name 'Thunderbirds' and it meant nothing to him.  For the disease to affect him in that way, was a really distressing thing to see."
Donated by a fan to the son of her original creator, the Lady Penelope puppet boasts a head made of fibre glass - like the original - and real human hair.
"Before Dad died he fulfilled his ambition of raising awareness of dementia and funds for Alzheimer's Society," said Mr Anderson.
"He'd be so pleased to know of the sale of one of his most iconic characters in aid of a charity that was so close to his heart."

Summary:


The European Space Agency's Herschel space telescope has produced a stunning new version of a classic astronomical target - the Eagle Nebula (also called M16).
Article: The European Space Agency's Herschel space telescope has produced a stunning new version of a classic astronomical target - the Eagle Nebula (also called M16).

A power cut left Venezuela's parliament in the dark as it discussed a law dedicated to the energy sector.

Article: He died in the US, where he lived and had been a citizen since the 1960s.
He became famous after writing about his experiences as a teenager in Nazi concentration camps, where he lost his mother, father and younger sister.
He dedicated his life to ensuring the atrocities committed under the Nazis were never forgotten, and the president of the World Jewish Congress has called him "a beacon of light".
Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre announced his death on Saturday.
US President Barack Obama said Mr Wiesel was "one of the great moral voices of our time".
Elie Wiesel was born in Romania in 1928. In 1940 his town, Sighet, was part of a region that was annexed by Hungary. Four years later the town's entire Jewish population, including 15-year-old Elie and his family, was deported to Auschwitz.
Mr Wiesel's mother and one sister were killed in Nazi death chambers. His father died of starvation and dysentery in the Buchenwald camp. Two other sisters survived.
After the war, Mr Wiesel lived in a French orphanage and went on to become a journalist.
He wrote more than 60 books, starting with Night, a memoir based on his experiences in the death camps.
It included the lines: "For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living.
"To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time."
Mr Wiesel's use of the term Holocaust helped cement the word's association with Nazi atrocities against the Jews.
In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his role in speaking out against violence, repression and racism.
When accepting it, he said: "Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation, take sides.
"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
After Mr Wiesel's death, the head of the World Jewish Congress said he was "undoubtedly one of the great Jewish teachers and thinkers of the past 100 years".
Ronald...

Summary: The Holocaust survivor and Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel has died aged 87.
###
Article: This dense region of gas and dust some 6,500 light-years from Earth hosts copious numbers of bright new stars.
Radiation from these objects is sculpting the clouds of gas and dust, producing in places great columns and curtains of material.
The picture is being featured on the BBC's Stargazing Live series.
Brian Cox and Dara O'Briain are presenting the popular programmes this week from Jodrell Bank radio observatory in Cheshire.
Look just below the centre of the image and you will see the columns that were famously dubbed the "Pillars of Creation" when they were pictured by the Hubble telescope in 1995.
But Herschel and Hubble see distinctly different things in the nebula.
Hubble is sensitive to optical light, the kind of light we detect with our eyes. This is easily blocked or scattered by the dust, and shows us merely the shape of the billowing clouds of material.
Herschel, on the other hand, is sensitive to much longer wavelength radiation, in far-infrared. This enables it to detect the emission coming directly from the cold gas and dust that cloaks so much of the region.
It is a powerful ability that enables Herschel to look inside the columns and curtains, at the places where dense gas is collapsing under its own weight to trigger the nuclear reactions that give rise to new stars.
Herschel's is a false colour image in which the bluer material is relatively warm and the redder material is relatively cold. It is "relative" because these are temperatures below minus 200C.
"The Eagle Nebula is one of the iconic regions of space popularised by Hubble but this has been our first chance to look at it with Herschel," explained Professor Glenn White from the Open University.
"The dusty material you see in Herschel's image is the material that will form the next generation of stars.
"Where you see little points, what you're looking at are the cocoons, the envelopes, inside which young stars are forming. Those stars will eventually blow away all the material that surrounds them and their optical light will become...

Summary: Europe's Herschel space telescope has produced a majestic new version of a classic astronomical target - the Eagle Nebula (also called M16).
###
Article: Lights first went off as Ramon Lobo, a pro-government lawmaker, defended the energy policies of President Nicolas Maduro, reports said.
Opposition MP Luis Florido quipped on Twitter: "The country's reality has hit them in the face."
The session was later suspended. Venezuela faces a severe electricity crisis and shortages are frequent.
Reports said other buildings in the same area of the capital, Caracas, were also hit by power cuts, on Wednesday afternoon.
Venezuela's National Assembly is controlled by the opposition.
Delsa Solorzano, an opposition MP, tweeted a video of the chamber in the dark.
MP Freddy Guevara, also from the opposition, said: "What a shame: the parliament session was interrupted because the energy went off. Right on the day we're discussing the energy sector law."
Oil-rich Venezuela is in the middle of a deep economic crisis caused by a drop in global oil prices. The country is suffering from a shortage of basic goods, food and electricity.
Earlier this year, the government introduced power rationing and a two-day working week for public sector workers as ways to tackle the crisis.
It said a major drought, which dramatically reduced water levels at its main hydroelectric dam, was to blame. But the opposition accused authorities of mismanagement.
Some of the measures have already been lifted.

Summary:


A man has been jailed for more than 20 years after he brutally murdered a woman who had befriended him.
Article: A man has been jailed for more than 20 years after he brutally murdered a woman who had befriended him.
Summary: A man has been jailed for more than 20 years after he brutally murdered

Organisers of the Henley Royal Regatta are supplying hours of CCTV footage to police after a woman was raped.

Article: They were found to have improperly taken their oaths of office in 2016.
The ruling comes just weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Hong Kong against challenging the mainland's authority over the city.
The territory saw major pro-democracy protests in 2014 demanding electoral reform and more autonomy from Beijing.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, became a special administrative region of China in 1997. It is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems", enjoying a high degree of autonomy.
The four disqualified lawmakers are all members of the territory's pro-democracy movement. At the oath-taking ceremony in October 2016,
The ruling is a serious blow to the pro-democracy bloc in the Legislative Council and will affect its bargaining power.
The BBC's Hong Kong correspondent Juliana Liu said the crowd waiting outside the court went silent after news emerged the four had been disqualified. Some members of the public cried and embraced each other in response to the ruling.
The court's move comes after Beijing made the unprecedented step of issuing an interpretation of Hong Kong's Basic Law.
The city's quasi constitution does not mention any consequences if officials fail to be sworn in properly, nor whether they would be able to retake the oath.
But China's parliament in Beijing decided that officials must "accurately, completely and solemnly" read out the portion of the oath that swears allegiance to Beijing.
This interpretation led to the the disqualification of two pro-independence lawmakers in November 2016.

Summary: Hong Kong's High Court has disqualified four lawmakers who protested against Beijing when they were sworn in to the city's Legislative Council.
###
Article: Colin Evans, 39, was found dead at home in Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, in September 2014.
He had been stabbed multiple times by Jose Correia Agrela, of no fixed address, who fled wearing his victim's clothes and taking his pet dog.
Agrela, 30, was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years and three months at Chelmsford Crown Court.
On sentencing, Judge Christopher Ball QC told him he had abused the help of a man who "had befriended you, offered you food and friendship".
Agrela denied murder - trying to claim someone else killed Mr Evans while he had been out walking the dog, Sweep - but was convicted in court last month.
Det Ch Insp Martin Passmore, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said Mr Evans had invited Agrela into his home "as an act of charity after he became homeless".
"It beggars belief that Agrela could launch such an attack on a man who had given him a roof over his head," he said.
He added the sentence length reflected the "savage nature of the attack".

Summary: A homeless man who brutally murdered a cafe worker who had "befriended" him has been jailed for more than 20 years.
###
Article: The woman, aged in her 20s, was attacked after leaving the event's Chinawhite enclosure early on Sunday, with men she met there.
She walked with them to the Harpsden Road and Reading Road area and was raped outside a car, which the men then drove off in.
A passerby found the victim near the Three Horseshoes pub shortly after.
Daniel Grist, secretary of the regatta, said: "We have been liaising with Thames Valley Police, regarding this terrible incident, which took place after Regatta facilities had closed and racing had finished for the day on Saturday 1 July.
"The Chinawhite area is not located on land managed by Henley Royal Regatta but we will continue to assist Thames Valley Police and are working with them to secure CCTV footage to assist in identifying the perpetrators."
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses, and specially-trained officers are supporting the woman, who left the Chinawhite enclosure between 00:00 and 02:30 BST.
Det Ch Insp Lis Knight said such incidents were rare in the area.
The Â£3m rowing regatta sees more than 200 races take place on the river Thames over five days.
The annual regatta, which has been held since 1839, was expected to attract 200,000 spectators to this year's event.

Summary:


A man has been arrested after a crash in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
The incident happened at about 14:15 BST on the B1191 at Thornton, near Woodhall Spa.
The man was driving a black Suzuki motorbike

A man has died in a collision between a tractor and a motorcycle in Lincolnshire.

Article: Advocate General Cruz Villalon said the ECB's Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) programme is compatible, in principle, with EU law.
But he said that if the programme is implemented, its compatibility will depend on certain conditions being met.
The bond-buying is aimed at avoiding a break-up of the euro, but has faced a legal challenge from Germany.
Announced in 2012, the OMT plan has never been put into practice, although it has helped restore confidence in eurozone markets.
However, with the eurozone facing the threat of deflation and recession, there is increasing pressure on the ECB to start a separate programme of quantitative easing (QE), which would involve starting a bond-buying operation similar to OMT.
Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics, said: "Overall, then, the final hurdle to quantitative easing appears to have been cleared.
"But given the ECB's natural caution, Germany's objections and the limited effects of QE in other countries, it would be hopeful to expect it to transform the eurozone's economic outlook."
Analysis: Andrew Walker, BBC World Service economics correspondent
The sighs of relief from the ECB and eurozone finance ministries are almost audible.
It's worth emphasising just how successful the OMT programme has been in taking the heat out of the eurozone financial crisis. Of course, the wider economic challenges are still profound. OMT will not fix them. But it did bring real calm to the financial market dimension of the crisis, despite the fact that the ECB has not spent a single euro under the programme.
It's a striking example of how a policymaker's statement that it's willing in principle to do something can sometimes shift expectations so much that the announcement alone gets the intended result. As for quantitative easing - which we expect the ECB to embark on soon - this legal opinion may not have a direct bearing, but QE is also about bond-buying, so it could have presented some serious legal complications.
The Advocate General has avoided...

Summary: A top European Union lawyer has said that the European Central Bank's planned bond-buying programme is legal.
###
Article: "He is a martyr. May his soul rest in peace," Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said, indicative of the esteem in which the late sheikh was held in Iraq.
For many Shia there, Sheikh Nimr was an icon for his vocal support for anti-government protests by fellow Shia in Sunni Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
No wonder they took to the streets of Baghdad in their thousands after Sheikh Nimr, along with 46 other people, was executed on 2 January, all convicted of terrorism.
With the devastating civil war in Iraq between Sunnis and Shia in 2006-2007 still fresh in people's minds, his execution threatens to inflame Iraq's sectarian tensions.
Two Sunni mosques have been attacked and two people killed in apparent retaliation for Sheikh Nimr's death.
Leading Shia political and military figures in Iraq openly bear animosity towards Saudi Arabia.
They are particularly critical of Riyadh's ultra-conservative form of Islam, which they perceive as the nucleus of the extremist ideology of al-Qaeda and its splinter groups, like the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
"This is an ideological battle with Sunni extremists that must be fought to the end," Jaafar al-Husseini, spokesman for the Shia Hezbollah Brigades militia, told me.
The Iranian-backed group is one of several militias that constitute the backbone of nearly 120,000 volunteers, mainly Shia and known as the Popular Mobilisation (PM) forces.
Able-bodied Shia men took up arms against IS in response to a fatwa (edict) by Sheikh Sistani in June 2014 as large parts of the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of the IS advance.
The massive force of Shia volunteers has become the most successful example of boots-on-the-ground in Iraq.
And despite accusations by international human rights groups of human rights abuses against Sunnis, the Popular Mobilisation forces remain hugely popular in Shia-majority areas.
"We should not have any relations with Saudi Arabia," Mr Husseini said in a decisive tone.
The growing Saudi-Iranian crisis has put Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi...

Summary: Within hours of Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the highest Shia authority in Iraq spoke out against what he called the shedding of "pure blood".
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Article: The crash happened at about 14:15 BST on the B1191 at Thornton, near Woodhall Spa.
Lincolnshire Police said the motorcyclist killed in the collision lived locally, but has not released any further details. The tractor driver was not injured.
The force has appealed for witnesses to the collision to come forward.
The B1191 was closed in both directions between the B1192 Tattershall Road junction in Woodhall Spa and the A158 Jubilee Way junction in Horncastle

Summary:


A new study has found that the number of people who are infected with norovirus is increasing.
Article: The number of people who are infected with norovirus is increasing.
Summary: A new study has found that the number of people who are infected with norovirus is increasing.
Article: The

A hospital has suspended visits to patients on all its wards following an outbreak of the norovirus bug.

Article: This at least is my mantra when attempting to interpret data I've requested through legislation - be it from local authorities, health boards or the police.
It's all too easy to look at a data set, tot up the numbers, and jump to a conclusion.
The practice of data journalism - more than anything - requires not only a double-checking of your arithmetic but, above all, context.
The Scottish Conservatives research on the number of headteacher vacancies in the country's schools is a case in point.
They say: "Many Scottish primary schools are struggling to recruit heads."
But, what is meant by "many"?
Well, let's take a closer look.
The Conservatives' figures reveal 51 primary schools in Scotland are without a headteacher.
Granted, while this situation is far from ideal, bear in mind there are 2,056 primary schools in Scotland.
So, does 2.5% of Scotland's primary schools count as "many"?
Let's dig a little deeper.
The Conservatives include statistics from the local authorities of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire where the 16 leaderless primary schools account for nearly one third of the national total.
Aberdeen City Council is listed as having the most head teacher vacancies (10) which, when divided by the number of primary schools in the area, equates to 21% of primary schools.
That's a fifth of schools, which is not an insubstantial number.
And what about Aberdeenshire, which has the second largest number of vacancies with six?
Well, when divided by the number of primary schools in the area (150), that equates to just 4% of schools.
By contrast, let's look at East Dunbartonshire Council where there's just four vacancies.
However, with only 39 primary schools, that actually equates to a higher vacancy rate of 10% - more than double the figure for Aberdeenshire.
This shows us that you can't simply look at the raw numbers, the picture changes when you provide context.
There are also a number of other factors to bear in mind when looking at these figures.
Whenever I submit FOIs (freedom of information requests) I'm...

Summary: With the great power of the Freedom of Information Act, comes great responsibility.
###
Article: Microsoft technical expert Patrick Barker said he had found Samsung software downloading and running a file called Disable_Windowsupdate.exe, while helping a user with a computer problem.
He said "a few Samsung-manufactured computer systems" were affected.
Samsung said it was just giving customers the choice about running Windows software.
"It is not true that we are blocking a Windows 8.1 operating system update on our computers," Samsung said in a statement.
"As part of our commitment to consumer satisfaction, we are providing our users with the option to choose if and when they want to update the Windows software on their products."
According to Samsung, the SW update allows users "to download the newest drives, updates and software for your Windows PC".
But the response baffled Mr Barker.
"I never implied it specifically blocked a Windows 8.1 OS system update, just that their SW Update software is preventing Windows Update from automatically installing updates, and forcing the user to have it set to 'let me choose whether to download and install,'" he wrote in his blog.
"It's disabling Windows Update from working as the user intends it to," he added.
Mr Barker said if the Windows Update was turned on manually, it was disabled by the Samsung update when the machine was rebooted.
The software did not come pre-installed on computers but downloaded in the background, he said.
"It doesn't appear to uninstall properly," he added.
Parts of the software remained, including the folder that contained the command to disable Windows Update, he wrote in his blog.
Microsoft said: "Windows Update remains a critical component of our security commitment to our customers."
"We do not recommend disabling or modifying Windows Update in any way as this could expose a customer to increased security risks.
"We are in contact with Samsung to address this issue."
Security consultant Graham Cluley said that turning off Windows Update was a  "risky move" for any company.
"As there are many instances of malware trying to...

Summary: Samsung has been accused of disabling Microsoft's software in preference for its own, leaving computers insecure.
###
Article: Four wards were closed to visitors at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, on Monday before the visiting ban was extended on Thursday.
The ban does not affect Wirral Women and Children's Hospitals.
Gaynor Westray, director of nursing and midwifery at the hospital, said the decision was "in the best interests of our patients".
She said: "The safety of our patients is paramount to us and it is never an easy decision to make but this will help us contain the spread of this highly contagious bug."
The hospital has also asked the public to not visit its accident and emergency department if they have symptoms of the bug.
Norovirus - which causes vomiting, stomach cramps, fever and diarrhoea - is easily spread from person to person.
Symptoms usually begin between 12 to 48 hours after a person becomes infected, with most healthy people making a recovery within one to three days.
Arrowe Park has not given an indication of how long the ban is likely to remain in effect.

Summary:


The Bishop of Leeds has suspended the vicar of a church in North Yorkshire after a complaint was made about him.
The Bishop of Leeds said in a statement: "Appropriate pastoral and safe guarding arrangements have been put in place.
"No further statement will be made at this time."
The vicar

A vicar arrested in connection with historical sexual abuse has been suspended by the Church of England.

Article: Each year more than 1,500 seals are born on the islands, which are situated off the Northumberland coast and are managed by the National Trust.
Rangers spend two months each autumn monitoring what is one of the largest Atlantic grey seal colonies.
In 2015, 1,876 pups were recorded - the highest number since 1971.
The arrival of the pups begins as early as mid-September in some years and the majority are born in November, the National Trust said.
Ranger Ed Tooth said: "A lack of predators and a plentiful supply of sand eels and gadoids (cod) - which make up a majority of the seals' diet - has contributed to the success of the colony.
"The seals have also selected a different location for their rookeries, the breeding sites for the seals.
"This has resulted in mortality rates dropping, possibly because the islands offer better protection from storms and high seas."
The rangers, who live on the islands for nine months of the year, count the seals every four days.
The youngsters are sprayed with a harmless dye to show the week they are born to allow conservation staff to keep track of their numbers.
Mr Tooth added: "Waiting for the first seal pup to be born is always an exciting time of year.
"It's impossible not to be fascinated by the bright white, fluffy, wide-eyed pups even though we will hopefully see more than 2,000 pups over the coming weeks."

Summary: The first seal pups of the year have been seen on the Farne Islands, triggering the start of the annual census of the animals.
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Article: The Welsh Local Government Association also wants food outlets to be banned from being within 400m of schools.
These proposals are part of its manifesto for the next Welsh government.
A budget shortfall of Â£941m for councils by 2020 has been predicted by the WLGA.
As part of its proposals, the organisation said proceeds of the 5p levy on plastic bags should be spent on front-line services, raising up to Â£22m.
It also wants responsibility for public health services to be given to Welsh councils, as has happened in England.
A preventative care fund, paid for by money owed to the Welsh government as part of a UK government commitment to increase spending on the English NHS, should be set up to pay for services aimed at keeping people healthy and out of hospital, it has said.
WLGA leader Bob Wellington said: "As local government leaders we make it clear that the current approach for funding and running public services in Wales is clearly not working and that the next Welsh government must free up and trust local government to work with its communities to deliver a better solution."
As well as scrapping the Â£60 a week cap on how much councils can charge for non-residential care, it wants an end to to protected school budgets.
Amid ministers' plans to cut the number of local authorities from 22 to single figures, the WLGA has also called for "clarity" from the Welsh government about council merger plans.

Summary: More power and freedom on how cash is spent should be given to local councils, the body representing them has said.
###
Article: The 51-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested in North Yorkshire on Wednesday following a complaint made to Durham Constabulary.
The force said the man had been bailed pending further inquiries.
The vicar has been suspended for the duration of the investigation by the Bishop of Leeds, the Diocese of Leeds said.
It added in a statement: "Appropriate pastoral and safe guarding arrangements have been put in place.
"No further statement will be made at this time."

Summary:


Zac Goldsmith has won the Conservative nomination for London mayor, beating Sadiq Khan and a number of other current MPs.
The former cabinet minister, who was the favourite for the Tory nomination, balloted his constituents earlier this year to seek permission to stand.
At the very point of his entry into the race for

Zac Goldsmith will contest the 2016 London mayoral election for the Conservatives, it has been announced.

Article: The former Nottingham Forest manager, 48, will work alongside Redknapp, assistant manager Kevin Bond and first-team coach Joe Jordan.
A QPR spokesman said it was "an open-ended arrangement" with no fixed timescale.
Cotterill, who has managed six clubs, was sacked by Forest in July 2012 after nine months in charge.
QPR, who were without a win this season in the Premier League before Redknapp took over in November after the departure of Mark Hughes, have since secured nine points from nine matches, including a shock 1-0 win at Chelsea on 2 January.
"Steve Cotterill has just come in on a short-term deal to help us out. He's bright and has got something to offer," said Redknapp.
"He'll spend his time with the rest of the backroom staff. We need as many people helping us out as possible."
Cotterill began his career at Cheltenham, leading them out of the Conference in 1999 and then to promotion to League One three years later.
He had a short spell as Stoke boss and was then assistant to Howard Wilkinson at Sunderland before spending three years at Championship side Burnley.
He led Notts County to the League Two title in 2010 during a three-month stint at Meadow Lane, before taking over at Portsmouth in June of that year.
Pompey finished 16th in the Championship in Cotterill's one full season in charge before he replaced Steve McClaren at Forest, helping the club avoid relegation by finishing 19th but leaving in July last year following the takeover by the Al Hasawi family.

Summary: Steve Cotterill has joined QPR manager Harry Redknapp's backroom team in a short-term coaching role.
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Article: The bay was named ninth best worldwide, moving up from tenth in last year's survey.
It was also in the top three best in Europe, behind beaches in Lampedusa, Italy, and Formentera in Spain,
Economy minister Edwina Hart said being named a top world beach could "change perceptions about Wales".
The beach was ranked ahead of places in the Seychelles, South Africa and destinations in Mexico and Australia.
According to the voters, the world's best beach is Baia do Sancho in Brazil's Fernando de Noronha, an island archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status.
However TripAdvisor said Rhossili's ranking proved that people in the UK did not have to go halfway round the world to find a good beach.
James Kay, a spokesman for the company, said: "These awards recognise the best beaches in the UK and worldwide, according to the travellers that have visited and given them the highest levels of praise.
"To have a Welsh beach named among not only the best in Europe, but the best in the world, just goes to show how lucky we are in the UK to have such stunning scenery right on our doorstep."
Last year, a travel writer from Australia expressed amazement that Rhossili could be listed ahead of many beaches in his home country.
Swansea councillor Nick Bradley called the news "fantastic", adding: "The national and international exposure that this award brought Rhossili Bay in 2013 was both appropriate for all those involved in its upkeep and significant in terms of the impact it has had on the tourism industry locally and nationally."
In the UK poll, Woolacombe beach in Devon and Porthminster beach in Cornwall came second and third.
Edwina Hart said: "It's fantastic news for Wales that Rhossili has kept its title as the UK's number one beach for the second year in a row, seeing Rhossili named among the best beaches in the world can change people's perceptions about Wales and also instils an enormous amount of pride locally in what we have to offer as a holiday destination.
"Having this news just before the Easter holidays is a...

Summary: Rhossili beach in Gower has been named one of the top 10 beaches in the world and the best beach in the UK in a survey by travel website TripAdvisor.
###
Article: The Richmond Park and North Kingston MP said he was "honoured" after winning 70% of the 9,227 votes cast using an online primary system.
He beat London Assembly Member Andrew Boff, MEP Syed Kamall and London's deputy mayor for crime and policing Stephen Greenhalgh.
Mr Goldsmith's main rival is likely to be Labour's Sadiq Khan.
Mr Khan beat former cabinet minister Tessa Jowell and a number of other current MPs to win the Labour nomination last month.
Caroline Pidgeon is the Lib Dem candidate, Sian Berry will contest the election for the Greens and UKIP has chosen its culture spokesman Peter Whittle. Former Respect MP George Galloway is also running.
Mr Goldsmith, who was the favourite for the Tory nomination, balloted his constituents earlier this year to seek permission to stand.
At the very point of his entry into the race for London mayor, Zac Goldsmith's decision revealed two big characteristics.
Only a politician with an acute sense of accountability would have sought permission to stand through a ballot of his constituency members in Richmond and North Kingston.
Only someone with his personal wealth would have been able to afford the estimated Â£60,000 cost of doing it.
Both characteristics could come to feature heavily in the months to come.
Read the whole article
He won Friday's vote comfortably, getting 6,514 votes, more than the other three candidates combined.
Syed Kamall came second with 1,477 votes ahead of Stephen Greenhalgh (864) and Andrew Boff (372).
Mr Goldsmith - who first entered Parliament in 2010 - told the BBC's Daily Politics that he hoped his environmental record would appeal to Green and Lib Dem voters and he also hoped to "reach out" to UKIP supporters frustrated with politics as usual and the UK's relationship with the EU.
Mr Goldsmith, who has confirmed he would stand down from Parliament if he became mayor, triggering a by-election, said he wanted to build on current mayor Boris Johnson's achievements.
But he said anyone who attempted to replicate Mr Johnson's style of leadership...

Summary:


A man has been charged with the murder of four people in a Washington, D.C., home.
Article: A man has been charged with the murder of four people in a Washington, D.C., home.
The Washington Post reports that a man has been charged with the murder of four people in a

Police have arrested a man they believe held a family and housekeeper hostage in their Washington DC home before killing them.

Article: John O'Neill, 45 of York, now has to inform police "as soon as is reasonably practicable" if he wants to form a sexual relationship with a partner.
District Judge Adrian Lower imposed 12 conditions, including Mr O'Neill's internet usage being monitored by North Yorkshire Police.
Mr O'Neill said "I still have to tell police to have sex, in practical terms I am not seeing much difference."
"This is a predictive allegation of a sex crime and the new law allows it to be offloaded to a civil court", he told the BBC.
Mr O'Neill said he may appeal against the new order and complied with it because of the "threat of prison".
"Every medical assessment determines me to be no risk", he added.
Mr O'Neill also said he had made a notification to police under the terms of the order covering "sexual contact" so he could "talk frankly" with a friend.
Under the new conditions Mr O'Neill is not allowed to discuss fantasies and sadomasochistic tendencies with medical staff.
A third party is to be required to be present at his medical appointments, except in an emergency.
The judge, sitting at York Magistrates' Court,  described Mr O'Neill as a "manipulative man" and said "I'm quite satisfied you are a risk to women".
Mr O'Neill had been the subject of an interim sexual risk order despite being cleared of rape.
The judge reimposed the order with terms aimed at protecting women.
Mr O'Neill was cleared of rape at Teesside Crown Court in November last year, but after the jury had been dismissed the judge called him a "very dangerous individual".
North Yorkshire Police then applied for the order on the basis of comments he had made to health professionals.
During an earlier hearing the court heard details of confessions to medical staff that included choking a woman unconscious and thinking "a lot" about killing her.
North Yorkshire Police said the sexual risk order and the prohibitions applied showed the force had taken the "correct course of action" to protect the public from the risk the court "acknowledged Mr O'Neill poses to the public".

Summary: A man no longer has to notify police 24 hours before he has sex.
###
Article: Australian players linked arms as a sign of respect before Thursday's World Cup qualifying match at Adelaide Oval.
Saudi players took up field positions and some continued to stretch.
Football officials said they had been told in advance that the "tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture". An Australian MP called it "disgraceful".
Football's world body Fifa says the Saudi team will not face sanctions. It said it had reviewed what had happened and judged that there were "no grounds to take disciplinary action".
Eight people were killed and 48 injured on Saturday when three men drove into pedestrians on London Bridge, before abandoning the vehicle and stabbing people in the surrounding area.
Two Australians, Kirsty Boden and Sara Zelenak, were among the eight victims of the terror attack.
Australian football officials said the Saudi team had agreed a minute's silence could be held.
But officials were "further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field", a statement from Football Federation Australia said.
During the silence, as the Australian team lined up, most Saudi players dispersed to take up their positions on the pitch. Number 7 Salman Al Faraj, appeared to stand still. Two other players are also pictured standing with their hands behind their back.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation made an "unreserved" apology on Friday.
"The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity," it said in a statement.
"The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the government and people of the United Kingdom."
The observance of moments of silence has been for years a subject of religious disagreement between moderate Muslim...

Summary: Saudi football chiefs have apologised after their national team elected not to take part in a minute's silence for victims of the London Bridge attack.
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Article: Daron Dylon Wint, 34, who had previously worked for the victims' family business, was detained late Thursday in the US capital.
He is accused of killing the four victims and setting the house on fire.
Police refused to confirm reports Mr Wint was identified by DNA from the crust of a pizza delivered to the home.
Savvas Savopoulos, 46, chief executive of American Iron Works, was found dead in his family's home in Woodley Park, northwest Washington, just blocks away from the home of Vice-President Joe Biden.
Police discovered his body alongside those of his wife Amy, 47, his 10-year-old son Philip and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, an El Salvador national.
A week after the gruesome discovery, investigators have provided few details in a case that has shocked the city and its high-profile social circles.
There have been media reports of a $40,000 cash drop being made to the home hours before the incident, and a text message from Mrs Savopoulos telling a member of staff not to come into work that same day.
The Washington Post reported that a delivery order was placed with a local pizza company while the family was being held hostage and DNA found on a crust has been matched to Mr Wint.
Police officials would not confirm or deny this report to the BBC.

Summary:


The UK's first ever helicopter search and rescue team has been launched.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN) have joined forces to create the UK's first ever helicopter search and rescue team.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN) have joined forces to

Search and rescue helicopter crews based at Inverness Airport have completed 500 missions since the start of their duties in April last year.

Article: Gordon Ross, 66, who suffers from degenerative Parkinson's disease, is concerned that anyone who helped him end his life would face prosecution.
He wants the Lord Advocate to issue guidelines in the way the Director of Public Prosecutions has for England.
A judge rejected his case in September. His appeal is being heard by three judges at the Court of Session.
Mr Ross, a former TV producer, who lives at a care home in Glasgow, did not attend the hearing in Edinburgh as he was too ill.
Mr Ross brought his case for a judicial review to the Court of Session in Edinburgh in May.
He wanted Scotland's most senior prosecutor, the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC, to set out guidance on what circumstances he would take into account before deciding whether to prosecute somebody who had helped another person end their life.
His QC, Aidan O'Neill, had argued that under the European Convention on Human Right there was a substantive right to "a dignified suicide".
Gerry Moynihan QC, counsel for the Lord Advocate, said there was no proper foundation in law for the outcome that was being sought.
In a written judgement issued in September, Lord Doherty ruled that the current Crown policy was legal and did not breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
Mr Ross's appeal is scheduled to last two days before the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lady Dorrian and Lord Drummond Young.
Lord Carloway asked Mr O'Neill QC, what "precise mechanism of assisted suicide" Mr Ross had in mind.
Mr O'Neill said: "He is not at the stage of formulating positive ideas as what means of assistance he might require."
The counsel said he was in a situation where he was physically deteriorating but remained mentally alert.
He said that Mr Ross wanted to get guidance, such as that offered by the director of public prosecutions in England and Wales, and in the light of that "to make his informed choices".
"This is to do with how the Lord Advocate sets out in public terms how he will exercise the discretion he is undoubtedly given...

Summary: A severely disabled man has launched a fresh bid to get legal guidance issued in Scotland regarding assisted suicide.
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Article: The two human cases are linked to nine cases of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cats in Berkshire and Hampshire last year.
Both people were responding to treatment, PHE said.
It said the risk of cat-to-human transmission of M. bovis remained "very low".
M. bovis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cattle, known as bovine TB, and other species.
Transmission of M. bovis from infected animals to humans can occur by breathing in or ingesting bacteria shed by the animal or through contamination of unprotected cuts in the skin while handling infected animals or their carcasses.
The nine cases of M. bovis infection in cats in Berkshire and Hampshire were investigated by PHE and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) during 2013.
The findings of the investigation are published in the Veterinary Record on Thursday.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a germ which usually affects the lungs.
Symptoms can take several months to appear and include
•Fever and night sweats
•Persistent cough
•Losing weight
•Blood in your phlegm or spit
Almost all forms of TB are treatable and curable, but delays in detection and treatment can be damaging.
TB caused by M. bovis is diagnosed in less than 40 people in the UK each year. The majority of these cases are in people over 65 years old.
Overall, human TB caused by M. bovis accounts for less than 1% of the 9,000 TB cases diagnosed in the UK every year.
Those working closely with livestock and/or regularly drinking unpasteurised (raw) milk have a greater risk of exposure.
Public Health England
Screening was offered to people who had had contact with the infected cats. Following further tests, a total of two cases of active TB were identified.
Molecular analysis showed that M. bovis taken from the infected cats matched the strain of TB found in the human cases, indicating that the bacterium was transmitted from an infected cat.
Two cases of latent TB were also identified, meaning they had been exposed to TB at some point, but they did not...

Summary: Two people in England have developed tuberculosis after contact with a domestic cat, Public Health England has announced.
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Article: Operated for the HM Coastguard by Bristow Helicopters Limited, the crews took over a role previously carried out by the RAF and Royal Navy.
The 500 missions include rescues of hillwalkers and climbers and searches for missing people.
The Inverness base is one of the UK's busiest search and rescue units.

Summary: