The US has said it is suspending talks with Russia over Syria, accusing Moscow of having "failed to live up" to its commitments under a ceasefire deal.

Article: With more than 80% of contested seats now declared, Aung San Suu Kyi's party has more than the two-thirds it needs to choose the president, ending decades of military-backed rule.
A quarter of seats are automatically held by the military, meaning it remains hugely influential.
Under the constitution, Ms Suu Kyi cannot become president herself.
Despite this, the election was seen as the first openly contested poll in Myanmar - also known as Burma - in 25 years.
Analysis: Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Yangon
Next stop for Aung San Suu Kyi are talks with President Thein Sein and the army Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. They are likely to happen in Nay Pyi Taw next week.
There is plenty to discuss and Ms Suu Kyi is likely to try and reassure them that her government will be inclusive, and not purely made up from her NLD party.
Then there is the thorny issue of the upcoming "lame duck" parliamentary session. Incredibly, the members of the old pre-election Burmese parliament are due to gather next week for a final session that runs until the end of January.
It has full powers to pass legislation and with the vast majority of the MPs having been booted out on Sunday this could be an opportunity for all manner of consequence-free political skulduggery.
Only once the "lame duck" session ends will the new NLD-dominated parliament gather. It will immediately choose a new speaker, quite possibly Ms Suu Kyi, before selecting two vice-presidents and a president.
By early Friday, the NLD needed two more votes to reach the threshold required for a majority.
Then at midday, the electoral commission said the party had taken 348 of the 664 seats in the two houses of parliament. This represents a two-thirds majority of the contested seats.
With votes still being counted, the NLD's tally rose to 369 seats later in the day. The final tally is not expected for several days.
Confirmation of the victory came exactly five years since Ms Suu Kyi was released from house arrest by the military.
The process of choosing a new president will...

Summary: Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy has won a landslide election victory, officials say.
###
Article: The impressions were made when some of our distant relatives walked together across wet volcanic ash.
Their makers, most likely Australopithecus afarensis, appear to have had a wide range of body sizes.
Scientists say this gives clues to how this ancient species of human lived.
Australopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived and best-known early human species.
The fossil of "Lucy", a young adult female who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago, is perhaps the most famous individual.
The newly discovered footprints may have been made by a male walking with smaller females.
"This novel evidence, taken as a whole with the previous findings, portrays several early hominins moving as a group through the landscape following a volcanic eruption and subsequent rainfall. But there is more," said lead researcher Prof Giorgio Manzi, director of the archaeological project in Tanzania.
"The footprints of one of the new individuals are astonishingly larger than anyone else's in the group, suggesting that he was a large male member of the species.
"In fact, the 165cm stature indicated by his footprints makes him the largest Australopithecus specimen identified to date."
In 1976, preserved footprints thought to be made by Australopithecus were discovered at a site in Laetoli, Tanzania.
At 3.66 million years old, they are the oldest documented bipedal footprint trails.
Now, the discovery of a second set of footprints has been revealed in the journal, eLife.
"Now that we've found a new set of footprints it opens up a completely different window and there could be a number of new possibilities to study what is a photograph in time of the everyday life of this species," said Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi of the University of Florence.
The tracks were found during excavations for a museum only 150m south of the original discovery.
The researchers, based in Italy and Tanzania, think the two sets could belong together, giving clues to the lifestyle of Australopithecus.
"A tentative conclusion is that the group consisted of one male,...

Summary: Footprints made by early humans millions of years ago have been uncovered in Tanzania close to where similar tracks were found in the 1970s.
###
Article: A specialist panel found sufficient evidence to link the chemical, already banned in the EU and the US, to a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Lindane is still used in some developing countries.
And it is an ingredient in some head lice and scabies treatments used in some countries, including China, India, the US and Canada.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) panel also concluded that another insecticide, called DDT, was "probably carcinogenic to humans".
And it classified a third insecticide called 2,4-D as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Most uses of DDT have been banned since the 1970s, but the IARC says exposure to DDT still occurs, mainly through diet.
This is because DDT and its breakdown products are highly persistent and can be found in the environment and in animals.
Since its introduction in 1945, 2,4-D has been widely used to control weeds in agriculture, forestry, and urban and residential settings. Occupational exposures to 2,4-D can occur during manufacturing and application, and the general population can be exposed through food, water, dust, or residential application, and during spraying, says the IARC.
The Lancet Oncology journal has a summary of the full evaluation.
Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC said the evidence on lindane and cancer was largely based on studies among agricultural workers that showed a consistent, approximately 50% increase in risk, with higher risks in heavily exposed agricultural workers.
"This agricultural usage of Lindane has been severely restricted starting in the 1970s and current general population exposure is mainly through the diet or when treated for scabies or lice. There are currently no epidemiological studies to quantify the lymphoma risk from these exposures."

Summary: The insecticide lindane causes cancer in humans, says the World Health Organization after conducting a review.
###
Article: The popstar's likeness was painted in a famous graffiti-covered laneway alongside the name "Taylor Smith".
It appeared earlier this week amid the Bad Blood singer's escalating feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
The mock memorial now has a cartoon face scrawled over it and the words "In loving memory of Harambe", the gorilla shot dead by zookeepers in the US.
Swift's row with Kardashian - largely over whether she gave the latter's husband permission to reference her in a song - is seen by many as having hurt her career by damaging her "nice girl" image.
The artist of the original work, Lushsux, had originally posted a photo of the mural on Instagram with a caption: "The recent passing of @taylorswift is heart wrenching. Come and leave some flowers and light some candles at her memorial in Hosier Lane in honour of her memory."
The "Smith" was an intentional typo designed to ward off "the pending defamation lawsuit".
He later said "Taylor Smith's" lawyers had contacted him threatening legal action if the mural was not removed.
Then on Wednesday, it was defaced, though it was not clear who did it.
Lushsux does not have plans to restore the artwork to its former glory.
"Hosier Lane is notorious for this kind of thing," he told the Herald Sun newspaper. "Got to just laugh about that I guess."
Earlier this year, Lushsux attracted headlines for installing an enormous nude portrait of Kim Kardashian that was then partially painted over by council workers.
"The workers who did it got a laugh out of it by painting a bra on the work or the shape of panties," he told the BBC. "I think it just added to it in a fun way. Bless them."
Taylor Swift is currently on holiday in Australia with British actor Tom Hiddleston. The couple have been branded Hiddleswift by fans.
Lushsux said that he was not trying to make a statement about Swift or her music but just having fun.
"I thought that song Born This Way was by her," he said. "Turns out I was wrong, so maybe that's an indication on how deep my knowledge of her life and music is."

Summary: A mural in Melbourne apparently proclaiming "the death" of Taylor Swift has been painted over.
###
Article: Atari, the company behind some of the most popular early video games, has filed a suit alleging Nestle knowingly exploited the game's look and feel.
The advert showed a game similar to Breakout but where the bricks were replaced with single Kit Kat bars.
Nestle said it was aware of the lawsuit and would defend itself "strongly" against the allegations.
Breakout was created as a successor to "Pong" by Apple founders, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.
In the advert, which is titled "Kit Kat: Breakout", a row of people, of varying ages and appearance, share a sofa and play a video game during their work break. In the game depicted, a primitive paddle moves side-to-side to bounce a ball into a collision with the horizontal bars ranged across the top of the screen.
Atari alleges that the similarity with its original game "is so plain and blatant that Nestle cannot claim to be an 'innocent' infringer".
The legal complaint against Nestle, filed in a San Francisco court on Thursday, claims that the Swiss chocolate maker had hoped to exploit "the special place [Breakout] holds among nostalgic Baby Boomers, Generation X, and even today's Millennial and post-Millennial 'gamers'".
Nestle's spokesperson said: "This is a UK TV advert that ran in 2016. The ad no longer runs and we have no current plans to re-run it.
"We are aware of the lawsuit in the US and will defend ourselves strongly against these allegations."

Summary: Kit Kat's maker Nestle has been accused of copying Breakout, the 1970s computer game, in a marketing campaign.
###
Article: Washington blamed Russia and the Syrian government for intensifying their attacks against civilians.
Last week, the US warned it would halt the talks unless Moscow stops bombing the city of Aleppo.
Russia said it regretted the US move, accusing it of shifting the blame for the collapse of last month's truce.
Aleppo, Syria's largest city in the north, has come under heavy aerial bombardment since the end of the ceasefire two weeks ago.
The main trauma hospital in the rebel-held eastern part of the city was hit in an air strike for the third time in a week, activists said on Monday.
Hundreds of people, including children, have died since government forces launched an offensive to take full control of Aleppo after the week-long truce lapsed.
Some 250,000 people are trapped in eastern Aleppo.
In a statement, state department spokesman john Kirby said: "The United States is suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the cessation of hostilities.
"Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments... and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed.
"Rather, Russia and the Syrian regime have chosen to pursue a military course," Mr Kirby said, admitting that "this is not a decision that was taken lightly".
He said Moscow and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops had been "targeting of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in need, including through the 19 September attack on a humanitarian aid convoy".
Moscow strongly denies involvement of its own or Syrian planes in the deadly aid convoy strike, and says the incident was caused by fire on the ground and not by an air strike.
In response to the US suspension of the talks, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We regret this decision by Washington."
"Washington simply did not fulfil the key condition of the agreement to improve the humanitarian...

Summary:


A man has been arrested after a man suffered "potentially life-changing" injuries when a harmful chemical

The UK Wife Carrying Championships have a winner!

Article: Sterling has fallen sharply against the euro, meaning southern shoppers can get much better value in northern shops.
It shows that since the vote, south-to-north traffic flows from 10:00-11:00 on Saturday are up from 3% year-on-year before the vote to 29% year-on-year.
The border-crossing data was gathered by Ireland's National Roads Authority.
The largest increase in the opposite direction is 18:00-19:00 on a Sunday, which analysis from Goodbody Stockbrokers suggested possibly reflected a return from a weekend spent in Northern Ireland.
While the overall impact on consumer spending in the Republic would be relatively modest, "the economic impact on border counties could be significant", said Goodbody Chief Economist Dermot O'Leary.

Summary: There has been a surge in Saturday morning shoppers travelling to Northern Ireland from the Republic since the EU referendum, road traffic data suggests.
###
Article: Sally Smith claimed she was dismissed by Papworth Hospital in 2014 after fracturing her foot.
Addenbrooke's Hospital, which gave her a job, later learned she was actually sacked over competency concerns.
Ms Smith, who admitted dishonesty, was banned from practising by the Nursing and Midifery Council (NMC) On Tuesday.
Live: For more on this and other Essex stories
After she was dismissed by Papworth, Ms Smith was also placed on a conditions of practice order by the NMC. One of the conditions was that she had to disclose that conditions had been imposed on the way she worked.
However the NMC conduct panel heard Ms Smith had "deliberately concealed the details" of this order because she feared she would not "secure a role if you were honest".
She was taken on as a staff nurse at Addenbrooke's in April 2016 but was suspended three months later after telling her line manager she was the subject of a conditions of practice order.
Ms Smith, who had also failed to disclose her past when seeking agency work, told the conduct panel she "accepted" she "had been dishonest in respect of all the charges".

Summary: A nurse who "deliberately concealed" the reasons for a previous dismissal when applying for a hospital job has been struck off.
###
Article: Media playback is unsupported on your device
15 October 2014 Last updated at 13:18 BST
The steppe eagle flew 45 times over the Brecon Beacons wearing a miniature rucksack packed with scientific instruments.
The experiment showed that by collapsing his wings in heavy wind, Cossack can fly in conditions that would have grounded an aircraft.
Scientists say birds such as vultures and kites may use the same technique.
During each "wing tuck" Cossack's wings are, for a split-second, folded beneath his body so that he is effectively falling. This occurs up to three times a minute in some conditions.
Study leader Professor Graham Taylor, from Oxford University's Department of Zoology, said: "Soaring flight may appear effortless but it isn't a free ride...it also puts an enormous strain on its flight muscles."
He compared the technique to suspension on a car stopping a disturbing ride.
The 75g (3 oz) "black box", which does not interfere with flying, tracks his position and records acceleration, rotation rate and airspeed.
Prof Taylor believes the lessons learned from Cossack could be useful to human aviation.
"This kind of technique could potentially be used to keep micro air vehicles aloft even in very windy conditions," he said.

Summary: An eagle called Cossack has been fitted with a "black box" to reveal his secret weapon against turbulence.
###
Article: Ms Sturgeon, also set to become Scotland's first female first minister, pledged to ensure more powers were delivered to the Edinburgh parliament.
She also announced plans to hold a series of rallies across Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon, currently deputy SNP leader, will take up her new job at the party's November conference.
The move came after Mr Salmond's decision to stand down as SNP leader and first minister after the vote against independence in September's referendum.
Ms Sturgeon told the BBC she would have "relished" a leadership contest, but said she was "honoured" to have been chosen by the party as its leader.
Asked what she would do if the Westminster parties failed to deliver more powers for Scotland, Ms Sturgeon responded: "If Westminster renege on those promises, then it is not a case of what I will do to them - it is a case of what the Scottish people will do.
"The Scottish people would ensure [Westminster parties] would pay a heavy, heavy electoral price."
Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon said her tour of Scotland would begin on 29 October in Edinburgh and end on 7 December in Aberdeen.
The series of rallies - which includes a stop-off in November at Glasgow's 12,000-capacity SSE Hydro - are aimed at the 50,000 new members the SNP has signed up since last month's referendum.
"Our new members bring a new energy and dynamism - and not just to the SNP," Ms Sturgeon said," adding: "They are also a potent force who can help Scotland progress as a country.
"I am looking forward to meeting as many of our new recruits as possible and sharing with them my vision for the future."
It may have been more of a coronation than a competition but, after years of speculation, we can now say that Nicola Sturgeon will be the next leader of the Scottish National Party and, by association, Scotland's next first minister.
The "No" vote in September's independence referendum was a bitter blow for the SNP, but Ms Sturgeon is now trying to show her party's ready to move on from defeat.
How will she do that? First up, with a pledge to...

Summary: Nicola Sturgeon will succeed Alex Salmond as leader of the SNP, after becoming the only person to put her name forward for the job.
###
Article: Police called to Bramble Road in Witham, Essex, on Friday found a man had been burned on the face and hands.
A spokesman said they could not say which of two suspected attackers was in custody for "investigative reasons".
Last week police said they wanted to question two men about the attack and on Sunday released an e-fit.
Police said the 56-year-old victim had gone down to collect his post from the communal entrance to the block of flats when he encountered two men banging on the door.
A spokeswoman said it was now thought he was in "the wrong place at the wrong time" and "was not the intended target of this attack".
The victim is receiving treatment at the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
"The two suspects are described as a white man and a black man and if anyone saw them either in the area prior to this attack or afterwards we would urgently like to speak to them," a spokeswoman said.

Summary: A 19-year-old man has been arrested after a man suffered "potentially life-changing" injuries when a harmful chemical was thrown over him.
###
Article: 18 March 2014 Last updated at 09:22 GMT
Richard Blake-Smith and his partner Anna beat Vytautas Kirkliauskas of Lithuania, carrying his wife, Neringa Kirliauskiene.
Rich said: "We put in a whole week's work, running around the athletics track near where we live - and it's paid off"
"We were pushed hard, especially by the Lithuanians there."
Competitors must tackle a 380-metre course, hurdling over haystacks, scrabbling up a steep slope, and dodging water pistols.
You don't need to be married to take part.
The race saw all combinations of competitors - men carrying women, men carrying men and one woman carrying a woman.
Rich and Anna will now compete at the World Championships in Finland in July.

Summary:

Article: {{document}}

Summary: ||| {{target}}


Hungary traces its history back to the Magyars, an alliance of semi-nomadic tribes from southern Russia and the Black Sea coast that arrived in the region in the ninth century.

Article: Transforming Your Care (TYC) was a plan to change how services are delivered.
But the programme has only realised £28m of the £130m saving anticipated.
In a report the Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly, said the pace of change is not what was envisaged.
This is the first time officials have commented on the management and delivery of the programme, which was published in 2011.
While acknowledging it was an ambitious shared vision, Mr Donnelly said the programme has so far not achieved what it set out to do.
"The impact of TYC has been much more limited than expected and the hoped-for shift of services from hospitals into people's own homes has not happened as rapidly as had been intended," he said.
The message "could do better" rings loud and clear from the report.
It is the first official confirmation of what many health professionals have been saying for some time about TYC.
According to Mr Donnelly, that is because there was no action plan, funding or leadership to help deliver it.
"A precise action plan had not been established at the outset of the programme setting out clear, measurable aims and objectives together with an appropriate set of performance indicators for assessing its performance," he said.
However, the auditor also stresses the importance of having leadership to drive the process forward. In fact, the report says "leadership of the highest order will be vital in moving the reform process forward".
The core objective of TYC was to shift the delivery of services away from hospitals and into the community to allow more people to be cared for in the community and at home.
It would also allow for funding to be transferred from hospital to community care.
But that clearly has not happened.
While the plan was to reallocate £83m of resources from secondary care to primary/community by March 2016 - instead that figure has been closer to £65m.
There are huge obstacles in the way of delivering health and social care and that is also acknowledged by the Auditor General.
Mr Donnelly said the scale and...

Summary: A lack of planning and funding has meant the biggest overhaul of the health service in Northern Ireland for decades has not had the expected impact.
###
Article: Just weeks before polling day on 10 April, two leading candidates were barred from the race by Peru's national elections watchdog.
Another candidate, Gregorio Santos, is running for president from a prison cell.
He is currently awaiting trial for alleged criminal conspiracy during his tenure as governor of Peru's Cajamarca region.
But it is the identity of the front-runner that is proving most controversial.
Keiko Fujimori, 40, is the daughter of incarcerated ex-President Alberto Fujimori.
When she was still in her twenties, she acted as First Lady after her parents divorced.
Opinion polls suggest she has a strong lead and her supporters say she connects with a wide range of Peru's population.
"Over the past four years, she has travelled to 80% of Peru's districts and provinces in order to understand the reality of life in our country," says Luz Salgado, a member of Congress for Ms Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party.
But it is her father's legacy, rather than her current campaign, which makes Keiko Fujimori such a divisive figure and which prompted thousands of people to take to the streets of Lima on Tuesday in protest against her candidacy.
In 2009, her father Alberto Fujimori was convicted of human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
His government also brought in a controversial sterilisation programme in the 1990s, aimed at controlling Peru's birth rate.
Hundreds of thousands of women and men were sterilised under the policy, with human rights groups saying that as few as 10% might have given their consent.
But many credit Alberto Fujimori with transforming Peru's economic fortunes after his election in 1990.
When he left office in 2000, the country's gross domestic product had doubled to $50bn (Â£35.5bn), according to figures from the World Bank.
In addition to these economic reforms, Mr Fujimori's government led the fight against rebel groups such as Maoist group Shining Path, which earned him a reputation for being a tough advocate of national security.
Keiko Fujimori's campaign has...

Summary: Peruvians are accustomed to political scandal, but this year's presidential campaign has raised eyebrows even in a country where trust in politicians is increasingly low.
###
Article: Kim Davis, an elected official, has said that her Christian faith should exempt her from signing the licences.
If she interferes with her deputies, federal Judge David Bunning said she could be jailed for defying the court.
The US Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal in June.
After she was released on Tuesday, Ms Davis greeted a large crowd of supporters as the song Eye of the Tiger blared on a nearby speaker system.
"I just want to give God the glory. His people have rallied, and you are a strong people," she said with her lawyer, Mat Staver, and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee by her side.
Mr Staver said on Tuesday she would return to work this week.
He would not say whether Ms Davis would interfere with her deputies but said "she would not violate her conscience".
Two federal courts and the US Supreme Court have ruled against Ms Davis after she repeatedly refused to issue marriage licences since June.
Ms Davis, a Democrat who serves Rowan County, a rural area in eastern Kentucky, was found in contempt of court on Thursday and jailed.
"God's moral law conflicts with my job duties,"  Ms Davis said on Thursday. "You can't be separated from something that's in your heart and in your soul."
The following day, several of her deputies began issuing marriage licences to couples.
It is unclear whether the Judge Bunning's latest order will resolve the dispute.
On Thursday, Judge Bunning offered a compromise where Ms Davis could avoid jail if she agreed not to interfere with her deputies, but she refused.
Because Ms Davis is an elected official, she cannot be fired. She could be impeached by the Kentucky legislature, but the body is not in session.
In support:
In the middle:
Against:

Summary: A US judge has released a Kentucky official from jail so long as she does not interfere with her deputies when they issue marriage licences to gay couples.
###
Article: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled 24 measures on Monday which he said would help Australia transform into a "dynamic, 21st Century economy".
Many of the measures are focused on supporting entrepreneurial businesses.
But there are also proposed changes to immigration, and investments in science and maths education.
Analysis: Jon Donnison, BBC News, Sydney
A$1.1bn is a lot of coin to shell out for a government that came to power promising it would cut the deficit. But apart from that it's hard to see too many downsides to today's announcement.
Up to now Australia has had a pretty mediocre ranking in terms of money spent on innovation. The current Global Innovation Index  rates the country only 17th in the world and only 5th in the Asia Pacific Region. A billion dollars plus over four years should do something to address that.
It's an acknowledgement, at least on paper, that Australia cannot rely on its mineral wealth forever although this money will likely not have an impact quick enough to address the current slowdown in the mining boom, which has been so damaging to Australia's economy.
Many will also see this as a rebuke to Malcolm Turnbull's predecessor Tony Abbott who in the eyes of his critics launched "a war on science" slashing funding to many of the scientific bodies towards whom Mr Turnbull is thrusting wads of cash today.
The announcement is Mr Turnbull's first major economic policy plan since becoming prime minister in September.
He said that unlike a mining boom, a creative boom "can continue forever, it is limited only by our imagination".
He said companies which embrace innovation were "more competitive, more able to grow market share and more likely to increase their employment".
Immigration rules will also be changed to encourage entrepreneurs to relocate to Australia, and bankruptcy laws will be softened to encourage enterprises to take risks.
"The more high-quality, effective, productive enterprising entrepreneurs we can attract, the better. Because they drive jobs," said the prime...

Summary: Australia's government has announced a A$1.1bn (£530m, $801m) innovation plan to replace the faltering mining boom with an "ideas boom".
###
Article: Brainwaves were interpreted by a computer, which then controlled the electrical stimulation of his leg muscles.
The US study, in the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, showed he was able to walk just under four metres with support.
Experts said maintaining balance was an issue that needed to be addressed.
A spinal cord injury prevents the flow of messages from the brain. However, the brain is still able to create messages and the legs are still capable of receiving them.
The researchers at the University of California, Irvine, used a brain-computer interface to bypass the damage in a man who had been paralysed for five years.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) cap read the activity of the man's brain and his initial training was to control a virtual person or avatar in a computer game.
Electrodes were then placed on leg muscles and the patient began training to move his own legs.
When he thinks of walking then the muscles are simulated to alternately move the right and left legs until he stops thinking about walking.
One of the researchers, Dr An Do, said: "We showed that you can restore intuitive, brain-controlled walking after a complete spinal cord injury.
"This non-invasive system for leg muscle stimulation is a promising method and is an advance of our current brain-controlled systems that use virtual reality or a robotic exoskeleton."
Dr Mark Bacon, from the charity Spinal Research, told the BBC: "This is an interesting early-stage study.
"What makes this interesting is the move out of the virtual realm by activating lower-limb muscles in a walking pattern.
"In that regard they have been successful. However, independent over-ground walking is still some way off, not least because the issue of maintaining balance hasn't yet been addressed."

Summary: A paralysed man has regained some control over his legs using a device that reads his brain, scientists say.
###
Article: After centuries as a powerful medieval kingdom, Hungary was part of the Ottoman and then Habsburg empires from the 16th century onwards, emerging as an independent country again after World War I.
The Hungarian language belongs to the Finno-Ugric family and is one of the handful of languages spoken within the European Union that are not of Indo-European origin.
A landlocked country, Hungary is home to Lake Balaton, the largest in central Europe, and to a large number of spa towns and hot springs.
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
It has especially rich traditions in folk and classical music and was the birthplace of numerous outstanding performers and composers, including Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly.
Hungary became co-equal partner with Austria in a dual monarchy in the mid-19th century after an unsuccessful revolt against the Habsburgs in 1848. After a period of turmoil following World War I, an independent kingdom of Hungary was established under the authoritarian regency of Admiral Miklos Horthy.
The redrawing of European borders that took place after World War I left about five million ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries. Their status remains a sensitive issue and has complicated Hungary's relations with its neighbours.
Following World War II, in which Admiral Horthy had allied himself with Germany, Hungary fell under communist rule. An uprising in 1956 was crushed by Red Army forces, but Hungary did later become the first Eastern European country to gain some economic freedom.
Hungary played an important part in accelerating the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe when it opened its border with Austria in 1989, allowing thousands of East Germans to escape to the West. Just a few months later the Berlin Wall was history.
Hungary's post-communist economic transition was achieved relatively smoothly. Within four years of the collapse of communism nearly half of the country's economic enterprises had been transferred to the private sector, and by 1998 Hungary...

Summary:


Donald Trump has called off a rally in Chicago after protests against the Republican presidential front-runner led to violent clashes.

Article: The deadline for members of the public, interest groups and institutions to send their proposals to the Smith Commission closed at 17:00 on Friday.
Provisional numbers showed it had received 14,000 emails and letters from the general public.
And it had received more than 250 submissions from institutions.
The commission, headed by Lord Smith of Kelvin, is currently considering greater autonomy for the Scottish Parliament in the wake of September's "No" vote on Scottish independence.
Lord Smith said: "When I accepted the invitation to lead the commission I was determined to make sure that the public and Scotland's civic institutions would have the chance to have their say.
"I believe we have undertaken a broad ranging programme which has been as extensive as it was possible to achieve in the time available.
"I have been delighted by the response and want to thank the many individuals and organisations who worked hard to make substantial and thoughtful submissions."
He said the political parties would have the chance to reflect on the submissions before any decisions are made.
Lord Smith added: "They will be given full access to all submissions and we will shortly hold a dedicated session of all-party talks to discuss them."
Trade unions, charities and industry bodies have made submissions and Lord Smith has held a number of meetings around the country to discuss the proposals.
The commission was set up after David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg made a vow in the run-up to the referendum that there would be further substantial devolution if Scotland rejected independence and stayed in the UK.
But Lord Smith - who recently chaired the organising committee for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - has stressed it is not solely the three main Westminster parties who will be involved in the negotiations.
The SNP are represented on the Commission by Finance Secretary John Swinney and MSP Linda Fabiani; Labour by Holyrood finance spokesman Iain Gray and Westminster shadow pensions minister Gregg McClymont; the...

Summary: The commission set up to discuss further devolution to the Scottish Parliament has received more than 14,000 submissions.
###
Article: Prime Minister David Cameron will promise to keep Britain "on the road to a brighter future", while Labour's Ed Miliband will pledge "a government that will put working people first".
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will offer "stability and decency".
Polls suggest no party will win enough seats for an outright majority.
BBC deputy political editor James Landale said politicians, pollsters and the media were struggling to read the election, leading many to focus on what might happen if there is an uncertain result.
"As such, Thursday might not be the end of the process," he said.
"It might just be the calling of the half-time whistle."
In other general election news:
The leaders have been criss-crossing the country in their battle buses as they attempt to drum up support ahead of Thursday's poll.
Mr Cameron is heading to north west England, Scotland and the Midlands, while Mr Miliband is visiting Conservative-held marginal seats in the north of England.
Mr Clegg, who set off from Land's End on Tuesday, is heading to John O'Groats through Scottish constituencies his party is hoping to retain.
The prime minister, whose Conservative Party won 307 seats in 2010, will renew his attack on the possibility of a minority Labour government propped up by the Scottish National Party (SNP) and try to dissuade voters tempted by the Liberal Democrats or UKIP.
The British people will make "their most important decision for a generation", he will say.
"When you go into the polling booth tomorrow - know this: your vote really can make a difference.
"You can deliver a stable government and have a secure future, but only if you vote Conservative and for me as your prime minister."
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
Mr Miliband is looking to improve on the 258 seats Labour won in 2010 under the leadership of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
He will say voters face a "clear choice" between "a government that puts working people first, or one that works...

Summary: Party leaders and candidates are making a last-ditch grab for votes on the final day of campaigning before the general election polls open.
###
Article: Warnings have been issued in more than 40 provinces in Spain, with a red alert for the southern city of Cordoba.
Neighbouring Portugal has also placed four regions on an orange alert, the second highest level possible.
Both countries have warned that the searing heat will substantially increase the risk of forest fires.
Nearly all of Spain faced an "extreme" or high risk of forest fires on Monday.
"These are not usual meteorological phenomena," said a spokesperson of the country's national weather office, as quoted by the AFP news agency.
They warned that the exceptional temperatures posed "a very high level of risk for the population".
The Spanish cities of Cordoba, Seville and Toledo were some of the worst affected on Monday. Temperatures were expected to reach up to 44C in some areas.
In Seville, some people jumped off bridge to swim in the city's Guadalquivir river to try and escape the heat, according to AFP.
Spain's Guardia Civil urged people to drink at least three litres (five pints) of water a day and to avoid eating hot meals.
The heatwave is expected to spread, prompting concern in France and in the UK.
In 2003, a heatwave led to 70,000 more deaths than usual across Europe.
"I don't think this heatwave will have the same consequences as the one in 2003 because we weren't as prepared at that time," said French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal.
The high temperatures are expected to last at least until the end of the week.
The body's normal core temperature is 37-38C.
If it heats up to 39-40C, the brain tells the muscles to slow down and fatigue sets in. At 40-41C heat exhaustion is likely - and above 41C the body starts to shut down.
Chemical processes start to be affected, the cells inside the body deteriorate and there is a risk of multiple organ failure.
The body cannot even sweat at this point because blood flow to the skin stops, making it feel cold and clammy.
Heatstroke - which can occur at any temperature over 40C - requires professional medical help and if not treated immediately, chances of...

Summary: A heatwave in Spain and Portugal has triggered alerts across the region, with temperatures soaring above 40C and warnings of risks to residents' health.
###
Article: Kathleen Privett, 93, has decided to close the hairdressers in Drayton, Portsmouth, which her father started in 1945.
Mrs Privett said she would miss the "personal contact" with customers, who often shared secrets about their lives.
She said: "It won't sink in for a while. I expect I shall have a little cry."
Widowed at the age of 28, she took over Maison Drayton in Havant Road when her father, Samuel Whitmore Smith, died in 1962.
She worked with her daughter Barbara Evans, 70, and daughter-in-law, Pat Privett, 68, who have also decided to retire.
Mrs Privett said she stopped cutting hair because of her osteoporosis 10 years ago but had not closed the salon until now because of her love for the business.
She said: "It's the customers who make it. The things that people told you, that you can't share.
"How a few of them end up with divorce, the illnesses they've got. They become more than a customer."

Summary: A hairdresser has spent her final day at the salon she has worked in for the last 72 years.
###
Article: It comes after rival chain Tesco launched its own device, which has sold 300,000 units since it went on sale in September.
Both tablets have 7in (18cm) screens and use the Android operating system. Aldi's Medion Lifetab costs just under £80 while Tesco's Hudl sells for £119.
A spokesman for Aldi said the tablet was completely sold out in all stores.
"Specialbuy" promotions such as the one used to advertise the Lifetab were limited "only until stocks last", he added.
Both the Aldi and Tesco devices face competition from several 7in tablets already on the market including Google's Nexus 7 and Apple's iPad mini. These devices are more expensive, ranging from £199 to £350.
Argos also entered the market with its MyTablet, which launched in October.
Customers opting to buy the cheaper tablets available from the supermarkets would be looking for something different than those who bought the more expensive versions on offer from the likes of Google and Apple, said IDC's research director for mobile devices, Francisco Jeronimo.
"The biggest selling point here is definitely the price," he said. "Tablets are becoming very popular."
"The larger screen size gives entertainment on the move to users, which is becoming very popular among commuters and children.
"However, most parents don't want to spend £300-£500 on a device that will mainly be used to play games, to watch movies and a few other educational applications," he added.
Aldi's Lifetab has 8GB of built-in storage, and a 1.6GHz quad-core processor. In comparison, the Tesco Hudl has 16GB of built-in storage with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor.
The arrival of the Hudl, the Lifetab and the MyTablet are seen as important in gaining share of the tablet market in the run-up to Christmas.
Almost six million tablets were sold in the first half of 2013.
IDC estimates that 25% of tablets shipped to the UK between July and September were under £120 and it expects this to grow over the next few years.
While this is not seen as a move to position Aldi as a consumer electronics...

Summary: A "low-cost" tablet that went on sale at the supermarket chain Aldi over the weekend has already sold out.
###
Article: Hundreds of protesters gathered at the venue at the University of Illinois at Chicago hours before Mr Trump was due.
Inside the auditorium, fighting broke out between supporters and protesters, who waved flags and chanted.
A statement from Mr Trump's campaign said the candidate decided to postpone the event after meeting with police.
In pictures: Chicago rally hit by protests
What Trump says about protesters at his rallies
However, a Chicago Police Department spokesman said the force had not recommended that Mr Trump postpone the rally.
The clashes began more than an hour before the event was due to start, and continued after it was cancelled, minutes after Mr Trump was to have appeared.
There were chants for Mr Trump from his supporters and for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders from some of the protesters.
There were several violent clashes sparked by Trump supporters attempting to wrestle flags from protesters.
One protester had to be physically removed from the stage by what appeared to be a Secret Service agent.
Violent clashes continued outside the venue, with helicopter footage showing chaotic scenes as police attempted to control the large crowds.
One protester, student Ali Alhechimi told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper: "This is a victory. This is an absolute victory. I want to thank everyone who showed up."
The full statement from Mr Trump's campaign read: "Mr Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight's rally will be postponed to another date.
"Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."
Speaking to Fox News after the events, Mr Trump denied using hate speech or playing any part in fostering division.
"I represent a large group of people that have a lot of anger," he said. "There is tremendous anger out there on both sides."
Discussing the decision to cancel the rally, he said: "I think it was a very good thing we did, I...

Summary:


The first pine marten born and bred in Wales as part of a recovery project has been caught on camera.

Article: Cavick House Farm in Wymondham, Norfolk, had been relying on the good will of customers to pay the correct amount for their eggs.
David and Julie Barber keep 16,000 hens and decided to sell eggs direct to the public to boost the income they get from supplying supermarkets.
But they were losing about Â£150 a week in stolen eggs.
Mrs Barber said it was "a shame" so many people were choosing not to pay.
She said: "We ran the honesty box for about seven years in our little egg shed but in the last couple of years the figures haven't been adding up.
"We were seriously thinking about stopping the sales altogether but we decided to keep selling to our loyal customers."
Previously, customers were invited to help themselves to eggs and leave the appropriate amount of money in the box, but an estimated 40% of the produce was not being paid for.
Packs of eggs are now kept in individual vending machine boxes which are only unlocked after payment.

Summary: A family-run egg farm has installed a vending machine because so many people were abusing its honesty box system.
###
Article: This will be the first time that the duke has taken on the role of a university chancellor.
The university's vice-chancellor Bob Cryan said the duke had showed a "real commitment" to student projects in digital skills and entrepreneurship and had become a "regular visitor".
"This is much more than a ceremonial appointment," said Prof Cryan.
The Duke of York will be formally installed later this month, when actor Sir Patrick Stewart steps down.
The relationship between Prince Andrew and the university goes back to 2001, said a university spokesman.
It began with a charity project and then developed into support for the university's entrepreneurship schemes, with the duke formally becoming the university's patron in 2013.
The university says the duke has also met alumni in Vietnam and Indonesia.
"When he visits us and talks to students who are launching businesses, his grasp of detail and his ability to get to the heart of an issue are always highly impressive," said Prof Cryan.
"Also, he has consistently taken an interest in the University of Huddersfield and the progress that we are making."

Summary: The Duke of York is to get a new title, chancellor of the University of Huddersfield.
###
Article: A House of Lords committee was told the devices were also being flown in protected airspace and that officers found it difficult to identify the people responsible.
The warning came from Ch Insp Nick Aldworth, of the Metropolitan Police, who is part of a nationwide group tasked with looking at the issue.
Civilian use of the aircraft, which can be legally flown, is increasing.
Drones, which are officially known as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, range in size from small craft operated by enthusiasts, TV companies, police forces and surveyors and weighing a few kilograms, to larger military versions.
Smaller ones can be flown without special permission although restrictions apply if they are used in congested areas or near people's homes.
The Lords Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment Committee has been holding an inquiry into their use by civilians.
Ch Insp Aldworth said the devices, which he described as "things that fly and do not have pilots in them", could be used in a "reckless" or "malicious" way.
Baroness O'Cathain, the committee chairwoman, said a number of concerns about privacy had been raised, but Ch Insp Aldworth said this was not a police matter as there was no criminal privacy law.
However, he said other legislation could be used, for example laws banning voyeurism, in the event of drones with cameras "hovering outside people's bedrooms for whatever nefarious reasons".
Footage posted posted on the internet was the most common way of drone use coming to light, he said, and the peers were told of the difficulties of finding the people responsible.
If a drone "whizzes past your window and catches something that you would rather it didn't catch", he said, it was difficult to catch the person flying it unless the police arrived immediately.
Ch Insp Aldworth said his group's task was to find a "sensible application" of existing laws to control the use of the drones.
He said there was no doubt drones had been used in London and around the UK, pointing to footage posted of football stadiums...

Summary: Unmanned drones are "undoubtedly" being used to harass people, police say.
###
Article: The university is blaming several factors including the uncertainty caused by Brexit for the decision. The proposed job cuts could affect both academic and support staff.
The university said it hopes to cut the posts by finding volunteers, but trade union Unite fears there could still be compulsory redundancies.
As well as its Edinburgh campus, it has two sites in Scotland and two overseas.
The university said Brexit had created uncertainty for prospective postgraduate students from EU countries.
Gillian McKay, Unite regional officer, said: "Our members at Heriot-Watt are in a state of shock.
"We know that every university in Scotland is facing a difficult time, but there was no indication that the situation at Heriot Watt was so desperate.
"We are extremely angry that the university decided not to give any advance warning to Unite or the other unions about these cuts.
"We have a recognition agreement in place with Heriot-Watt, and the management have a legal duty to properly consult with us.
"That simply hasn't happened - and we've been handed a decision that looks as if it's already made."
Professor Richard A Williams, principal and vice-chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said: "The need to change our financial forecasts are as a result of a number of factors - both at home and abroad - coming together this year.
"We are immensely proud that for the last 15 years we have always worked within a financial surplus, but this year we need to re-adjust our financial forecasts, and that will require savings to be made.
"Heriot-Watt University is distinctive by being a global university.
"The major downturn in the oil and gas sector has had an impact on us, and on some of our activities.
"But we are focused on working across our five campuses in Edinburgh, Galashiels, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia to maximise our opportunities in each of our distinct locations."
He added: "The strategic development of the university will continue to ensure delivery of key plans that are already in place that support our distinctly...

Summary: Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has said it plans to cut about 100 jobs.
###
Article: The higher education legislation had been intended to make higher fees dependent on improved teaching.
But this will now not be implemented until 2020-21 - and until then universities can make inflation-linked increases without any link to quality.
Fees will increase to Â£9,250 this year.
Student loans to pay for the higher fees are already going to be subject to a sharp increase in interest rates - rising from 4.6% to 6.1% from the autumn.
The Higher Education and Research Bill had faced a large number of amendments in the House of Lords, but a series of compromises has seen the legislation passed by Parliament before shutting down for the election.
The legislation had been intended to allow universities to increase fees as long as they could show they were offering high quality teaching.
A framework for measuring teaching quality is to be introduced, but the link with fees will not come into force for another three years.
Until that time, any university that is part of the plans to measure teaching quality - which is almost all universities - will be able to put up fees each year in line with inflation.
An independent review of this "teaching excellence framework" will begin in 2018 - with the aim of annual increases becoming dependent on teaching quality from 2020-21.
Universities had campaigned for overseas students not to be included in migration targets.
Although this proposal has been rejected, universities believe that a longer-term deal could still be achieved, saying there is an agreement to look again at the data on overseas students and migration.
Dame Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK, said she was encouraged by proposals for a "refreshed international engagement strategy".
Universities anticipate that the status of overseas students could be reconsidered as part of wider reviews of migration during the Brexit negotiations.
The university sector also supported compromises which will set a higher bar for new institutions to gain powers to award degrees and to be given a university...

Summary: Almost all universities in England will be able to introduce annual increases to tuition fees until 2020, in a deal pushing legislation through Parliament before the general election.
###
Article: Its mother was among the first group of 20 relocated to mid Wales from Scotland in 2015.
Pine martens were once common in Wales but were thought to be close to extinction by the 20th Century.
"Evidence of breeding in Wales is very exciting," said Hilary Macmillan from the Vincent Wildlife Trust, a mammal conservation charity.
"This is proving that they are breeding successfully in Wales."
The mother of the baby pine marten - also known as a kit - gave birth about a month ago, must have bred while in Wales to have become pregnant last year.
Others among the relocated group gave birth last year but they would have become pregnant after mating prior to their move south.
However, not everyone is please to see the animals return, with one landowner in Ceredigion dubbing the predator a "killing machine".
So far, 39 pine martens have been relocated to mid Wales in the last two years with a further 20 expected this autumn.
The kit was filmed by trust volunteer Huw Denman as it climbed a tree at its den site.

Summary:


International shark experts are arriving in Egypt to help investigate the attacks off the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that have baffled local officials.

Article: The airline posted a better-than-expected operating profit of €816m (£613m), compared with a €129m loss for 2014.
The results sent shares up more than 10% to €8.22 in late trading in Paris.
However, the company warned that lower ticket prices would erode the benefits of cheaper fuel this year.
"The global context in 2016 remains highly uncertain regarding fuel prices, the continuation of the overcapacity situation on several markets, and the geopolitical and economic context in which we operate," Air France-KLM said.
Cheaper oil reduced the annual fuel bill by 6.7% to €6.18bn, with a 20% fall in the fourth quarter, although existing hedging contracts limited some of the savings.
The November terror attacks in Paris cut revenue by an estimated €120m in the fourth quarter as tourists stayed away from the French capital.
Despite the attacks, revenue for the three months to 31 December rose 2.2% to €6.3bn.
The airline is cutting labour costs and restructuring its network to compete with fast-growing Gulf airlines and European low-cost carriers.
Air France-KLM lowered net debt by €1.1bn to €4.3bn and pledged to reduce the figure further this year.
Chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said the company continued to negotiate new agreements with staff to improve its competitiveness.
Last year, the airline was embroiled in often bitter talks with staff as it sought to impose its "Perform 2020" growth plan.
In October, six workers were arrested after staff ripped off executives' shirts in an angry protest over 2,900 planned redundancies.
That figure was later revised down to 1,600 voluntary departures by the end of 2017, union officials said.
Air France-KLM pays 30% of overall revenue in wages, compared with 24% for Lufthansa and about 12% for a budget airline such as Ryanair.

Summary: Air France-KLM returned to profit in 2015 for the first time in four years, helped by lower fuel costs and higher passenger numbers.
###
Article: More than Â£2.3m was pledged to the Zano project by more than 12,000 people, but it never got off the ground.
The freelance journalist Mark Harris will try to enlighten investors and the public about the company's failure.
Torquing, the firm behind the project, shut it down in November without fulfilling its promises.
Mr Harris said he had been commissioned by Kickstarter to investigate the project "from its inception to the present" in order to "help the backers... get the information they are entitled to under their agreement with the project creator".
Zano was Europe's largest project to be funded on Kickstarter - a site on which prospective investors can find companies that require funding.
"The primary audience for the story is the 12,000+ backers of the project, although I will also make the story publicly available once I've completed it, most likely in the middle of January," Mr Harris wrote on his page on blog-publishing platform Medium.
He said that Kickstarter had asked him to look into what happened to the money and investigate the project's progress, as well as looking into any mistakes made by Torquing, which is based in Pembroke Dock in Pembrokeshire, so that future projects could learn from them.
He said he would also be "looking into Kickstarter's role in the project and whether it could have served Zano's creators or backers better throughout".
Mr Harris wrote that he was being paid up front by Kickstarter to write the report. And, while the firm would get sight of it before publication, it would have "no right to make any suggestions or changes to my copy", he said.
He added: "I have no other connection to the company, nor to anyone on the Zano team and have no particular axe to grind."
Kickstarter confirmed that it had commissioned Mr Harris and that the details on his Medium page were accurate.
A spokesman told the BBC: "It's OK for Kickstarter creators to take on big ideas and fail, but we expect transparency and honesty along the way.
"The backers of the Zano project deserve a full...

Summary: The crowdfunding site Kickstarter has hired a journalist to investigate the demise of a mini-drone project that failed, despite record funding.
###
Article: The locks were introduced after VR fans made software called Revive that let people move or port Oculus games on to the HTC Vive.
A software update for the Oculus Rift released over the weekend has stripped out the software controls.
Revive developers said they were still in "disbelief" about the change.
Oculus worked closely with many studios and developers to ensure that there was a significant library of games available for owners of its Rift headset when it launched in March.
Many of these games became available on the rival HTC Vive via the Revive software which was released in April this year - soon after the headset itself went on sale.
Shortly afterwards, Oculus sought to thwart Revive by updating its core software to carry out a headset check to ensure a Rift was being used to play the games.  The decision stood at odds with statements by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey who said it did not want to succeed by "locking" people into using only its hardware.
Online, many VR headset owners criticised Oculus's efforts to keep people playing games with only its headset.
The developers behind Revive sought to get around the Oculus check to ensure games still ran - though some users reported problems because each headset uses different types of controllers to let people play with objects in virtual worlds.
The headset check has now disappeared from the software needed to get the Oculus working. The change was noticed by Revive developers who posted a message about the update on their page on the Github code-sharing website.
In a statement to tech news site Ars Technica, Oculus confirmed that it had stripped out the headset checks and added that it would not use them in the future.
It added: "We believe protecting developer content is critical to the long-term success of the VR industry."

Summary: Virtual reality pioneer Oculus has removed software locks that stopped people playing games made for its Rift headset on a rival device.
###
Article: Excavations at Tintagel Castle have also revealed they imported bowls from Turkey and glass goblets from Spain.
Findings from a dig last year have been released this week, as archaeologists return to the site to find out how people lived more than 1,000 years ago.
The first research excavations at the castle in decades unearthed finds from the late 5th and 6th Centuries.
This included the discovery of a rubbish dump where they found a cod cranial bone, animal bone fragments and oyster shells which suggest they were eaten by the early kings, experts said.
English Heritage's properties curator, Win Scutt, said the finds painted a "highly evocative picture".
"It is easy to assume that the fall of the Roman Empire threw Britain into obscurity, but here on this dramatic Cornish cliff top they built substantial stone buildings, used fine table wares from Turkey, drank from decorated Spanish glassware and feasted on pork, fish and oysters," Mr Scutt said.
"They were clearly making use of products like wine and oil contained in amphorae traded from the eastern Mediterranean."
The Tintagel Castle Archaeological Research Project is a five-year scheme with two seasons of excavations at the castle.
As part of the latest excavations they found a number of "extremely interesting" iron artefacts including potential hunting paraphernalia from the late and post-Roman periods.

Summary: Early Cornish kings feasted on oysters, roast pork and fine wine, archaeologists have found.
###
Article: Caf pledged support to the Bahraini on Friday while overlooking the candidacy of Africa's only entrant, Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa.
Bility, a onetime candidate in the Fifa race himself before being excluded on eligibility grounds, says he is backing Prince Ali of Jordan.
I have been in contact with 26 African FA presidents and none will vote for Sheikh Salman
"I have been in contact with 26 African FA presidents and none will vote for Sheikh Salman," Bility told BBC Sport.
The continent is seen as a key campaigning ground since Africa's 54 members represents the largest regional voting block of Fifa's 209 member associations.
But Caf cannot vote as a whole - each member nation will vote individually in a secret ballot.
In a statement, Bility called for the importance of getting the vote right to succeed outgoing President Sepp Blatter, currently barred by Fifa on corruption charges that he denies, in the 26 February vote.
In addition to Prince Ali, Sheikh Salman and Sexwale, Frenchman Jerome Champagne and Swiss Gianni Infantino are also standing.
Fifa is currently going through the worst corruption scandal in its 112-year history.
"We are attempting to restore integrity and change Fifa for the good of the game," Bility said in a letter to African FA presidents.
"It is for that purpose - to right the wrongs and to offer our organisation a real chance for the change we seek - that I have decided to endorse the candidacy of Prince Ali of Jordan.
"Prince Ali's action is clear and based on principled leadership. I trust him and urge you to do the same," he added.
Prince Ali was the sole challenger to Sepp Blatter in last year's elections but conceded defeat ahead of a second round of voting after losing the first round 133-73.
Despite not having Caf's backing, Sexwale told various news outlets - including the BBC - that he still plans to stand in the Zurich election.
"The elections of the Fifa candidate on the 26th of this month goes ahead, and I am a candidate." Sexwale told BBC Sport.
"It goes ahead because I...

Summary: Half of Africa's federations look set to oppose the Confederation of African Football's (Caf's) instructions to support Sheikh Salman in this month's Fifa presidential elections, claims Liberia FA chairman Musa Bility.
###
Article: Scientists agree that such attacks are extremely rare - and that sharks are not the man-eaters depicted in Hollywood blockbusters such as Jaws.
But they will try to determine why the sharks were lured into shallow waters, and what prompted them to carry out a series of attacks that left one person dead and several more injured.
So far, two sharks - an oceanic white tip and a mako shark - have been caught by local fishermen, but experts say there is no evidence so far that either of them are responsible for the attacks.
There is an abundance of oceanic white tip sharks - Carcharhinus longimanus - in the Red Sea. Divers have spoken of diving with oceanic white tips without feeling threatened.
Sources: International Union for Conservation of Nature and International Shark Attack Files
But Ian Fergusson, a shark biologist and patron of the Shark Trust, a UK conservation organisation, said the presence of the short-fin mako shark was intriguing.
Oceanic white tips frequent the region but it was unusual for swimmers to encounter them in shallow waters, he said, and it was very rare for shortfin makos to be found in the Red Sea - and exceptionally rare to find them close to shore.
He said the last time a short-fin mako attacked in the area was in 1970s, when a tourist was wounded in an attack off Eilat's reefs.
Mr Fergusson, a regular visitor to the area, said it would not be difficult for a shark to get close to the shore in Sharm el-Sheikh.
"That particular part of the coastline is bordering on deep water. You don't have to go far offshore to find yourself in 500 metres of water. Sharks can get within half a mile of the shore easily. They don't, for example, have to cross reefs to get there."
According to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack Files, there are an estimated 70-100 shark attacks on humans per year, resulting in about five to 15 deaths. Of those, the oceanic white tip is responsible for only a small number.
But the large oceanic sharks were also the main culprits behind countless...

Summary:


British researchers have developed a test to detect Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages.

Article: Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the allegation was an "official accusation" and a "total fabrication".
Adam Szubin, who oversees US Treasury sanctions, told BBC Panorama that the US government had known Mr Putin was corrupt for "many, many years".
It is thought to be the first time the US has made such a direct accusation.
Washington has already imposed sanctions on Mr Putin's aides, but has stopped short of levelling corruption allegations at the president himself.
US restrictions were placed on a number of Kremlin insiders in 2014, after President Putin ordered the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine. The EU imposed similar measures against Russian companies and individuals, focusing on sectors of the Russian economy that were close to the elite.
The US government stated at the time that President Putin had secret investments in the energy sector.
Mr Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the Panorama allegations would have looked like "another classic case of irresponsible journalism, if not for an official comment from a representative of the US finance ministry".
As such it was an official accusation. "It clearly shows who is directing this," said Mr Peskov, who added that such an allegation required proof, to show that the statements were not unfounded slander.
In the programme, Mr Szubin spoke of how "we've seen [Mr Putin] enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalising those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets", whether it concerned Russia's energy wealth or state contracts. "To me, that is a picture of corruption," he said.
US government officials have been reluctant to be interviewed about President Putin's wealth, and Mr Szubin would not comment on a secret CIA report from 2007 that estimated it at around $40bn (Â£28bn).
But he said the Russian president had been amassing secret wealth. "He supposedly draws a state salary of something like $110,000 a year. That is not an accurate statement of the man's wealth, and he has long...

Summary: The Kremlin has called on the US Treasury to come up with proof after it told a BBC investigation it considered President Vladimir Putin to be corrupt.
###
Article: Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani said the group's behaviour in Syria would not change as a result.
Al-Nusra claims to be have carried out many suicide bombings and guerrilla attacks against state targets.
On Tuesday, al-Qaeda in Iraq announced a merger with al-Nusra, but Mr Jawlani said he had not been consulted on this.
Al-Nusra has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US.
Debates among Western leaders over whether to arm Syria's rebels have often raised the concern of weapons ending up in the hands of groups such as al-Nusra.
"The sons of al-Nusra Front pledge allegiance to Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri," Mr Jawlani said in a recording released on Wednesday.
But Mr Jawlani said al-Nusra had not been consulted on the merger with al-Qaeda in Iraq and insisted his group would not change its stance in Syria.
By Jim MuirBBC News, Beirut
The al-Nusra Front clearly finds itself in an awkward position, caught between pragmatic realities on the ground in Syria and its ideological identity and affiliation as an al-Qaeda-related Salafi group ostensibly bent on installing an Islamic state in the region.
The al-Nusra leader's unequivocal public pledge of allegiance to Osama Bin Laden's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri came just three days after the latter called on jihadis to do everything possible to bring about an Islamic state in Syria, as a building-block for a wider caliphate.
That is a goal al-Nusra is generally keeping quiet about, as it seeks to win hearts and minds in the "liberated areas" and to keep the cooperation of other fighting groups dedicated to overthrowing the regime in the name of democracy.
Al-Nusra is aware that al-Qaeda is not a name to conjure with in Syria, which is presumably why it distanced itself from Tuesday's merger announcement from the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq.
The al-Nusra statement assured Syrians that the "good behaviour" they had experienced from the front on the ground would continue unchanged, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.
Mr Jawlani said that the oath of...

Summary: The leader of the al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group fighting in Syria, has pledged allegiance to the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
###
Article: The loans involve friends and relatives being asked to pay off the debt, if the original borrower fails to do so.
But many such guarantors are unaware they are signing up for large debts, said Citizens Advice.
The loans - which carry interest rates of up to 46% a year - are aimed at people with poor credit histories.
It is thought that more than 50,000 people a year take out such loans, which can be repaid over periods as long as five years.
The family members or friends who guarantee the loans can be legitimately pursued by debt collectors, even in cases where the borrower has died.
"Guarantor loans carry with them huge risks, and our evidence shows people are getting involved without being fully aware of the dangers," said Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice.
Of the cases investigated by the charity, 43% of guarantors were unsure of the extent of their responsibilities.
A report written by the charity says that regulators do not regard them as proper customers, so those involved miss out on some of the protections given to people who fall into debt as a result of conventional loans.
Since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) imposed new rules on the payday loan sector, the number of people taking out such loans has fallen.
Since January this year, payday lenders have been subject to an interest rate cap. However, some guarantor loans are not covered by the cap.
As a result, Citizens Advice said guarantor loans now "have the potential to be just as damaging" as payday loans.
It wants the FCA to make sure that:
The FCA said it agreed that guarantors should be treated like customers.
It said they deserved to be treated fairly and they should be given adequate information before signing up to such loans.

Summary: So-called guarantor loans have the potential to be "just as damaging" for borrowers as payday loans, Citizens Advice is warning.
###
Article: Netflix has revived the show with four new episodes.
Writing in The Sun, Joanne Kavanagh said watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was "like walking back into a giant warm comforting hug."
She added: "Fans will squeal at the nostalgia that is packed into the new reboot."
In the Radio Times, Eleanor Bley Griffiths wrote that Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life did "not disappoint".
"It is a relief to see that the central feel of Gilmore Girls has been preserved with love," she added.
"In a time when the outside world seems bleak and divided and uncertain, sitting down in front of Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life is like taking a warm bath or eating your grandma's chicken soup."
In his review, Digital Spy's Tom Eames wrote: "The script is as fresh and slick as ever, and it is somehow both nostalgic yet fits right into the TV landscape of 2016."
He added that the revival was "a treasure trove for all die-hard Gilmore Girls fans who have missed the fast-paced dialogue and pop culture references of the titular mother-and-daughter duo".
But Time's Daniel D'Addario struck a less enthusiastic tone, describing it as "fustily out-of-time".
He wrote: "Because this is not the first revival of a beloved TV property that falls flat and will hardly be the last, I feel compelled to note that the show's very existence bummed me out.
"I think Gilmore Girls fans deserve better than this jaggedly written throwback of a show."
Deadline's Dominic Patten was more positive, writing: "Like the TV comfort food it is this holiday season, Netflix's Gilmore Girls has something to munch on for both the devoted fan and the casual admirer.
"Unlike Amazon's recently debuted The Grand Tour - aka a tired Top Gear redux - the new Gilmore Girls is comfortable with itself and has somewhere to go besides around in circles."
The original Gilmore Girls ran from 2000 to 2007. The four new 90-minute episodes were released on Netflix simultaneously on Friday morning.
Many fans who had seen the opening episode of the revival reacted...

Summary: Fans of Gilmore Girls are gorging on the first new episodes of the US drama for nine years - and the early reviews are broadly positive.
###
Article: Protests against the move led to looting in parts of the country, with shops attacked and roads blocked.
Some cash machines on Thursday were still issuing the old 100-bolivar notes, hours before they expired.
President Nicolas Maduro said new higher-denomination bills would be fully distributed in January.
He has closed the borders with Brazil and Colombia until Sunday to stop "mafias" hoarding the currency abroad.
Anger over the move led to skirmishes in six cities on Friday, the Associated Presss reported the authorities as saying, with 32 people being taken into custody and one injured.
The sense of frustration has been compounded because there has been no official explanation as to why bank branches throughout Venezuela do not yet  appear to have the larger denomination bank notes intended to replace 100-bolivar notes.
The opposition argues the currency initiative is another sign that President Maduro is ruining the economy and must be ousted.
Venezuelans have been queuing outside banks after they were given 72 hours to exchange the 100-bolivar note for new larger denomination notes and coins.
The 100-bolivar note is worth just two US cents on the black market.
Venezuelans mock 'useless' banknote
What's behind the crisis in Venezuela?
Some people on Thursday still received the 100-bolivar notes when they withdrew money at ATMs, then immediately had to queue up again to re-deposit the soon-to-expire notes.
"I don't get the joke," office worker Yarelis Carrero, who lives in the capital Caracas, told the AFP news agency. "When you withdraw cash at the ATMs, they give you 100-bolivar bills. And you can't get the new ones inside the bank, either."
Another bank customer said no-one had seen the new bank notes yet. "A guy I know who works for an armoured truck company said even they haven't seen them. Pure lies!" Saul Bernal said.
But President Maduro praised Venezuelans for their understanding in a televised address on Thursday.
"This is a big effort we're doing to tackle so many evils and tricks. We're burning...

Summary: Venezuela's highest denomination banknote has ceased to be legal tender, in a move that has caused cash chaos and long queues at banks.
###
Article: It works by looking for a combination of "markers" in the blood which are different in healthy people and those with the disease.
Delegates at the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference heard that the University of Nottingham is now developing a quick and easy test to do in clinics.
It could mean much earlier diagnosis and better treatments, they said.
The test uses some proteins that have been strongly linked with Alzheimer's disease, such as amyloid and APOE.
But through careful analysis of blood from people with the disease, as well as those with early-stage memory problems, the researchers detected some other markers that were suggestive of the disease.
Most notably, some proteins related to inflammation seem to have been added to increase the power of the test.
Prof Kevin Morgan from the University of Nottingham said they still had to validate the test and it could be a decade before it was used in patients.
But he added that the combination of markers they had found was looking very promising.
"Our findings are exciting because they show that it is technically possible to distinguish between healthy people and those with Alzheimer's using a blood test.
"As blood tests are a fast and easy way of aiding diagnosis, we are really encouraged by these findings and the potential they hold for the future."
He said there were several ways the test could benefit patients, including giving people a definitive diagnosis, which was not always possible at the moment.
It could also direct future therapies to make sure patients were getting the most appropriate treatment, he explained.
Potentially, it could be a "cheap and easy pre-screen" test which enabled Alzheimer's to be picked up before symptoms appeared, he said.
"The way we see it working is you can test people and it will tell them if they have the all-clear, or if they are medium- or high-risk.
"If they are medium-risk, they can be monitored closely and high-risk patients can be referred to a specialist for more in-depth testing."
Dr Eric Karran, director of...

Summary:


The Portuguese Cabinet has approved rules under which descendants of Jews expelled from Portugal more than 500 years ago can claim citizenship.

Article: Few of us would like our careers to be defined by what we were doing at the age of 18. But when you've been discovered on national TV and been a member of one of the biggest girl groups in the world, it's difficult to step out of their shadow.
It would be a daunting prospect for most - but that's exactly what Camila Cabello is doing. Six months on from her somewhat difficult exit from Fifth Harmony, the 20-year-old is gearing up for the release of her debut solo album.
"I'm at this stage where I feel like people are seeing me as myself for the first time, so I'm constantly trying to push my boundaries," she tells the BBC.
"But my motto is always to just jump into stuff, because if you don't do it now, you're always going to find an excuse not to do it."
Jumping into stuff has certainly paid off so far.
Camila's debut solo single Crying in the Club is climbing the charts and radio playlists alike and momentum is building ahead of the release of her first album - The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving.
It's an exciting time for any new artist, but you don't have to look far beyond her album and song titles to realise her music is laced with pain.
Many of the candid lyrics are a reflection of the "overwhelming" few years she's just experienced - not just her experiences with the band, but personal relationships and the pressures of growing up in the spotlight.
"This process has taught me not to be afraid to feel," she says.
"Feeling sad is a part of life. Grief is a part of life. Heartbreak is a part of life just as much as falling in love is a part of life. And it doesn't necessarily mean that those emotions are bad. They are just as necessary as the happy ones.
"And so don't be afraid of them, welcome them, let them in. Because as soon as you accept it, talk about it, accept that it's happening, the sooner you'll be able to move on from it."
She adds: "I felt like this whole process really opened me up again and helped me let go of all the pain I was feeling. I felt like it healed me to the point where I was...

Summary: As she prepares for the release of her debut album, former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello speaks to the BBC about the "nerve-wracking" process of flying solo.
###
Article: S4C chief executive Ian Jones said there had been a "substantial" decrease in such programming and "we would support on all levels increasing that".
Mr Jones was giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on the BBC's future.
BBC Wales said recently that protecting news and politics coverage from cuts had made other programming "thinner".
The comments in April, by BBC Wales director Rhodri Talfan Davies, followed a speech by BBC director-general Tony Hall in which he admitted programming in Wales had been "eroded".
On Tuesday, Mr Jones said focusing on the success of programmes such as Doctor Who and Casualty was a "red herring".
"The production of Doctor Who and Casualty in Wales - it's good, it's extremely good, it helps the skills base, it helps competition and it helps the perception of producing, but I don't think that's the issue, that is in fact a red herring," he said.
"I think the people of Wales would appreciate more programming - more local programming through the medium of English.
"If I have any criticism of the BBC in Wales, that criticism is shared by former BBC directors in Wales and, I suspect, the current BBC director, in that there's been a substantial decrease in programming produced and commissioned over the years in the English language for the people of Wales and we would support on all levels increasing that."
Mr Jones cited the example of Hinterland, a recent collaboration between S4C and BBC, which was broadcast in both Welsh and English, and bought by a number of Scandinavian broadcasters as a recent success, which according to Mr Jones, showed there was increasing demand for local programmes.
Referring to the relationship between the BBC and S4C, Mr Jones said it was working well because the operating agreement between the two stipulates that S4C is independent operationally, managerially and editorially.
A BBC Wales spokesperson said: "We obviously welcome Ian Jones's contribution to the discussion about the future of the BBC.
"As the BBC's director general...

Summary: BBC Wales should make more English language programmes about Wales for the people of Wales, MPs have been told.
###
Article: They will spend the first few weeks of the new princess's life at their recently-refurbished Georgian mansion.
Prince William is beginning two weeks' paternity leave from his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.
The Queen first met her new great-granddaughter this week when she visited Kensington Palace.
Princess Charlotte's brother George was with the duke and duchess for the journey to Anmer Hall, where the couple will adjust to life with two young children.
The duke and duchess are expected to be based at Anmer Hall - on the Queen's Sandringham estate - for the next few years as they raise Princess Charlotte and Prince George, who is almost two, with the help of a full-time nanny.
The couple recently undertook major renovations of the mansion, including a new roof and kitchen and the creation of a garden room and quarters for the nanny.
The majority of the renovation costs were paid for by the Royal Family from private funds.
Princess Charlotte was born on Saturday at London's St Mary's Hospital, weighing 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg).
Princess Charlotte's grandfather, the Prince of Wales, was among the early visitors to meet the new fourth in line to the throne - as were the duchess's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and sister Pippa.

Summary: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have left Kensington Palace with four-day-old Princess Charlotte for their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.
###
Article: The awards of the 2018 and 2022 events to Russia and Qatar have been tainted by allegations of corruption.
Infantino, who was elected Fifa boss last month, wants to begin bidding for the 2026 World Cup within three months.
"We have to get the 2026 bidding process absolutely right," Infantino told BBC Sport.
"It's certainly the commitment that I want to give; that I will do everything I can to make sure that this happens because I think that the credibility of Fifa is, as well, at stake here.
"We need to make sure that we do everything we possibly can, not only to prevent strange things to happen around bidding processes but also to prevent the perception that strange things could happen.
"We need to make sure that bidding process that we put in place is absolutely bullet-proof."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Every World Cup bidding process since 1998 has been the subject of allegations of corruption and bribery.
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments is the subject of an ongoing Swiss criminal investigation, while there is also a US inquiry following the arrest and indictment of several top Fifa executives by the US Department of Justice on corruption charges.
In October last year, Blatter appeared to suggest there had been an agreement in place for Russia to host the event - before the vote took place.
On Friday, a report into 2006 World Cup corruption allegations failed to completely rule out the possibility that a payment of 6.7m euros from the German football federation (DFB) to world governing body Fifa in April 2005 was used to buy votes.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Infantino, 45, was elected as Fifa chief following the suspension of predecessor Blatter, who had been in charge of the governing body since 1998.
Following his election, the former Uefa boss denied that promises to the United States over who would host the 2026 World Cup secured his election win.
He insisted it was now time to focus on making the next two World Cups a success.
"I am a...

Summary: Fifa president Gianni Infantino says it is the responsibility of the governing body to ensure the bidding process for future World Cups is "bullet-proof".
###
Article: Mr Salmond, the former Scottish first minister and SNP leader, was speaking during a televised BBC EU debate.
He argued that Scotland being "dragged" out of the EU would be sufficient to trigger a second referendum.
But Tory MP Dr Liam Fox, who backs Leave, said membership of the EU was a decision taken by the UK as a whole.
Other panellists in the hour-long How Should I Vote? TV debate - which was filmed before an audience of young voters in Glasgow - were Labour's Alan Johnson, who backs staying in the EU, and UKIP MEP Diane James, who wants the UK to leave.
Mr Salmond, who is backing the Remain campaign ahead of the referendum on 23 June, was asked by an audience member whether Scotland voting one way and the rest of the UK the other would lead to another "unwanted" independence referendum.
He responded by saying that the SNP's successes in both the Westminster and Holyrood elections had given the party a mandate to hold a second independence referendum if Scotland voted in favour of EU membership but the UK as a whole voted to leave.
But he said it would only be possible to hold one if a majority of the Scottish Parliament voted for it - which would need the pro-independence Scottish Greens to vote with the SNP.
Host Victoria Derbyshire asked Mr Salmond when he thought any second independence referendum might be held.
He replied: "It would have to be within the two-year period of the UK negotiating withdrawal.
"If you had the situation where Scotland in four weeks' time votes Remain and the rest of the UK, or England, drags Scotland out by voting to Leave, then that would justify in my opinion another referendum.
"During the (independence) referendum in 2014, the people of Scotland were told that voting 'No' would secure Scotland's position within the European Union."
He later added: "In the circumstances of Scotland being threatened with being dragged out of the EU against our will, I think the result would be 'Yes' this time."
Dr Fox - a Scot who represents an English constituency in the House of...

Summary: Alex Salmond has predicted that Scotland would vote for independence within two years of the UK voting to leave the European Union.
###
Article: Many Sephardic Jews were killed, forced to convert to Christianity or leave at the end of the 15th Century.
Parliament paved the way for a change in citizenship laws two years ago, but the move needed Cabinet approval.
From now on, descendants of Sephardic Jews who can prove a strong link to Portugal can apply for a passport.
Proof can be brought, the government says, through a combination of surname, language spoken in the family or evidence of direct descent.
Thousands of Sephardic Jews were forced off the Iberian peninsula, first from Spain and then from Portugal.
Some of those who fled to other parts of Europe or to America continued to speak a form of Portuguese in their new communities.
The Portuguese government acknowledges that Jews lived in the region long before the Portuguese kingdom was founded in the 12th Century.
"There is no possibility to amend what was done," says Portuguese Justice Minister Paula Teixera da Cruz, adding that the law change was "an attribution of a right".
Portugal's Jewish community which once numbered in the tens of thousands has shrunk to just 1,000 - most of them Ashkenazim with roots in Eastern Europe.
Neighbouring Spain is still debating a similar law to address its treatment of Jews in the past.

Summary: