The UK's National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the UK's nuclear industry is facing a "crisis" over the next decade.
The report, published on Tuesday, said the UK's nuclear industry is facing a "crisis" over the next decade.
The NAO said the UK's

Solar storms are a natural occurrence caused by high-energy particles hitting the Earth.

Article: It is the showpiece of the oil- and gas-rich nation's efforts to turn its financial largesse into outsized global influence and visibility, a two-decades long effort that includes its successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
But there are growing fears that the current diplomatic crisis in Qatar could place the high-profile network's future in jeopardy.
Al Jazeera's broadcasting has caused controversy and drawn anger in various Arab states, not least in Egypt after the fall of Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring and the subsequent ousting of the elected president, Mohammed Morsi - a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
It has already been caught up in the current crisis, with its website blocked by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain in late May.
Those nations all severed ties with Qatar on 5 June, accusing the country of supporting extremism. Saudi Arabia has closed Al Jazeera's offices and withdrawn its broadcast licence, saying it promotes terrorist "plots", supports Houthi militias that Saudi Arabia is fighting in Yemen, and has attempted to "break the Saudi internal ranks".
Al Jazeera has long defended its editorial independence and says it is objective.
Qatar crisis: What's it about?
Qatar travel: What does it mean for me?
Qatar now finds itself isolated and vulnerable. It denies backing terrorist groups but will be pressed for concessions in order to resolve the tense situation, which left its international airport, a key hub, virtually deserted, and residents stocking up on food supplies.
BBC Arabic's Feras Kilani, in Doha, says sources tell him that media reforms will be a key condition placed on Qatar. Al Jazeera might not be closed but its editorial policies will have to change, he says, while the newer Qatari Al-Araby TV network, based in London, could be shuttered.
"For many years Al Jazeera has been a bone of contention for the Gulf states and Egypt, even before its heyday of rolling news coverage during the Arab Spring," writes the Emirati commentator Sultan Sooud...

Summary: Qatar's Al Jazeera media network has undoubtedly put the tiny Gulf state on the international map.
###
Article: The charity said it issued more than 130,000 supplies of nutritionally-balanced food in 2015/16, up from 117,689 in the previous year.
Its new statistics suggest that food bank growth has slowed, however.
Last year the charity reported that food bank use had increased by two thirds on the previous 12 months.
The Trussell Trust said each of its emergency parcels contained enough food for 10 meals.
Everyone who received a food parcel was referred to the food bank by professionals such as a welfare rights adviser, a social worker or a health visitor.
Of the 113,726 handed out across Scotland last year, 43,952 went to children.
The charity said that it had evidence to suggest that, on average, people needed two food bank referrals in one year.
Its network of food banks increased to 51 last year with the controversial opening of a new facility in Dumfries by Scotland's only Conservative MP David Mundell.
Ewan Gurr, Scotland network manager for The Trussell Trust, said the figures highlighted an "alarming" number of people who were unable to buy food.
The charity's data showed that the number of referrals due to a low income increased by 2,845 on 2014/15.
However it said benefits delays were the main reason people turned to food banks - they made up a total of 26% of all referrals in Scotland.
Mr Gurr added: "In Scotland, we have heard from people using food banks due to the heart-breaking reality of losing a job in the oil and steel industries, others feeling a sense of despair after delays to a Universal Credit payment and some who have experienced sanctions that have impacted on their physical and mental wellbeing."

Summary: The number of three-day emergency food parcels handed out by The Trussell Trust in Scotland increased by more than 13% in the last year.
###
Article: The move will reduce the workforce by around a quarter, taking civil servant numbers to around 890.
Sources say the reductions will be mainly by early retirement, voluntary redundancy and departmenal transfers.
The assembly government said the restructuring would support the economic renewal programme outlined by the Deputy First Minister recently.
The announcement is not directly linked to the UK government's spending cuts but unions say they are concerned about the size of the reductions.
It follows a review published earlier in the month, the economic renewal programme, which outlined a major change in the approach to how the assembly government's economic development budget should be spent.
That included getting rid of grants to business and focusing support on six key sectors.
The reduction in jobs could increase to 300 depending on the outcome of a review into the technium programme, which provides support to new science and technology businesses.
Further reductions in staffing are being anticipated across all assembly government departments in the future once the Treasury decides on its spending levels.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents many rank and file civil servants, expressed concern about the assembly government's plans.
A PCS spokesperson said: "We are concerned about the sheer scale of the cuts and the likely effects on workload and work-life balance for staff.
"We will be meeting with [assembly government] management shortly to improve opportunities for displaced staff across all of Wales, especially in areas where there is little alternative work at this moment, particularly at the more senior levels."
The spokesperson added that the union acknowledged that the assembly government's redeployment efforts since the mergers of quangos in 2006 had been successful.
An assembly government spokesperson said the current restructuring was to support the economic renewal programme set out by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones two weeks ago.
The spokesperson said: "This...

Summary: At least 250 jobs are to be axed in a shake-up of the assembly government's department for the economy.
###
Article: These clouds of particles are released in explosive outbursts from the Sun.
With the Sun in an active part of its cycle, there are concerns that some storms could disrupt technology on Earth including satellite navigation signals and aircraft communications.
The Sun may seem to change little from our viewing position on Earth. With the right equipment, it is possible to see dark regions called sunspots. But up close, our Sun is a dynamic, violent beast.
Bright loops of matter arch and twist like fiery fountains above the surface of this gigantic natural nuclear reactor. And every so often an intense burst of radiation called a solar flare appears when magnetic energy - stored in our star's atmosphere - is suddenly released.
Solar flares are sometimes associated with the release of high energy particles into space - eruptions that are known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), though these can also occur on their own.
A large CME can contain billions of tonnes of gas and other matter that pours into space at several million km per hour. The charged particles in this cloud stream towards any planet or spacecraft in its path.
When these particles collide with the Earth, they can cause a geomagnetic storm - a disturbance in the magnetic sheath (or magnetosphere) that surrounds our planet, protecting its denizens from the worst effects of cosmic rays.
Many of the effects of charged particles hitting the Earth's magnetosphere are benign, such as polar lights - the Aurora borealis and australis.
Geomagnetic storms - often referred to as solar storms - cause these northern or southern lights to become visible at lower latitudes.
However, they also disrupt technology on Earth, such as communications systems - including those used by aircraft, satellite navigation signals and electrical power grids.
As such, they could wreak long-lasting havoc with communications and power infrastructure across the globe.
A 2008 report by the US National Academy of Sciences concluded that an extreme storm could cause up to $2 trillion in...

Summary:


The Cypriot government has said it will not raise the levy on those with deposits of more than 100,000 euros to over 15%.
Article: The Cypriot government has said it will not raise the levy on those with deposits of more than 100,000 euros to over 15%.
Summary: The Cy

Almost nobody now believes the Cypriot bailout deal negotiated in the early hours of Saturday morning was smart.

Article: The 29-year-old Wimbledon champion replaced Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings at the end of 2016.
Murray returns to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open in Melbourne next week, where he has been runner-up on five occasions.
"The reality is, in sport, that things obviously keep moving on, the game will get better," the Scot said.
"I'll obviously get older, the young guys will continue to improve, and also Novak, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafa Nadal and all the guys at the top are still going to be wanting to get there.
"I need to continue to improve. I for sure need to keep working hard.''
Murray's first-round match against unseeded Ukrainain Illya Marchenko is scheduled third on Monday on Rod Laver Arena, following Simona Halep v Shelby Rogers and Kateryna Kozlova v Venus Williams.
Play begins at 00:00 GMT.
Murray's successful 2016 - in which he also became Wimbledon champion for the second time and defended his Olympic title - ended with him being awarded a knighthood in the Queen's New Year Honours list.
But he says he has not been treated any differently by his fellow competitors.
"It kind of happened for me right at the end of the year, so I haven't been on the Tour much as the number one player," said Murray.
"So I haven't noticed it yet. I don't know if that will come over time, if I'm able to stay there or not."
Murray was also asked about Michael Downey's resignation as chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association after only three years in the role.
He said it was "disappointing" and another example of short-term thinking at the top of British tennis.
"I think for a system that - maybe everyone would say - has not really worked for quite a long time, for change to happen you need someone, or a team, in there that's going to be in it for the long haul and not just a few years," he added.
Despite winning 17 Grand Slam titles, including four in Australia, Roger Federer said he was "clearly an underdog" in Melbourne.
"Yeah, why not for a change? I mean, I prefer to be the favourite....

Summary: Britain's Andy Murray says he needs to continue to improve if he is to remain world number one.
###
Article: The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales has announced how it will allocate £132m of public money.
Research and part-time undergraduate provision has been prioritised.
But it warned the increasing cost of the student tuition fee grant could also impact higher education funding.
HEFCW received a reduced budget from the Welsh Government this year, though the cut of £11m was less than originally feared.
Scrapping support for part-time postgraduate study - which received £6.5m last year - was one of the outcomes of a lower budget settlement, it said.
As well as funding from HEFCW, universities receive student tuition fees of up to £9,000 per student, which include more than £5,000 per year through the tuition fee grant for Welsh students.
HEFCW's budget from the Welsh Government has dropped as the tuition fee grant payments have increased.
It is estimated tuition fee grants will cost the Welsh government £237 million in 2016-17.
But it has told HEFCW that it might withhold another £21m of its budget if the cost exceeds this sum.
For the next academic year HEFCW allocated:
Dr David Blaney, chief executive of HEFCW, said: "Using HEFCW funding, universities and other higher education providers can continue to ensure part-time courses are as accessible as possible by keeping the cost down.
"These courses must continue to be an attractive option for students whose circumstances are not suited to a full-time course.
"Research funding accounts for over 60% of our total allocation and, as the largest public investor in research in Wales, we are pleased that we can continue to provide universities with this critical research funding.
"The increasing cost of the tuition fee grant may impact further on these funding allocations.
"The findings of Professor Sir Ian Diamond's independent review of higher education funding and student finance arrangements will be critical to informing a future policy that provides a sustainable balance of investment between Welsh students and Welsh higher education providers."

Summary: Support for part-time postgraduate study has been scrapped due to a reduced budget this year, the body in charge of funding Welsh universities has said.
###
Article: The image, which was daubed onto a London shop 15 years ago, was chosen above the likes of Constable's Hay Wain and Jack Vettriano's Singing Butler.
Some 2,000 people chose their favourite artwork from a shortlist of 20 works drawn up by arts editors and writers.
The Fighting Temeraire, by JMW Turner, and Antony Gormley's The Angel Of The North sculpture completed the top five.
Banksy, an anonymous street artist from Bristol, painted the Balloon Girl onto the wall of a printing shop in Shoreditch in 2002.
A decade later a version of the image, painted onto cardboard, sold at auction for Â£73,250.
Then in 2014 the original stencil mural was removed from the wall of the shop to be exhibited and then sold.
The poll, carried out by Samsung, results in full:

Summary: Banksy's mural of a girl letting go of a heart-shaped balloon has been voted the nation's favourite artwork.
###
Article: As the economist Paul Krugman put it, it was as if Europeans were holding up a sign which read "time to stage a run on your bank".  In Europe's corridors of power there is the sound and sight of officials pointing fingers and rowing back from previous positions held.
Here's the reality: Cyprus's banks will remain closed at least until Thursday while they try and unravel this. The Cypriot parliament may delay again today voting on a bailout deal that has brought protesters onto the streets. Bank shares in Europe have been under pressure. The markets are unnerved. Fear has returned to the eurozone. The EU's reputation has been damaged.
Not a good day's work.
So what's happening? After a conference call on Monday, Europe's finance ministers said that small savers, who were going to be taxed at 6.5%, should be protected.
A new proposal from the finance ministry has surfaced today. The aim is to better protect the small savers. Under the plan those with savings less than 20,000 euros would pay nothing. Those with deposits between 20,000 and 100,000 would pay a one-off levy of 6.75%. Savings above 100,000 would face a 9.9% tax.
The proposal leaves in doubt whether it could raise the nearly 6bn euros that was a central part of the bailout deal.
And in a further indication of just how complicated this could become, the Cypriot Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades said he expected that 10% of deposits would be withdrawn when banks finally open.
The Cypriot government appears to have decided against raising the levy on those with deposits of more than 100,000 euros to over 15%.
Here's the rub: The government fears this would effectively destroy its financial sector. Those wealthy Russians, who are the largest foreign investors, are likely to pull their funds out of the island if the one-off tax is too high. The Russians are angry and the Cypriot finance minister is heading to Moscow to explain.
The Cypriots argue that the bailout would end up undermining a key sector of the economy. The suspicion in Nicosia is...

Summary:

Article: {{document}}

Summary: ||| {{target}}


A man has been arrested after a man was found dead in a car in a car park in the city of Coventry.
Coventry Police said the man was found in a car in a car park in the city's West End.
The force said the man was found in a car in a car park

A full DNA profile has been developed of a man whose near-complete skeleton was found close to a motorway.

Article: The measures would bar people who travelled to Iraq and Syria after March 2011 from the visa waiver programme.
People who have visited Iran and Sudan - which the US accuses of supporting terrorism - would also need a visa.
The White House-backed bill was proposed because the Paris attackers could have travelled to the US without a visa.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for far greater restrictions, proposing that all Muslims be barred from entering the US until further notice.
But his comments - made after a deadly mass shooting in California by Islamist sympathisers - have been condemned by politicians from across the political spectrum.
The House voted 407 to 19 in support of the proposed change to visa-free travel.
"In an abundance of caution, we will now require those individuals to apply for a visa and go through the formal visa screening process," said House Republican Candice Miller, the bill's main sponsor.
There are 38 nations currently included in the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
US officials say about 5,000 Europeans, including many from VWP nations, have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with extremist groups such as the so-called Islamic State and pose a risk to the US.
If the bill passes through the Senate and is signed into law, it would also require all travellers arriving in the US under the VWP to have electronic passports containing biometric data from next April.
The bill also calls for countries participating in the VWP to share more information about suspected terrorists and criminals.

Summary: The House of Representatives has voted to tighten visa-free travel to the US following the Paris attacks.
###
Article: Council members discussed the current state of Scotland's economy following the UK's vote to leave the European Union.
The group will continue to monitor the country's economic performance as the impact of Brexit becomes clearer.
Nicola Sturgeon said the council plays a critical role in growing the economy.
She said: "We have acted to take further measures to stimulate the economy and support jobs by adding an additional Â£100m to our capital infrastructure programme this year.
"While Scotland's economy has a range of fundamental strengths, in the face of the continuing uncertainty following the Brexit vote Council members will consider the current economic outlook, prospects for growth and advise on our economic approach as our potential future relationship with the EU becomes clearer."
Chairman of the council Crawford Beveridge said: "This is a challenging time for Scotland's economy given the uncertainties that lie ahead.
"In our role as an independent advisory group, our members bring expertise from across a range of areas, both nationally and internationally, and benefit from direct links to the Standing Council on Europe.
"We act as a 'critical friend' and sounding board to advise the first minister on key areas impacting on Scotland's performance, including on the economic implications of the EU referendum outcome, innovation and inclusive growth."

Summary: The first minister's council of economic advisers has met for the first time since the EU referendum result.
###
Article: "What election madness!" tabloid Bild exclaims in a banner headline, while the a report in Sueddeutsche Zeitung predicts: "These elections will change Germany."
Several papers believe Ms Merkel and her Christian Democrats are "paying the price" for her liberal policy on immigration.
"The refugee crisis has re-shaped the party landscape," an editorial in Die Welt says, adding that not everyone in her party will forgive her for putting its interests behind those of "Europe and her country too".
A commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung agrees, saying Ms Merkel was "punished" for her course.
"Merkel stood in none of the federal states where people went to the polls on Sunday," it says, "but everywhere was a vote on her policy".
But - reaching for Biblical allusions - it adds that it is more likely "for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" than for Ms Merkel to change her mind.
A commentary in Bild, however, rejects the idea that the result is a rejection of Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy, despite her Christian Democrat party's "crushing defeat".
It points out that the pro-immigration Social Democrat and Green premiers of two states - Rhineland Palatinate and Baden Wuerttemberg - gained votes.
The Tageszeitung agrees. Under the front-page headline "85% stay cool", it points out that the "overwhelming majority" have voted for parties that support Ms Merkel's course.
"The winners of these elections are fear, exclusion and authoritarianism," a commentary in the paper concedes.
But it adds that the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany is largely the result of the mainstream parties' "confusion and loss of trust" in their own programme, in their own supporters and even in Germany.
A commentary in business paper Handelsblatt says the results are a "wake-up call" for Germany's mainstream parties - the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.
It adds that the crisis goes beyond the refugee issue, and that neither of the two seems able to provide answers to people's...

Summary: Germany's press is reeling from the dramatic - and partly contradictory - results of Sunday's elections in three federal states.
###
Article: Remains of a man aged between 30 and 49, were found close to the M54 motorway in Shropshire, in August.
West Mercia Police said two metal bracelets - including one thought to be a Kara, a Sikh symbol - were found inside a jacket that was also uncovered.
There have been no matches with DNA profiles of missing people in England.
The force said it was still unable to ascertain the cause of death, but it was keeping an open mind as to how the remains came to be at junction four of the M54 at Shifnal.
It is understood the remains lay undiscovered for up to three years.
2 - 3
Years the bones of a nearly complete skeleton belonging to a man had lain at the site, next to junction four of the M54
5 7 - 5 11 Height of the man
30 to 49  Years old at the time of death
Detectives said they could not rule out that "he may have been subjected to a crime".
The man, who was between 5ft 7ins and 5ft 11ins tall, was discovered by a highway worker at the bottom of an embankment.
He was wearing a black "dare2be" soft-shell outdoor jacket in a large size, a navy blue V-neck T-shirt from George at Asda and a pair of dark coloured, medium-size Nike tracksuit bottoms.
Police said that specific type of T-shirt was first manufactured in November 2007 and first sold in March 2008.

Summary:


The UK's dominant services sector weakened in February, registering its slowest rate of growth for nearly three years, a survey has indicated.

Article: The Scud flew about 450km (280 miles) before landing in Japanese waters, prompting Japan to lodge a protest.
Pyongyang has repeatedly defied a UN resolution banning all nuclear and missile activity, and has ramped up the pace of its tests in recent months.
Seoul and Tokyo condemned the launch. US President Donald Trump said the North had disrespected its ally China.
"North Korea has shown great disrespect for their neighbor, China, by shooting off yet another ballistic missile...but China is trying hard!" he tweeted.
Japan's leader said Pyongyang's provocations would not be tolerated.
"As we agreed at the recent G7, the issue of North Korea is a top priority for the international community," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. "Working with the United States, we will take specific action to deter North Korea."
In South Korea, President Moon Jae-in, who took office earlier this month, summoned the national security council to discuss the launch.
The US Pacific Command said the missile was launched from Wonsan in North Korea and flew for about six minutes before landing.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the missile landed in an area between Japan's Sado and Oki islands, in the country's exclusive economic zone.
A spokesman for South Korea's military said the missile reached an altitude of 120km. "An analysis is under way on the specific number" of missiles fired, the spokesman said, indicating that more than one could have been launched.
North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range Scud missiles developed by the Soviet Union. Modified versions of the Scud missiles can have a range of 1,000km.
The other two recent launches were of medium to long-range missiles, both of which the North claimed as "successful" tests.
The first of those launches was hailed by Pyongyang as a new type of rocket capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It said it was a demonstration of the North's longest-range nuclear-capable weapon yet.
Pyongyang has been testing its missiles at an unprecedented...

Summary: North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile, its third missile test in as many weeks.
###
Article: His nomination to head Nato commander in Europe had been put on hold amid reports the emails were inappropriate.
Gen Allen is due to relinquish command of his Afghanistan post in February.
Harassment complaints by Mrs Kelley led the FBI to unmask an affair between CIA chief David Petraeus and his biographer. He later resigned.
A spokesman for Gen Allen said the general was "obviously pleased" to be cleared of the charges he had violated the prohibition against conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
"From the outset, the general placed his faith in - and fully supported - the investigative process," Maj David Nevers said.
Defence officials told the Associated Press that the White House had not decided whether to go forward with Gen Allen's nomination to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the defence department "was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated", adding that Defence Secretary Leon Panetta had "complete confidence in the continued leadership" of Gen Allen.
The emails first came to light as part of a wider investigation into email harassment against Mrs Kelley, who knew both Gen Allen and Mr Petraeus, a former general, through social contacts on the Florida military base where US Central Command is headquartered.
When the FBI investigated, it traced the emails to Petraeus biographer Paula Broadwell, bringing to light her affair with the CIA chief.
Earlier reports suggested Gen Allen had exchanged thousands of emails, some described as inappropriate and flirtatious, with Mrs Kelley.
The Afghanistan commander had also written a letter to a judge in support of Mrs Kelley's twin sister in a messy child custody dispute.
After being contacted by the FBI, Mr Panetta announced the inquiry into Gen Allen and put the commander's nomination on hold.
Defence officials told the Washington Post that the full investigation had shown that there were in fact only several hundred emails exchanged between Gen Allen and Mrs Kelley,...

Summary: The top US general in Afghanistan, General John Allen, has been cleared of misconduct by the Pentagon for emails sent to Florida socialite Jill Kelley.
###
Article: An average 1.9m viewers watched Sunday night's episode of the motoring show - 8.6% of the available audience.
ITV attracted the biggest audience of the night, as an average 6.6 million viewers tuned in to see France's 5-2 win over Iceland in Euro 2016.
BBC One's Antiques Roadshow, which also overlapped with Top Gear, was watched by an average of 3.9 million.
The overnight figures measure how many viewers tuned in to the live broadcast - and do not take into account those who have watched the show on catch-up services such as iPlayer.
Audience data suggests viewers tend to watch live events such as sports matches as they are being broadcast, whereas entertainment programmes can often pick up extra viewers via on-demand services.
Top Gear: Do overnight TV ratings matter?
Sunday evening's Top Gear was about 800,000 down on last week's average of 2.7m - and just over half the number that watched the series launch.
The episode received lukewarm reviews, but some critics said the show had improved over the course of the series.
Digital Spy said: "Instead of an episode which was about 10% enjoyable like the premiere, they're now up to about 60%."
"When the right people - Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Chris Harris and Sabine Schmitz - are front and centre, there are moments where Top Gear feels like it has found its feet."
The new series was the first since the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The trio exited the programme after Jeremy Clarkson punched a producer. Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc were later signed up to front the show.
Writing in The Telegraph, Amy Blumson said: "The presenting team need time to bond, and those new to the studio were just warming up as the series came to a close."
"The new Top Gear series has shown glimmers of promise, but like the nippy Porsche 911 R in the final episode, they often disappeared over the horizon as soon as Chris Evans starts shouting."
The Guardian's Stuart Heritage said: "Despite the personnel changes, Top Gear remains a beautiful television...

Summary: Top Gear has concluded with the lowest audience of its current series, as viewers flocked to watch Euro 2016.
###
Article: The latest Markit/CIPS services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 52.7 last month, down from January's reading of 55.6.
Any figure above 50 means expansion, but the rise in service sector activity was the weakest since March 2013.
The service sector accounts for more than three-quarters of the UK economy.
Surveys from Markit/CIPS earlier in the week put the manufacturing sector's PMI at 50.8 and construction at 54.2.
"The weaker increase in services activity mainly reflected a slower expansion in the volume of incoming new business," the survey said.
Markit chief economist Chris Williamson added: "Survey responses reveal that firms are worried about signs of faltering demand, but boardrooms have also become unsettled by concerns regarding the increased risk of 'Brexit', financial market volatility and weak economic growth at home and abroad."
He added that the extent of the slowdown would come as a "shock" to policymakers and would put an end to talk of a possible interest rate rise.
Mr Williamson described February's three PMI readings as "a triple whammy of disappointing survey news".
Last week, official figures confirmed that the UK economy grew 0.5% in the final three months of 2015, with the services sector highlighted as the key factor driving growth.
The Office for National Statistics said the "buoyancy" of services had offset the "relative sluggishness" of the rest of the UK economy.
Signs of weakening growth in the UK economy have pushed back estimates of when the Bank of England might begin to raise interest rates.
Commenting on the latest PMI survey, Jeremy Cook, chief economist at World First, said: "The May Bank of England meeting had previously been seen as a possible time for a rate hike. The volatility of global markets and the self-inflicted wound of the EU referendum put paid to that months ago.
"We still believe, however, that some measures that foresee the Bank of England holding rates at 0.5% until 2020 are little short of absurd."
Martin Beck, senior economic adviser to the EY...

Summary:


A mural depicting a white woman with a black face has been removed from a primary school in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh City Council said it understands the offensiveness of the image but said it does not reflect the attitudes of the school.
An Edinburgh City Council spokesman said: "The Alice in Wonderland mural at Wardie

Police are investigating a complaint about a mural at an Edinburgh primary school which features a golliwog.

Article: It sounds like a Christmas cracker joke, or the start of a Hollywood film pitch.
But the man who knows the answer is Les Carlisle, project manager of the conservation group Rhinos Without Borders.
Under his guidance, 12 white rhinos have just left their native South Africa for a new life in a nearby country, as part of an anti-poaching project.
The beasts spent 15 hours in a truck, plane, and helicopter to get from a game park in KwaZulu Natal, on South Africa's east coast, to their new location [which the BBC won't name for their protection].
"We send them an email with a boarding pass and a seat number, and then we run like hell," Mr Carlisle chuckles.
But in some ways, the truth is stranger still.
"A massive translocation like this involves having the right equipment and the right people in place to be able to manage these very big animals," the project manager says.
"The animals are caught and put into a steel crate that's specially designed to contain them, and designed to fit in the aircraft."
Mr Carlisle says it's not a matter of simply knocking them out.
"You have to immobilise them - make them go to sleep completely, and then blindfold them. And then you put earplugs in their ears.
"And then, you slowly give them a little bit of [sedative] reversal. Enough so they can stand up. They're uncoordinated at that stage - so then you put a rope round their heads and you pull them slowly into the crate.
"They have to walk on their own feet because they're very heavy. You can't move a tonne of sleeping meat!"
The rhinos need to be awake throughout the flight so they can move their legs and regulate their own breathing.
"The problem with a flight that long and an animal this big, is that if it lies for too long that restricts circulation to the leg. And they get pins and needles - and then occasionally the animal could lose the use of that leg," the conservationist says.
Then comes the heavy lifting. With the rhinos safely in their transport crates, a crane lifts them onto the back of a truck bound for the...

Summary: How do you get a 1.5-tonne rhino on an aeroplane?
###
Article: Taffy Mark Evans, 56, formerly of Old Shoreham Road, Lancing, carried out the attacks in Surrey, Sussex and south Wales during the 1980s and 1990s.
Following a trial at Lewes Crown Court, he was found guilty of 19 historic sex offences, and seven counts of making indecent photographs of children.
Evans was a scout leader in Reigate, Surrey, during the 1990s.
He also worked as a train guard on the Redhill to Littlehampton route.
The offences were committed in Charlwood and Redhill in Surrey, Brighton, Burgess Hill and Crawley in Sussex, and Swansea, in south Wales.
After the hearing, Sussex Police said Evans, now of The Crescent, Hurstbourne Tarrant, Hampshire, had systematically groomed and sexually assaulted the boys.
Det Con Heidi McCall said: "He first gained their confidence as a helpful family friend who took them out on trips, including train journeys, swimming and fishing, bought them presents and treats, but then gradually began to abuse each of them."
She said the case showed all reports would be taken seriously no matter how long ago the events occurred.

Summary: A former scout leader has been jailed for 26 years for historical sex offences against boys under 14.
###
Article: Wada announced in September that it was adding the heart disease medicine to its banned list from 1 January.
Since the start of the year, there have been more than 120 positive tests.
But numerous athletes have claimed they stopped taking the drug last year, prompting many to question how long the drug can stay in an athlete's system.
"There is currently a lack of clear scientific information on excretion times," the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) said in new guidance distributed on Monday.
"For this reason, a hearing panel might justifiably find (unless there is specific evidence to the contrary) that an athlete who has established on the balance of probabilities that he or she ingested meldonium before 1 January could not reasonably have known or suspected that the meldonium would still be present in his or her body on or after 1 January.
"In these circumstances, Wada considers that there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete."
This apparent climbdown has already been celebrated by media outlets in Russia, which has borne the brunt of the scandal so far.
Tennis player Maria Sharapova was the first high-profile athlete to test positive for the Latvian-made drug - in a test taken at the end of January - but since then leading Russian athletes from boxing, skating, swimming and winter sports have all failed tests for meldonium.
In a statement, issued via the official news agency Tass, the Russian Sports Ministry said it "supports and welcomes the decision made by Wada because it has showed a willingness to understand the situation, rather than stick to the rulebook."
This follows recent comments from sports minister Vitaly Mutko that the meldonium crisis would soon be "settled".
Last week, the International Biathlon Union said it would not be ruling on any cases until more was known about excretion rates for meldonium.
Wada's new guidance acknowledges that trace elements of meldonium can remain in the body "for a few months" if somebody has been taking the drug for a sustained...

Summary: Athletes caught using meldonium could avoid a ban after anti-doping chiefs said it was not clear how long it takes the drug to leave the body.
###
Article: The scene from Alice in Wonderland in Wardie Primary's assembly hall dates back to 1936 and was recently restored with a Heritage Lottery Fund.
A mother has lodged a complaint about the image describing it as racist.
Edinburgh City Council said it understands the offensiveness of the image but said it does not reflect the attitudes of the school.
An Edinburgh City Council spokesman said: "The Alice in Wonderland mural at Wardie Primary School was painted in 1936 and is of both historical and artistic importance as evidenced by the fact it recently received full Heritage Lottery Funding support to restore the work.
"While we understand the offensiveness of the image, it is in no way indicative of the attitudes of either the school or the council.
"Our equalities policies and approaches are robustly multi-cultural and anti-racist, promoting diversity and good relationships among pupils."
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police in Edinburgh have received a complaint in relation to a mural at a primary school in the Trinity area.
"Officers are now liaising with Edinburgh City Council education department with regards to this matter.
"Police Scotland treats all reports relating to hate incidents extremely seriously and will thoroughly investigate whenever a report of this nature is made."

Summary:


A man has died after being hit by a car in a crash in the Welsh town of Pontarddulais.
The crash happened at around 7.30pm on Saturday, police said.
The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the car, a man in his 20s

Tributes have been paid to a former Glamorgan cricketer who was found dead at his Swansea flat on Friday.

Article: The President-elect is likely to push forward plans for fracking and drilling for oil and gas on federal lands.
Campaigners say that this is likely to be opposed in the courts, in Congress and lead to protests.
President Obama is trying to limit the impact of the next administration by extending existing protections.
While much attention since Mr Trump's election has focused on the President-elect's threats to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, there is growing concern among green groups about the impact of other aspects of the Trump environmental plan.
One key element is the expansion of oil and gas production on publicly owned lands. At present there is a moratorium on energy recovery in federal areas, and the Trump team has promised to lift this, and encourage fracking and drilling.
President-elect Trump has also been vocal in his support for projects such as the XL oil pipeline, which President Obama rejected.
Attempts to open up public lands for oil and gas, and to push through pipelines will likely attract significant public resistance, say observers.
"I think there'll be a lot of people who were very willing to get in the streets and you know, protest with civil disobedience and we're likely to see some real confrontations there," said Dean Baker, an economist with the Centre for Economic and Policy Research.
Environmental campaigners also take the view that opening up federal lands for resource extraction would be foolish and would help unify the opposition.
"I think they will try to expand fracking and mining and drilling on public lands," said Michael Brune from the Sierra Club.
"But that will be pretty fiercely resisted by people who live near those communities, both progressive and conservatives alike."
Even if the Trump administration succeeds in overturning the current moratorium, there may not be a rush from oil and gas companies to exploit these reserves.
"Most of these shale gas (and tight oil) resources are on private lands, according to the Congressional Research Service, so...

Summary: Proposals by the Trump administration to roll back US environmental regulations are likely to foment opposition, say analysts.
###
Article: The baby was infected in the womb while the mother was travelling in Latin America, though state officials have not identified where.
The defect causes abnormally small heads and other developmental damage.
Florida Governor Rick Scott also announced four more people had contracted the Zika virus, bringing the state's total to 21 cases.
Harris County, where the baby was born, now has two reported cases of babies born with microcephaly.
The case is the first Zika-related death reported in Texas.
The Zika virus, frequently transmitted by mosquitoes, often causes no symptoms, but is particularly dangerous for pregnant women.
In a statement, the Texas Department of Health Services said there was no risk of locally contracted Zika in Texas. There are 97 cases of the virus in Texas.
The Florida Department of Health said officials believe the active transmissions are likely only taking place within the Wynwood neighbourhood in Miami-Dade County.
Governor Scott urged Congress and President Obama to take action.
"This is not only an issue affecting us here in Florida," the governor said in a statement. "This is a national issue."
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton echoed the governor's plea while on the campaign trail, calling on congress to hold a special session to pass a Zika funding bill.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nationwide there are 15 cases of Zika-related birth defects and six pregnancies losses associated with infection.
The baby's death comes a day after Florida health officials identified a man in West Palm Beach who had contracted the virus.
Florida is the only state in the US to have local cases of Zika.

Summary: A baby born in Texas with the Zika-linked birth defect microcephaly has died, health officials say.
###
Article: The scheme would be based on the first-time buyer ISAs announced by George Osborne which sees the government top up money people save towards a deposit to buy their first house.
Labour says it would invest the money in new housing developments.
The Conservatives said the scheme was "ill thought-through".
Mr Miliband set out further details of his housing policy at a rally with party activists in Warrington.
In other general election campaign news:
Housing is a key election issue, and the parties have made pledges to boost the supply of homes across the country and make home ownership more achievable.
The Conservatives have pledged 200,000 homes will be made available to first-time buyers in England by 2020 if they win the election. The Lib Dems have pledged to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder through a "rent-to-own homes" scheme.
But Mr Miliband attacked the government's record on house building, which he said had fallen to its lowest level in almost 100 years and made it harder for people to own homes.
"A Labour government will get Britain building again," he said.
This election issue includes house building, home ownership and social housing.
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
In his last Budget, Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the first-time buyers' ISA which is designed to help people get a foot on the housing ladder.
It allows the government to top up by £50 every £200 a first-time buyer saves for a deposit.
Labour supports the policy but says further action is needed to address the "under supply" of homes.
Under its plan, any bank or building society that offered such an ISA would be required to invest the money in housing.
This would unlock £5bn to invest in a Future Homes Investment Fund to build 125,000 new homes between 2015 and 2020, according to Mr Miliband, and a Labour government would underwrite the investment.
The party has already committed to building 200,000 new homes every year by the end of the next Parliament but this scheme is aimed at getting the policy...

Summary: Banks would be encouraged to fund 125,000 new homes for first-time buyers in England under a Labour government, Ed Miliband has said.
###
Article: Jamie Bishop, who was 44, was a left-handed batsman who also represented Wales at minor county level.
Glamorgan cricket club chief executive Hugh Morris described him as "a hugely talented cricketer" who had an outstanding record for Pontarddulais cricket club.
South Wales Police is not treating the death as suspicious.
Tributes were also paid on social media, from sporting figures including Steve James, Edward Bevan, Sean Holley, John Devereux and Rick O'Shea.

Summary:


A judicial review has been launched after free taxis for pupils living 12 miles (19km) from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Denbighshire, were stopped.
Article: A judicial review has been launched after free taxis for pupils living 12 miles (19km) from Ysgol Bryn

Parents are taking legal action against a council following its decision to cut free school transport in a rural area.

Article: As changes to make core GCSE subjects harder begin to bite, heads warn grades are becoming unreliable and incomparable year on year.
So much so that many pupils predicted to get grade C in core subjects may not now achieve it, they say.
Exams regulator Ofqual says "standards will be maintained" despite changes.
Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be receiving their GCSE results on Thursday.
The Ofqual exam watchdog in England has already warned that GCSE English, maths and all science results are likely to "look different" with grades possibly dropping this year because of changes to the exams and the patterns of entry.
The Association of School and College Leaders, which represents thousands of secondary school heads, said it was expecting "significant turbulence" in this year's results.
Its general secretary Brian Lightman said that the exam system was in a very "serious state" and he called for "some stability".
It was no longer possible to assume that children taking the same subject years apart would get the same grade for the same standard of work, he said. And those who had achieved similar standards may be graded differently, he added.
The organisation's vice-president Ian Bauckham, who is also a head teacher in Kent, said there was a significant level of anxiety over the changes in the core subjects this year.
"It is likely that some pupils whose teacher thought they were on track to get a grade C in these core subjects may well find they have fallen below the new boundary where grade boundaries have been changed."
Many schools focus efforts on C-D borderline pupils because obtaining a C grade in English and maths is the key academic requirement for pupils to continue in education, whether it be studying A-levels or a more vocational course. These grades are also the key measure of accountability for schools.
General secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers Russell Hobby said: "The exam system is so massively complicated now, I actually think it is beyond any...

Summary: Head teachers say thousands of pupils could miss out on expected GCSE grades because of "significant turbulence" in this year's results.
###
Article: Baroness Altmann, who left her post in Theresa May's reshuffle, said the policy had "outlived its purpose".
Since 2010, the "triple-lock" policy has meant that pensions rise by the inflation rate, average earnings or 2.5%, whichever is highest.
The government has said there are no plans to review the policy.
In an interview with The Observer, Lady Altmann said the cost of the triple lock would become "enormous" after 2020 and that dropping it would ensure billions of pounds could be spent on better causes.
"The triple lock is a political construct, a totemic policy that is easy for politicians to trumpet, but from a pure policy perspective keeping it forever doesn't make sense," she said, arguing instead for a "double lock" whereby the state pension increases in line with either prices or earnings.
Lady Altmann told the paper she had lobbied the former Prime Minister David Cameron last year to alter the policy, but he had blocked the change for political reasons.
In their 2015 election manifesto, the Conservatives promised to extend the triple lock until 2020.
Last month, in the run-up to the EU referendum, Mr Cameron said that pensioner benefits, which cost Â£90bn every year, were a "policy priority" but might have to be re-examined in a post-Brexit climate.
She said: "Absolutely we must protect pensioner incomes, but the 2.5% bit doesn't make sense.
"If, for example, we went into a period of deflation where everything, both earnings and prices, was falling then putting pensions up 2.5% is a bit out of all proportion.
"Politically nobody had the courage to stand up and say we have done what we needed to do," she added.
"The cost of the triple lock on the public finances from 2020 onwards is enormous. And if you reduce it to a double lock you save billions of pounds."
The triple lock had "fulfilled it purpose" and pensioner households were now "no more likely to be poor than other age groups", she said.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said Lady Altmann had no bearing on policy and "we...

Summary: A guarantee that pensions should rise by at least 2.5% should be dropped from 2020, a former pensions minister has said.
###
Article: It's not that she's taken months to figure out what to do for her birthday, but it's because she has two - a real one and an official one.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926 but has an official birthday usually celebrated on the second Saturday of June.
So why two birthdays for the Queen and how does she celebrate them?
Official celebrations to mark a King or Queen's birthday in the UK have often been held on a day that isn't their actual birthday.
Usually the official birthday happens in summer because there is a better chance of good weather in the UK during the summer months.
The two birthday tradition was started more than 250 years ago by King George II in 1748.
How does she mark her birthdays?
The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately, but the day is marked publicly by gun salutes in central London.
On her official birthday, Her Majesty is joined by other members of the Royal Family at the Trooping the Colour parade.
Hundreds of officers, horses and musicians take part in the event in London.
The parade starts at the Queen's official residence, Buckingham Palace, along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, near to Downing Street, and back again.

Summary: The Queen is officially celebrating her 91st birthday today - even though she was actually born in April...
###
Article: A judicial review has been launched after free taxis for pupils living 12 miles (19km) from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Denbighshire, were stopped.
Parents claim their children's route to the bus stop is too dangerous to walk.
But a Denbighshire council spokeswoman said the policy was agreed after "extensive consultation" and through a "democratic process".
Glenda Coleman, who lives in Bryneglwys, said: "We've relied heavily on the free taxi because our children cannot walk to the bus pick up point as it is extremely dangerous.
"The council made a decision to cut this service without providing any alternatives or considering the repercussions of removing it."
Ms Coleman said it was "impossible" to drive down a nearby hill when it has snowed or there is ice on the road, meaning parents would not be able to transport their children to the bus stop, two-and-a-half-miles away.
She added: "We feel we are being punished by the council for living in a rural area as we have been provided with no alternative options for transport and it is unacceptable."
A spokeswoman for the council said: "Denbighshire's school transport policy has recently changed.
"We are aware that a small number of parents have raised concerns regarding these changes and their perceived impact.
"The policy was agreed after extensive consultation and it has gone through a democratic process.
"We have investigated complaints thoroughly and it is the right of individuals to consider taking the matter to judicial review, for which we would respond accordingly."

Summary:


The former head of BP has said that the relationship between business and society is becoming "dangerous".
His latest book sets out how businesses fail to engage with environmental, social and political issues, a failure he thinks could destroy them.
And he said labelling these issues as "corporate social responsibility", or CS

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump and UK Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn are demonstrating that whether you come from the left or the right, authenticity can win support.

Article: Nicola Yates has been in charge for the past three years and leaves just two months after the authority came under Labour-led control.
She said it had been an "absolute privilege" to serve Bristol and she was leaving with "a huge sense of pride".
The council said it would make "interim arrangements" while it looks for a permanent replacement.
Ms Yates said: "During my tenure, the council has faced an immensely challenging financial position but I have been dedicated to maintaining frontline services and developing new ways of generating income and expanding our growth sectors for the future."
She was also in charge of organising the city's year as European Green Capital in 2015.
"I am also enormously proud of the contribution I was able to make to Bristol's successful year as European Green Capital, in my role as chief executive of Bristol 2015 Ltd," Ms Yates said.
Nicola Yates is the local authority's highest paid officer and had faced criticism for seeing her pay rise to Â£172,000 while presiding over cuts in council services.
Marvin Rees, who was elected as the city's mayor in May, said: "I am grateful for Nicola's contributions to Bristol and wish her well for the future.
"She has brought the council a long way in a relatively short time, leaving it with strong governance and a high profile at home and abroad."

Summary: The director of Bristol City Council is to leave her job at the end of the month.
###
Article: Bailey Gwynne died after being stabbed in the heart at Cults Academy last October.
The 16-year old accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murder at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Judge Lady Stacey told the jury the question was whether the accused was guilty of murder or culpable homicide.
Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, told the jury during his closing speech at the High Court in Aberdeen: "Bailey Gwynne had no chance."
He said: "This was a lethal wound inflicted by a lethal weapon."
He said it was a "silly trivial fight between two schoolboys".
Mr Prentice started by asking the jury: "Why do you think a young man would carry a knife and a knuckleduster?"
He added: "You would have to have hearts of stone not to be moved by the emotion of this trial, but you must put emotion aside."
Mr Prentice asked the jury to convict the accused of murder, but added they could convict of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
He also asked for guilty verdicts on the two charges of having knives and knuckledusters in school.
Mr Prentice said: "There was a stab wound to the heart inflicted by a lethal weapon that was routinely carried.
"It may be everyone in this room wishes they had the power to turn back time.
"If we could do that, what would we do? We would say 'get rid of the knife, school is no place for a knife'.
"This case demonstrates the dangers of carrying a knife. If you have a knife you have the ability to use it."
Mr Prentice said he did not suggest the accused set off intending to kill Bailey Gwynne.
But he added: "If he had not been carrying a knife the outcome of the conflict would have been a few bruises and perhaps a fat lip."
Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC said the jury was dealing with a "spontaneous event" which lasted about 30 seconds.
Mr Duguid said the accused had shown "extraordinary stupidity" but suggested Bailey Gwynne had shown "recklessness" in assaulting a fellow pupil.
To convict of murder, he added, the jury had to decide the accused had the state of mind to...

Summary: The jury in the trial of a teenager accused of murder by stabbing a 16-year-old to death in an Aberdeen school has retired to consider a verdict.
###
Article: Lord Browne told the BBC business was losing the trust of ordinary people.
His latest book sets out how businesses fail to engage with environmental, social and political issues, a failure he thinks could destroy them.
And he said labelling these issues as "corporate social responsibility", or CSR, had allowed companies to push them into a "side-pocket".
Describing the failure of Enron in 2001 he writes that its CSR "masked a deeply rotten core".
"Mistreating any constituent of society eventually leads to collapse," he added.
In his book Connect, to be published on Thursday, he describes the rift between society and big business.
"Future global development will be constrained... if business is hamstrung by the hate it generates so self-destructively."
Talking to BBC business editor Kamal Ahmed, he said: "It is more and more dangerous."
Lord Browne added: "A lot of my colleagues in business say: 'Well, it's cycles, they come and they go - bankers are hated and then they are loved, people in social media are loved today, they will be hated tomorrow, life goes on.'
"But life goes on at a far faster rate than it used to, companies can disappear when their reservoir of trust is depleted, companies can be wounded many, many times over.
"Getting it right is more important now, because the information moves very quickly around the world," he added.
"One of the props that people have relied upon is corporate social responsibility, and that's allowed a lot of companies to detach the activity of communicating and being involved with stakeholders almost into a side-pocket,"
In his book, he interviews leading figures such as Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.
But he is optimistic that the problems can be solved. He writes: "There has never been a better time to challenge the cycles of anti-business sentiment that have spanned the length of history."
He outlines four tenets of what he calls "connected...

Summary: The former head of BP has said that the relationship between business and society is becoming "dangerous".
###
Article: But are there limits to how far authenticity can take a politician?
During the course of his campaign Donald Trump has made statements that mainstream politicians would consider disastrous gaffes, alienating important parts of the electorate.
"When Mexico sends its people," Trump told an audience in Arizona, "they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists..."
It was a remark bound to alienate Hispanic voters. But others liked Trump for saying what he thinks.
One recent poll shows him having 24% support for the Republican nomination - well ahead of second-placed Jeb Bush's 11%.
One of Trump's key messages is that he is so rich that no one can buy him.
Jeremy Corbyn, who has a record as one of the Labour Party's most rebellious MPs, argues that while many of his colleagues duck and weave, he is an honourable man committed to core principles on which he will not compromise.
His ability to pack halls with huge crowds suggest it's a message that has great resonance.
In Europe - especially in southern countries hit hard by the financial crisis - some insurgent politicians have broken through.
Historically most European populist parties - which generally pit the people against a self-serving elite - have been on the right.
But in recent years the left too has produced Spain's Podemas and in Greece, Syriza, which went from a protest party to forming the government, taking on the bureaucrats in Brussels.
In the last UK general election Nigel Farage's UKIP won support by arguing that it was prepared to confront issues that the Westminster politicians were trying to dodge.
And in Scotland the SNP swept to power, partly by running against what the party portrayed as a privileged and remote political establishment in London.
There are a number of explanations for the increasing number of people who resent mainstream politicians.
As well as a long-term fall in the levels of deference, sceptics point to spin doctors, focus...

Summary:


The UK government has announced plans to speed up development of shale gas.
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has written to councils reminding them of the temporary ban on fracking in Wales.
He said fracking technology was "unproven", saying Welsh ministers preferred to look at renewable energy.
Fracking is a process of

Fracking for shale gas in Wales should still be opposed despite plans to fast-track such schemes in England, the Welsh government has said.

Article: DJI introduced geo-fencing in 2013 - a technology that uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports, professional sports events and other restricted zones.
The opt-out allows operators to disable the ban in many, but not all, cases.
The Chinese firm says it will keep a record of those who use the feature.
It suggests the move will make it easier for authorised personnel to carry out inspections and other sanctioned activities in controlled areas.
But one expert questioned the wisdom of the move.
DJI's Geo app is used to control its Phantom and Inspire drones.
If the pilot sends one of the aircraft into a flagged zone, a prompt appears asking them to verify their account and acknowledge what they are doing.
In the past, the only way to achieve this was to request an override from the company or hack the drones' firmware.
"We don't have the ability to verify if someone has authorisation," Brendan Schulman, DJI's legal affairs chief told the BBC.
"Essentially, the principle here is operator responsibility and accountability.
"Just like driving a car, it is up to the operator to be licensed, to have the car registered and insured - the manufacturer of an automobile doesn't decide who gets to drive or not.
"Similarly, we have provided a mechanism for operators to take responsibility and verify their accounts and then go ahead and fly in most of these locations, which [takes into account] the balance between safety and innovation."
To make use of the override, a user must have given DJI their credit card details or a mobile number to act as an ID.
This means the firm can help the authorities track down those who misuse it.
"Our policy is to provide information about our customers only in response to a valid legal request," Mr Schulman said.
"So, in the US it would be a subpoena or a warrant or a court order."
It remains impossible to use the app to avoid geo-fencing over the US capital, Washington DC. DJI has also added new areas that cannot be unlocked including prisons, nuclear power...

Summary: The bestselling drone-maker has updated its app to let owners bypass a feature that stops its aircraft flying into or taking off in sensitive locations.
###
Article: The technology was designed by Philips and has been installed at a Carrefour supermarket in Lille.
It transmits codes via light waves, which are undetectable to the eye but can be picked up by a phone camera.
The innovation offers an alternative to Bluetooth-based "beacons", which are being installed by many retailers.
"We are always on the lookout for innovations to facilitate customers' navigation," explained Carrefour executive Celine Martin.
"Thanks to this new application, which uses Philips technology, we are now able to provide our customers at the EuraLille Carrefour with a new service, enabling them to quickly search and locate their preferred promotions or detect all the promotions around them."
Philips said that an added benefit was that its system required 50% less electricity than the old lights it had replaced.
Philips is not the only organisation to have researched ways to transmit data via specialised LED bulbs.
Engineers at the University of Edinburgh are working on a "li-fi" system capable of transmitting data at up to 10 gigabits per second, which they suggest could offer an alternative to radio waves.
The Philips scheme is more limited in its scope, but has the benefit of being ready for market.
It works by making each of the fitted LEDs transmit a distinct location code.
If users open a compatible app and let their smartphone camera look upwards, this can be used to determine their location - accurate to up to 1m - and the direction they are facing.
It functions in a similar way to GPS-based maps used outdoors, and compares favourably to wi-fi based location systems, which are typically accurate to only 3-5m.
Many retailers, however, are investing instead in beacons - small Bluetooth 4 transmitters that allow compatible apps to work out how far away a user is standing, but not their precise position.
Beacons have the benefit of being cheaper and potentially easier to try out than replacing a store's complete lighting system.
However, one expert saw the merits of Philips's...

Summary: French shoppers have become the first to experience a new LED lighting system that sends special offers and location data to their smartphones.
###
Article: Under the wide-ranging telecoms reforms, the cost of making a call or downloading internet data in another EU country will be the same as at home.
The change is due to take effect from 15 December next year. It still requires approval from EU governments.
Some consumers have faced bills for thousands of pounds after falling foul of current high roaming charges.
In recent years the EU has legislated to lower the costs, so telecoms operators have been forced to cap their fees.
A European Commission survey in February suggested that 94% of Europeans limit their use of the web when travelling in Europe because of the cost of mobile roaming.
The package was adopted by 534 votes to 25.
Last year the cap for internet browsing was lowered to 45 cents (39 pence) per MB, from 70 euro cents (60 pence) per MB in 2012.
The EU Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, has said "consumers are fed up with being ripped off".
The new rules come at a time when users are consuming ever more data on mobiles and tablet devices. As 4G networks offer even faster download speeds, data consumption is expected to rise exponentially.

Summary: The European Parliament has voted to scrap the roaming fees charged for using a mobile phone while abroad.
###
Article: The UK government has announced measures to speed up development.
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has written to councils reminding them of the temporary ban on fracking in Wales.
He said fracking technology was "unproven", saying Welsh ministers preferred to look at renewable energy.
Fracking is a process of using high pressure water to break up rocks deep underground to release gas and pipe it to the surface.
It is a major industry in the United States, but there are concerns about safety, the environment and underground water.
There have been protests against applications for test drilling for gas in both the Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham, as well as sites in England.
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has stressed the UK government's support for fracking, and frustration at delays in its development.
She has told councils in England to make decisions on applications within 16 weeks, to stop the process being "dragged out for months".
In his letter to Welsh councils, Mr Sargeant said the new guidance only applied to England and that the moratorium in Wales remained in place.
"The UK government's general support for oil and gas applications is contrary to the approach of the Welsh Government of promoting renewable and low carbon forms of energy through the planning system and other measures," he said.
"We still see renewable energy as a key element in ensuring that Wales achieves sustainable development for the benefit of future generations.
"Local planning authorities must ensure that planning applications for renewable energy projects are determined within statutory timescales."
Plans to devolve control over fracking were confirmed in the Queen's Speech in June following the Conservatives' general election victory.

Summary:


The Scottish Government has announced a new £1.5m fund to help small businesses in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has announced a new £1.5m fund to help small businesses in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has announced a new £1.5m fund to help small businesses in Scotland. The Scottish

A new marketing body is to be set up to promote Northern Ireland's food and drinks industry, in a bid to grow the agri-food sector and create more jobs.

Article: Nisbet the eland was born at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling to parents Limba and Bud on 6 August.
It is the first time in 25 years that an eland, the largest species of antelope, has been born at the safari park.
She has been named after Scottish international high jumper Jayne Nisbet on account of the eland's jumping skills.
Park manager Gary Gilmour said: "She is very lively, especially in the mornings.
"She was a bit of a handful when we first let her out in the main reserve, as she seems to have no fear of other antelope or even the rhinos, but mum and dad have been keeping a close eye on her and have been keeping her out of trouble.
"Although she may be a bit small just now, she still has a bit of growing to do and will grow up to 5ft (1.52) at her shoulder and can weigh up to 500kg (1102 lbs)."
While their weight makes them one of the slowest animals, elands are able to jump over an 8ft (2.43m) fence from a standstill.
The animals were once widespread across southern, central and east Africa but are now extinct in many areas.

Summary: A rare three-week-old baby antelope has made its first public appearance.
###
Article: The committee has been examining the Criminal Verdicts Bill, which would scrap not proven and increase the majority needed for jury trial convictions from eight to ten.
Most committee members backed the removal of the not proven verdict.
But they did not support increasing the jury trial conviction requirement.
The committee concluded this should be considered alongside other reforms recommended by former High Court judge Lord Bonomy.
Lord Bonomy led an expert group considering what safeguards would need to be put in place if plans to abolish the corroboration requirement in Scotland's criminal justice system went ahead.
The committee said it could not therefore back the general principles of the members' bill, which was introduced by Labour MSP Michael McMahon.
The justice committee heard evidence that there was no legal difference between a not guilty and not proven verdict.
But it was told that not proven could carry a stigma for an accused person as well as fail to provide the necessary closure for victims.
The committee also concluded that the verdict is not always well understood and can cause confusion for both jurors and the public.
Its report said: "We note views that this confusion can lead to the effective defamation of the accused where the public believes the not proven verdict implies a degree of culpability; that the accused, in colloquial terms, "got away with it".
"The committee acknowledges that a not proven verdict may have social and indeed employment consequences that a not guilty verdict does not."
Committee convener Christine Grahame said the bill had "shone a light on the ambiguities of the not proven verdict and raised serious questions as to whether the verdict serves any useful purpose."
She added: "Not proven is often deeply unsatisfactory for victims and no better for those acquitted on it.
"Like most members of the committee, I believe the not proven verdict is on borrowed time.
"But changes to majority verdict requirement raise complex questions that should be considered...

Summary: Scotland's not proven verdict is on "borrowed time" and may not serve any useful purpose, Holyrood's justice committee has concluded.
###
Article: Twelve of the 27 committee chairmen have already been elected unopposed.
But MPs standing for the remaining positions faced a secret ballot of colleagues on Wednesday, with the outcome to be announced on the floor of the Commons at 10:30 BST.
The roles have been divided up between the political parties based on the results of the general election.
Chairmen are elected using an "alternative vote" system, under which MPs rank their favourites in order of preference, with the first to get more than 50% of votes going through.
Some, like Public Accounts and Backbench Business, are reserved to the Opposition, but the rest are parcelled out in proportion to the parties' strength.
With the Conservatives now running a majority government, they take on the chairmanship of the Justice Committee, previously held by Lib Dem veteran Sir Alan Beith.
Meanwhile, the SNP - which is now the third largest party in the Commons - has been handed the Scottish Affairs and Energy and Climate Change.
Committee chairmen receive extra pay on top of their MP's salaries for doing the job.
Here is the list of the committee chairmen who have been re-elected unopposed:

Summary: Results of the elections for House of Commons select committee chairmen are to be announced shortly.
###
Article: The move was announced by Stormont's Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) Minister Arlene Foster.
She said Northern Ireland's agri-food industry was "hugely important", with almost 100,000 jobs including farming, fishing, retail and distribution.
The marketing body will be developed by the Agri-Food Strategy Board (AFSB).
Ms Foster said: "The establishment of a new industry-led agri-food marketing body, which would be similar to the already successful Scotland Food and Drink, will provide a significant and exciting opportunity for the Northern Ireland agri-food industry to work together for the benefit of the entire sector.
"This body will play a pivotal role in providing strategic leadership and direction for the marketing activities of both government and private sector organisations."
Stormont's Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill welcomed the announcement.
"Agri-food is one of the key sectors in delivering export-led economic growth for the north," she said.
She said industry representatives had made it clear that there was "a need for better coordination of current marketing activities" in Northern Ireland.
However, Ms O'Neill added that while the new body was "clearly a positive step", the plans could have "implications for the work of other organisations", including her own department.
She said she looked forward to discussing the plans with AFSB.

Summary:


The BBC has announced a new series of Celebrity Big Brother, which will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.
The new series will be hosted by former EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood, who will be joined by reality TV personalities Saira Khan, Marnie Simpson and Katie Waissel.

The launch of Channel 5's latest series of Celebrity Big Brother was watched by an average 2.3 million viewers.

Article: The ban came in a notice issued by the People's Bank of China, financial watchdogs and the nation's IT ministry.
Bitcoins were a "virtual good", had no legal status and should not be used as a currency, it said.
The decision comes after bitcoins' rapid rise in value was called a "bubble" by Alan Greenspan, former US Federal Reserve chairman.
Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency.
But it may be best to think of its units being virtual tokens rather than physical coins or notes.
However, like all currencies its value is determined by how much people are willing to exchange it for.
To process Bitcoin transactions, a procedure called "mining" must take place, which involves a computer solving a difficult mathematical problem with a 64-digit solution.
For each problem solved, one block of bitcoins is processed. In addition the miner is rewarded with new bitcoins.
This provides an incentive for people to provide computer processing power to solve the problems.
To compensate for the growing power of computer chips, the difficulty of the puzzles is adjusted to ensure a steady stream of about 3,600 new bitcoins a day.
There are currently about 11 million bitcoins in existence.
To receive a bitcoin a user must have a Bitcoin address - a string of 27-34 letters and numbers - which acts as a kind of virtual postbox to and from which the bitcoins are sent.
Since there is no registry of these addresses, people can use them to protect their anonymity when making a transaction.
These addresses are in turn stored in Bitcoin wallets which are used to manage savings.
They operate like privately run bank accounts - with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the bitcoins owned.
The ban was imposed because bitcoins were not backed by any nation or central authority, said the notice.
It added that it was planning to step up its efforts to curb the use of bitcoins to launder cash.
Individuals were still free to trade in bitcoins but should be aware of the risks involved, said the People's Bank of China...

Summary: China has banned its banks from handling transactions involving the Bitcoin virtual currency.
###
Article: The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has extended the period in which athletes who test positive may not be punished.
Those found to have low levels of meldonium in tests before 30 September can now be cleared.
Studies have shown the drug takes longer to be cleared from the system than previously thought.
Athletes who test positive in the new period will be cleared via a "no-fault finding" if less than one microgram per millilitre is detected.
Meldonium was added to Wada's list of banned substances in January 2016.
A study in March said up to 490 athletes may have taken meldonium at the 2015 European Games in Baku.
The new guidelines do not apply to Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who is appealing against a two-year suspension after admitting taking the drug after 1 January.
Meldonium increases blood flow and is typically used to treat heart conditions.

Summary: Athletes who test positive for banned substance meldonium after next month's Olympic Games in Rio may not face sanctions, under new guidelines.
###
Article: The cost of energy on the wholesale market tumbled to Â£36.76 per megawatt hour on the Power Index, compiled by market information provider ICIS.
The causes were a mild winter and lower global commodity prices, ICIS said.
Pressure is mounting on the UK's big six energy suppliers to cut their prices in line with falling costs.
Amber Rudd, who took over as energy secretary after last year's general election, wrote to the big six soon afterwards to question them about whether their prices were reflecting the wholesale market.
But the energy firms have said they are operating in a highly competitive environment.
British Gas cut its gas prices by 5% in August, but the other five big firms did not follow suit.
Northern Ireland's second-largest electricity supplier, SSE Airtricity, announced last week that it was cutting prices by 1.3%.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "It's extremely disappointing millions of us are still paying way over the odds for our energy. Consumers will rightly ask why their bills haven't been cut dramatically when wholesale costs have dropped.
"The government needs to protect vulnerable customers from being ripped off and make people feel confident about switching supplier."
The research by ICIS said that as well as milder winter temperatures, an oversupply of gas in the wholesale market was also pushing prices lower.
"More gas from around the world in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to come to the UK, as more production capacity comes on-stream in 2016," the firm said.
Zoe Double, head of power at ICIS, added: "Current market prices for delivery two to three years ahead show that participants expect UK wholesale energy prices to remain low."
However, she said electricity prices had fallen less than gas because there was "less spare supply capacity".
The wholesale price for gas fell by 34% over 2015, while the price for electricity fell by 23%.
ICIS said the continuing pressure on wholesale prices gave firms little incentive to invest in further infrastructure.

Summary: Wholesale gas and electricity prices in the UK hit a five-year low at the end of 2015, according to latest research by energy market analysts.
###
Article: That was half a million fewer than the audience for the launch of the previous series in January this year.
Yet the ratings were up on the launch of last summer's show, which debuted in August 2015 with a 2.2 million average.
Christopher Biggins, former glamour model Sam Fox and ex-EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood are among the latest edition's 15 celebrity housemates.
Others include reality show personalities Saira Khan, Marnie Simpson and Katie Waissel, from The Apprentice, Geordie Shore and The X Factor respectively.
Celebrity Big Brother was beaten in its 21:00 BST timeslot on Thursday by both Hugh's War on Waste on BBC One and The Investigator: A British Crime Story on ITV.
The former attracted an average audience of 3.6 million, while the latter drew an average viewership of 2.5 million.
Celebrity Big Brother's peak audience came around the 22:00 mark, when 2.5 million viewers were watching the show.
The ratings are only provisional overnight figures - final numbers including viewers who recorded programmes and watched them later will be released in seven days.
All figures mentioned include +1 timeshift viewing.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary:


A trial of more than 500 patients found that it did not prolong or improve their quality of life any more than other forms of treatment.
Article: A trial of more than 500 patients found that it did not prolong or improve their quality of life any more than other forms of treatment.
Summary: A trial of more

Whole brain radiotherapy is of no benefit to people with lung cancer which has spread to the brain, says research in the Lancet.

Article: Those with the genes were 13 times more likely to have a history of repeated violent behaviour.
The authors of the study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, said at least 5-10% of all violent crime in Finland could be attributed to individuals with these genotypes.
But they stressed the genes could not be used to screen criminals.
Many more genes may be involved in violent behaviour and environmental factors are also known to have a fundamental role.
Even if an individual has a "high-risk combination" of these genes the majority will never commit a crime, the lead author of the work Jari Tiihonen of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden said.
"Committing a severe, violent crime is extremely rare in the general population. So even though the relative risk would be increased, the absolute risk is very low," he told the BBC.
The study, which involved analysis of almost 900 criminals, is the first to have looked at the genetic make-up of so many violent criminals in this way.
Each criminal was given a profile based on their offences, categorising them into violent or non-violent. The association between genes and previous behaviour was strongest for the 78 who fitted the "extremely violent offender" profile.
This group had committed a total of 1,154 murders, manslaughters, attempted homicides or batteries. A replication group of 114 criminals had all committed at least one murder.
These all carried a low-activity version of the MAOA gene, which previous research has dubbed the "warrior gene" because of its link to aggressive behaviour.
A deficiency of the enzyme this controls could result in "dopamine hyperactivity" especially when an individual drinks alcohol or takes drugs such as amphetamines, said Prof Tiihonen. The majority of all individuals who commit severe violent crime in Finland do so under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
For now, a person's genetic information should not have any influence on conviction outcomes in criminal courts, Prof Tiihonen added.
"There are many things which can...

Summary: A genetic analysis of almost 900 offenders in Finland has revealed two genes associated with violent crime.
###
Article: The company will raise standard tariff electricity prices by 10.8% from 31 March, while gas prices will increase by 4.7%.
It means a typical dual fuel annual bill will rise by an average of 7.8%, or Â£86.
Scottish Power said in a statement that about a third of its customers - or about 1.1 million homes - would be affected by the increases.
It attributed the move in part to rises in energy wholesale markets and compulsory non-energy costs, including the upgrade to smart meters.
Scottish Power's announcement came as British Gas said it would extend a price freeze for its customers on its standard energy tariff until August.
Last month, Npower faced a backlash after it said it would raise standard tariff electricity prices by 15% from 16 March, and gas prices by 4.8%.
Scottish Power's UK retail director, Colin McNeill, said: "This increase will apply to one in three of our customers, and we continue to work hard to move even more customers to our fixed price deals.
"We will be writing to all those affected, outlining the changes and encouraging more loyal customers to move to a deal that best suits them.
"This price change follows months of cost increases that have already led to significant rises in fixed price products that now unfortunately have to be reflected in standard prices."

Summary: Scottish Power has announced a sharp increase in energy prices.
###
Article: They include the names of Scots crewmen of the Titanic, such as Dalbeattie-born First Officer William M Murdoch.
The records also list those who lost their lives in war-time on HMS Hood, SS Athenia and RMS Lancastria.
More than 14,000 records have been made available by National Records of Scotland (NRS) through the ScotlandsPeople website.
Returns of Deaths at Sea for the years 1902-1905 have also been released, adding to records going back to 1855.
These records list Scottish seamen, including many fishermen who drowned in Scottish waters, emigrants who did not reach their hoped-for destination and those who served in the Royal Navy.
The documents contain hundreds of entries for Scottish sailors, engineers and other crewmen who died in every corner of the world, whether at sea, or in foreign ports or hospitals.
Culture and External Affairs Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed the new resource.
She said: "Scotland is a maritime nation with fascinating stories and an important seafaring history and these new online registers will provide wider access to this heritage."
Tim Ellis, registrar general and keeper of the Records of Scotland, said: "The Returns of Deaths of Seamen and Deaths at Sea open a window into the lives of Scots seafarers in the first half of the 20th Century.
"They reveal the dangers experienced by seamen and passengers alike, and provide useful information for anyone wishing to discover more about their ancestors."

Summary: Recorded deaths of Scottish seafarers from the late Victorian times up to 1974 have been made available online.
###
Article: A trial of more than 500 patients found that it did not prolong or improve their quality of life any more than other forms of treatment.
More than 45,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in the UK.
In a third of cases, the cancer will spread to the brain.
Secondary brain tumours are usually treated with whole brain radiotherapy along with steroids and other treatments to reduce the side-effects of cancer therapies.
But it can have serious side-effects, such as nausea and extreme tiredness, and cause damage to the nervous system.
This study, involving doctors, researchers and patients from hospitals right across the UK, found that there was no improvement in the quality of life of patients after one week of whole brain radiotherapy.
These patients tend to already have a poor prognosis.
Dr Paula Mulvenna, consultant clinical oncologist with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said whole brain radiotherapy was used because it was thought to control tumours.
"But in our lung cancer clinics, we were not seeing the improvements we had hoped for in our patients.
"Survival times are poor and have hardly changed since the 1980s.
"What's more, the technique's toxicity can be substantial and it can damage cognitive function."
According to Prof Ruth Langley, from the Medical Research Council clinical trials unit at University College London, radiosurgery - a very precise form of radiotherapy - is a favoured alternative technique, which has minimal side-effects.
But some scientists say there may still be a place for whole brain radiotherapy.
Writing in a linked comment in the Lancet, Dr Cecile le Pechoux from Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in France said: "We believe that optimised whole brain radiotherapy, given at the right time to appropriate patients, could lead to more individualised strategies."
They said all treatments should be discussed with patients, taking into account the result of this trial.

Summary:


The Jewish Museum in Warsaw has unveiled a new permanent exhibition, which will run until 2023.
The exhibition, entitled "The Shoah: The Holocaust and the Aftermath", is the first of its kind in Poland.
It is being overseen by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel.
The exhibition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opened a Holocaust exhibition at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp site in southern Poland.

Article: The party argues that a charge could lead to two billion fewer cups being used every year.
The Lib Dems have pointed to the impact of a 5p charge on plastic bags, which has led to a big reduction in use.
And they announced that delegates at the party's annual conference will pay a 5p charge on disposable cups.
"Throwaway cups are a threat to wildlife and the environment and it's high time the government stepped in to reduce the amount of waste created each year," said Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.
"I want to see a culture shift towards bringing your own cup for a refill, rather than buying cups which are often non-recyclable and then throwing them away."
Since October 2015, shoppers in England have been charged 5p for every new plastic bag they use at large stores.
The charge applies only to shops or chains with 250 or more full-time employees, with the proceeds donated to charities and other causes.
In July 2016 the government estimated the charge would result in six billion fewer plastic bags being used during the year and Â£29m had been raised.
Wales introduced a levy in 2011, followed by Northern Ireland in 2013 and Scotland in 2014. They saw reductions in bag use of 76%, 71% and 80%, respectively, in the first year after the fee was established.
The Lib Dems said 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups were used each day and fewer than one in 400 were recycled.
The party has not said whether its proposed charge would apply just to larger businesses, in line with the carrier bag charge, or to all businesses, but it is not waiting for a change in the law to impose a 5p charge on disposable cups used at its annual conference in September.

Summary: The Liberal Democrats have called for the introduction of a 5p charge on disposable coffee cups to cut usage across the UK.
###
Article: North Devon has the longest average distances between public charging points, according to Department for Transport statistics.
The RAC said there was "some way to go" before users would be cured of "range anxiety".
The average distance between charging points in England was 3.8 miles (6km).
It compares with an average distance between petrol and diesel filling stations of one mile.
In North Devon, the average distance between public charging points can be between 18 and 47 miles. Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria has average distances of up to 37 miles (60km).
The RAC says the furthest distance between petrol stations in the UK is 19 miles, for drivers in Applecross, West Scotland.
However, electric car drivers in Southwark, London, will find a public charging point every 97m (106 yds). There are parts of Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne where the average distance to a charge point is only 193m (211 yds).
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 17,000 hybrid and electric cars left UK showrooms in March 2016, compared with 1,354 in the same month in 2006.
Go Ultra Low, the joint government and car industry campaign to get drivers to switch to electric vehicles, said year-on-year sales were up 23%, with more than 115 electric cars registered every day in the first quarter of 2016, equivalent to one every 13 minutes.
3,904
UK public charging point locations
8,500
UK filling stations
1 mile  average distance between filling stations
3.8 miles average distance between charging points
106.41p Price per litre for unleaded petrol
96p Typical cost of charging an electric car
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: "It should be remembered that one of the big benefits of electric vehicles is the ability for motorists to charge up before they leave home.
"But once they've left, they currently rely on charging points on major roads and in city centres as it is along these roads where the greatest investment in charging infrastructure has so far taken place.
"Coverage away from major roads is still patchy,...

Summary: Wide variations remain in the average distance between electric car charge points, with some drivers facing distances of up to 47 miles (76km).
###
Article: Annual revenue at the luxury carmaker, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, rose 12.8% to £21.87bn.
Jaguar Land Rover had a tough start to the year, which was offset by the previous nine months.
While its sales were up 8.9% in the first three months of 2015, pre-tax profit dropped 31.3% as foreign currency costs weighed on its margins.
Jaguar Land Rover sold 470,523 vehicles to wholesale buyers and made 462,209 retail vehicle sales.
"Jaguar Land Rover has delivered five years of solid financial results, enabling us to invest in our long-term future," said Jaguar Land Rover's chief executive Ralf Speth.
It spent £3.15bn over the year on capital expenditure and research and development.
Rising annual profits at Jaguar Land Rover scaled back losses in other parts of its parent company, Tata Motors.
Pre-tax losses at Tata's standalone unit, which mostly comprises its Indian business, widened to 39.7bn rupees in the year to the end of March from 10bn rupees the year before.
Tata Motors reported a 15% rise in pre-tax profit for the year to the end of March. It made 217bn rupees (£2.2bn), compared with 188.7bn rupees in the previous year.
A 76bn-rupee tax charge eroded Tata Motors' net annual profit by 0.3% to 140bn rupees.

Summary: Jaguar Land Rover has posted a pre-tax profit of £2.61bn, up 4.5% on the previous year.
###
Article: The display in Block 27 places the former camp in the broader context of Nazi Germany's systematic attempt to wipe out Europe's Jewish population.
It is being overseen by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust institute.
Earlier in Warsaw, Mr Netanyahu accused Iran, one of Israel's strongest foes, of planning a new Holocaust.
By Adam EastonBBC News, Warsaw
The new permanent Shoah exhibition has replaced the dilapidated one that was installed in 1960s communist-era Poland.
It is an impressive, powerful exhibition. Upon entering a darkened room a prayer can be heard. The next room displays a panorama of slides and video of pre-war Jewish life in Europe. One room is devoted to Nazi ideology, showing video of speeches by Hitler and Goebbels. A map points out the numerous Jewish extermination sites across Europe. One of the most moving displays highlights the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis. An art installation reproduces their pencil drawings made during the Holocaust on stark white walls.
There is also a Book of Names, running to 58 volumes, which aims to list all the names of the six million Holocaust victims. Finally, there is a room for visitors to sit and reflect upon the horrors they have just seen.
On Thursday, he was taken around the exhibition at the former camp before making a speech at the opening ceremony, Yad Vashem reported on its Twitter account.
The original Jewish exhibition at Auschwitz dated back to the 1960s and had fallen into neglect, prompting the Israeli government to decide recently on a revamp.
An estimated one million Jews, together with some 100,000 people of other ethnicities and backgrounds, died in Auschwitz and the adjacent Birkenau camp, in gas chambers or from starvation, disease and forced labour.
The new display features:
Mr Netanyahu used a visit to the Polish capital on Wednesday to warn that Iran was now a major threat to the Jews.
Iranians are going to the polls on Friday to elect a new president, with the hard-line incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not eligible for...

Summary: