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

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

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

Summary: A chief constable being investigated for gross misconduct will also be interviewed on suspicion of data protection offences.
###
Article: John Grainger, 33, was shot before his headless body was found in Wellington Street, Stockport, on 26 January. His head was found by firefighters.
At Manchester Crown Court, Joseph Jenkins, 30, who denied murder, was ordered to serve a minimum of 32 years.
Anthony Jenkins, 34, pleaded guilty and must serve a minimum of 30 years.
Police said the two brothers and Mr Grainger had been drinking at pubs in Stockport on the eve of the attack. The three then continued drinking at Joseph Jenkins' flat in Covent Gardens.
The brothers then attacked Mr Grainger with a hammer, stabbed him in the legs then shot him in the knee and the head.
He was decapitated with an electric jigsaw in the bathroom, the jury heard during the trial.
During the trial of Joseph Jenkins, the court heard the brothers used a can of petrol to set  Mr Grainger's body alight in nearby Wellington Street.
His body was found on a verge by fire crews tackling a blaze close by.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the brothers had been stopped by officers in the area because they were acting suspiciously.
Anthony Jenkins was found to have six shotgun cartridges in his pocket and blood on his trainers.
The shotgun said to have been used to kill Mr Grainger was found the next day under a parked car, close to where both had been stopped in the street, the jury heard.
Senior investigating officer Andy Tattersall said: "The Jenkins brothers put Mr Grainger through a horrifically violent and cruel attack before shooting him.
"What followed was nothing short of macabre."

Summary: Two Stockport brothers have been given life sentences for shooting dead a man, decapitating him and setting his body on fire.
###
Article: Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers said this might be because babies born vaginally are exposed to healthy gut bacteria that play an important role in regulating diet.
The study followed more than 22,000 babies into adulthood.
But experts said there were likely to be many different factors at work.
These include the diet of the mother, whether she had diabetes during pregnancy and whether the baby was breastfed.
Babies born via Caesarean are less likely to be breastfed, and this has been shown to lead to an increased risk of obesity. Children's diets also have an effect on their future weight.
In the UK, about 26% of babies are delivered by Caesarean section - an operation where a cut is made in the tummy and womb to get the baby out. Rates have been rising steadily over the past few years, according to the Royal College of Midwives.
In this study, American researchers from Harvard Medical School and other institutions found that babies delivered by Caesarean were 15% more likely to grow up to be obese after adjusting for a number of factors, including the mother's weight and age.
In families where children were born by different methods, those born by Caesarean were 64% more likely to be obese than their siblings born by vaginal delivery.
But the researchers could not say Caesareans were the cause of obesity or explain the mechanisms behind the link.
Their best guess was that differences in gastrointestinal microbiota, or healthy gut bacteria, between babies born by different methods could have an effect.
Microbiota is the term used to describe the microbes that colonise our bodies and which vary from one person to another. They are linked to some diseases but can also be used to treat disease and promote health.
A technique called "vaginal seeding" can be used to transfer maternal vaginal fluid - which contains the healthy bacteria - to a baby born by Caesarean but doctors say there could be risks with infection.
Dr Simon Cork, research associate in the department of investigative medicine at...

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

Summary:


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

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

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

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

Summary: Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World, has reported growth in sales in the last 12 months.
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Article: The 577kg probe separated successfully from its mothership on Sunday at 14:42 GMT (15:42 BST; 16:42 CEST).
It is now on a direct path to intercept the top of the Red Planet's atmosphere on Wednesday.
The module will then have just under six minutes to reduce its 21,000km/h entry speed to zero in order to make a relatively soft flop-down on to Mars' dusty surface.
Schiaparelli is a technology demonstrator. It is intended to showcase the European Space Agency's (Esa) ability to land on Earth's near neighbour.
The organisation's only previous attempt was a very short-lived effort - the UK-led Beagle-2 robot in 2003.
This craft managed to make an intact touch-down but then failed to deploy its solar panels properly, blocking any contact with home.
Schiaparelli will hope to fare better, albeit with a planned surface operation of only a few days that will be sustained by batteries.
Esa controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, were able to confirm the separation of the module from its carrier satellite - the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter - thanks to a radio transmission beamed across more than 170 million km of space.
Schiaparelli is now on its own; there is nothing anyone can do to change its trajectory or to give it new commands.
Its landing sequence on Wednesday is fully automated. The probe will rub off most of its entry speed thanks to a heatshield that will push up against the Martian air. The combination of a big parachute and a cluster of rockets will then bring it to a near standstill just above the surface. Schiaparelli's final two metres will see it dump down on to its belly.
The Esa probe will emit UHF tones during its entry, descent and landing phases, which an Indian radio telescope will endeavour to capture and relay to Darmstadt. If the Indian facility can still hear Schiaparelli at 15:00 GMT (16:00 BST; 17:00 CEST) on Wednesday, it will mean the Italian-built module is safely on the surface.
While the landing attempt will no doubt occupy the media's and the public's attention in the coming days, Esa also has...

Summary: Europe's Schiaparelli spacecraft is on course to land on Mars.
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Article: The official AFL website promoted merchandise naming Sam Mitchell the code's best and fairest player, when in fact Nat Fyfe was the real winner.
The mistake - attributed to human error - drew harsh criticism on social media.
The AFL's media manager, Patrick Keane, did not hold back either, describing the image as an "epic website fail".
As soon as the mistake was realised the AFL removed the erroneous post.
Screenshots circulating online show the framed "Grand Sam Mitchell 2015 Brownlow Medalist Signed Guernsey" was selling for A$1,364 ($948, Â£625).
"Widely regarded as the premier contested ball winner in the game with a side-step and delivery to match, Mitchell has continued to develop new dimensions to his game," the deleted post said.
The AFL's Patrick Keane tweeted: "[we] had six Brownlow memorabilia options ready to go 4 when winner named. Human error went live with no result known. [The] AFL apologises without reservation to all fans/supporters who have been misled."
Some angry fans demanded a refund on bets they had placed, as local media reports the post pushed Mitchell's odds from A$11 to $3.

Summary: The Australian Football League (AFL) has suffered an "epic fail" after it congratulated the wrong player for winning the prestigious Brownlow Medal.
###
Article: A spokesman for the bank said they were "working flat out to get these payments updated for our customers no later than Saturday".
Its parent company RBS said about 600,000 payments were affected.
It said it had now identified and fixed the underlying problem.
Ulster Bank said concerned customers should "come into a branch or get in touch with our call centres".
"We will ensure no customers are left out of pocket as a result of this issue," a spokesman said.
In 2012, the RBS group was hit by a major IT meltdown that led to a large fine.
RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank customers were affected in June 2012 after problems with a software upgrade. On that occasion, the IT failure affected more than 6.5 million customers in the UK over several weeks.
The banking group said it had invested hundreds of millions of pounds to improve its computer systems since then.

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A charity auction of a replica of the Lady Penelope puppet has raised more than £1,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.
The 19in (48cm) replica with optic eyes and the "same make of teeth as the original", is being auctioned on eBay.
The science-fiction fantasy about a

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

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

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

Summary: Attendance at this year's Great Yorkshire Show came close to the highest on record - a year after the event was cancelled due to heavy rain.
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Article: A decision to boost the west London hub's rail links was agreed by Heathrow, Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
In May, Heathrow chiefs lost a High Court challenge over access charges they can levy on Elizabeth Line trains.
Crossrail was named the Elizabeth Line in honour of the Queen.
From December 2019 Heathrow will be served by six Elizabeth Line trains per hour, two of which will run to Terminal 5.
This will increase the total number of Heathrow trains departing central London from 18 per hour to at least 22.
Legal action was triggered after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) decided the amount which Heathrow Airport Ltd could charge Crossrail, and others, for using the spur could not include any amount connected to the recovery of the spur building costs.
The airport applied for a judicial review at London's High Court, arguing the decision was irrational and ORR had no power to reach any decision over the access charge at all.
But Mr Justice Ouseley ruled the challenge failed on all grounds.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye described the agreement on increasing train services as "a big step forward".
He said: "Heathrow, TfL and the DfT are working together to boost rail connections to the UK's hub, giving our passengers more choices to travel sustainably between Heathrow and London.
"With 22 trains per hour, an ambition to add even more services and easy to use Oyster and contactless ticketing, Heathrow will be at the heart of an integrated transport network and our passengers will reap the benefits."

Summary: The new Elizabeth Line service will be extended to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, it has been announced.
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Article: Former semi-professional musician Alan Cairney, of Gartmore, has set feet tapping from his bed in Ward B31 at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
The classically trained violinist was a gigging musician in his younger days.
Hospital staff encourage Mr Cairney to play and his repertoire has become popular with patients and nurses alike.
The pensioner, who was born in Prestwick before moving to Glasgow, took up the violin aged nine or 10.
He said: "I thoroughly enjoyed playing except when my mother told me to practise. In those days coal was scarce and we didn't always have a fire in the room.
"If my parents wanted to listen to the wireless I had to go into a cold room and it was really difficult to play the violin with frozen hands."
He added: "I remember sailing up the Clyde on the Jeanie Deans paddle steamer and my parents made me play on the boat.
"That was purgatory for me - I was just a young lad, 10 or 12, and a very shy boy."
A refrigeration engineer by trade, Mr Cairney's love of jazz saw him take up the double bass and play gigs with the likes of Acker Bilk and Terry Lightfoot.
He was prompted to bring his violin in to the hospital when he mentioned to someone that he could play.
Allison Cowie, NHS Forth Valley nursing auxiliary, said staff encouraged Mr Cairney.
She said: "He's absolutely brilliant. It cheers us all up, and some of the patients have said how much they like to hear him.
"I think he's the first violinist we've ever had in here - it's great to have your own personal musician in the ward."

Summary: A 93-year-old man has livened up a Forth Valley hospital by serenading fellow patients and staff with his violin.
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Article: Mr Anderson, who also created science-fiction series Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Stingray, died in 2013 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
His son Jamie, from Highworth in Wiltshire, said the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Society.
The 19in (48cm) replica with optic eyes and the "same make of teeth as the original", is being auctioned on eBay.
The science-fiction fantasy about a daring rescue squad, was filmed in a studio on the Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire and was first aired on TV screens in October 1965.
At its peak, Thunderbirds was attracting an audience of 100 million fans in 66 countries around the world.
But, according to Jamie Anderson, after his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011 - he "had no idea" he was its creator.
"For a man who made Thunderbirds, created it and was best known for that - he would say to me: What was that show that I made?," he said.
"I could say the name 'Thunderbirds' and it meant nothing to him.  For the disease to affect him in that way, was a really distressing thing to see."
Donated by a fan to the son of her original creator, the Lady Penelope puppet boasts a head made of fibre glass - like the original - and real human hair.
"Before Dad died he fulfilled his ambition of raising awareness of dementia and funds for Alzheimer's Society," said Mr Anderson.
"He'd be so pleased to know of the sale of one of his most iconic characters in aid of a charity that was so close to his heart."

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary: Europe's Herschel space telescope has produced a majestic new version of a classic astronomical target - the Eagle Nebula (also called M16).
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Article: The contamination affected two batches of Kania Gravy Granules, which were found to contain xylene.
Customers have been advised not to eat the products, and return them to the supermarket for a full refund.
Lidl has said it takes the issue "very seriously" and is working with its supplier to identify the cause.
An alert from the FSA  said exposure to xylene in food products posed a health risk.
"The contaminant levels in this [gravy granules] product exceed those set to minimise this risk and the product is therefore being recalled as a precaution," the FSA said.
Xylene is a petrochemical used as a solvent in products such as paints and inks.
Exposure can cause irritation of the mouth, throat, nose and lungs and in severe cases lead to heart problems, liver and kidney damage and coma, according to Public Health England.
The products affected are 300g packets of Kania Gravy Granules for meat and for chicken with best before dates of October and November 2017.
Other Kania products are not affected by the recall.
Lidl will display notices in all stores that sold the products, and customers are being urged to return the granules for a full refund.
A spokeswoman for Lidl said: "We were very sorry to hear of this matter and can confirm that an investigation was launched as soon as we were made aware.
"We are taking the issue very seriously and are working closely with our supplier to identify the cause."

Summary: Unsafe levels of a paint thinner chemical have been found in gravy granules sold at Lidl, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said.
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Article: PC Kevin Hughes, who worked in Newham, east London, denied using threatening words or behaviour and racially-aggravated harassment while on duty.
He was sacked for gross misconduct in relation to authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct.
Another officer received a final written warning over his conduct.
Colleagues brought the behaviour of PC Hughes and PC David Hair to the attention of the senior management in the force.
The issue was initially referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
It conducted an independent inquiry, after which the officers were summonsed.
Both officers were cleared by Westminster Magistrates' Court in November last year.
But PC Hughes was dismissed following a misconduct hearing on Thursday.
The Met said that although the case against the second officer was found proven, the hearing panel took into account the opinion of a witness that he did not intend to cause offence.
Commander Allan Gibson from the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards said: "The commissioner has made it quite clear that racism is not acceptable within the Met.
"This is a view supported by the majority of officers and staff, which has been demonstrated by those who were prepared to challenge PC Hughes.
"The public have an absolute right to expect that serving officers serving treat them and their colleagues with respect and courtesy and that they do not hold discriminatory opinions."

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

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A woman has been arrested after a man was attacked in Reading.
Article: A man has been arrested after a man was attacked in Reading.
Summary: A man has been arrested after a man was attacked in Reading.
Article: A man has been arrested after a man was attacked in Reading.
Summary:

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

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

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

Summary: A homeless man who brutally murdered a cafe worker who had "befriended" him has been jailed for more than 20 years.
###
Article: The Dumfries and Galloway festival is staging its biggest ever programme when it gets under way later this month.
It is now opening a campsite in Duncan Park, which will have portable toilets and showers and a cooking area, and will cost Â£12 a night.
A total of 236 authors are set to take part in talks, workshops and signings between 23 September and 2 October.
Last year, organisers said 10,000 people visited the town during the festival but accommodation was hard to organise.
EventScotland is supporting the organisation of the site, while extra ferries are also being put on from Northern Ireland.
Artistic director Adrian Turpin said: "In 2015, around 22,000 tickets were issued for our events and over 10,000 people visited the Wigtown Book Festival; normally the town's population is 900.
"We've been very lucky to work with EventScotland and introduce a campsite connected to the book festival in the area for the first time to help the town accommodate the population swell."
He added: "Wigtown is Scotland's National Book Town, it's a great place to come and discover books, meet people and see the area that inspired some of Robert Burns's best work.
"As one of the world's best natural beauty spots, Dumfries and Galloway is famed for its incredible green landscape, rolling hills and views of the Milky Way.
"I hope that the new camping and ferry crossing opportunities encourages more people to come to the area and the 2016 Wigtown Book Festival."

Summary: Wigtown Book Festival is setting up a campsite for visitors to help with accommodation pressures.
###
Article: The average home in Dwyfor put 22% less waste in their black bins in November 2014 than in the same month in 2013.
As a result, recycling and composting rates in the county have increased from 54% in March to 57.4% last month.
The council said the waste reduction in the Dwyfor area alone would save it Â£100,000 a year.
The first phase of three-weekly bin collections was introduced in October, with 19,000 households in Meirionnydd and 26,000 in Arfon set to follow suit next year.
Food waste and recyclable products are still collected weekly.
The council said it was now well placed to hit Welsh government targets, which require councils to recycle at least 58% of their waste by March 2016, and 64% by 2020.
Councillor Gareth Roberts said: "The people of Dwyfor have delivered an early Christmas present for our environment and for the Gwynedd council taxpayer."
Waste collection changes were introduced in Gwynedd to help the council bridge a Â£50m funding shortfall between now and 2017/18.

Summary: The amount of waste sent to landfill in Gwynedd has fallen since controversial three-weekly bin collections were introduced to the first 15,000 homes.
###
Article: The woman, aged in her 20s, was attacked after leaving the event's Chinawhite enclosure early on Sunday, with men she met there.
She walked with them to the Harpsden Road and Reading Road area and was raped outside a car, which the men then drove off in.
A passerby found the victim near the Three Horseshoes pub shortly after.
Daniel Grist, secretary of the regatta, said: "We have been liaising with Thames Valley Police, regarding this terrible incident, which took place after Regatta facilities had closed and racing had finished for the day on Saturday 1 July.
"The Chinawhite area is not located on land managed by Henley Royal Regatta but we will continue to assist Thames Valley Police and are working with them to secure CCTV footage to assist in identifying the perpetrators."
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses, and specially-trained officers are supporting the woman, who left the Chinawhite enclosure between 00:00 and 02:30 BST.
Det Ch Insp Lis Knight said such incidents were rare in the area.
The Â£3m rowing regatta sees more than 200 races take place on the river Thames over five days.
The annual regatta, which has been held since 1839, was expected to attract 200,000 spectators to this year's event.

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary: Within hours of Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the highest Shia authority in Iraq spoke out against what he called the shedding of "pure blood".
###
Article: Its report suggests that leaving the EU could mean that the UK economy would be 6% smaller by 2030.
If that figure is divided between the 26.7 million households in the UK, that is equivalent to each household being £4,300 "worse off".
The full report says that if the economy is smaller then that would have an impact on the amount of government income it receives from business and personal taxes.
The report suggests leaving the European Union and signing a "Canada-style" bilateral agreement with the rest of the EU could mean tax receipts falling by £36bn, or a third of the annual NHS budget.
The report says that could mean an 8p increase in the basic rate of income tax.
The Treasury report does admit there are better scenarios. Or, to be more accurate, less bad scenarios.
If the UK signs a "Norway-style" agreement with the EU and becomes a member of the European Economic Area then the impact on the economy of leaving the EU would be reduced.
Under that scenario, the economy would shrink by 3.8%, an impact on households of £2,600.
There is also a worse scenario.
If the UK's relationship with the rest of the EU was governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization, then by 2030 the UK economy could be 7.5% smaller, the report argues.
That would mean - if divided equally by the total number of households - each household's "economy" being £5,200 smaller.
The Treasury says that its estimates are cautious and based on well-understood economic models.
Sources also say that respected studies of the impact of Brexit, such as from the London School of Economics, say that the impact could be worse.
Critics of this approach say that forecasts out to 2030 are open to a great deal of interpretation and have to be based on assumptions that can be disputed.
Vote Leave also argues that government economists are often wrong, pointing to the suggestion that the UK joining the Exchange Rate Mechanism in the 1990s would be good for the UK economy.

Summary: The Treasury has revealed the full range of its analysis of the possible economic costs of the UK leaving the EU.
###
Article: Researchers found that large rodents quickly ate the nuts, rather than caching them, when supplies were scarce.
When supplies were plentiful, almost twice as many nuts were buried, increasing the chance of successful germination, the team added.
The findings appear in the Journal of Tropical Ecology.
The scientists from Norway, Brazil and the UK said that very little was know about the fate of Brazil nuts under natural condition, despite it being one of the most economically important non-timber crops to come out of Amazonia.
In order to get a better understanding of how the seeds were dispersed, they tracked 1,800 marked seeds to see how seasonal food availability affected agoutis' and acouchis' - large scatter-hoarding rodents - caching rates, dispersal distances and how long the seeds were buried before being eaten.
"We basically found that the seasons had a very strong effect on the dispersal distances and what happened to the seeds themselves," explained Torbjorn Haugaasen, an ecologist at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
"During the wet season (April) - when there are a lot of other fruits in the forest - more seeds were cached for later retrieval," he added.
"In the dry season (September), on the other hand, more seeds were eaten immediately because there was not that much food around and the rodents needed to draw on the food resource.
"Seeds were also taken further away during the dry season, which suggests that the rodents saw them as a more valuable resource than during the wet season," Dr Haugaasen told BBC News.
The field study, carried out during 2006, showed that 74.4% of seeds were buried during the wet season, compared with just 38.2% during the dry season.
The team suggested that collecting too many Brazil nuts from an area could replicate "dry season" conditions for the rodents.
"Reduced seed availability due to intensive harvesting could potentially create a dry-season scenario where most seeds succumb to pre-dispersal predation, thereby adversely affecting the natural...

Summary: A study examining the natural dispersal of Brazil nuts has suggested that intensive harvesting could threaten future regeneration of the trees.
###
Article: The crash happened at about 14:15 BST on the B1191 at Thornton, near Woodhall Spa.
Lincolnshire Police said the motorcyclist killed in the collision lived locally, but has not released any further details. The tractor driver was not injured.
The force has appealed for witnesses to the collision to come forward.
The B1191 was closed in both directions between the B1192 Tattershall Road junction in Woodhall Spa and the A158 Jubilee Way junction in Horncastle

Summary:


A new study has found that the number of people who are obese in the UK has risen by more than a third in the past decade.
The study, published in the journal Obesity, found that the number of people in the UK who are obese has risen from 1.8 million in 2005 to 2.1 million

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

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

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

Summary: Samsung has been accused of disabling Microsoft's software in preference for its own, leaving computers insecure.
###
Article: A meeting of Scottish Borders Council heard an initial capital grant of £1.3m was being provided in 2016/17.
The scheme will receive 80% of overall project costs from the government.
The funding comes ahead of a public exhibition in Hawick town hall on Tuesday and Wednesday which will give the public an opportunity to comment on the scheme.
Councillor Gordon Edgar said: "It is hugely positive news for Hawick that the Scottish government has provided the first tranche of funding for the town's flood protection scheme, and included the project on its priority list.
"The next aim is to now get the scheme built and that is why the public exhibition this month remains so important.
"As the scheme is currently in its outline design phase, it is a lot easier for us to address any concerns now than if objections are brought up at a later stage, which could result in delays to the overall project."
The public exhibition runs from 09:00 to 21:00 on both days.

Summary: A first slice of funding for the £36m Hawick flood protection scheme has been confirmed by the Scottish government.
###
Article: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) found prices were being driven up as supply failed to meet a rising demand for homes.
Across the UK, a net 43% more surveyors noted price rises and growth in August.
In Scotland, 28% more members said they expected prices to continue rising over the next three months.
The organisation's latest residential market survey, using analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, suggested property values were likely to rise by about 6% across the UK over the course of 2015.
The strongest price growth is forecast in Northern Ireland, where prices are now anticipated to rise by 11% over the year.
Rics in Scotland director Sarah Speirs said: "Given current market conditions, the latest data unsurprisingly shows house prices continuing to rise, and at an accelerating pace.
"As the Scottish government increases investment in initiatives such as Help to Buy, which further stimulates demand while failing to address the critical issue of housing supply, more needs to be done to increase and expand housing supply.
"Despite reported price growth, the agreed sales balance in Scotland edged upwards and demand remains steady, but a more robust recovery in activity is continuing to be held back in part by the lack of stock on the market."
The Scottish government announced earlier this month that it would spend Â£195m over the next three years on a new shared equity scheme to help people buy new-build homes.
Ministers said the new scheme would focus on affordable homes.
In the lettings market, the study found 20% of surveyors predicted a rise in rents during the next three months

Summary: Scottish house prices are expected to rise by 5% over the course of the year due to a lack of properties entering the market, according to a report.
###
Article: Four wards were closed to visitors at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, on Monday before the visiting ban was extended on Thursday.
The ban does not affect Wirral Women and Children's Hospitals.
Gaynor Westray, director of nursing and midwifery at the hospital, said the decision was "in the best interests of our patients".
She said: "The safety of our patients is paramount to us and it is never an easy decision to make but this will help us contain the spread of this highly contagious bug."
The hospital has also asked the public to not visit its accident and emergency department if they have symptoms of the bug.
Norovirus - which causes vomiting, stomach cramps, fever and diarrhoea - is easily spread from person to person.
Symptoms usually begin between 12 to 48 hours after a person becomes infected, with most healthy people making a recovery within one to three days.
Arrowe Park has not given an indication of how long the ban is likely to remain in effect.

Summary:


A vicar has been suspended for the duration of an investigation into an alleged attack on a priest.
The Bishop of Leeds has said the suspension is "in the best interests of the church".
The statement said: "Appropriate pastoral and safe guarding arrangements have been put in place.
"No further statement

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

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

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

Summary: More power and freedom on how cash is spent should be given to local councils, the body representing them has said.
###
Article: Rhys Jones, 36, originally from Blackwood, Caerphilly county, died from his injuries after the attack in Clarence Place on 24 November.
Rhys Barnes, 28, from Newport, admitted his murder at Cardiff Crown Court.
On Thursday, he was told he had shown "no remorse or regret" for the "brutal" attack and was jailed for life. He must serve a minimum of 26 years.
The court heard the stabbing followed a row over a woman who Barnes believed to be his girlfriend, but was also having a "physical relationship" with Mr Jones.
Barnes stabbed the father-of-two after the woman claimed he had punched her in a row.
The court heard Barnes told her: "I'm not having somebody hitting a girl" and threatened to kill him before picking up a knife.
Prosecutor Michael Jones said Barnes was "crying and angry that someone hit a girl he liked" and told a friend: "He's not going to get away with it."
Mr Jones was found dead the following morning. Police went to Barnes's neighbouring flat at the Solas homeless shelter where he was found covered in blood next to a steak knife.
Barnes told police: "He hit my girlfriend this morning so I... stabbed him."
Mr Jones suffered 16 different wounds to his chest, back, left arm, his trunk and thigh after being stabbed 13 times.
Records of Cardiff Eleri Rees said: "It was a brutal and sustained attack."

Summary: A man who stabbed another man to death at a homeless shelter in Newport has been jailed for life.
###
Article: Prosecutors accepted James Richardson's alcohol dependency was a medical condition that substantially impaired his responsibility.
Natalia Czekaj died from multiple stab wounds in January.
A Met Police officer described it as a "tragic case" and a "frenzied attack".
The judge also imposed an extended licence period of five years during which Richardson will be supervised and receive help with his alcohol addiction.
Richardson, 35, from Berridge Green, Edgware, and Miss Czekaj, 34, were both believed to be functioning alcoholics.
They were celebrating the New Year at home when the defendant attacked the barmaid with a kitchen knife, the Old Bailey heard.
At the time, his blood alcohol level was four times the drink-drive limit.
Judge John Bevan QC told him Ms Czekaj had been "the gratuitous victim of your rage".
Det Insp Simon Pickford, of the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Natalia died during a frenzied attack, which may have been fuelled by Richardson's dependency on alcohol.
"Richardson will have time to think about the consequences of his actions behind bars."
In accepting the plea of manslaughter by diminished responsibility, the prosecution had to be satisfied he had a recognised medical condition that substantially impaired his responsibility.
During the trial, Richardson's defence lawyer told the court although his client could not remember the killing, "his remorse and shock have been wholly genuine".

Summary: An alcoholic who almost decapitated his girlfriend has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
###
Article: The 51-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested in North Yorkshire on Wednesday following a complaint made to Durham Constabulary.
The force said the man had been bailed pending further inquiries.
The vicar has been suspended for the duration of the investigation by the Bishop of Leeds, the Diocese of Leeds said.
It added in a statement: "Appropriate pastoral and safe guarding arrangements have been put in place.
"No further statement will be made at this time."

Summary:


the Conservative nomination for London mayor.
The former London Assembly member, who was the favourite for the Tory nomination, won Friday's vote comfortably, getting 6,514 votes, more than the other three candidates combined.
Mr Goldsmith beat London Assembly Member Andrew Boff, MEP Syed Kam

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

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

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

Summary: Rhossili beach in Gower has been named one of the top 10 beaches in the world and the best beach in the UK in a survey by travel website TripAdvisor.
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Article: 27 November 2013 Last updated at 15:30 GMT
A new study in Nature Communications has found that the shape of the seahorse's head means it can move through the water without making large ripples.
It means the creatures they eat are not tipped off that they are there until it is too late.
The seahorses were filmed catching prey under a microscope which gave scientists a much better understanding of how they hunt.
To their victims, seahorses are more like sea monsters, says Brad Gemmell from the University of Texas at Austin.
"The seahorse is one the slowest swimming fish we know of, but it's able to capture prey that swim at incredible speeds."
"People don't often think of seahorses as amazing predators, but they really are."

Summary: Seahorses might not be the fastest swimmers but they are very good at sneaking up on their prey.
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Article: Mark Crockett, 53, built the device after checking in to the Logierait Pine Lodges resort near Pitlochry, Perthshire, last February.
The park was evacuated after paramedics found Mr Crockett in a chalet with a suicide note alongside the improvised bomb.
Crockett, of Falkirk, admitted making the device at a hearing in December.
The High Court in Livingston heard that the amateur bomb was assembled using an after-shave tin, screws, fire-work parts and sugar.
Staff at the holiday park raised the alarm after Mr Crockett failed to check out of his lodge on 4 February 2015.
It sparked a major incident involving police, a special response team and the bomb disposal unit.
The hospitality manager had left a suicide note on the door of his chalet saying the nail bomb was intended for social workers in London.
The court was told Mr Crockett had suffered an emotional breakdown and was angry at members of his own family.
The judge, Lord Armstrong, described the bomb as "amateurish or even inept" and accepted it was unlikely to explode fully.
But he said the gravity of the offence meant he had no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.

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

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary: Saudi football chiefs have apologised after their national team elected not to take part in a minute's silence for victims of the London Bridge attack.
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Article: Lee, who died last month, described his role in the 1973 horror as the "best performance I believe I've ever given".
Like the original, the new film The Wrath of the Gods will be set in Scotland and use locations in the Highlands, Moray and Shetland.
An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is raising funds for some of the sets and the building of a replica Viking boat.
Locations in Dumfries and Galloway were used for The Wicker Man.
After that feature and 2011's The Wicker Tree, Hardy said making a third Wicker movie would be a fitting tribute to Sir Christopher and his legacy.
The 93-year-old actor also appeared in The Wicker Tree.
Hardy said: "I always planned for there to be a number of films in what I like to think of as The Wicker Man genre, and although it has been a long time in the making I think fans will find it worth the wait, especially as they can now get involved with the final film in a way that would have been unimaginable when I made the original more than 40 years ago.
"Like the second film, The Wrath of the Gods will not be a sequel in the traditional sense, or for that matter a prequel. Instead, it will be a final reflection on the themes that made The Wicker Man a classic, using some of the same enchanting Celtic landscapes as a backdrop."

Summary: Film-maker Robin Hardy wants to make a third Wicker Man movie as a tribute to its star Sir Christopher Lee.
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Article: The move comes following months of criticism that Windows 10 was being forced upon users using what has been described as a "nasty trick".
This week, a Seattle woman successfully sued the company for $10,000 over disruption caused by the software installing without, she said, permission.
In recent months, in an apparent bid to accelerate adoption of Windows 10, Microsoft altered the way it asked users if they wanted to upgrade. It gave the Windows 10 update "recommended" status, normally reserved for critical security updates.
If when prompted to update to Windows 10 users clicked the red "X", the upgrade would not immediately start. However, the update process would automatically be scheduled for a later time.
From this week, Microsoft said it would change that process, admitting that it was confusing.
"The new experience has clearer options to upgrade now, choose a time, or decline the free offer," said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group, in an emailed statement.
"If the red-x is selected on this new dialog, it will dismiss the dialog box and we will notify the device again in a few days.
"We continue to recommend all of our customers upgrade to Windows 10 before the free upgrade offer expires on July 29."
Microsoft is resolute in promoting Windows 10 as a better computing experience with added security features over previous versions of the operating system.
Some users, however, are reluctant to upgrade citing worries about the strain the software may put on hardware, and suggestions that Windows 10 tracks its users too closely.
To date, around 300 million devices worldwide have upgraded to, or are using, Windows 10.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook

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

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary: Two people in England have developed tuberculosis after contact with a domestic cat, Public Health England has announced.
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Article: Despite often bitter partisan differences, the justices of the US Supreme Court have always dined together, as far back as the court's inception in the 18th Century.
Recently, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor shared some culinary tales from the country's most powerful court with a packed audience at the National Museum of American History in Washington.
"It's good to remember that politics can end at the edge of a plate," said David Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian, at the start of the evening.
In the early 1800s, the first Supreme Court justices all lived in a boarding house, sharing meals together - as well as a fondness for wine.
According to Justice Ginsburg, back then the justices tried to keep their imbibing in check by making a rule that it had to be raining to drink wine - though it was a rule they were willing to bend.
"Somewhere in our broad jurisdiction it must surely be raining," Chief Justice John Marshall is said to have declared on a sunny day, which freed up the justices to have a glass of wine with dinner every night.
When the boarding house style of living ended, rifts among the court began to show.
"[Marshall's] idea was that there should only be one opinion, there should be no dissents, and he would write it," said Justice Ginsburg. "When the boarding house broke down, so did the unanimity."
Wives of members of the court had elaborate social functions for the justices in the early era of the court. On Mondays, they were expected to have tea for everyone, serve scones and cakes, and provide entertainment.
The tradition held up until the Great Depression in the US in the 1920s when the tradition was deemed too expensive, said Clare Cushman, the director of publications at Supreme Court Historical Society.
In earlier days of the court, justices would have to slip behind the bench and eat quickly behind a partition while oral arguments were taking place, with the clattering of knives and forks hardly concealed.
Rumour has it that one day a justice popped open a bottle of...

Summary: Even Supreme Court justices, who preside over the highest court in the US, have to eat.
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Article: The diplomat, Thae Yong Ho, had served as deputy to the ambassador and was responsible for promoting the image of his country to British audiences.
He had reportedly lived in the UK for 10 years with his wife and family and disappeared from his home in west London several weeks ago.
Neither the Foreign Office nor the embassy has commented.
Read more: My friend the North Korean defector
"A DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] diplomat in London is going through procedures to seek asylum in a third country," a report in the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said.
"The DPRK Embassy made belated attempts to figure out the diplomat's whereabouts, but has failed," the paper's report added, citing an anonymous source.
The paper said that in this context "a third country" means one that is neither North nor South Korea.
By the BBC's Korea correspondent Stephen Evans
North Korea has an embassy in west London. The diplomats there can be charming, particularly over curry at their favourite curry house. Their children are in nearby state schools and one is a stalwart of the local tennis club.
The other side of their lives, though, involves keeping tabs on North Korean defectors who often settle in New Malden in south-west London.
Two of the officials were probably the men who turned up at a barber shop in London to object to a picture in the window of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with the caption "bad hair day".
They are also thought to have escorted Kim Jong-un's brother to an Eric Clapton concert in the Albert Hall.
My friend the North Korean defector
Mr Thae's main mission in London had been to spread the message that North Korea and its leadership under Kim Jong-un had been misreported and misunderstood.
In one speech, he argued that it was the British who had been brainwashed by their ruling class. "If the people in this country, or in America, knew that there is a country in the world, where there is a free education, free housing, free medical care, then they'd have second thoughts," he said, to...

Summary: A diplomat at the North Korean embassy in London has defected and fled abroad with his family, BBC News understands.
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Article: Operated for the HM Coastguard by Bristow Helicopters Limited, the crews took over a role previously carried out by the RAF and Royal Navy.
The 500 missions include rescues of hillwalkers and climbers and searches for missing people.
The Inverness base is one of the UK's busiest search and rescue units.

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