Students at the Open University are going to have their progress monitored by a set of algorithms to spot if they need any extra support.

Article: Think tank British Future said the Brexit referendum outcome was a "vote of no confidence" in existing policies.
It said public expectations of curbs on low-skilled migration must be met.
The think tank has also released a survey suggesting almost half of Britons do not believe the government will reach its net migration targets.
Ministers have pledged to reduce net migration to below 100,000 by 2020.
British Future's report is published ahead of the release on Thursday of the latest net migration figures.
Details of the number of people coming to the UK for more than a year from across the EU and the rest of the world will be published at 09:30 BST - covering the year to 31 March.
Net migration - the difference between the estimated number of people settling in the UK and those emigrating - rose to 333,000 in 2015, the second highest figure on record, and has been above 300,000 for the past five quarters.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is sticking with her predecessor David Cameron's target of bringing the annual figure down to less than 100,000 - even though he fell well short of this during the last Parliament.
Opposition parties and some Tories have called for the target to be ditched, arguing it is distorting priorities and will be unachievable even outside the EU. But ministers say it is still a valid benchmark for "sustainable" migration levels.
In its report, British Future - which describes itself as a non-partisan body focused on addressing issues of migration, integration and identity - said the target was a "symbolic totem" for many and the failure to meet it had damaged public trust but it was unlikely to be reconsidered until the shape of the UK's Brexit deal became apparent.
"After the referendum, the debate about the future of the headline target will have little practical impact until the contours of future UK immigration policy become clearer," it wrote.
"Nobody in government or outside of it could possibly be in a position to make a sensible long-term judgement about future...

Summary: The vote to leave the EU is a chance to fix the UK's "broken" immigration system and restore trust in controlled migration, a report says.
###
Article: Greater Manchester passengers will be the first to get the new payment format, to be introduced in 2015.
The scheme will also be rolled out in Tyne and Wear, Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire as well as Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol, according to transport chiefs.
Oyster cards launched in 2003 in London, where buses are now cashless.
In the West Midlands, nearly 30 operators are already part of the Swift smart multi-operating ticketing scheme.
Greater Manchester is rolling out its "get me there" travel card across its Metrolink trams.
The bus initiative involves the Stagecoach, First, Arriva, Go Ahead and National Express companies.
In a joint statement, the chief executives of the companies involved said the move would deliver a "wider benefit than the capital's Oyster system".
They said: "Millions of people in our biggest city regions will benefit from this transformational initiative to provide London-style smart ticketing.
"Bus operators share the aspirations of our city regions to become growing economic powerhouses and we know high quality public transport is an important part of making that happen."

Summary: Bus companies are to bring in Oyster-style smart ticketing in some of England's largest urban areas.
###
Article: The deal makes Micro Focus one of the UK's biggest tech companies, with total annual revenues of $4.5bn (£3.4bn).
It is acquiring assets from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), including former UK tech champion Autonomy which HP bought in an ill-fated deal in 2011.
Micro Focus was promoted to the FTSE 100 last week, replacing ARM after it was bought by Japan's Softbank.
A string of acquisitions has turned Micro Focus, based in Berkshire, England, from being a relatively small player to being worth over £5bn, with revenues doubling in 2015.
Shares in Micro Focus closed 14.5% higher at £22.38 after jumping as much as 21%, making it the biggest riser on the FTSE 100.
The rise and rise of Micro Focus
Kevin Loosemore, Micro Focus executive chairman, said the deal marked a significant milestone for the company.
Mr Loosemore said he approached Hewlett Packard Enterprise in February about a deal and was not put off by the market turbulence that followed the Brexit vote in the UK.
HPE has more than 50,000 customers including many of the biggest US companies.
We are accustomed to headlines bemoaning another UK industrial champion falling to a foreign predator. This morning the tide, if only briefly, is flowing the other way.
Micro Focus, a fast-growing technology firm based in Newbury, Berkshire, is merging with a division of the original Silicon Valley titan, Hewlett-Packard.
Although the combination will have a slim majority of shareholders from the US company, this is a British takeover. The new Micro Focus will keep its listing on the London Stock Exchange, and the management will be British.
The new entity should have a stock market value north of £10bn - about twice the market cap of Sainsburys.
While it is tempting to see this as a swallow that might herald a golden summer of takeovers by ambitious British companies, it has more to do with the weakness of an ageing tech giant rather than a resurgence of appetite on this side of the Atlantic.
Hewlett-Packard is rightly credited with having founded Silicon Valley,...

Summary: UK tech firm Micro Focus is buying the software business of a division of Hewlett-Packard for $8.8bn (£6.6bn).
###
Article: Olive Cooke, who died in May aged 92, collected for the Royal British Legion for 76 years, selling some 30,000 poppies.
A ceramic rose formerly part of the Tower of London display, will be given to her family as part of the event.
Twelve horses will also leave from MoD Abbey Wood to Bristol Cathedral.
Fellow poppy collector, Anne Harrison has been asked by the Royal British Legion to stand in for Olive Cooke, who used to sell the poppies at Bristol Cathedral.
Ms Harrison said: "I have been collecting for the British Legion in Kingswood for a few years now but this year I felt particularly moved to give some time for the Poppy Appeal in Bristol to commemorate what Olive did.
"I think it's a very special thing."
The procession of horses will mark the contribution made by horses in World War One.
During the four years of war, some 340,000 were shipped off from Avonmouth to the front line having been stabled at the remount depot in Shirehampton.

Summary: The life of the UK's longest serving poppy seller will be honoured at the start of Bristol and Somerset's 2015 Poppy Appeal.
###
Article: The scheme, developed by the OU, has been designed to observe students' paths through courses and engagement with online learning modules.
The OU's Prof John Domingue told the BBC: "This has been developed as a tool for tutors to help students.
"We are planning to use this data for students studying in 2015-16."
The programme, called OU Analyse, was developed at the university during the 2013-14 academic year.
It uses a variety of data sets held by the OU and assesses the likelihood of a student submitting their next assignment by using information gathered from four different algorithms.
The more algorithms that indicate the student will not send in their work - the higher the chance of that happening.
Prof Domingue added: "We take advantage of the fact that modules are presented many times. One can use the experience of previous students to benefit future students. An interesting fact is that the data of the interactions before the course actually starts, like reading the material available and engaging with forums, is extremely valuable.
"Currently it is deployed on 13 modules, mostly level one modules in order to try to provide timely indicators that students may be struggling.
"The model is tailored to each of the modules and by using this and identifying students, more tailored support may be provided."
The OU has taken steps to ensure that students' privacy is not compromised by the scheme - putting in place an ethics policy, agreed in consultation with a student committee, to protect their data.
Ruth Tudor, president of the Open University's Students' Association, thinks the scheme is a positive one.
"It's a great idea and a great way of providing targeted support to students who may be struggling and need extra help," she told the BBC.
"I would like to think that this would improve the drop-out rate from OU courses. You must remember they take students who have come from no academic background so it is always possible that those people take on more than they think they can manage.
"That's why data...

Summary:


A former Silk Road creator has been arrested in Thailand.
Article: A former Silk Road creator has been arrested in Thailand.
Summary: A former Silk Road creator has been arrested in Thailand.
Article: A former Silk Road creator has been arrested in Thailand.
Summary: A former Silk Road creator has been arrested

A man alleged to have helped run the notorious Silk Road drug marketplace has been arrested in Thailand.

Article: The A563 Palmerston Way in West Knighton was flooded after a "trunk" pipe burst early on Friday.
Severn Trent Water apologised after more than 1,000 homes were affected but said water supplies were now back to normal in the city.
The road is closed between A6 Leicester Road and Welford Road and motorists have been told to expect delays.
Overdale Infant and Junior Schools in Eastcourt Road are also closed.
Sarah Jane O'Kane, from Severn Trent Water, said the burst pipe was classed as a "trunk pipe" which meant it held a large amount of water.
"We can only apologise for any traffic problems or any water supply problems that people are going to see."

Summary: A major road in Leicester could be closed for several days after a water main burst.
###
Article: Trevor Gray, 49, of Watnall, Nottinghamshire was found not guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of the rape of a 43-year-old woman.
The former detective sergeant was sentenced to eight years in jail in 2012 but the verdict was quashed in 2013.
A jury cleared Mr Gray in a unanimous verdict after the four-day retrial.
The former detective, who had 25 years experience with the force, was accused of rape by a woman in July 2011.
He was suspended and subsequently dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police.
Det Supt Jackie Alexander of Nottinghamshire Police said: "We take any report of sexual assault and rape extremely seriously and have a duty to investigate such allegations, whoever they are made against.
"The CPS considered it appropriate for this case to be prosecuted through the criminal justice system and having been presented to a jury over four days they have considered the evidence and made a decision to acquit Trevor Gray.
"At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further pending the outcome of his appeal to be reinstated and today's acquittal."

Summary: A former Nottinghamshire detective has been cleared of rape following a retrial.
###
Article: Just weeks before polling day on 10 April, two leading candidates were barred from the race by Peru's national elections watchdog.
Another candidate, Gregorio Santos, is running for president from a prison cell.
He is currently awaiting trial for alleged criminal conspiracy during his tenure as governor of Peru's Cajamarca region.
But it is the identity of the front-runner that is proving most controversial.
Keiko Fujimori, 40, is the daughter of incarcerated ex-President Alberto Fujimori.
When she was still in her twenties, she acted as First Lady after her parents divorced.
Opinion polls suggest she has a strong lead and her supporters say she connects with a wide range of Peru's population.
"Over the past four years, she has travelled to 80% of Peru's districts and provinces in order to understand the reality of life in our country," says Luz Salgado, a member of Congress for Ms Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party.
But it is her father's legacy, rather than her current campaign, which makes Keiko Fujimori such a divisive figure and which prompted thousands of people to take to the streets of Lima on Tuesday in protest against her candidacy.
In 2009, her father Alberto Fujimori was convicted of human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
His government also brought in a controversial sterilisation programme in the 1990s, aimed at controlling Peru's birth rate.
Hundreds of thousands of women and men were sterilised under the policy, with human rights groups saying that as few as 10% might have given their consent.
But many credit Alberto Fujimori with transforming Peru's economic fortunes after his election in 1990.
When he left office in 2000, the country's gross domestic product had doubled to $50bn (Â£35.5bn), according to figures from the World Bank.
In addition to these economic reforms, Mr Fujimori's government led the fight against rebel groups such as Maoist group Shining Path, which earned him a reputation for being a tough advocate of national security.
Keiko Fujimori's campaign has...

Summary: Peruvians are accustomed to political scandal, but this year's presidential campaign has raised eyebrows even in a country where trust in politicians is increasingly low.
###
Article: Their study, reported in Science, found exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene makes perch larvae favour the particles over more natural foods.
As a result of exposure to plastic, the young perch are smaller, slower and more susceptible to predators.
The researchers called for plastic micro-beads to be banned in cosmetics.
Concerns have been growing about the amount of plastic in the seas in recent years.
A study that came out last year estimated that about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans annually.
When exposed to UV radiation, chemical degradation and the movement of the waves, this plastic breaks down into tiny pieces. Those smaller than 5mm are referred to as micro-plastics. The term also covers plastic micro-beads from personal care products.
Scientists have been worried that these tiny fragments can build up in the guts of marine creatures and can also leach toxic chemicals.
To look at the impact of micro-plastics on the early life stages of fish, Swedish researchers exposed perch larvae to different concentrations of polystyrene in water tanks.
In the absence of micro-plastics, about 96% of the eggs successfully hatched. This dropped to 81% for those exposed to large quantities.
The fish that did hatch in these waters with high quantities of micro-plastics were "smaller, slower, and more stupid" than those that hatched in clean waters, lead author Dr Oona Lonnstedt, from Uppsala University, said.
When exposed to predators, about half the young perch from clean waters survived for 24 hours. Those that had been raised with the strongest plastic concentrations were all consumed by pike over the same period.
Most surprising for the research team was the way that plastic changed food preferences.
"They all had access to zooplankton and yet they decided to just eat plastic in that treatment. It seems to be a chemical or physical cue that the plastic has, that triggers a feeding response in fish," Dr Lonnstedt told BBC News.
"They are basically fooled into thinking it's a...

Summary: Young fish become hooked on eating plastic in the seas in the same way that teenagers prefer unhealthy fast food, Swedish researchers have said.
###
Article: Canadian Roger Thomas Clark is said to have been a key adviser for Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.
The US Department of Justice alleged that Mr Clark advised Ulbricht about the best way to run the site and how to evade the police.
The Silk Road website was shut down in late 2013 following raids by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
It was a marketplace sited on the dark web through which many people bought illegal drugs. In May this year Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison for creating and running the site.
The DoJ alleges that Mr Clark was a "high-ranking" operator on the Silk Road and was instrumental in helping Ulbricht run it. He gave advice about ways to improve the technology underpinning the site, boost sales and on the best way for Ulbricht to hide his real identity, said US authorities.
Mr Clark was paid "at least hundreds of thousands of dollars" for this advice, said the DoJ in a statement announcing the arrest.
"Clark may have thought residing in Thailand would keep him out of reach of US authorities, but our international partnerships have proven him wrong," said FBI assistant director Diego Rodriguez.
On the site and in other underground forums, Mr Clark is believed to have used several nicknames including "Variety Jones, "VJ", "Cimon" and "Plural of Mongoose".
Extradition proceedings have been started against Mr Clark to transfer him from a jail in Thailand to the US.
He faces charges of narcotics conspiracy and money laundering. If found guilty of both charges he could face 30 years in jail.

Summary:

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Summary: ||| {{target}}


Detectives investigating the murder of a man who they believe was attacked with an axe have renewed their appeal on the first anniversary of his death.

Article: Between January and May 2013, there were 96 cases of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.
Thirty patients died while suffering with the infection.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was severely criticised for how it handled the outbreak.
The chairman and vice-chairman later stood down.
Prof Brian Duerden, an expert in healthcare associated infection and antibiotic resistance, was commissioned to produce the report into the outbreak and was highly critical.
In 2014, he reviewed the situation and said much important work had been carried out to tackle the problem.
His latest report, following a review in March 2016, will be considered by the health board on Thursday.
It said there had been "very significant improvements in the management arrangements and practice for infection protection since the earliest report".
It also highlights "continuing gaps where recommendations have not yet been fully implemented and also current threats to the maintenance of a safe and effective service as a result of staff changes and a failure to fill key posts in a timely manner".
One of his main concerns relates to "the seriously depleted state of consultant staffing in medical microbiology".
Since April this year there has been only one consultant at each of the three main hospital sites in Bodelwyddan, Bangor and Wrexham, plus one part-time in Wrexham, and that, he said "is a potentially unsafe clinical service".

Summary: "Very significant improvements" have been made at a health board following the outbreak of a major infection three years ago.
###
Article: Mark Barnes said the attack on some versions of the Echo let him do almost anything he wanted to it.
Mr Barnes managed to enter the device's software innards via connections found on its base.
He said taking over the device was "trivial" once an attacker had access to an Echo.
Amazon's Echo uses artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to voice commands from users to carry out many different functions, including answering queries, playing songs and ordering goods from a retailer.
The hack started by peeling off the rubber base of the Echo to expose a grid of electrical contacts, wrote the researcher from MWR Info Security in a blog.
Connecting to one of the contacts let Mr Barnes watch the Echo's boot-up procedure and work out how it was configured. Armed with this knowledge Mr Barnes wrote software that, once loaded on a small memory card and connected to one contact pad, gave him control over the device.
Using this he examined how it handled audio and then created attack code which forwarded everything it heard to a remote server.
That deep access meant he had complete control over the code the device ran and what it did with customer data, he said.
Amazon did not comment directly on Mr Barnes' findings but said in a statement: "Customer trust is very important to us.
"To help ensure the latest safeguards are in place, as a general rule, we recommend customers purchase Amazon devices from Amazon or a trusted retailer and that they keep their software up-to-date."
The security researcher acknowledged that the requirement to get physical access to the device to carry out the attack was a "major limitation".
However, he added, it was possible that Echo owners would take their devices with them on holidays or business trips - situations that could expose them to attack. Second-hand devices may also be compromised in some way.
The attack was carried out on the versions of the Echo that were released in 2015 and 2016. More recent versions of the Echo are not susceptible to the same attack.
Mr Barnes recommended...

Summary: Amazon's Echo smart speaker can be hacked to send the audio stream of everything it hears to an attacker, says a researcher.
###
Article: A study by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on a Fit and Healthy Childhood says PE has for too long been the "Cinderella subject" in UK schools.
The group recommends a personalised PE programme for each individual child.
The government said extra money given to primaries for PE was being used "to deliver more and better sport".
The APPG report says PE is key to developing a life-long passion for physical activity and to reducing levels of obesity.
It says PE for the 21st Century should reflect the many ways children can express themselves physically and should move away from "skill drill lessons".
And children should be given greater opportunity to explore what sort of alternative physical activity might suit them, using the natural and outside world as well as sports-specific environments.
The study says girls in particular can be put off  by a focus on competitive sports and "run the risk of becoming disenfranchised from physical activity".
"This could be addressed by ensuring that PE lessons offer a wider type of physical activity, to cater for different tastes and abilities," it says.
"These might include general physical activity such as running and climbing, non-competitive activities such as yoga and dance and individual sports such as swimming."
The APPG report makes a wide range of recommendations, including:
It says: "If PE is regarded as providing solutions for a variety of objectives (eg increasing academic attainment, improving behaviour), it should be valued as such.
"It should have the same status, credibility and funding as the core academic subjects."
The study adds: "If PE is to be treated on an equal basis with other subjects in the curriculum, care must be taken in assessing children's physical literacy, using nationally prepared guidelines that do not undermine a child's confidence and inhibit them from participating according to their own pace and individual needs in PE programmes."
Co-chair of the APPG Baroness Benjamin said  PE was the missing link in the crusade to promote the...

Summary: The status of physical education in schools needs a "radical shake-up" and it should be valued in the same way as core academics subjects, a report says.
###
Article: Simon Collis made the holy trip - which it is a duty for all able-bodied Muslims to make at least once in their life - with his wife Huda Mujarkech.
The 60-year-old is the first UK ambassador to perform Hajj.
Mr Collins has been pictured wearing the white robes traditionally worn for the pilgrimage which re-enacts the actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
The photograph was posted on the twitter account of Saudi Arabian writer and female activist Fawziah Albakr, who wrote in Arabic: "First British ambassador to the Kingdom undertakes the Hajj following his conversion to Islam. Simon Collis with his wife Huda in Mecca. Praise be to God."
Among the Twitter users to offer congratulations Saudi Arabia's Princess Basmah bint Saud, who wrote: "Special congratulations to the ambassador and his wife."
Mr Collis took to Twitter to thank well-wishers and revealed he had converted to Islam shortly before marrying his wife.
He wrote: "In short, I converted to Islam after spending 30 years in Muslim societies and before getting married to Huda."
The British diplomat has served as the ambassador to Saudi Arabia since 2015.
He has held several posts with the Foreign Office, including as ambassador to Iraq, Syria and Qatar.
In 2012, he was withdrawn from Syria by the Foreign Office following security concerns and has openly criticised the Assad regime for its role in the civil war.
Mr Collis was also British consul-general in Dubai and Basra and has also served in Tunis, New Delhi and Amman.

Summary: The British ambassador to Saudi Arabia has performed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca after converting to Islam.
###
Article: Basil McAfee was found dead by his mother at his home in Henderson Avenue, north Belfast, on 20 December 2013.
Police said he "suffered a violent death" and added that they believed his killer used an axe and a large knife.
They said that although it was not a random attack, his killer remains a danger to others in the community.
The police officer leading the murder investigation, Det Ch Insp John McVea, said: "It is a year since Basil died and his death has slipped somewhat from public consciousness.
"But it remains an enduring heartache for his family - his mother, siblings and his grown-up children.
"They are about to face a second Christmas without Basil and without knowing why this happened to him and who is responsible."
Mr McAfee, a father-of-two, was attacked in the living room of his home and police have released a photograph of the murder scene as part of the renewed appeal.
The 50-year-old had been stabbed a number of times and sustained head wounds consistent with being hit with an axe.
The investigating officer described the murder as a "ferocious attack".
"He suffered a violent death at the hands of an assailant who was probably wielding an axe and a long-bladed knife," Mr McVea said.
He confirmed that items, including money, were taken from Mr McAfee's house.
"Although we believe the attack was not random, but focused on Basil, whoever did this is a danger to others in the community while still at large," the detective added.
The last public sighting of Mr McAfee was in an off-licence on the Cavehill Road, close to his home, on the afternoon of Thursday 19 December 2013.
Shortly after the murder, police released CCTV images showing the victim shopping in the off-licence in a bid to get witnesses to come forward.
However, they have now said they believe other people visited Mr McAfee who have not yet contacted detectives.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact police on the non-emergency number 101.
Alternatively, they can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers...

Summary:


Plans to restrict the role of Welsh MPs should be treated with caution, a former Welsh secretary has warned.

Article: Northern Ireland currently has "controlled risk" status for BSE, a cattle disease.
The Department of Agriculture is consulting on whether to apply for regional "negligible risk" status.
If successful, the industry believes it would mean an "improved global image" that would open up new markets.
The decision to grant it rests with the World Organisation for Animal Health - an inter-governmental organisation on animal health.
Eating BSE-infected meat was linked to an outbreak of brain disease in humans in the 80s.
Since then strict controls have been imposed on parts of the carcass which can be used for food.
Those measures and a ban on animal feeds containing meat and bone-meal have all but eradicated the disease.
The last confirmed case in Northern Ireland was in 2012.
As 11 years have elapsed since that animal's date of birth, the authorities can apply for the enhanced status.
Scotland is in the same position.
A confirmed case in Wales last June means the United Kingdom can not make a country-wide application until 2020.
England is expected to defer its decision until then.
The Republic of Ireland got "negligible risk" status in May last year, but lost it again the following month after a case was detected in County Louth.
It has been returned to "controlled risk" status and can not reapply until 2021.
The consultation document acknowledges that "negligible risk" status brings trade advantages and could save the industry £1.2m a year spent on disposing of material which can not be sent for food.
But it said it could also mean having to re-negotiate current contracts leading to the potential for trade disruption.
It said given the potential for a sporadic BSE case, the resultant loss of "negligible risk" status could generate "considerable public concern and negative publicity".
It could also mean the requirement to recall some products, and the loss of some markets opened up by the new status.
The consultation closes in mid June.

Summary: A change in disease status for Northern Ireland's beef industry could be worth £12m a year, it has been claimed.
###
Article: Some 28,000 families received at least £3,000 too little from 2011-2014 after the Department for Work and Pensions failed to inform the HMRC they were eligible for the extra money.
HMRC said it would repay the money owed for 2016-17 but not for earlier years.
It said it was up to individuals to check they received the right payments.
Q&A: Tax credits explained
The families who missed out on payments were those with a disabled child who qualified for Disability Living Allowance and who also receive tax credits - a means-tested top-up for low income households.
They should get an extra £3,100 a year or £4,400 a year depending on the severity of the child's disability.
But about one in 12 families did not receive the payment after the information was not shared between the DWP and HMRC, an audit found.
The DWP is responsible for disability benefits, while the HMRC pays out tax credits.
Paying back the families the money they lost this year will cost the government £95m.
HMRC told BBC Radio 4's Money Box that it would repay the money from 2016-17 and ensure it was paid in future years but it would not pay the money for previous years.
It said it was up to individuals to claim the right amount and, when it is awarded, check it is correct.

Summary: Thousands of low income families with a disabled child were paid up to £4,400 too little in tax credits after data was not shared between authorities.
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Article: The staff at Community Safety Glasgow (CSG), an arms-length council body, want better pay for shift work.
The union Unison said 19 members would take part in the action from 19:00 on Thursday until 19:00 on Saturday.
CSG said it had "business continuity plans in place" to ensure monitoring of Glasgow's CCTV network.
Unison Glasgow branch secretary Brian Smith said: "These members work 12-hour shift patterns, providing a 24-hour service every day of the year.
"Other workers in CSG and Glasgow City Council on similar shift patterns receive an additional annual payment of Â£7,500.
"It is just a question of equality and fairness."
CCTV operators staged their first 48-hour strike from 19:00 on Friday 4 March until 19:00 on Sunday 6 March.
A spokesman for CSG said: "Public safety is paramount and we have business continuity plans in place to enable us to continue to monitor the city's CCTV network."

Summary: CCTV operators in Glasgow are set to begin a second 48-hour strike amid an ongoing dispute over pay.
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Article: The inquiry by Sir John Chilcot was set up in 2009 and took evidence from its last witness in 2011.
However, there have been prolonged discussions over the disclosure of secret documents.
Nicola Sturgeon has written to all Scottish party leaders urging them to unite in seeking publication.
Both Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie have said they back the earliest possible publication of the findings.
The Chilcot Inquiry was commissioned by the previous government at Westminster to investigate the background to Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, which began in 2003 when Tony Blair was prime minister.
There have been growing calls for the findings to be made public before the general election in May.
In the past week, a cross-party group of MPs secured a Commons debate on the issue which will take place on 29 January.
In June last year, Sir John announced he was satisfied that the "gist" of talks between Tony Blair and former US President George Bush could be made public, removing a major obstacle to publication of his report.
He then intended to write to those who were to be criticised to give them an opportunity to respond before publication.
Mr Blair has previously said he wanted the Chilcot report to be published as soon as possible and that he "resented" claims he was to blame for its slow progress.
UK government ministers have conceded that if the final report is not completed by the end of February, it would be wrong to release it in the heat of a closely-fought election campaign.
The first minister told BBC Scotland: "The report was meant to be published in 2012.
"Surely we can't go through a general election without people having the answers to the questions on the Iraq war that they still don't have.
"That has to happen before some of these MPs that voted for the Iraq war are back up for election."
Scottish Labour leader Mr Murphy, who was a minister under the government of Mr Blair, said: "The Chilcot Inquiry is a crucially important piece of work...

Summary: Scotland's first minister has urged political consensus in demanding that the long-awaited report into the Iraq war be published as soon as possible.
###
Article: Clwyd West Tory MP David Jones said he backed proposals for "English votes for English laws" but it was important to define clearly what those issues were.
He said many of his constituents used public services in England and many voters there relied on Welsh hospitals.
The UK government said it was bringing about constitutional reform to serve people living in all parts of the UK.
The House of Commons rule changes would also limit some votes to English and Welsh MPs only.
Speaking during a Commons debate on the Queen's Speech, Mr Jones said of the policy: "I strongly approve of that commitment, since it will restore fairness that has been eroded in the wake of the 1999 bout of devolution.
"However...I say that we should treat that proposal with caution and what is most important is that defining what are English or English and Welsh issues is of paramount importance."
Mr Jones said many of his constituents used hospitals in the north west of England.
"The people of north Wales have an absolute right to expect that that their representatives in this place should be able to speak in this House on those issues that concern them."
He added: "I would say to my right honourable friends on the front bench that this is extremely important if the fairness that we seek to achieve by creating by English and Welsh votes for English and Welsh laws, or English votes for English laws, is not to be brought into disrepute."
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "As a one nation government we will revise the rules to make the law-making process fair - bringing about constitutional reform that serves people living in all parts of the United Kingdom.
"The introduction of English votes for English laws will do just that for England."
He was challenged by Delyn Labour MP David Hanson, who said he represented a part of Wales that uses English hospital services, transport, employment and airports.
"I want to know from you, why I can't speak or vote on those issues," he said.

Summary:


More teachers are facing abuse on social media, warns a teachers' union.

Article: A photograph of the gargoyle at Paisley Abbey, which looks like one from the 1980s movie, has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter.
The Reverend Alan Birss said most of the gargoyles were replaced during a refurbishment in the early 1990s.
He thinks that one of the stonemasons must have been having a bit of fun.
Mr Birss, minister at the abbey, said that 12 medieval gargoyles which had been on the abbey for hundreds of years had to be taken down in 1991 because they had "crumbled and were in a very bad state".
The purpose of the grotesque figures was to take rain water away from the roof in the days before down pipes.
Just one of the original gargoyles was left outside the abbey to show how they would have looked, although there are medieval grotesques inside the building.
Mr Birss said a stonemason from an Edinburgh firm was contracted to create the new gargoyles.
"I think it was a stonemason having a bit of fun," he said.
"Perhaps the film was fairly new when they were carving this and if he was thinking of an alien perhaps the alien from the film was his idea of an alien.
"I'm sure he wasn't deliberately copying the alien in the film. It was just a concept of an alien."
Mr Birss said an internet search showed that someone had pointed out the similarity as far back as 1997.
"But it obviously did not pick up and take off then like it has now," he said.
Church officer Matthew McIntosh said: "It is a beautiful building. Paisley gets a bad press but the abbey is the jewel in the crown.
"People will be surprised and delighted by everything they see outside and inside."

Summary: A gargoyle on a historic 13th Century abbey has caused a social media sensation with its resemblance to the monster from the Alien films.
###
Article: Amber Rudd said sexual predators were "not restricted to any single ethnic group, religion or community".
Eighteen people have been convicted of forcing girls in Newcastle to have sex.
The convicted were mostly British-born, of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish backgrounds.
Ms Rudd said: "This was an abhorrent case of sexual predators preying on young women and girls and I am pleased that they have been brought to justice."
She added: "I want to be absolutely clear that political and cultural sensitivities must never be allowed to get in the way of preventing and uncovering it."
The Home Secretary said the government was investing millions of pounds in enabling police to seek out and prosecute offenders.
"This has led to a huge increase in police activity and a marked rise in prosecutions and convictions," she said.
Operation Sanctuary, which was set up in 2013 to investigate claims of sexual abuse against young girls and women, was set up by Northumbria Police.
Convictions include rape, conspiracy to incite prostitution and supplying drugs.
Northumbria Police has said society "can't be afraid to have this discussion".
Earlier, Labour MP Sarah Champion said a fear of being called racist was preventing authorities from investigating the reasons behind child abuse cases.
The MP for Rotherham, where at least 1,400 children were found to have been exploited between 1997 and 2013, said it wasn't racist to explore whether there were any "cultural issues" involved in such cases.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that gang-related child sexual exploitation involved "predominately Pakistani men" who were involved in such cases "time and time and time again".

Summary: Child sexual exploitation is an "affront to everyone" and political and cultural sensitivities should not get in the way of uncovering crimes, the home secretary has said.
###
Article: The plan would have eliminated all cluster munitions made before 1980.
But human rights groups argued that an international convention banning such bombs already exists and that the new protocol would dilute its provisions.
The US said that it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision.
"The protocol would have led to the immediate prohibition of many millions of cluster munitions [and] placed the remaining cluster munitions under a detailed set of restrictions and regulations," the US embassy in Geneva said in a statement.
First developed during World War II, cluster bombs contain a number of smaller bomblets designed to cover a large area and deter an advancing army.
A total of 111 UN member states have already signed up to the Oslo convention prohibiting the production, transfer, and use of cluster munitions. The US, Russia and China have not.
A senior US official said the bombs were a military necessity for when targets were spread over wide areas, and that using alternative armaments would cause more collateral damage and prolong conflicts, Reuters reports.
The outcome of Friday's meeting in Geneva was welcomed by human rights campaigners who say cluster bombs are indiscriminate weapons that can fail to explode on impact and lie dormant, often causing injury to civilian years after conflict has ended.
"How often do you see the US, Russia, China, India, Israel and Belarus push for something, and they don't get it? That has happened largely because of one powerful alliance driving the Oslo partnership," said Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Geneva, says that though the proposal would have eliminated millions of ageing cluster munitions, even military allies of the US, like Britain, chose not to support it.
Many UN member states felt, she says, that getting rid of some cluster weapons while officially sanctioning others would set a dangerous precedent, and might even legitimise their use in the long-term.
The US move was also opposed by the International Committee of the...

Summary: UN member states have rejected a US-backed plan to introduce new regulations on cluster bombs - munitions which break up into hundreds of smaller bomblets.
###
Article: As he shut the door of their flat for the final time, the irony struck him that there must be lots of people with space to spare nearby, if only he could connect with them.
So he and his business partner David Mantle began their mission to create a kind of Airbnb for storage.
The result was Stashbee, a company that links people with spare garage and attic space with those looking for cheap storage.
It is one of a growing number of storage start-ups worldwide testing the boundaries of the tech-fuelled sharing economy.
But how does it work in practice?
I'm renovating my house and need to store three boxed items, a bag and a set of golf clubs. So I decide to give Stashbee a try.
The website connects me with Rowena who lives near me and has more attic storage space than I can dream of.
"I'm a great believer in the sharing economy," she says, after we've hoisted my stuff into her loft. "It's great that resources that aren't being used full time are being used more widely."
Does it feel weird having a stranger's stuff in your house, though?
"You have the right to pull out on meeting the person," she replies. "If my instincts were going 'eeuugh', I wouldn't go ahead with it."
Thankfully, I passed her test. To store my stuff with Rowena for two months costs £56.
The traditional self-storage industry is worth £440m a year in the UK and more than $20bn (£16bn) in the US, dominated by established companies like Public Storage and Big Yellow.
Can storage start-ups also win our trust?
Carlos Sousa, a sales manager with Access Self Storage, a national self-storage firm in the UK, is sceptical about storing with "amateurs".
"Here you have access to your goods 24/7," he tells me, as he opens up a typical locker in the basement.
"If you share with a stranger there's no guarantee they are going to be home when you need your stuff."
Storing my same stuff at a warehouse like this in London costs around £75 - with long-term costs creeping up afterwards.
And he questions their security arrangements too.
The big problem, argues...

Summary: When he split up with his girlfriend, Anthony Paine needed to store his stuff somewhere fast.
###
Article: Sexist, racist and homophobic remarks were being used by pupils against school staff, as well as offensive comments about appearance, the NASUWT said.
There were also examples of parents being abusive on social media, it added.
About 60% of 1,500 teachers questioned in a poll said they had faced abuse, compared with 21% last year.
In one case, a photograph of a teacher was posted online with an insulting word underneath.
In another, pupils used the name of a heavily pregnant school worker to post insults, the teachers' union said.
Of those who had been subjected to insults, nearly half (48%) said these remarks were posted by pupils, 40% said they were put up by parents, and 12% said both parents and pupils were responsible.
Almost two-thirds (62%) said pupils had posted insulting comments, while just over a third (34%) said students had taken photos or videos without consent.
A third (33%) received remarks about their performance as a teacher, 9% had faced allegations from pupils about inappropriate behaviour and 8% had been subjected to threatening behaviour.
More than half (57%) of pupils responsible were aged between 14 and 16, and 38% were 11 to 14, the teachers' poll found, with a fifth aged 16 to 19 and 5% were seven to 11.
Among the examples published by NASUWT was the case of a student uploading a teacher's photo and then, along with classmates, writing insults underneath.
One teacher had been harassed for nine months by students who sent sexually explicit messages and set up a fake social media account in the teacher's name.
The union said it had been told of a teacher receiving the comment "I hope she gets cancer", while the heavily pregnant worker had faced abusive remarks.
Another school worker faced comments from a pupil's family member about how they looked and that they were ugly.
Chris Keates, the union's general secretary, said: "It is deeply worrying to see that the abuse of teachers has risen by such a huge margin this year.
"Equally concerning is that it appears that more parents are the...

Summary:


President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ease a ban on political endorsements by churches and religious groups.

Article: Huw Aled Jones, 44, of Rhydtalog, near Mold, Flintshire, was found to have dead and dying animals on his land.
He admitted causing unnecessary suffering to animals, failing to identify them, failing to report animal deaths and not disposing of carcasses.
He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for two years at Flintshire Magistrates Court.
The court heard Jones had always worked on the family farm but had been unable to cope after his father died.
His marriage broke down, the farm was no longer sustainable and he worked 12-hour days at a dairy in Shropshire, which led to his failure to care for the sheep and cows.
The court heard he had ignored advice from council officers, failed to get veterinary attention for the animals, and did not properly feed them, resulting in their long-term neglect.
Several dead, injured and dying animals were discovered on the farm following a tip-off, including calves and lambs.
Probation officer Pamela Roberts said Jones did try to care for the animals and had shown great remorse for his actions.

Summary: A farmer who failed to properly care for his livestock has been banned from owning animals for six years.
###
Article: Richard Page was struck off after he told the BBC it would be better for a man and a woman to adopt.
He has been suspended as non-executive director by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).
Mr Page said it was no longer possible to be a Christian and maintain a role in public life.
KMPT chairman Andrew Ling wrote to the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) requesting the suspension.
He said Mr Page's comments and continuance as a trust member would have a major impact on staff and patients, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) staff.
He said: "Links between the stigma often associated with being LGBT and poor mental health are well-established.
"It is vital that patients and local population are confident that KMPT will challenge stigma or discrimination."
The TDA said it had suspended Mr Page with immediate effect pending a decision on whether it is in the interests of the NHS to take further action and for him to remain in post.
But Mr Page, who worked in mental health for 20 years, said: "It would appear no longer possible to be a Christian, to state what the Bible actually says and what the Church has believed for 2,000 years, and maintain a role in public life in today's Britain.
"My seat on the NHS Trust came as a result of my long service in mental health and total commitment to the NHS - none of that has changed."
He added: "What about treating my views, held by billions of Christians around the world, equally and fairly?"
Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and founder of the Christian Legal Centre, said Christians were being marginalised and removed from public life.
Mr Page, from Ashford, made the comments about same-sex adoption in an interview with BBC News correspondent Carolyn Wyatt last March.
He had been reprimanded in 2014 after he was found to have been influenced in an adoption case by his religious beliefs.
Speaking about his views, he told Ms Wyatt: "My responsibility as a magistrate, as I saw it, was to do what I considered best for...

Summary: A Christian magistrate who was sacked over comments he made on television against same-sex adoption has been suspended by an NHS trust.
###
Article: The Brexit referendum and the US election both ratcheted up what it calls its "composite indicator of systemic stress".
It says the 19 countries that use the euro could be hit by trade wars, higher inflation and rising US interest rates.
In a worst-case scenario, the ECB says, this could reignite the 2009 eurozone debt crisis.
It also warned that some stock markets could be heading for sharp falls. "Valuation measures... are in some regions hovering at levels which, in the past, have been harbingers of impending large corrections."
The bank is also worried about political uncertainty within the eurozone, with a constitutional referendum in Italy on 4 December and elections in France and Germany next year.
In its latest twice-a-year Financial Stability Report, the ECB said: "Higher political uncertainty may lead to more domestically focused, growth-hindering policy agendas.
"This, in turn, could delay much-needed fiscal and structural reforms."
And it pointed out that the euro area banking sector was still suffering from a high level of bad loans, high operating costs and excess capacity.
However, it added that the euro area's financial system had shown resilience in the face of repeated bouts of market turbulence during the past six months.
ECB vice president Vitor Constancio said the bank was maintaining its economic projections, with the baseline forecast indicating slow but steady growth in the coming years.

Summary: Political uncertainty is putting the eurozone's financial stability at risk, according to the European Central Bank.
###
Article: From April, betting firms, including those offshore, will be charged the levy to support UK horse racing.
The reforms look to replace the current system, which required only UK-based operators to pay.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch said the move would make sure "gambling firms pay a fair return" to the sport.
However, the plans could still face complex legal issues, according to betting firms.
All operators which take bets on British racing from customers based in Britain would have to pay 10% of the gross profits above the first Â£500,000, the government said.
But the plans were subject to passing European Union state aid rules, it added.
It is these rules which could hold up the government and delay the reforms beyond its April target, gambling operators said.
"There is a passing reference to the need for them to obtain state aid clearance and that remains a significant hurdle for them to overcome," said Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association.
Bookmakers have in the past threatened legal action over plans to extend the levy.
Mr Hawkswood said: "It would be premature to talk about legal challenges until that process [of notifying the EU] is complete and that could take months."
The Association of British Bookmakers, which represents high street betting shops, said it was concerned about the "cumulative impact" of media rights, tax and regulation.
The question of levy contributions from the betting industry, which is a major sponsor of horse racing, has vexed both sides for decades.
The current system has been in existence since 1961 but has become outdated and while some offshore firms have been making voluntary contributions towards British racing, it is not compulsory.
The latest reforms, first announced in March 2016, come after long periods of consultation.
Ms Crouch said: "Horse racing has a strong heritage in this country, employing thousands of people and is enjoyed by many almost every day of the year."
The expansion of the levy was "critical to the future health of...

Summary: Bookmakers who take bets on British horse races from UK gamblers could have to pay a 10% levy on their profits, under new government plans.
###
Article: The order loosens a provision of the tax code which prohibits religious organisations from directly supporting or opposing political candidates.
Mr Trump often complained about the rule as a candidate. Repealing it would require action in Congress.
LGBT groups and several human-rights groups oppose the order.
The order was signed by Mr Trump as he hosts conservative religious leaders at the White House for the National Day of Prayer.
"We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced ever again," Mr Trump told the audience.
The Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty directs the IRS to provide "regulatory relief" to faith-based organisations that are tax-exempt, a White House spokesman said on Wednesday night.
A current provision in the US federal tax code, known as the Johnson Amendment, says that churches can be investigated and lose their tax-exempt status if they directly support or oppose any political candidate.
Since he cannot repeal the law without congressional legislation, Mr Trump is directing the IRS to "exercise maximum enforcement discretion to alleviate the burden of the Johnson Amendment".
Few religious groups are known to have lost their tax status for violating the law, despite many churches openly advocating for political causes and hosting candidates during their campaigns.
"A crippling financial punishment," Mr Trump said ahead of his signing, adding "very, very unfair. But no longer".
The order also directs federal agencies to exempt some religious groups from providing birth control to employees and staff, as required under President Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
The American Civil Rights Union sent out an "action alert" on Wednesday, calling upon supporters to flood lawmakers' inboxes in opposition to the measure, and threatening to sue the White House administration.
The White House says the order is necessary to protect religious groups that had been "persecuted by the Obama administration" such as the Little Sisters...

Summary:


The UK's first solar-powered drone has been launched.
The drone, which is powered by solar panels, is the first of its kind to be launched by a commercial company.
The drone, which is called Aquila, is the first of its kind to be launched by a commercial company.
The drone

Google has confirmed it has closed its internet drone project Titan, three years after it bought the business.

Article: A 40-seat "Bio-Bus", which runs on biomethane gas generated from sewage and food waste, has been running a full service since March.
Operator First West of England now wants to run 110 gas-powered double-decker buses in Bristol.
It has submitted a proposal to the government to run the expanded service.
First West of England's Jenny MacLeod said: "If we are successful we will be leading the way in creating a fully sustainable public transport network that can really make a difference to people in and around Bristol."
Rival operator Wessex Bus and partners GENeco have also applied for a government grant to run 20 bio-buses in the city by 2019.
The two companies have submitted a joint bid to the OLEV (The Office for Low Emission Vehicles) Low Emission Bus Scheme for a grant of Â£2.5 million to support the project.
The biomethane gas for the buses is generated at Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth run by GENeco, and the company hopes to build a permanent refuelling station at the site.
Antony Goozee of Wessex Bus said: "This is a great opportunity to increase the number of gas-powered buses on the streets of Bristol and surrounding area, which will significantly improve air quality.
"We believe this would be the most sustainably fuelled fleet in the UK, as it will be the only fleet where the buses are actually powered by treatment of sewage and inedible food waste from the local community."

Summary: Fleets of buses powered entirely by human and food waste could be rolled out in Bristol after the success of a pilot service.
###
Article: George Osborne announced the proposals for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk in his budget.
Lord Tebbit said the region did not need an elected mayor, while Sir Henry said it could hit councils.
Earlier Tory MP for West Suffolk Matthew Hancock backed the scheme for providing a "strong local figurehead".
Former cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, speaking in the House of Lords, said: "Those of us who have the privilege of living in East Anglia and particularly those of us who live in Bury St Edmunds, where we have an excellent council, which has improved services and kept rates well under control, do not need an elected mayor for East Anglia.
"That will only raise costs, introduce another layer of government and lead to further escalation of these problems."
For the Government Viscount Younger of Leckie said: "That may be so but we very much think it is right that it's up to the local area to decide these matters."
MP for North West Norfolk Sir Henry Bellingham, in the House of Commons on Monday night, argued the plans could see mayors seeking to hire large numbers of staff and directors.
He insisted this could lead to an elected assembly as he likened the costs to the Â£52m required for the country's 41 police and crime commissioners.
Sir Henry added an "absolutely outstanding" budget from the Chancellor would be wrecked if he did not receive assurances that a far more cautious approach was adopted over elected mayors.
"I do regard the plan to bring in an elected mayor with extreme suspicion.
"I feel absolutely no affinity whatsoever to East Anglia. I feel an affinity to Norfolk."
The powers to be devolved are expected to include infrastructure and planning responsibilities.
Mr Hancock said: "The devolution deal brings more money, new powers, and will give us a strong local figurehead who can unite East Anglia and make our case heard locally, nationally and internationally."

Summary: The Chancellor's flagship plan for an elected mayor for East Anglia has been attacked by Tory grandees Lord Tebbit and Sir Henry Bellingham.
###
Article: Gary Clampett, 39, died after a disturbance in Fernie Place in the early hours of 18 June.
James Connor, 61, and 24-year-old Dean Leach, both from Fraserburgh, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court.
They made no plea and were remanded in custody. It brings the number of men who have appeared in court in connection to the death to seven.

Summary: Two men have appeared in court charged with murder after a death in Fraserburgh last month.
###
Article: Take these comments as an example, from 23 October 2009.
"Do today's data tell us anything about what is really going on in the economy? Probably not.
"In the past, the ONS's early GDP estimates have contained no statistically useful information about growth."
Did these views, quoted in a blog by Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's former economics editor, come from some extreme outlier in the economic world? No, they came from Ben Broadbent, who was an economist at Goldman Sachs at the time and who is now deputy governor of the Bank of England and a member of its interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee.
GDP is a measure of all of the goods and services produced by an economy over a particular period, usually three months.
His comments were based on research by his colleague Kevin Daly, who is still at Goldman Sachs and is not a fan of the figures.
"We didn't believe the data in 2009," he says.
The economy was recovering much more slowly than other economies, but other indicators didn't agree. In particular, the employment data was difficult to reconcile with other data."
Mr Daly says there is much less debate about the period now, and that ONS reviews have agreed with his analysis.
ONS chief economist Joe Grice sees things a bit differently.
"In the second half of 2009, lots of commentators were saying that the economy was growing fast, but it's clear now that it wasn't," he says.
He adds that it's a good thing the Bank of England did not believe the people who said there was a lot of growth, because then it might have raised interest rates and "we would have been in terrible trouble by now".
How GDP became the figure to watch
There is no question that there are uncertainties surrounding the first estimate of UK growth measured by gross domestic product (GDP), as Joe Grice explained last year.
The first figures come less than a month after the end of the period they're measuring, which is pretty swift by international standards.
At that point only about 44% of the returns from businesses have been...

Summary: Every now and then you hear criticism of the official economic growth figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
###
Article: The drones were designed to bring the internet to remote rural areas, complementing its Loon project - a similar initiative using hot air balloons.
However, the solar-powered vehicles have faced technical difficulties and funding challenges.
On Wednesday, blog 9to5 Google revealed Titan had actually shut in early 2016.
A statement from X, the Google division responsible for Titan, confirmed the news.
"Titan was brought into X in late 2015. We ended our exploration of high altitude unmanned aerial vehicles for internet access shortly after," it said.
"By comparison, at this stage the economics and technical feasibility of Project Loon present a much more promising way to connect rural and remote parts of the world."
Google acquired Titan Aerospace in 2014, reportedly fending off a bid from Facebook, which has also been trialling internet-providing drones.
At the time Google said it was "early days", but that "atmospheric satellites could help bring internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation".
However, after test flights began in 2015, reports alleged that Titan was facing technical difficulties and was running out of money.
In mid-2015, the Titan team also experienced a crash in the Arizona desert which was later linked to a wing fault.
The statement added that "many" Titan staff had been reassigned to different parts of the business, including Project Loon and Wing, a division dedicated to providing drone-based deliveries.
Facebook's internet drones have also faced problems.
The firm's Aquila drone crashed during a test flight in June, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and an explosion destroyed one of its satellites earlier in 2016.

Summary:


000.
The number of bags handed out in Northern Ireland

The introduction of a 5p charge for plastic bags in England has been blamed for a packaging firm going into administration.

Article: But the findings, published in The Lancet, suggested mesh does not lead to more complications than other types of surgery for treating incontinence.
The study, the first of its kind, looked at treatment and hospital readmission over the past 20 years.
Its conclusions are expected to influence the Scottish government policy on the use of mesh transplants.
In June 2014, the then Health Secretary Alex Neil called for health boards to suspend their use pending investigations into their safety. And he set up an independent review of mesh.
This latest study forms part of that review.
It is one of two complimentary mesh studies to being published. Both found that using mesh to treat pelvic prolapse leads to a higher level of complications than other surgery.
But - contrary to expectations - the study found that hospital readmission rates were similar to those for other types of incontinence surgery not involving mesh.
It found that more than one in ten of the women treated for incontinence with mesh implants were readmitted to hospital because of complications.
Within five years more than 2,000 women were readmitted. But the proportion of those readmitted to hospital after other surgery for incontinence is similar at around 11%.
The study has been published just days after BBC Scotland revealed that more than 400 women have received mesh implants since the Scottish government called for their use to be suspended in 2014 because of safety concerns.
The research was led by Dr Rachael Wood, a consultant in public health medicine at the Information Services Division.
She said: "It's important to consider the results for prolapse and incontinence separately. With prolapse the study found that mesh is less effective and more likely to lead to complication.
"Mesh for prolapse should not be recommended as a first line treatment. But for incontinence the study supports the use of mesh.
"Stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse are common conditions affecting many women and substantially reducing their quality of...

Summary: Using mesh implants to treat pelvic prolapse brings unnecessary risks, according to new research.
###
Article: The biannual survey is produced by the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA).
Just over a third of people responding to the survey rated Jersey's only fixed line telecom company as satisfactory.
JT, owned by Jersey's government, is to face competition in the home phone market from June for the first time and 70% say they would change provider.
A similar survey in Guernsey of sole fixed line operator Sure, found 26% would change if they had the choice.
CEO Graeme Miller disputed the findings of the survey, saying the company's own customer survey had different results - but still showed a need to improve.
He said he was confident their work to improve customer services was working. He said he would be offering a free service to a customer if they break their commitment to improve their service.
CICRA director Louise Read has called on JT to create an action plan to improve customer satisfaction levels.
She said: "Our expectation was that operators value their customers and would initiate improvements themselves.
"This second round of survey results suggest that either JT has not initiated improvements or that the improvements it has made have not yet translated into improved customer satisfaction ratings.
"This is particularly disappointing."
Mr Miller said: "Our data shows the service we are delivering to customers is steadily improving."

Summary: The majority of people responding to a survey said they would change home phone provider if given the chance.
###
Article: But this process could be made quicker as the result of a new government consultation on streamlining the process.
At the moment, in order to change gender in the eyes of the law, individuals have to apply for a certificate under the 2004 Gender Recognition Act. They must be aged 18 or older.
First they must live for two years in their preferred gender. This is not to do with medical intervention -  they can apply to change their legal gender without having undergone any hormone therapy or other treatment.
Then they would need to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a psychiatrist. This is a condition where a person experiences distress because of a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity.
There are only eight gender identity clinics across England and Wales. Rebecca Stinson, head of trans inclusion for Stonewall, the campaign group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality, says people can wait years even for a first appointment, depending on where they live.
Getting a gender recognition certificate can take more than five years, she adds meaning that the vast majority of trans people do not apply at all because of the cost, waiting time, and "degrading" process of having to prove their gender.
Only once someone has this diagnosis, can they apply to a gender recognition panel - a legal tribunal. The panel, made up of legal and medical experts, will look at the evidence submitted before deciding whether to issue a certificate.
The government wants to overhaul the process so that people seeking to legally change their gender do not need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or to give evidence that they have been in transition for at least two years.
The government says it wants to "streamline and demedicalise the process", making it simpler and more administrative.
Exactly what the new process will be is the basis of the current consultation.
People can change the gender on documentation including passports and driving licences without a gender recognition certificate, but the certificate...

Summary: It can take more than five years for trans men and women in England and Wales to legally change their gender under the current system.
###
Article: Elfyn Llwyd said it was "disappointing" the party failed to add to its three seats at the general election in May.
Mr Llwyd said the anti-austerity message was correct, but he said he shared the blame for not choosing more "eye catching" policies.
He said Plaid Cymru needed "a clearer message" going into the 2016 assembly election.
Mr Llwyd told BBC Wales: "It was disappointing because we missed Ynys Mon by 200-odd votes and slightly more in Ceredigion.
"This isn't meant as a backhanded insult to Leanne [Wood] or the leadership.
"I was part of the team inputting into the manifesto, a very good piece of work, but perhaps we didn't choose from six or maybe eight policies that were really eye catching."
Mr Llwyd, who stood down as MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd after 23 years in Parliament, has not discounted the possibility of a return to politics.

Summary: Plaid Cymru needs a more effective and targeted election campaign in 2016, its former parliamentary leader has said.
###
Article: Forty workers have been made redundant at Nelson Packaging's factory in Lancashire.
Managing director Michael Flynn said it was mainly due to "the English bag legislation and corresponding impact on customer and retailer demand".
He also blamed "aggressive overseas competition".
The 5p charge for bags was introduced in England in October and followed the introduction of charges in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
One worker told BBC Radio Lancashire they believed the legislation had a "slight but not a massive impact" on the business, which has been operating since 1975 and was taken over by Cheshire-based packaging firm Intelipac three years ago.
7.6 billion
Number of plastic bags issued by supermarkets in England in 2014
140
Equivalent per person
40 bags on average in every home
Â£780m expected economic benefit over 10 years because of the charge
Â£60m savings in litter clean up costs by 2025
80% expected reduction in bags
Union representative Robert Copeland, who had been with the firm since 1986, said staff were told last Wednesday that they were being made redundant and were told to leave the factory immediately.
"It's daunting as I have no interview skills. I'm 49 years old and I've got to now go into a new working environment and start again. It is scary.
"I was 19 when I started andâ€¦ you were seeing the children of people you have been working with for 30 years starting to come through so you had parents and children [at the factory]."
Campaigners argue that plastic bags blight streets, spoil the countryside and damage wildlife, seas and coastline.
Wales was the first UK nation to introduce the bag charges, followed by Northern Ireland and then Scotland.
A report in 2015 found the number of single-use carrier bags handed out by shops in Wales fell by 71% since charges were introduced in 2011.
Scotland and Northern Ireland introduced their charges in 2014 and 2013 respectively and also saw significant drops in usage.
The number of plastic bags handed out in Scottish stores was slashed by 80% -...

Summary:


The Welsh Assembly's independent Remuneration Board is considering a change in the rules to allow AMs to claim more than Â£8,000 for Cardiff accommodation expenses if they live in England.
The board - which sets pay and expenses - will discuss the responses to a consultation at a meeting in November.

A bid has been launched to bar people who live outside of Wales from standing for election to the assembly.

Article: Over three days next month, there will be screenings of films shot on the Eiger mountain in Switzerland and the Fitz Roy Massif in South America.
Films made in Scotland to be shown during the event include Cape Wrath and Transition.
There will also be a talks by some of the world's leading outdoor athletes, the festival's organisers said.
Transition follows top young female climber Natalie Berry's move from indoor climbing to tackling routes in the outdoors.
The 23-year-old, who is originally from Bearsden and now lives in Edinburgh, was recently named this year's Scottish Youth Ambassador for Mountain Culture.
Lochaber-based professional climber Dave MacLeod, who helped Ms Berry to make the transition from indoor to outdoor climbing, will give AAFF's guest lecture.
Cape Wrath, another of the Scottish films to be shown, sees mountain bikers Lee Craigie and Andy Toop make a journey to one of the remotest points on the UK mainland.
Among the international features will be Shifting Ice and Changing Tides. It follows six women as they set sail for Greenland in search of far flung pistes to ski.
The festival will be held at the Spey Valley Cinema in Aviemore from 22-24 April.

Summary: The programme for this year's Aviemore Adventure Film Festival (AAFF) has been announced.
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Article: A US team is already attempting to study the animals' characteristics by inserting mammoth genes into elephant stem cells.
They want to find out what made the mammoths different from their modern relatives and how their adaptations helped them survive the ice ages.
The new genome study has been published in the journal Current Biology.
Dr Love Dalén, at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, told BBC News that the first ever publication of the full DNA sequence of the mammoth could help those trying to bring the creature back to life.
"It would be a lot of fun (in principle) to see a living mammoth, to see how it behaves and how it moves," he said.
But he would rather his research was not used to this end.
"It seems to me that trying this out might lead to suffering for female elephants and that would not be ethically justifiable."
Dr Dalén and the international group of researchers he is collaborating with are not attempting to resurrect the mammoth. But the Long Now Foundation, an organisation based in San Francisco, claims that it is.
Now, with the publication of the complete mammoth genome, it could be a step closer to achieving its aim.
On its website, the foundation says its ultimate goal is "to produce new mammoths that are capable of repopulating the vast tracts of tundra and boreal forest in Eurasia and North America.
"The goal is not to make perfect copies of extinct woolly mammoths, but to focus on the mammoth adaptations needed for Asian elephants to live in the cold climate of the tundra.
The foundation is supporting a team based at Harvard University, which is using genetic engineering techniques to insert mammoth genes into living elephant cells.
So far, the foundation says it has placed mammoth genes involved in blood, fat and hair into elephant stem cells in order to study the effects of these genes.
The researchers hope to produce mammoth red blood cells to see how much oxygen they might have carried and so learn more about the physiology of the animals. Similar tests, they...

Summary: An international team of scientists has sequenced the complete genome of the woolly mammoth.
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Article: Mr Obama condemned the Republicans' insistence on steep budget cuts and warned of a "reckless" outcome if the debt ceiling is not raised by Congress.
Mr Boehner responded by accusing the president of seeking a "blank cheque".
The US risks default without a deal to raise the borrowing limit by 2 August.
The federal government runs a budget deficit that topped $1.5tn (£920bn) this year, and has amassed a national debt of $14.3tn.
Votes to raise the US debt limit have historically been a matter of routine in the US Congress, but this year, Republicans - buoyed by a newly elected crop of fiscal conservatives - have refused to agree to a debt increase without significant reductions in the budget deficit.
In negotiations, the chief sticking points are Republican resistance to raising taxes and the Democrats' desire to protect social programmes for the poor and elderly, and a public pension scheme.
By Mark MardellBBC North America editor
Read more from Mark Mardell
In a live televised address on Monday night, Mr Obama said: "Republican House members have essentially said that the only way they'll vote to prevent America's first-ever default is if the rest of us agree to their deep, spending cuts-only approach."
The president reiterated his call for a "balanced approach", based on a mixture of spending cuts and tax increases on the rich.
He said the only reason this was not "on its way to becoming law right now is because a significant number of Republicans in Congress are insisting on a cuts-only approach".
That approach, he added, "doesn't ask the wealthiest Americans or biggest corporations to contribute anything at all".
He said: "Most Americans, regardless of political party, don't understand how we can ask a senior citizen to pay more for her Medicare before we ask corporate jet owners and oil companies to give up tax breaks that other companies don't get."
Responding to the president immediately after his speech, Mr Boehner insisted the US government's "spending binge" was over.
"The president has often said...

Summary: US President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner have blamed each other for the standoff over the federal debt crisis, as a deadline to avert a default looms.
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Article: Currently, the county is served by a coroner for the south and east, and another for the north and west.
With one retiring, it was decided to merge the roles, in line with national moves to create larger coroner areas.
The number of assistant coroners will remain the same, and inquests will continue to be held at appropriate locations around the county.
The change has been officially confirmed by the Lord Chancellor and Chief Coroner's Office following a formal consultation by the Ministry of Justice.
David Roberts, north and west Cumbria coroner, who will become the senior coroner for Cumbria from 1 January 2015.
Councillor Ian Stewart, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member for the coroners service, said: "We're making this change to bring the county into line with the geographical footprint recommended by the Chief Coroner for England and Wales.
"A number of counties have successfully gone through this process and moved to a single coroner arrangement."

Summary: A plan to combine coroner posts to create a single one for Cumbria has been approved by the government.
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Article: Two former Welsh secretaries, Lord Peter Hain and Paul Murphy, want to change the law to ensure all candidates are on the Wales electoral register.
Lord Hain said being represented by people who live outside the country was "insulting to the people of Wales".
UKIP's assembly group leader AM Neil Hamilton - who lives in Wiltshire - was asked to comment.
Mr Hamilton was elected on the regional list as AM for Mid and West Wales last May.
At the time Mr Hamilton became group leader he said he lived "less than an hour from Cardiff".
"For the time being I'm living where I lived for the last 10 years," he said, adding there was a "big logistical problem to solve" about where he based himself.
Under current rules there is nothing to stop people living outside of Wales standing as a candidate for the assembly.
The proposed amendment says a person may not stand as a candidate unless they are recorded on the Welsh electoral register as "living in Wales".
Lord Hain said the current rules were an "anomaly" in the Government of Wales Act 2006 - which he said he was responsible for as Welsh secretary at the time.
Lord Hain, who moved from London when he was elected as an MP for Neath, did not criticise Mr Hamilton directly, saying he would not "personalise" the issue.
The Assembly's independent Remuneration Board is considering a change in the rules to allow AMs to claim more than Â£8,000 for Cardiff accommodation expenses if they live in England.
The board - which sets pay and expenses - will discuss the responses to a consultation at a meeting in November.

Summary:


Foreign doctors in Wales will not be told to "go home", Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones has said, accusing the Conservatives of "gutter" politics.

Article: The analysis of 5,700 elderly men in Norway showed those doing three hours of exercise a week lived around five years longer than the sedentary.
The authors, writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, called for campaigns to encourage fitness in older people.
The study comes as a charity warns about low levels of exercise.
In the study - conducted by Oslo University Hospital - found both light and vigorous exercise extended life expectancy.
Official advice in the UK recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week in the over-65s.
The trial tracking 68 to 77 year olds found that doing less than an hour a week of light exercise had no impact.
But overall those putting in the equivalent of six, 30-minute sessions of any intensity, were 40% less likely to have died during the 11-year study.
The report said: "Even when men were 73 years of age on average at start of follow-up, active persons had five years longer expected lifetime than the sedentary."
It added that physical activity was as "beneficial as smoking cessation" at reducing deaths.
"Public health strategies in elderly men should include efforts to increase physical activity in line with efforts to reduce smoking behaviour."
The report did not look at how active people were earlier in their lives.
However, the study comes as the British Heart Foundation publishes a report warning people are getting too little exercise.
Its analysis shows that the percentage of adults doing no moderate exercise is:
Julie Ward, from the charity, said: "Regular physical activity, whatever your age, is beneficial for your heart health and ultimately can help you live longer.
"However, our latest statistics show that nearly half of people in the UK do no moderate exercise whatsoever - a rate higher than many European countries.
"Our message is that every 10 minutes counts and that making simple, more active changes to your daily routine can set you on a path to improved heart health."

Summary: Regular exercise in old age has as powerful an effect on life expectancy as giving up smoking, researchers say.
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Article: Eritreans - struggling ashore or picked up at sea - form the second-largest group of migrants risking their lives to reach Italy, after Syrians.
Eritrea, in the Horn of Africa, is not in the grip of war or famine. Yet around 5,000 Eritreans flee every month. Why?
A damning United Nations Commission of Inquiry report blames the country's "gross human rights violations".
"Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation they feel powerless to change, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans are fleeing their country," the UN says.
Indefinite national service is one of the main drivers, according to the report. Everyone from the age of 17 can be conscripted into the military, and it continues for years. Some conscripts have served for more than 20 years.
UN investigators say "slavery-like practices" are widespread, with conscripts subjected to hard labour, with poor food, bad hygiene and wretched pay.
The Eritrean government has dismissed the UN's findings as "totally unfounded and devoid of all merit".
Yet for most Eritreans, it is impossible to get an exit visa to leave the country legally. And by fleeing conscription they risk being arrested as "traitors" if they return.
The EU cannot send Syrian refugees back to their war-torn country.
And Eritreans' asylum claims have generally been treated as legitimate in the EU.
But despite the abuses in Eritrea, documented by the UN and human rights groups, some countries are now considering sending Eritreans home.
A Danish Immigration Service report, from November 2014, suggested that Eritrea's policy towards returnees had become more lenient. It was based on a fact-finding mission, but did not name its sources.
It quoted the Eritrean Foreign Ministry as saying Eritreans abroad could now "regularise their relationship with the authorities" by paying a 2% income tax at an Eritrean embassy and signing an apology letter.
"This has been done by a number of people and they have returned to Eritrea without any complications," the report said, quoting a ministry statement.
But the...

Summary: The exodus from Eritrea is complicating Europe's efforts to tackle the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
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Article: Interviewed by US TV network ABC, Prince William agreed he had "missed" Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey.
"It's the one time since she's died, where I'veâ€¦ thought to myself it would be fantastic if she was here," he said.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has announced the prince has been made a Royal Knight of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's highest honour.
William and his brother Prince Harry were both interviewed by ABC's Katie Couric for a documentary to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
William was 15 and Harry 12 when their mother died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
Asked about his April 2011 wedding, Prince William said he thought it was "just how sad really for her, more than anything, not being able to see it... I think she would have loved the day".
He added: "I sort of prepared myself beforehand so that... I was sort of mentally prepared so I didn't want any wobbly lips or anything going on," he said.
He said he hoped Diana would have been "very proud" of both Harry and himself on the day he married Kate Middleton.
He added: "I'm just very sad that she's never going to get a chance to meet Kate."
Interviewed separately for the Jubilee Queen documentary, Prince Harry agreed it was "hard" that Diana was not at the wedding.
"I think she had the best seat in the house probably," he said. "She would have loved to be there."
On the subject of the Queen, Harry said his grandmother was someone who is "really very very normal, very relaxed.
"She obviously takes a huge interest in what we all do... she wants to know which charities we are supporting, how life is going in our jobs as such."
A St James's Palace spokesman said the Duke of Cambridge, who has the Scottish title the Earl of Strathearn and is already a Knight of the Garter, was "very honoured" to be made a Royal Knight of the Thistle.
The accolade is second only in precedence in the UK to the Order of the Garter and is given after a personal decision by the Queen.
The spokesman added: "It's his 30th birthday this year and...

Summary: The Duke of Cambridge has said it was "very difficult" not to have his late mother at his wedding.
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Article: The Mi Drone can stay airborne for nearly half an hour and will be sold with a choice of stabilised cameras.
The move gives Xiaomi the chance to target a fast-growing market, at a time when it has failed to meet its own sales targets.
One expert said the firm now had to win over potential buyers' trust.
"The feature set between the Mi Drone and DJI's Phantom 3 is almost identical - they can both be made to return home and circle around a point of interest - but Xiaomi's product is so competitively priced you have to wonder if it can make much profit," Engadget's Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai told the BBC.
"So, the new drone will probably appeal to beginners. But experienced fliers want reliability and a brand with experience, and DJI has spent years refining its technology.
"It will take Xiaomi some time to prove itself as we still don't know how reliable its drones are, the quality of its video footage or how well its software will work."
Xiaomi plans to sell the Mi Drone with a 1080p high-definition camera with a 1km (0.6 miles) range for 2,499 yuan (Â£260), and a version with a higher-resolution 4K camera and 2km range for 2,999 yuan (Â£310).
By contrast, DJI - another Chinese firm - sells the Phantom 3 4K with a range of 1.2km for 4,999 yuan (Â£520).
Xiaomi vice president Hugo Barra said that drones were "typically a product for rich people", but that his company wanted to sell them to a wider audience.
Xiaomi is pitching its four-propeller aircraft at consumers wanting to take aerial photos and videos.
Mr Barra said the built-in gimbal stabilised the Sony-made camera sensor at "up to 2,000 vibrations per second", which he said was enough to avoid blur.
He added that it could stay airborne for up to 27 minutes using a 5,100 mAh battery.
That represents an extra two minutes of flight versus the Phantom 3, although DJI's more expensive Phantom 4 can stay aloft for 28 minutes and go further.
Although the Mi Drone will be sold under Xiaomi's brand, it was actually designed by Guangzhou Feimi Electronic...

Summary: Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced its first drone, pricing it significantly lower than a comparable model by the market leader DJI.
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Article: He said Tory conference announcements on immigration had been "disturbing, sinister and beneath contempt".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said new curbs on foreign workers and students may be needed to "change the tide" of public opinion on immigration.
Mr Jones urged Welsh Labour to "fight for the soul of post-Brexit Britain".
In an email to party members, the first minister condemned the Conservatives, saying: "This isn't just dog-whistle politics, it is politics of the gutter."
He said Welsh Labour members should aim to be a "roadblock" to Tory plans to restrict immigration, and show there was "a better way".
"When senior Tories said yesterday that foreign doctors and their families were only welcome here whilst they were needed, I said they are welcome, full stop," he wrote.
"We must reject the Tories' terrible insult to people who work day in, day out to save and improve lives across Wales."
Mr Jones described Brexit as "a seismic and unsettling event in our country's history, and how we react to it will be the measure of this generation of politicians and political parties".
"I have made absolutely clear my belief that Wales must accept the referendum result, we cannot refight that battle, but we can fight for our vision of the future," he said.
"A bright future for our children and grandchildren, based on our values of fairness, internationalism and prosperity for all."
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies described Mr Jones's comments as "ludicrous".
"Ultimately, if there is a poisonous atmosphere surrounding the politics of immigration it's because successive Labour governments over 13 years ruthlessly stifled moderate discussion and left millions of people feeling frustrated and ignored," he said.
Meanwhile SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood have joined forces with Green Party leaders across the UK to condemn "the most toxic rhetoric on immigration seen from any government in living memory".

Summary: