A former pupil has accused the school of overreacting to concerns about the prom.
Article: A former pupil has accused the school of overreacting to concerns about the prom.
Summary: A former pupil has accused the school of overreacting to concerns about the prom.
Article: A former pupil has

A girls' school has scrapped its end of year prom claiming it is too much of a "distraction" to pupils.

Article: The game is Nintendo's first full venture into mobile gaming and marked a significant shift for the firm which had previously not made apps.
The game is only available via Apple's app store and currently has an average rating of 2.5 stars.
Many players criticised the game and said it was expensive compared with other titles on the store.
The full game costs $10 (Â£8) but the first three levels of the game are free to play.
Super Mario Run was released on 15 December and since then, Nintendo shares have fallen. Shares in gamemaker DeNA Co, which helped develop the game, have fallen by 14% over the same time period.
The game is the first fruit of a strategic change in direction Nintendo signalled in 2015 when it announced that it planned to start producing mobile games.
It features Nintendo's mustachioed plumber scurrying across a scrolling landscape as he makes another attempt to rescue Princess Peach.
Players have complained that the three free levels could be completed too quickly and that it was too costly to buy the whole game.
"A $10 upfront cost to unlock the game is a huge ask and one that flies in the face of current mobile games being free-to-play," Daniel Ahmad, an analyst for researcher Niko Partners, told Bloomberg.
Nintendo needed to do more to let people know what they would get if they paid for it, he added.
Players have also criticised the game's need for an always-on internet connection which limited when and where they could play it.
Despite the negative reaction, Super Mario Run has topped the charts for most profitable games in many nations. Analysis firm App Annie said its monitoring of the game suggest it was downloaded more than 37 million times in its first three days. On average, it said, people spent more than 13 minutes every day on the game.
The launch of Super Mario Run came as Nintendo and partner Niantic relaunched Pokemon Go. That game enjoyed huge success earlier in the year but interest in it rapidly dwindled as updates dried up.

Summary: Bad reviews of Nintendo's Super Mario Run mobile game have led to an 11% fall in the firm's share price.
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Article: M Squared Lasers said it had attracted a funding package worth more than Â£2.5m from Barclays and a further Â£750,000 from BGF (Business Growth Fund).
M Squared is based at the West of Scotland Science Park in Glasgow, and has offices in the US including San Jose in Silicon Valley, California.
The company develops and manufactures lasers and photonic instruments.
It has designed products for a range of sectors, from explosives detection to biomedicines.
M-Squared co-founder Graeme Malcolm said: "We've been expanding our export business for some time and have been making great headway in world markets.
"This latest investment will provide important support as we continue to pursue our ambitious growth objectives.
"Our US business has been growing strongly, with revenues doubling in 2014 as a result of rising demand for laser systems in areas such as quantum technologies."
M Squared currently employs more than 50 staff and has a turnover of Â£10m.
The company achieved year-on-year revenue growth of 40% in 2014 and expects to see similar annual growth this year.

Summary: A Scottish laser manufacturer is set to increase its export activities after securing new financial backing.
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Article: Andrew Marcus Burke, 36, of HMP Manchester, was convicted of two counts of assault following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
He shot a 19-year-old in the abdomen and a 20-year-old in the buttocks while they were in a car on Radcliffe Road, Oldham on 29 June.
Both men were taken to hospital and have made a full recovery.
Det Ch Insp Ian Crewe said: "The judge described Burke as an extremely dangerous man and I can only echo that sentiment.
"We believe his attack was based on a previous dispute and the streets are certainly a lot safer now that he is starting day one of a 20-year jail sentence."

Summary: A man who shot two men who were sitting in a parked car has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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Article: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that al-Rai was overrun early on Monday after intense fighting.
Al-Rai is close to the border with Turkey and is a key supply route into IS-held territory in Aleppo province.
IS had lost the town last week in an assault by rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The jihadist group controls a large swathe of territory across northern Syria, but has been pushed back in a number of areas in recent months by rebels, Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces.
Since the end of March, rebel factions backed by Turkey have seized more than a dozen IS-held villages along the Syrian-Turkish border.
On Thursday, they captured al-Rai after a two-day battle with militants in the town, and threatened to push on towards the nearby IS strongholds of Dabiq and al-Bab.
But four days later, IS was able to regain control of al-Rai and six villages to the west, according to the Syrian Observatory (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, and the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an opposition activist network.
IS also issued a statement confirming it had driven rebels out of al-Rai.
"The fact that the rebels could not hold on to al-Rai shows that it is impossible to maintain an advance against IS without adequate air cover," the Syrian Observatory's director, Rami Abdul Rahman, told the AFP news agency.
The SOHR also reported that rival jihadists from the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and allied rebels had launched offensives in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces on Monday. So far, they had seized a hilltop in Latakia, the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect, it added.
"This is the offensive that al-Nusra warned it would carry out several weeks ago," Mr Abdul Rahman said, referring to a threat issued by the group when Russia announced it was withdrawing most of its forces from Syria, after a six-month air campaign against Mr Assad's opponents.
A Syrian military source told AFP that armed groups were trying to attack military...

Summary: Islamic State (IS) militants have retaken a strategically important town in northern Syria from rebel forces, activists and the jihadist group say.
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Article: The school's headmaster said the "growing expense and luxury" forced on parents was also a major concern.
Beaulieu Convent School in Jersey also referred to "worries about alcohol and drug consumption" at the end of Year 11 event for pupils aged 15-16.
A former pupil said the prom was an important milestone and accused the school of overreacting.
Chris Beirne, headmaster, said the "significant focus and distraction" caused by the prom "does not fit into the ethos of our school".
Writing to parents Mr Beirne cited a letter from an unnamed colleague who was convinced the preparations and the event were "not positive, constructive or healthy experiences".
The colleague wrote: "The financial strain and the inevitable competition associated with this is another very unwelcome, and sometimes crushing, aspect for many parents."
The letter from the colleague also referred to "alcohol and drug consumption at after-parties" as "a considerable concern".
It said the strain of trying "to be slim, fashionable, have perfect skin" led to "unacceptable pressure".
Mr Beirne said he could no longer "safely manage the risk" associated with the event.
The independent Catholic school said it would continue to offer Year 13 leavers a celebratory mass with their families followed by a drinks reception at the school.
The Â£5,400-a-year convent has around 760 students aged 4-18.
Former pupil Hannah Hosegood, 20, said her prom was "a first taste of maturity" and the school should tackle individual pupils if they had concerns about drugs or alcohol.
She said: "It's really upsetting knowing those girls won't be able to experience an event you spend a fair amount of time looking forward to and remember for the rest of your life."

Summary:


A terminal cancer patient who has been told he has just months to live has conquered Mount Everest.

Article: Shot put world champion Aled Sion Davies and F46 Javelin thrower Hollie Arnold were among 13 initially selected in June.
And seven more were added when the rest of the 54-strong team was announced on Tuesday, 26 July.
They are Kyron Duke, Sabrina Fortune, Jordan Howe, Rhys Jones, Steven Morris, Laura Sugar and Olivia Breen.
Sugar, who will compete in the T44 sprints, took up athletics after watching the 2012 Games in London having previously represented Wales at hockey.
Born with the foot condition Talipes, Sugar was left with no ankle movement in her left leg after surgical correction, but was determined to take part in sport in school.
"I grew up and kind of ignored the fact that I shouldn't be able to do sport and became a hockey player for Wales," she told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"But after watching London 2012 I was inspired by that and I never realised that my foot made me eligible for the paralympics and I signed up for a talent day and it all kicked off from there.
"That was three years ago and now I'm heading for my first paralympics."
Davies, won F42 discus gold at the London Games, but cannot defend his title because the event will not be held in Rio. He also took a bronze at the in the shot put in 2012.
Breen is the only other Welsh track and field athlete going to Rio who won a medal in London - a bronze in the T35-38 4x100m relay.
Aled Davies (F42 shot put), Hollie Arnold (F46 javelin), Kyron Duke (F40 shot put and javelin), Sabrina Fortune (F20 discus), Jordan Howe (T35/F35 sprints), Rhys Jones (T37 sprints), Steven Morris (T20 1500 metres), Laura Sugar (T44 100 metres), Olivia Breen (38 sprints).

Summary: Great Britain's track and field team at the Rio Paralympics will include nine Welsh athletes.
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Article: Some activists say the market for rugs and ornaments made from the bears is driving them to extinction.
But others argue that the most pressing problem for the species is climate change and the disappearance of polar ice.
The issue will be decided at a UN wildlife conservation meeting in Thailand in March 2013.
The Humane Society International/UK says that polar bears have been brought to a tipping point by climate change but that increased hunting in recent years is pushing the species "beyond the brink".
"The drivers for the increase in recent years in the trade in polar bear parts are the extremely worrying and rapidly increasing prices being paid on international markets for polar bear parts," said Mark Jones, executive director of the Humane Society International/UK.
He points to the fact that in the five years up to 2012 there has been a 375% increase in the number of polar bear skins offered at auction, some selling for as much as $12,000 (Â£7,400).
Every year around 600 bears are legally killed by hunters in Canada and in the decade to 2010 more than 30,000 bear parts were traded as trophies, rugs and ornaments.
Opponents of the trade have now proposed a ban on the international sales of polar bear parts. It will be tabled at the next meeting of the Convention on the trade in endangered species (CITES) taking place in Thailand next March.
The move is being supported by the US and Russian governments. The last time an attempt was made to change the ruling in 2010, it was defeated after the UK and the EU voted against.  Mark Jones believes the UK government's position is very influential and wants them to support the ban.
"We urgently need the British government to step forward and be a champion for polar bears by supporting their maximum protection," he added.
But some prominent campaigners are against changing the protected status of the bears. WWF has had a long association with the iconic species but believes that the threat from international trade is not significant compared to the threat from...

Summary: Wildlife campaigners are at odds over a new attempt to ban the global trade in polar bear parts.
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Article: The claim: The prime minister justified calling an early election on the basis that it would strengthen her position in the Brexit negotiations.
Reality Check verdict: If she won, a larger majority would give her more flexibility to chart her own Brexit course at home and not having another election until 2022 would be advantageous. But it wouldn't necessarily strengthen her hand in negotiations with the rest of the EU.
Would she be in a stronger position domestically?
If she won, a bigger majority would reduce the chances of a rebellion, either from Remain supporters or from those who advocate a more hardline Brexit.
Of course, if the new Parliament has a greater number of ardent Remain supporters or she has a smaller majority or loses, that would be a different matter.
Would a bigger majority in the UK Parliament strengthen her hand with the EU?
It certainly wouldn't weaken it, but winning an election doesn't automatically give you more leverage in negotiations with the EU. Consider the case of Alexis Tsipras in Greece, who swept to power promising to end austerity and renegotiate Greece's bailout programme. He couldn't deliver because the rest of the EU refused to change course.
EU negotiators would actually welcome a UK government with a larger majority because they believe it would make negotiations more secure and be the best guarantee of avoiding last-minute complications.
But the biggest impact of an early election could be on what happens after March 2019, when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.
The prime minister told the Today programme: "If you look at the timetable, had the election been in 2020 we would have been coming up to the most crucial part of the negotiations - in what would have started to be the run-up to a general election."
In other words, an election in 2020 would take place during a transition period (the government prefers the term "implementation phase") at a time when we could - in effect - be half in and half out of the EU, during a transition period.
Delaying the election...

Summary: Theresa May told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she had called the snap election because she believed it would put her in a stronger position as she starts to negotiate the UK's exit from the EU.
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Article: It is the clearest evidence to date that REM sleep is critical for memory.
By switching off certain brain cells, the researchers silenced a particular, rhythmic type of brain function - without waking the mice.
If they did this during REM sleep, the mice failed subsequent memory tests.
The research is reported in the journal Science.
REM sleep is the phase during which, at least in humans, dreams take place - but the question of whether it is important for settling new memories has been difficult to answer.
Recent studies have tended to focus on deep, non-REM sleep instead, during which brain cells fire in various patterns that reflect memory consolidation and "re-play" of the day's experiences.
During REM sleep, while our eyes flicker and our muscles relax, exactly what the brain is doing is something of a mystery. But it is a type of sleep seen across the animal kingdom, in mammals and birds and even lizards.
Learn more about sleep with BBC iWonder:
Are you getting enough sleep?
Five things that ruin a good night's sleep
Especially in animals, REM phases can be quite fleeting. This and other complications have made it difficult to test what effect such sleep has.
Simply waking up humans or animals when they enter the REM phase, for example, causes stress and other problems that can confound any memory tests.
So Dr Sylvain Williams, from McGill University in Canada, working with colleagues at the University of Bern, Switzerland, decided to meddle directly with the sleeping brain.
"What we did was we used a technique, in mice, to solely disrupt REM sleep activity," Dr Williams told BBC News.
Using the system known as "optogenetics", he and his colleagues were able to control a particular population of brain cells in the mice, just by shining light through a tiny, implanted optical fibre.
Whenever they switched on the light, they drastically reduced a particular rhythm in the brain, called "theta oscillations".
And if that disruption was delivered during a mouse's REM sleep, there were...

Summary: Disrupting brain activity in sleeping mice, specifically during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase, can stop the animals remembering things they learned that day, a study suggests.
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Article: Ian Toothill said he believes he is the first cancer patient to scale the world's highest mountain.
The Sheffield Wednesday fan planted a flag of rivals Sheffield United at the summit for charity.
The 47-year-old personal trainer, who reached the summit on Monday, has raised almost £31,500 ($40,600) for Macmillan.
He tweeted: "Nothing to see here, just some cancer dude [Sheffield Wednesday] fan on the summit of Everest with a @SUFC_tweets flag."
Live updates and this and other stories from Yorkshire
Mr Toothill, originally from Sheffield, lives in Willesden Green in London and has climbed in the Himalayas.
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in June 2015 and told in early 2016 that he had beaten the disease, but later found out it had returned.
He said he has been told he has "just several months left to live".
Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield in February, he said: "I'm determined to prove anything is possible."
He reached the top of the North Col route on 16 May and the summit of Everest on 5 June.
Miss NJP tweeted: "What an amazing achievement and a wonderful moment for @IanToothill. Feeling emotional. So glad you made it to the top #climbingforcancer".
The Sheffield Wednesday fan planted the rival Sheffield United flag at the summit after a friend donated £1,000.
Mr Toothill was accompanied part-way of the climb by Leslie Binns, from Rotherham, who abandoned his climb to the summit after saving the life of a fellow climber last June.
His fundraising bid raised almost £31,500, beating the target of £29,100.

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The SNP's John Wallace has won the Ayr East ward after the vote on Thursday.
Summary: The SNP's John Wallace has won the Ayr East ward after the vote on Thursday.
Summary: The SNP's John Wallace has won the Ayr East ward after the vote on Thursday.
Summary: The

The SNP has held a South Ayrshire Council ward following a by-election which was called after the previous incumbent was elected as an MP.

Article: The No Surrender Parent Club marched around the war memorial in the city before attending a service in St Columb's Church of Ireland Cathedral.
The march is held separately from the main St Patrick's Day parade in Derry.
A club spokesperson said it was a "possibility" that they could join the main event in future years, and said they would "consider" any invitation.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is an organisation set up to commemorate the Siege of Derry in August 1689.
It is named in memory of 13 young apprentices - supporters of the Protestant King William III - who closed the gates of the walled city to stop the advancing army of the Catholic King James II.
The club decided to march this year after the success of their demonstration 12 months ago which marked their 150th anniversary.
After the parade, club spokesman Gordon Porter said: "St Patrick's Day, as you know, throughout the world is a celebration of the whole of Ireland.
"A major part of that story is the siege of Derry, which is what the association of the Apprentice Boys is all about, so it's only right that we are parading today.
"We can tell our story once again within the city of Londonderry, and it only bodes well for the city that two cultures can walk along beside each other."
When asked if the Apprentice Boys would join the main parade at any point in the future, Mr Porter said: "Possibly, in the future, there could be a situation where that might happen. If we get the invite, we'll take it on merit and we'll certainly look into that.
"At the minute we're quite happy to do this by ourselves but in the future it is a possibility," he added.

Summary: The Apprentice Boys of Derry have marked St Patrick's Day with a parade and church service in Londonderry.
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Article: The Reality Check team answers five questions about local government funding.
In 2012, the government introduced a rule which means that any proposal to increase council tax by 2% or more in England must be put to a local referendum.
For the first three years, councils were given a further incentive to avoid council tax rises all together. The government gave "freeze grants" to councils that didn't impose any increase - worth the equivalent of a 1% tax rise each year. Those grants have now come to an end.
It is also important to realise that councils have faced significant cuts to the overall grants they receive from central government - with further cuts planned for the coming years.
However a higher figure of 5%, before a referendum is triggered, has become a factor this time round because of the introduction of the social care precept.
In 2015, former chancellor George Osborne announced several policies to provide additional funding for adult social care in response to complaints that the sector was facing a funding crisis.
One of the policies was the social care precept. Originally, it would have allowed councils to impose an additional 2% council tax increase each year from 2017 for three years, with the extra money being ring-fenced for adult social care.
In other words, it would have increased the threshold for a local referendum from 2% to 4%.
In December 2016, the Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid announced a change to the social care precept.
Instead of being able to impose an extra 2% increase for each of the next three years, councils will be able to impose an extra increase of up to 3% in each of the next two years. In other words, the referendum threshold for the next two years is 5%.
As before, councils can still only impose an additional 6% in total over the next three years, but the change allows them to front load the cash. It doesn't mean they can make bigger increases overall.
A further complicating factor is that the 3% precept doesn't apply to the whole of your...

Summary: The Local Government Information Unit has warned that lots of local authorities in England are planning to raise council tax next year.
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Article: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the highest level of income growth in 2013 was in rural areas, especially in Scotland.
Disposable incomes grew faster in the Borders, West Cumbria and the Western Isles than in Kensington and Chelsea.
But residents of central London remain easily the richest in the country.
Westminster had the highest level of disposable income anywhere in the country, at an average of £43,577 per person.
Residents of the four wealthiest boroughs in London had more than twice the income of the average UK resident, which was £17,559.
Gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head grew by 5.2% in the Borders, and 5.1% in both West Cumbria and the Western Isles.
By contrast, residents of Kensington and Chelsea, like those in Hammersmith and Fulham, saw incomes rise by 3.7%.
GDHI measures the amount of income people have left after paying taxes and receiving benefit payments - the amount they can actually spend.
But many areas of the UK also saw falls in GDHI in 2013.
Parts of north-east London were the worst affected, including Redbridge and Waltham Forest, where incomes fell by 3.8%.
Other parts of the UK with fast-falling incomes were South Nottinghamshire, Manchester, Luton, Enfield and York. Residents of all these areas had a decline in incomes of more than 3% between 2012 and 2013.

Summary: People living in the Scottish Borders have seen the fastest rise in disposable incomes of anywhere in the UK, according to new figures.
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Article: Some 80 prison officers refused to begin their shift at 07:30 GMT, instead holding a meeting, the BBC understands.
They returned to work shortly after 09:00 GMT.
Prison officers are not permitted to strike and could have faced legal and disciplinary action if they had refused to return to work.
There was no industrial action at Northern Ireland's two other jails, Magilligan near Limavady and Hydebank in south Belfast, prison service sources told the BBC.
Staff in Magilligan held a meeting authorised by the prison service and then started work.
Maghaberry Prison, near Lisburn, houses long-term sentenced and remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions.
A Northern Ireland Prison Service spokesperson said some Maghaberry staff had taken "unauthorised action for a short time" on Friday morning, but that the prison regime had since returned to normal.
"Discussions have been taking place in recent months between Northern Ireland Prison Service and Department of Justice senior managers and the trade unions on a 2016 pay award for prison grades," said the spokesperson.
"The minister has met the Prison Officers' Association and advised them that she is in discussions with her ministerial colleague, the finance minister."

Summary: Dozens of prison officers at Northern Ireland's high-security Maghaberry prison have delayed starting work in a dispute over pay and conditions.
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Article: The SNP's John Wallace won the Ayr East ward after the vote on Thursday.
Turnout for the by-election was 34.4%, with 4,006 votes cast out of an electorate of 11,638.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Corri Wilson, who was elected as SNP MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock earlier this year.

Summary:


A graduate jobseeker has spoken of her horror at being called a "home-educated oddball" by a prospective employer.

Article: Data showedthat more cases are now being diagnosed. While women are living longer after a diagnosis, the total number of deaths has also increased.
It has been argued that rising levels of obesity were behind the rise.
Cancer Research UK said the finding was "hugely troubling".
Cancer of the womb is the fourth most common cancer in women and tends to occur after the menopause.
From the 1970s to 1996 the incidence of womb cancer stayed roughly the same at about 13.7 cases for every 100,000 women in the UK. It now stands at 19.6 per 100,000, a 43% increase.
Survival rates have improved with 77% of women now living at least five years after treatment. However, deaths have gone up.
In the past decade the mortality rate has gone from 3.1 to 3.7 deaths from uterine cancer for every 100,000 women. In 2010, 1,937 women died from the cancer.
Prof Jonathan Ledermann, a gynaecological cancer expert at the charity, said: "It's hugely troubling that more women are dying from womb cancer, but we shouldn't let this cloud the fact that the chances of surviving the disease are still better than ever.
"This is due to better organisation of care for women's cancers and more widespread use of one-stop clinics for post-menopausal bleeding, as well as advances in the use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy through clinical trials."
Rachael Gormley, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: "Womb cancer is one of several types of cancer where there is strong evidence that obesity increases risk. Others include breast, bowel, oesophageal, pancreatic and kidney.
"As levels of obesity rise, we can expect the number of cancer cases to also increase.
"Taking steps to avoid becoming obese, such as eating a healthy diet and being active each day, is one of the most important things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer."

Summary: The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 18% in the past decade, according to the charity Cancer Research UK.
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Article: "Right now, I can imagine the press releases being cranked out," he said. "We need more guns, they'll argue. Fewer gun safety laws. Does anybody really believe that?"
Mr Obama cited polls that find "the majority of Americans understand we should be changing these laws".
A mid-July survey by the Pew Research Center seems to support his claim. Almost 80% of respondents backed laws preventing the mentally ill from purchasing firearms, and 70% were in favour of a national gun-sale database.
Those numbers don't really mean much, however. What does matter is the opinion of members of the US Congress - and that legislative body is overwhelmingly against further gun regulation.
This disposition of Congress is a reflection of the disproportionate power of less-populated states in the Senate, the conservative-leaning composition of the current House congressional map and a Republican primary process that makes officeholders more sensitive to vehemently pro-gun-rights voters within their party.
Congress doesn't have to represent the views of the majority of Americans, at least as expressed in opinion surveys. It represents the views of Americans who go at the polls on Election Day and the simple majorities in the voting districts in which they cast their ballots.
In the Senate - which currently has 54 Republicans and 46 Democrats (or Democratic-supporting independents) - the individual state populations are the key. The votes of Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi in pro-gun Wyoming (population 584,153) have the same weight as gun-control-backing Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer in California (population 38.8 million).
And when it comes to the most divisive proposal queried in the Pew poll - a ban on assault weapons that is supported by 70% of Democrats but only 48% of Republicans - just seven states, including California, have enacted similar measures for their jurisdictions. The large majorities backing gun control in Illinois, for instance, are more than outweighed by pro-gun states like Alaska, Nebraska...

Summary: President Barack Obama stood in the White House briefing room and, once again, railed against those who object to increased firearm regulation.
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Article: Financier James Stunt - the son-in-law of Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone - decided to step aside after witnessing "the people's passion" to keep the painting in the UK.
The painting has now been offered to the National Portrait Gallery for £10m, down from the original price of £12.5m.
So far the campaign has raised £3.6m.
The National Portrait Gallery and the Art Fund launched the Save Van Dyck campaign in November. Since then it has received donations from more than 8,000 members of the public.
'When I agreed to buy this great portrait I didn't expect the huge swell of public opinion and the strength of emotion its export would generate," said Stunt, who had planned to hang the portrait in his Los Angeles home.
He added that he had "carefully reconsidered" his position and hoped that his withdrawal, together with the reduced price, would see the appeal succeed.
The appeal now has four months to raise the remaining £6.4m, before the deadline of 20 July.
Flemish artist Van Dyck came to work in England in 1632 at the invitation of King Charles I.
This painting, which dates back to 1640 - shortly before the artist died - has been described as "one of the finest and most important self-portraits" in British art.
The price was reduced following discussions with Stunt, current owner Alfred Bader and art dealer Philip Mould, who were impressed by the public support to keep the painting in the UK.
A joint statement from the Art Fund and National Portrait Gallery called it a "significant boost", which gave them "an improved chance of ensuring that the portrait remains on public display forever".
The work was in a private collection for almost 400 years before it was sold at auction in 2009.
It is believed to have been sold again in the interim.
When Stunt announced his intention to buy the painting, the Government issued a temporary export bar allowing campaigners time to try and save it for the nation.
The application process for an export licence has now been halted.
"Watching the public reaction to Van Dyck's...

Summary: The campaign to save Van Dyck's self-portrait for the nation has received a boost, after the billionaire art collector buying it agreed to withdraw.
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Article: Iso-propyl cyanide has been detected in a star-forming cloud 27,000 light-years from Earth.
Its branched carbon structure is closer to the complex organic molecules of life than any previous finding from interstellar space.
The discovery suggests the building blocks of life may be widespread throughout our galaxy.
Various organic molecules have previously been discovered in interstellar space, but i-propyl cyanide is the first with a branched carbon backbone.
The branched structure is important as it shows that interstellar space could be the origin of more complex branched molecules, such as amino acids, that are necessary for life on Earth.
Dr Arnaud Belloche from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy is lead author of the research, which appears in the journal Science.
"Amino acids on Earth are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are very important for life as we know it. The question in the background is: is there life somewhere else in the galaxy?"
The molecule was detected in a giant gas cloud called Sagittarius B2, an active region of ongoing star formation in the centre of the Milky Way.
As stars are born in the cloud they heat up microscopic dust grains. Chemical reactions on the surface of the dust allow complex molecules like i-propyl cyanide to form.
The molecules emit radiation that was detected as radio waves by twenty 12m telescopes at the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (Alma) in Chile.
Each molecule produces a different "spectral fingerprint" of frequencies. "The game consists in matching these frequencies… to molecules that have been characterised in the laboratory," explained Dr Belloche.
"Our goal is to search for new complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium."
Previously discovered molecules in the Sagittarius B2 cloud include vinyl alcohol and ethyl formate, the chemical that gives raspberries their flavour and rum its smell.
But i-propyl cyanide is the largest and most complex organic molecule found to date - and the only one to share the branched atomic...

Summary: Scientists have found the beginnings of life-bearing chemistry at the centre of the galaxy.
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Article: Anna Jacobs read the description by Tecomak Environmental Services in an email inviting her for interview.
Attached seemingly by accident, the comments suggested Ms Jacobs, of Horsmonden in Kent, was "worth an interview if only for a laugh".
The company said it was investigating thoroughly but added the comments had been taken out of context.
Ms Jacobs told BBC South East Today she was initially excited to be invited for the interview for a position of office administrator.
But then she saw the "absolutely awful summary" and said she was "furious".
Below the formal invitation, the e-mail from Tecomak read: "Home educated oddball. Can't get a job since leaving uni. Forages for mushrooms.
"Difficult to assess from her CV - might be very good but equally could be a biscuit short of a packet or a left-wing loon tree hugger.
"Worth an interview if only for a laugh."
Ms Jacobs said she had a lot to offer and could not believe the firm was considering wasting her time for "a laugh".
So far, she said she has received no apology or explanation from Tecomak.
Employment lawyer Richard Atkins, said all jobseekers are entitled to equal treatment when applying for positions.
"On the face of it, this e-mail does not show that she has been treated with fairness and respect," he said.

Summary:


Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and some generics companies have been fined for being anti-competitive.

Article: Special Report: The Technology of Business
Councils 'wasting millions' on IT
Tech promises sustainable healthcare
Mobile brightening Africa's future
Can we 'green' our toxic buildings?
War on waste helps businesses profit
But unplugged from the mains, they only last as long as the energy held within their batteries.
And there's the rub.
While scientists are constantly dreaming up new ways to generate and bottle energy - from rhubarb and paper to viruses and urine - commercial battery technology has changed remarkably little in the past 50 years, particularly when compared with the advances in the devices they power.
As Tim Probert, editor at Energy Storage Publishing, says: "The battery industry is pretty conservative. It says a lot that we are still using very old technology like lead-acid in batteries.
"Breakthrough technologies are great but they need a reality check - this industry is all about small, incremental improvements."
The humble AA battery has been around since the 1940s and is based on 19th Century technology. But it still has a 15% share of the global battery market, along with other alkaline batteries.
And the lead-acid battery, which is fundamental to most combustion engine-powered cars, was invented more than 150 years ago and holds a 20% share of the market.
Clearly the battery industry, which is worth almost $90bn (Â£54bn; 66bn euros) globally, is not keeping pace with innovation in consumer electronics.
Even the near-ubiquitous rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which powers most modern gadgets, was invented in the 1970s.
It has about a 40% market share.
Electric vehicle pioneer Tesla, the brainchild of serial entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk, uses so-called 18650 lithium cells - "essentially old laptop batteries", according to Mr Probert - to power its cars.
Most laptop manufacturers gave up on 18650s long ago, but Tesla believes this old tech still has a future, and even has plans to build its own "gigafactory" to produce them.
"By choosing smaller, cylindrical cells, we have been...

Summary: Mobile devices have transformed our lives, giving us the freedom to talk, work, watch and listen on the move.
###
Article: David Stokes died after being detained as part of a pre-planned drugs operation in 2013.
He was in a car pursued by police at speeds up to 130mph before his arrest and subsequent death on 19 April.
Officers from Derbyshire Constabulary believed he had something hidden in his mouth, but found no drugs.
The 31-year-old, from Birmingham, then became unwell as he was being transported to Chesterfield Police Station.
The police van was diverted to hospital where he died shortly afterwards.
An inquest into his death concluded on Friday and returned a finding of misadventure and cocaine toxicity.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which began investigating his death, has not been able to establish at what point the cocaine was swallowed.
In a statement the IPCC said it had also been "unable to make a complete determination around the duty of care afforded by officers to Mr Stokes".
"However, the investigation found no issues in relation to the use of force during his detention and no injuries were found to have caused or contributed to his death," it said.
The IPCC previously complained that eight Derbyshire police officers had refused to answer questions during the inquiry - and would only provide written statements.
Mr Stokes died after the car he was in was chased by police on the A617, near Chesterfield.
The tactical plan had been for police to "box in" the car to avoid a pursuit, and prevent evidence being disposed of.
The IPCC said the "apparent lack of a risk assessment" in the event of the plan failing was highlighted as a learning point for the force.
The watchdog's investigation report is still due to be published.

Summary: There were no misconduct issues for officers who arrested and detained a man who swallowed cocaine and then died, the police watchdog said.
###
Article: Temperatures dropped to -11.6C in Kinbrace in Sutherland where it was -12.4C at 09:00 on Tuesday.
Milder air has been forecast to arrive from the Atlantic, but bringing with it wet and windy weather.
The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings for rain falling on frozen surfaces on Thursday and heavy rain on Friday.
Thursday's warning covers large parts of southern, central and western Scotland and Friday's applies to central and southern Scotland.
BBC Scotland weather presenter Kawser Quamer said heavy rain on Friday and snow-melt could increase the risk of flooding in Dumfries and Galloway.
She said: "Last night saw the last widespread cold night for this particular wintry spell.
"There is still a frost in central and eastern areas tonight but in the west milder air seeps in from the Atlantic with some rain and strengthening southerly winds.
"This rain then spreads eastwards during the day on Thursday, with some widespread mist and hill fog - making for quite a dreich day."
She added: "But it's overnight into Friday when more significant wet and windy weather arrives from the Atlantic with much milder conditions, as daytime temperatures widely climb to double figures.
"Friday's rain could enhance flood concerns in Dumfries and Galloway."

Summary: Scotland has seen the last widespread cold night of a recent spell of wintry weather, forecasters have said.
###
Article: Delays to Common Agricultural Policy payments meant some farmers had to sell livestock to pay bills, they say.
Only 38% of England's farmers were paid on the first day possible in 2015 - in other years it had been more than 90%.
The government said major progress had since been made and it had met its 2017 target to pay 93% of farmers by March.
On 1 January 2015, the Common Agricultural Policy Basic Payment Scheme replaced the previous Single Payment Scheme - bringing with it new requirements.
The Rural Payments Agency, which distributes EU funds to farmers, went from an "all time high" - paying out 95% of farmers on day one of the scheme in December 2014 - to paying out just 38% of farmers on 1 December 2015.
By the end of March 2016, only 84% of farmers had been paid - meaning some 14,300 farmers had received no payment.
Some were still owed more than 1,000 euros (Â£850) nine months after they could first have been paid.
Delays were blamed on changes to the CAP scheme and a problematic IT system.
Applications had to be processed on paper, because an online application system was not ready, which "introduced a significant amount of errors... despite farmers submitting appropriate evidence".
And new requirements under the CAP meant the agency did not hold the more detailed level of information about what type of land farmers had.
Payments made to flood-affected farmers in North Yorkshire and Cumbria had also "lagged behind the rest of England until June 2016", the MPs said.
The Public Accounts Committee report said: "The department's record of failure when developing systems to support subsidy payments to farmers does not inspire confidence in its ability to cope with the challenges associated with Brexit that lie ahead."
It called on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to use better data and to make sure "accurate, full payments are made in a timely manner".
The committee heard that some farmers had needed to take out bank loans or sell livestock to cover their costs because payments had...

Summary: The government's failure to pay EU subsidies on time or help farmers hit hard by delays raises doubts about its ability to cope with Brexit, MPs say.
###
Article: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says GSK made more than £50m of payments to companies making generic versions of its anti-depressant Seroxat to delay them coming to market.
GSK has been fined £37,606,275 and the generic firms have to pay £7.4m.
But GSK says its actions actually saved the NHS money and brought the generic drugs to the market sooner.
The other companies fined were Generics UK, Merck, Alpharma, Activis UK and Xellia Pharmaceuticals.
The CMA found that between 2002 and 2004, GSK had made agreements to pay cash to its competitors to prevent them bringing the generic version of Seroxat, called paroxetine, to market.
In addition to the cash payments, the CMA said the deals allowed the competitors to bring small amounts of paroxetine to market instead of GSK, transferring some of the profits to the generic manufacturers without increasing competition.
Michael Grenfell from the CMA said: "Today's decision sends out a strong message that we will tackle illegal behaviour that is designed to stifle competition at the expense of customers - in this case, the NHS and, ultimately, taxpayers."
But GSK said it disagreed with the ruling and was considering appealing.
"GSK and the generics companies entered into these agreements at the time in order to settle costly, complex and uncertain patent disputes," its spokesperson said.
"The agreements allowed the generics companies to enter the market early with a paroxetine product and ultimately enabled a saving of over £15m to the NHS."
The CMA pointed out that after generic paroxetine entered the market properly at the end of 2013, average prices for the drug fell more than 70% in two years.

Summary:


The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been split two ways for groundbreaking work on parasitic diseases.

Article: Norbert Hofer's new slogan translates as "So help me God" which his party says reflects "a strong anchorage in Christian and Western values".
But leaders from Protestant churches said God was the defender of the weak, "who today include refugees".
Mr Hofer's Freedom Party has campaigned against immigration.
The Christian leaders - not including the country's dominant Catholic Church - also said God was not Western, but universal.
"God cannot be manipulated for personal intentions or political purposes," Bishop Michael Buenker said in a joint statement with other Protestant leaders (in German).
"We consider that mentioning God for one's own political interests and using him along with reference to the Christian West to indirectly attack other religions and cultures amounts to an abuse of his name and of religion in general.
"We reject the use of God for political campaigning."
In response, Mr Hofer tweeted the lyrics to the Austrian national anthem (in German), which mention God, a picture of a US dollar note  bearing the slogan "In God we trust" and a picture of the cover of a book about German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entitled So wahr mir Gott helfe.
Mrs Merkel used the optional phrase at her swearing-in ceremony. It is the exact same slogan as Mr Hofer used, and translates to "So help me God".
Mr Hofer is facing an independent Green-backed candidate, Alexander van der Bellen, in an election which is being rerun because of procedural irregularities. If he wins, he will become the first far-right head of state in Europe since the EU was founded.
In May, he lost by 31,000 votes to Mr van der Bellen, but the Freedom Party's claim of procedural irregularities was upheld in court and the election will be re-run in December. The re-run had to be postponed after an October attempt was curtailed due to postal vote envelopes not being sticky enough.
The Freedom Party said Mr Hofer's slogan had come directly from his heart.
Party official Herbert Kickl said the phrase was "in no way a misuse of the concept of God"...

Summary: Christian leaders in Austria have criticised a far-right presidential candidate for invoking the name of God in a political campaign slogan.
###
Article: There were two incidents - one in December and one last week - on the service run jointly by Translink and Irish Rail.
Translink said at no stage were any passengers in danger.
All the refurbished trains are due to be operating on the Belfast to Dublin route from the end of February.
However, the Railway Safety Commission (RSC) has issued a prohibition notice on NI Railways, banning them from operating in the Republic of Ireland.
The RSC said the notice was independent of its approval of the newly re-furbished Enterprise Trains and that the doors or door circuits were not part of the re-furbishment project.
One of the refurbished trains was unveiled by Translink in November and had been undergoing a three-month trial.
It was one of four de Dietrich trains upgraded by Translink and was described by the company as a "major milestone" in its £12.2m NI railways upgrade programme.
New livery and interiors were also included as well as a significant overhaul of the train's mechanical systems and a new electronic passenger reservation system.
In response to the latest incidents, Translink said "internal investigations have highlighted that the two door incidents are unrelated in nature and at no stage were passengers in any immediate danger".
"A technical investigation and remedial action is currently under way across the Enterprise fleet involving specialist door contractors and the train door manufacturer.
"The Enterprise train remains out of service while this is ongoing."
Translink has postponed the introduction of a new timetable for the Enterprise train service to Dublin.
An earlier 06.15 GMT Belfast departure time had been due to begin at the end of January.
But the journey time would have taken longer - almost two and a half hours.
However Translink has now said that "alternative options" are being looked at. Passengers have been consulted by Translink and Iarnród Éireann about the proposed changes.
The service is operated jointly by Translink and Iarnród Éireann.
"The companies will work together to review...

Summary: The newly-refurbished Enterprise trains have had their safety licence suspended in the Republic of Ireland after passenger doors opened mid-journey.
###
Article: Millions of other Turkish women do the same: it is estimated that at least 60% cover their heads.
Now, for the first time, almost all universities across Turkey have abandoned the official prohibition on women wearing headscarves.
The ban ended when the government issued a statement in September saying it would support any student expelled or disciplined for covering her head.
The Islamic headscarf has become a divisive symbol, which bars women from jobs and education, and came close to bringing down a government two years ago.
Yasemin can now go to her architecture classes at Yildiz Technical University for the first time without wearing a large hat or a wig to cover her hair.
"I feel happy that I don't have to stop in a mosque on the way and change into my wig," she said.
The exact status of the headscarf ban is mired in confusion.
There is no law against wearing one. Nor does the ban originate with modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, although he did discourage women from covering their heads, and passed a law barring men from wearing traditional Ottoman clothing.
The more recent ban on headscarves in universities and for public servants dates back to regulations passed by government departments in the 1980s, after the last military coup.
With leftist groups harshly suppressed, Islamic parties made strong gains among the Turkish electorate in the elections that followed, prompting a reaction from the avowedly secular military.
The university ban was only properly enforced after the military forced out an overtly Islamic prime minister in 1998.
What the regulations had in mind was not the traditional scarf, tied around the neck by peasant women in Anatolia, but the hijab, also called a turban in Turkey, which has become a symbol of pious or political Islam, worn by growing numbers of urban, educated women since the 1980s.
It is for that reason that military buildings will allow headscarfed women in if they take out the pin that holds the tightly-wound hijab in place - they have a special pin-box...

Summary: Every morning Yasemin Derbaz puts on the piece of cloth that marks her out as an observant Muslim.
###
Article: Their frequent breaching has made them well-known to dolphin watchers who regularly gather at Chanonry Point.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation field officer Charlie Phillips has been observing the firth's dolphins for more than 25 years.
He said: "The Bad Boys Club are some of the young, up and coming males."
The Bad Boys Club includes dolphins known to scientists and wildlife watchers by the names Prism, Yin-Yang, Denoozydenzy, Bodhi, Flake and Charlie.
The Moray Firth and North Sea provide habitat for the world's most northerly resident population of bottlenose dolphins.
The species is protected by European Union rules.
From Chanonry Point, where dolphins gather to hunt salmon, and other locations on the firth and also the Kessock Channel, Mr Phillips and others have also observed adult female dolphins and their young.
The animals include an adult called Zephyr and her calf.
Efforts are being made to confirm the identify of the mother of another calf.
Mr Phillips said the calf's mother could possibly be Honey, the offspring of a dolphin called Porridge and a sister to Spirtle, an animal recovering from severe sunburn caused while it was stranded on mudflats of the Cromarty Firth.

Summary: The antics of a group of young male bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth have earned them the nickname the "The Bad Boys Club".
###
Article: The research, by William C Campbell, Satoshi Omura and Youyou Tu, has led to drugs to treat diseases affecting more than 3.4 billion people around the world.
One of them, malaria, most people have heard of. But the other two illnesses, onchocerciasis or "river blindness" and lymphatic filariasis or "elephantiasis" - both caused by roundworm parasites  - are lesser known.
People catch these worms from bites from infected insects such as flies or mosquitoes.
Left untreated, the worms grow and multiply, causing disabling symptoms in their host.
The drug ivermectin kills the first larval stage of the parasite - the babies of adult female worms.
William C Campbell discovered this by studying bacteria living in soil samples obtained by Satoshi Omura from a Japanese golf course in Ito City, in the Shizuoka region.
One particular strain of bacterium, Streptomyces avermitilis, caught his eye because of its potent anti-parasitic properties.
Working with drug company Merck and Co, he then set about purifying this agent.
Since 1987, Merk (MSD) has given ivermectin away free to those countries that need it most.
Last year, it donated more than 300 million doses to treat river blindness and elephantiasis.
Meanwhile, Chinese scientist Youyou Tu had been focusing her attentions in the 1960s and 70s on finding a new treatment for malaria.
The staples quinine and chloroquine were failing because the parasite that causes malaria - Plasmodium falciparum - had learned how to evade their attack.
Disheartened by the lack of effective drugs to tackle this mosquito-borne disease, the professor turned to traditional medicine to hunt for a new option.
She found that an extract from the sweet wormwood plant Artemisia annual was sometimes effective - but the results were inconsistent, so she went back to ancient literature, including a recipe from AD350.
This ancient document - Ge Hong's A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies - recommended a handful of qinghao [the Chinese name for the plant extract] immersed in two litres of water,...

Summary:


In the summer months high on the French Alps the sheep graze on rich pastures.

Article: The clause will be included in a draft of the BBC's next Royal Charter.
Currently, the BBC only reveals the salary details of executives who earn more than £150,000, but the government wants it to go further.
But BBC Trust chairwoman Rona Fairhead said the move was not "in the long-term interests of licence fee payers".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs Bradley said publishing the salaries would bring the BBC "in line with the civil service" on transparency.
The culture secretary said it would help ensure the BBC "produces value for money for the licence fee" and that more transparency could lead to savings that could be "invested in even more great programmes".
Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman - one of those expected to be on the list - said last week she was "all for" BBC stars' earnings being disclosed because they are "working for the public".
The BBC has said releasing stars' salary details would affect its ability to attract and retain top talent and that it has already cut the amount it pays its broadcasting stars by £8m.
Mrs Fairhead said: "We don't agree with the government on everything and are disappointed with the decision on the disclosure of presenters' pay. We don't believe this is in the long-term interests of licence fee payers."
Last month, a spokesman for the corporation said publishing stars' salaries would amount to a "poacher's charter" - which would give competitors an advantage, allowing them to make better financial offers to attract talent away from the BBC.
But the corporation must now publish the salary details of all of its staff, including on-air presenters, who earn more than £150,000 - and specify which £50,000 salary band they fall in to - in next year's annual report.
Director general Tony Hall said: "Our position on talent pay has not changed and all major broadcasters have questioned the merit of the proposal.
"The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love."
The lower...

Summary: The BBC will have to name all employees and presenters paid more than £150,000 a year, culture secretary Karen Bradley has said.
###
Article: The parties announced the decision at a meeting of the new council on Wednesday evening.
Christine Simpson (Labour) was named as the new provost, and Graham Houston (SNP) as depute convener.
At the start of the meeting, a minute's silence was held to remember the victims of the Manchester terror attack.
The previous administration in Stirling was a Labour-Conservative coalition.
Most of Scotland's 32 local authorities have now formed administrations, but a few are still to reach decisions.
It was announced earlier on Wednesday that the SNP would form a minority administration in East Dunbartonshire.
West Lothian and Edinburgh councils are due to hold meetings on Thursday, after both adjourned meetings last week.

Summary: The SNP and Labour have agreed a coalition to run Stirling Council as a majority administration.
###
Article: They say Andreas Lubitz modified the automatic pilot system several times to increase the speed of descent.
The information they recovered also confirms earlier findings that Lubitz deliberately crashed the plane.
All 150 people on board died.
The plane had been flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf on 24 March.
The second flight recorder, recovered on Thursday, showed that "the pilot in the cockpit used the automatic pilot to put the plane on a descent towards an altitude of 100ft (30m)", the French BEA crash investigation agency said in a statement.
"Then several times the pilot modified the automatic pilot settings to increase the speed of the plane as it descended," it added.
Earlier findings from the cockpit voice recorder suggested Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit.
On Thursday, German prosecutors said the co-pilot had researched suicide methods and the security of cockpit doors on the internet the week before the crash.
Germanwings also said it was unaware that Lubitz, 27, had experienced depression while he was training to be a pilot.
Lufthansa confirmed on Tuesday that it knew six years ago that the co-pilot had suffered from an episode of "severe depression'' before he finished his flight training.
``We didn't know this,'' said Vanessa Torres, a spokeswoman for Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings, which hired Lubitz in September 2013.
The second "black box" recovered is the flight data recorder (FDR) which holds technical information on the time of radio transmissions and the plane's acceleration, airspeed, altitude and direction, plus the use of auto-pilot.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said it was found near a ravine and was not discovered immediately because it was the same colour as the rocks.
He said 150 separate DNA profiles had been isolated from the crash site but he stressed that did not mean all the victims had been identified.
Mr Robin added that 40 mobile phones had been also been recovered and would be analysed in a laboratory, although were "heavily damaged".
The final...

Summary: Data from the second 'black box' flight recorder belonging to the Germanwings plane that crashed in the Alps suggests that the co-pilot deliberately accelerated its descent, French investigators say.
###
Article: Proposals to axe one of Wrexham's engines were scrapped by North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority in March, until after the May elections.
The new authority is yet to rule out the cut as it sets its budget plan for the next three years.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dawn Docx said any cuts would be a "last resort".
While there are no proposals to cut front-line services, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) fears the engine will face the axe again as the authority tries to deal with budget pressures.
Cerith Griffiths, of the FBU, said the cut would force firefighters to breach safety protocols to save lives.
Under the service's safety rules, which set out how many crews should attend a particular incident - known as a predetermined response, two fire engines are needed in the event of a house fire.
Mr Griffiths said if the second engine was cut, firefighters would be forced to choose whether to wait crucial minutes or enter a burning building without back-up, putting their own lives at risk.
"When you look at Grenfell in London, firefighters broke all kinds of protocols there, if we haven't got that second engine we shouldn't be going into that property," he said.
"We have seen firefighters will push the boundaries to save someone.
"If you are waiting half an hour for the second engine, that's a long time in a situation where every second counts, that's a long time if you are trapped.
"It is putting lives in danger."
Proposals to axe one of Wrexham's two fire engines and 24 firefighter posts, to plug a Â£900,000 funding gap by 2020, were withdrawn by the fire authority in March following public opposition.
The station is the only one in north Wales with three fire engines - two full-time and one part-time engine.
The new authority is now preparing to set its own budget plans and is canvassing public opinion ahead of publishing its draft financial strategy in November.
Ms Docx said no proposals had yet been put forward, but the service was looking at ways to make savings without affecting front-line jobs.
A fire engine...

Summary: Firefighters would be forced to breach safety rules to save lives if plans to cut fire engines resurface, a union has warned.
###
Article: In the Hautes Alpes, they are currently feeding beneath ski lifts on slopes that will soon be covered by a thick layer of snow.
But this year the freedom to roam has been curtailed. Somewhere in the dark, dense forests a grey wolf is on the prowl.
The wolf was hunted almost to extinction in France in the 1930s but, protected as an endangered species, it is making a surprising comeback.
Some 200 wolves have colonised the southern regions of France, divided into about 20 packs. They are believed to have crossed from Italy in the mid-1990s and they are moving ever further north.
Lionel Serres has 250 sheep on the mountainside this summer. Each night he pens them in behind electric fences. But the wolf is a cunning predator and so far it has killed 17 of his ewes, while 10 more are missing.
Sheep spooked
On the day we met, he was busy trying to recover an ewe that had been grabbed by a wolf around the neck. Its fleece was matted, thick with blood.
"We have had lots of dead and injured sheep," said Lionel. "The flock is in a pretty sorry state. Some are lame, they are stressed, and some are so frightened they have miscarried lambs."
At night the wolf will circle the pens until the sheep are spooked into jumping the electric fences.
And so costly are these losses that in recent weeks Mr Serres has been forced to hire another shepherd, who will sleep alongside the sheep at night.
He is not the only one with concerns. So angry are the farmers in this region, that on the road to Hautes Alpes, in south-eastern France, on the border with Italy, there are huge signs painted on the road - "NO to the wolf."
Two hundred wolves might not sound like a huge problem. But this year there have been almost 600 attacks in which more than 2,000 sheep have been killed. That constitutes a rise of 20% on the same period last year.
So, under pressure from farmers and faced with an increasing number of attacks, the local prefect has finally ordered a hunt for one individual wolf thought to be doing much of the damage.
Since an...

Summary:


A new report has suggested that the number of people in work could fall by as much as a third by 2040.
The report, by the Resolution Foundation, said that the number of people in work could fall by as much as a third by 2040.
The report said that the number of people in work

A poster urging parents not to use the police to scare their children has been seen more than 3.5 million times.

Article: Exeter Chiefs chairman Tony Rowe was given the Freedom of Exeter for his outstanding services to rugby.
Mr Rowe immediately exercised his right to lead sheep through the city, draping four animals in the flags of the teams who will be appearing in Exeter.
The Chiefs are hosting three world cup games at their Sandy Park ground.
During his 20-year involvement with the Exeter Chiefs, Mr Rowe presided over the club's promotion to rugby's top flight in 2010 and the construction of the Sandy Park stadium.
Exeter City Council said it can bestow the honour on anyone who has "undertaken something which is outstanding or has helped enhance the reputation of the city".
The former Royal Marine bandsman is being recognised for his services to rugby union, which the council said has "helped promote the city around the globe".
The businessman follows in the footsteps of Exeter-based Olympic athlete Jo Pavey and Great Britain swimmer Liam Tancock, who were both given the Freedom of the City in 2015.
Sandy Park will host it's first world cup group game when Tonga face Namibia on 29 September. It will then host Namibia versus Georgia on 7 October and Italy versus Romania on 11 October.

Summary: A freeman has used his ancient right to herd a flock of sheep through a city centre to publicise the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
###
Article: They voted three-to-one in favour of ditching Arun District Council but only 435 people (2.8%) turned out.
The Parish Poll was proposed by town councillor Jan Cosgrove who said cutting districts and boroughs would save millions of pounds.
But fellow councillor Adam Cunard said the poll cost Â£20,000 and was a "complete waste of time".
He said turnout was "disastrous" and predicted Arun "would take very little notice".
The council's Chief Executive Nigel Lynn said the result was non-binding and would be considered in the context of "the lowest ever recorded turnout in Arun's history".
Mr Cosgrove said it would have been higher if the campaign was longer.
Voters were also in favour of merging Bognor's six parish councils and a seafront regeneration plan, which was recently rejected by Arun councillors.
A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said: "The government is willing to listen to any proposals which deliver better local services, greater value for money and stronger local leadership."

Summary: Hundreds of people in Bognor Regis have voted to abolish their district council in a non-binding referendum.
###
Article: MSPs on the finance committee will look at what the new Scottish rate of income tax (SRIT) should be set at when it comes into effect next year.
The new powers are part of the 2012 Scotland Act.
The move means the UK Treasury will deduct 10p from standard and upper rates of income tax in Scotland, with MSPs then deciding how to raise cash.
The committee will also consider if companies and individuals are prepared for the introduction of the new levy in April.
The new powers will mean people north of the border could potentially pay a higher or lower rate than taxpayers in the rest of the UK.
As part of its work scrutinising the 2016-17 budget, the finance committee will consider what the extra cash raised could be spent on if the SRIT is higher than 10p.
They will also look at how any reduction in the SRIT could be funded from the Scottish budget.
Committee convener Kenneth Gibson said: "From next year, revenue from the Scottish rate of income tax will be a significant part of the money spent on Scotland's public services.
"There are key decisions to be made on the level the Scottish rate should be set at and how taxpayers and employers are informed about the introduction of SRIT."
He added: "It is important for the finance committee to scrutinise the introduction of this new power and I would encourage people to submit their views to inform the committee's inquiry."
Earlier this week a new Scotland Bill was published by the UK government.
The 76-page document outlined the Conservative government's plan to give tax-raising powers to Scotland.
It follows recommendations made by the cross-party Smith Commission which was set up to look at devolving more powers.

Summary: The use of new powers to raise or lower income tax in Scotland is to be considered by a Holyrood committee.
###
Article: An analysis for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has suggested that workers under the age of 30 may not get a pension until the age of 70.
A second report, by John Cridland, proposes that those under the age of 45 may have to work a year longer, to 68.
The government is due to make a decision on both reports by May.
Ministers are under pressure to address the expected rise in the cost of pensions, which stems from longer life expectancy and the increasing ratio of pensioners to workers.
But at least six million people face the prospect of having to work longer.
Reality Check: Is lack of cash making women work past 70?
"This report is going to be particularly unwelcome for anyone in their early 40s, as they're now likely to see their state pension age pushed back another year," said Tom McPhail, head of retirement at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"For those in their 30s and younger, it reinforces the expectation of a state pension from age 70, which means an extra two years of work."
In an extreme scenario, experts from the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) said the state pension age could be raised as high as 70 as soon as 2054.
Under existing plans, the state pension age is due to rise to 68 for those born after 1978.
The "extreme" scenario involves an assumption that people spend 32% of their adult life in retirement. The conventional assumption until now has been that people will spend 33.3% of their lives in retirement.
In the worst-case situation, the GAD calculations also suggest that the change in the retirement age from 67 to 68 could be pulled forward by as much as 16 years.
So while that increase is not due to happen until 2044, it could be brought in as soon as 2028, affecting those now in their late 50s.
Former pensions minister Steve Webb was highly critical of the GAD's scenario.
"This is not what parliament voted for and is clearly driven by the Treasury.  It is one thing asking people to work longer to make pensions affordable, but it is another to hike up pension ages because the...

Summary: Two separate reports for the government have raised the possibility that millions of people may have to work longer to qualify for a state pension.
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Article: The poster features an officer and a message to parents asking them not to use the threat of the police when disciplining their children.
Durham Constabulary wants children to see officers as people who can help rather than simply law enforcers.
And the force's poster has been shared more than 47,000 times and liked by almost 35,000 people on Facebook.
A force spokesman said: "Children should be taught from an early age that if they feel like are in danger and they need help, they can approach an officer who will reassure them."
However, the poster has divided opinion on Facebook.
Jeff Rowse said: "Telling them they will go to jail if they are bad is wrong how? Surely that is the major reason for having a police force? And jails?"
In response Paul Parry said: "Telling a three-year-old that if he doesn't eat his dinner the policeman will come and take him to jail isn't true and will only serve to instil fear into that child.
"The police shouldn't be used to reinforce bad parenting."
Others were more taken with the officer, with several people asking for him to be moved to their local force or saying they would happily go to him for help.

Summary:


A Swaledale ram has been promoted to the rank of soldier.
The Swaledale ram, who is officially classed as a soldier, received his promotion for "good behaviour".
He is the 30th in a line of mascot rams running back to the Indian Mutiny War in the mid-19

A sheep which is the mascot of a British Army regiment has been promoted at a ceremony marking its formation.

Article: Tropical forests are being cleared for rubber plantations, putting endangered birds, bats and primates at risk, say UK researchers.
By 2024, up to 8.5 million hectares of new rubber plantations will be needed to meet demand, they report in Conservation Letters.
This could have a "catastrophic" impact on wildlife, they warn.
Species such as the endangered white-shouldered ibis, yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and clouded leopard could lose precious habitat, said the team led by Eleanor Warren-Thomas, from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia.
"The tyre industry consumes 70% of all natural rubber grown, and rising demand for vehicle and aeroplane tyres is behind the recent expansion of plantations. But the impact of this is a loss of tropical biodiversity," she said.
"We predict that between 4.3 and 8.5 million hectares of new plantations will be required to meet projected demand by 2024. This will threaten significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas."
Eight-point-five million hectares is about the size of the land area of Austria.
Rubber is the most rapidly expanding tree crop within mainland Southeast Asia.
Concern has been growing among conservationists that switching land use to rubber cultivation can harm soil, water and biodiversity.
The first review of the effects on biodiversity and endangered species found the problem was comparable to oil palm and was linked to the growing tyre market.
The study focussed on four biodiversity hotspots in which rubber plantations are expanding:
It found that numbers of bird, bat and beetle species can decline by up to 75% in forests that have been converted to rubber.
The researchers, from UEA and the University of Sheffield, are calling on tyre manufacturers to support initiatives such as certification schemes.
Commenting on the study, Dr Matthew Struebig of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK,  said certification standards for the rubber industry were key to protecting...

Summary: The global demand for rubber tyres is threatening protected forests in Southeast Asia, according to a study.
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Article: The book, set 20 years after the events of Mockingbird, is guaranteed to be a summer bestseller.
The discovery of the novel was announced in February and hailed as the literary sensation of the decade.
One of the revelations in the new book is that the much-loved character of Atticus Finch is painted a racist "bigot".
Here is a round-up of reviews from the past few days.
"Go Set a Watchman" is a distressing book, one that delivers a startling rebuttal to the shining idealism of "To Kill a Mockingbird." This story is of the toppling of idols; its major theme is disillusion.
Teachers of American literature have been handed a fascinating potential course comparing and contrasting the pair, while there is clearly opportunity for a new movie of To Kill a Mockingbird combining the two genres most beloved by modern Hollywood - remake and sequel - within a structure of interlocking flashbacks that are the most fashionable form of movie narrative.
Until then, Go Set a Watchman shakes the settled view of both an author and her novel. And, unless another surprise for readers lies somewhere in her files, this publication intensifies the regret that Harper Lee published so little.
Because the action takes place 20 years later than the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, it feels like a sequel. But really, it's more like a ghost: The spectre of Lee's restless, ardent thoughts in progress.
The main source of shock will be the transformation of Atticus, now 72, into a racist.
This is not an easy book. It is a story about coming of age, brutally, into a changing world.
It is a story about putting aside childish beliefs and certainties. It is a story of acceptance â€” self-acceptance most of all.
But reading it, we can begin to see how far we have already come towards Scout's dream of equality and how far we still have to go.
Even with its weaknesses, Go Set a Watchman's voice is, at its best, beguiling and distinctive, and reminiscent of Mockingbird, and its similarity in style might finally end the speculation that Lee's...

Summary: More than 50 years after To Kill A Mockingbird was published, Harper Lee's second novel Go Set A Watchman has gone on sale around the world.
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Article: To find out what this new generation cares about most, BBC Pop Up partnered with the smartphone app Yik Yak, whose audience is 98% millennial.
Before the election we asked: "How will Canada's election affect you?" Below is a selection of the most "upvoted" responses.
We also posted a poll: "What's the number one issue that will decide your vote?"
Thousands of "Yakkers" responded and the result - shown here - was the economy, followed by energy and the environment.
Finally, on election day, we asked:  "Who would be the best leader for young people?
Outgoing Conservative leader Stephen Harper was the least-preferred candidate.
The NDP's Tom Mulcair was 1.07 times more popular, and the new PM Justin Trudeau won 2.7 times more "upvotes". But he was not the winner of this poll.
So just who was the favourite choice of millennial voters? "None of the above".
Are you a young Canadian who voted for the first time at this election? Tell us what influenced how you voted?
Contact us via Twitter @bbcpopup, Facebook BBC Pop Up, or email: bbcpopup@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: As Canada elects one of its youngest ever prime ministers, Justin Trudeau, what are the hopes and dreams of young voters for this new era?
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Article: National Trust staff took on the challenge to care for St Michael's Mount on an island off Cornwall.
Gardeners have to weed the 50m (160ft) walls of the 12th Century castle three times a year.
The four-strong team of gardeners at the medieval church and castle keep the walls clear of unwanted vegetation and allow the desired plants to flourish.
Lottie Allen, head gardener, said: "Abseiling has become an important skill to complete essential strimming and planting of the many nooks and crannies within the cliff face where plants grow in spite of the salty winter storms and baking summer temperatures."
Ms Allen said the weeding allowed plants such as aloes and aeoniums to thrive and flourish.
"It is a thrilling and unique experience to tend these gardens which are designed to be viewed from above," she said.
"On a personal note, abseiling allows me to appreciate the spectacular views of our gardens across the seasons and in all weathers."

Summary: Gardeners have abseiled down the walls of a historic castle to complete essential weeding work.
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Article: Private Derby XXX was promoted to the rank of lance corporal at an event in Chester marking eight years of the Mercian Regiment.
He was awarded his honour by the colonel of the regiment, Brigadier Andrew Williams.
The Swaledale ram, who is officially classed as a soldier, received his promotion for "good behaviour".
He is the 30th in a line of mascot rams running back to the Indian Mutiny War in the mid-19th Century.
The first Private Derby was acquired in 1858 by the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot and became the mascot of the Mercian Regiment when it formed in 2007.
Lance Corporal Derby XXX joined the regiment in February 2014.
He has his own army number, gets paid to buy his rations and takes his holidays during the mating season on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire.
During his career, Lance Corporal Derby XXX has also helped switch on the Christmas lights in Ashbourne and met Prince William at the unveiling of a memorial commemorating the 1914 Christmas Truce.

Summary:


A register of patients in England with breast and other cosmetic implants has been set up to allow them to be traced in the event of any safety concerns.

Article: His rival Ted Cruz swept the board in that state, where delegates are selected by senior party activists.
Mr Trump is still well ahead in the Republican race but if he does not get 1,237 delegates in the state-by-state contests, he could lose out anyway.
A winner could well emerge from a contested convention in July.
In that scenario, many of the delegates can back who they want to after the first ballot, opening the door for Texas Senator Mr Cruz or even the third candidate in the race, John Kasich.
Senior Republicans have voiced concern about Mr Trump's chances of winning in November's general election, and oppose his hardline views on immigration.
Next week New Yorkers get the chance to pick their nominees in the Republican and Democratic contests, in a pivotal moment in the process.
But on Monday, Mr Trump, a New York businessman, told Fox News he was angry about the way Mr Cruz had won all the delegates in Colorado.
"They weren't given a vote. It's a crooked deal. The system is rigged, crooked. That's not the way democracy is supposed to work."
Delegates are party members with the power to vote for each candidate at the party conventions held in July, where the nominee is formally confirmed.
In the modern political era, most states have opted to hold state-wide primaries or caucuses to determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
But Colorado decided to select its delegates in a different way, at its own state convention.
His new campaign manager Paul Manafort accused the Cruz campaign of "Gestapo tactics" in how they had persuaded delegates to support him.
Mr Trump told a rally on Sunday that the person who wins the most votes in the primary process should automatically be the nominee.
"What they're trying to do is subvert the movement with crooked shenanigans," he said.
He also revealed that only one of his three children residing in the state of New York will be able to vote.
"They didn't register in time," he said. "So they feel very, very guilty."
One of Mr Trump's most...

Summary: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has described as "rigged" the way the US state of Colorado picks its presidential nominee.
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Article: It is a sign of the depth of regal displeasure.
It's the Sun headline, "Queen Backs Brexit" which is both toxic and very troubling to an institution which prides itself on remaining above the political fray.
But the course of action the palace has now embarked upon brings with it risks.  It's a far cry from the "never complain, never explain" mantra once deployed by officials in the past.
The letter to the press watchdog ensures that the Sun story continues to be debated.
And there continues to be a focus on what the Queen chose very deliberately to do four days before the Scottish referendum.
When she told a well-wisher in 2014 "I hope people will think very carefully about the future", it was interpreted as support for Scotland remaining within the UK.
It was a planned remark the Queen and her senior advisers may come to regret.

Summary: It is unusual for the Queen to take action against a newspaper.
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Article: The code allows local councils to demand that builders meet high environmental standards on energy, water, materials, waste and pollution.
Developers argue that it has put up costs, and ministers plan to get rid of the code and fold some standards into national building regulations instead.
The Environmental Audit Committee says this will bring higher bills.
The committee also argues it will reduce standards to the lowest common denominator.
The Code for Sustainable Homes is voluntary, but it has been employed by many local authorities to drive up standards on installing renewable energy; minimising the surface water run-off that exacerbates flooding; and protecting local wildlife.
It uses a one to six star system to rate the overall sustainability performance of a new home.
Committee chairman Joan Walley said: “The Secretary of State should think again before demolishing the Code for Sustainable Homes. It has been a big success in driving up home building standards.
“Hundreds of thousands of homes have to be built in the coming decades. Smart energy and water saving measures – which will ultimately save homeowners money on their bills – must become the norm if we want our homes to be fit for the future.”
The government has reviewed the code to ensure value for money and to unravel some of the tangle of rules and guidance that perplexes builders.
The MPs’ inquiry found that the government's plans failed to take into account the declining costs of fitting clean energy technology to homes.  They also complain that the separate 2016 zero carbon homes standard has been successively watered down.
“The coalition agreement promised that the government would ‘return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils’, but this decision bulldozes local choice in favour of a one-size-fits-all approach designed to benefit developers who want to build homes on the cheap,” Ms Walley said.
John Slaughter, director of external affairs at the Home Builders Federation, said the committee had not probed the issue...

Summary: A house-building code that reduces bills for energy and water should not be diluted, MPs say.
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Article: Waymo, set up by Google owner Alphabet, is taking legal action against Otto, Uber's self-driving vehicle unit that it bought last year for $700m.
The lawsuit argues that former Waymo manager Anthony Levandowski took information when he left to co-found a venture that became Otto.
Uber said it took the allegations seriously and would review the matter carefully.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr Levandowski "downloading 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files" during his time as a Google employee.
"We believe these actions were part of a concerted plan to steal Waymo's trade secrets and intellectual property," Waymo said.
Alphabet created Waymo earlier this year as a way of bringing self-driving technology - which Google has been working on for years - to market.
In a blog post detailing the action, Waymo said it was a difficult move to bring the legal action.
"Our parent company Alphabet has long worked with Uber in many areas, and we didn't make this decision lightly," the blog said.
"However, given the overwhelming facts that our technology has been stolen, we have no choice but to defend our investment and development of this unique technology."
The technology in question is LiDAR, a laser-based radar system that helps the self-driving cars "see" what is around them.
In court documents filed on Thursday, Waymo alleges one of its employees was recently copied in to an email intended for Otto's staff. Attached to the email were said to be machine drawings of Otto's LiDAR circuit board.
"Its design bore a striking resemblance to Waymo's unique LiDAR design," Waymo said.
"We found that six weeks before his resignation this former employee, Anthony Levandowski, downloaded over 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files for Waymo's various hardware systems, including designs of Waymo's LiDAR and circuit board.
"To gain access to Waymo's design server, Mr Levandowski searched for and installed specialised software onto his company-issued laptop. Once inside, he downloaded 9.7 GB of Waymo's...

Summary: Uber is being sued for stealing trade secrets and technology from Google.
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Article: The move comes after faulty Poly Implant ProthÃ¨se (PIP) silicone breast implants were recalled in 2010, affecting thousands of women.
The inclusion of individual patients' details will not be mandatory.
However, all providers of breast implant surgery will be expected to participate in the scheme.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We want the NHS to be the safest healthcare system in the world and anyone who chooses to have a cosmetic procedure has the right to safe care.
"The PIP breast implant scandal in 2010 affected thousands of people which is why we asked NHS Digital to develop a new register which will allow people to be traced swiftly if that is ever needed."
As a result of poor record-keeping following the PIP scandal, many women were unable to find out if they had been given the faulty implants.
In some cases, because surgery providers had gone out of business, women who received the implants could not be traced.
The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry - which will be managed by NHS Digital - will include patients treated by both NHS and private providers.
And participation in the registry will be noted during Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
The registry will be expanded in the future to also cover other cosmetic implants, such as buttock or calf implants.
It is expected to record more than 20,000 cases of implant surgery every year and allow complications with specific implants to be picked up.
Providers will be expected to submit data on patients via an online portal.
Explicit consent from patients will be required to add their details to the registry - and this is in addition to the usual consent for the surgical procedure.
Noel Gordon, chair of NHS Digital, said the registry marked a major step forward in improving patient safety for people who undergo breast implant surgery each year.
"We look forward to working with patients and providers to ensure that the benefits of this important registry are delivered."
The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic...

Summary: