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Kevin Spacey: Netflix halts House of Cards production - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The show, which already said it would end after its sixth season, is now suspending all production.
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US & Canada
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Spacey plays the US president for much of the series
Production of the sixth season of Netflix series House of Cards has been suspended following sexual assault allegations against actor Kevin Spacey.
Spacey, who stars in the political drama, has been accused of making sexual advances to a 14-year-old boy.
The show was already due to end after this season, but production is now suspended "until further notice".
The Old Vic theatre in London, where Spacey worked for 11 years, said it was "deeply dismayed" by the allegations.
The 200-year-old theatre has set up a confidential complaints process for anyone connected to the Old Vic to come forward.
The Old Vic said in a statement: "We aim to foster a safe and supportive environment without prejudice, harassment or bullying of any sort, at any level."
The decision to end House of Cards was announced in a joint statement by Netflix and Media Rights Capital (MRC), a production company that makes the series.
"MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew."
The announcement comes after Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp on Sunday accused Spacey of inappropriately touching him when he was 14 years old.
Spacey, who is also executive director of House of Cards, said he owed Rapp, now 46, a "sincere apology" for what he said would have been "deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour".
Spacey also announced that he was now living "as a gay man", but the Oscar-winning actor has been widely criticised for choosing this moment to come out.
On Monday, producers said the show would end after its sixth season, which they recently began filming at a studio near Baltimore.
A Netflix representative said the decision to end the series in 2018 had been made months ago.
According to Variety magazine, producers are considering a spin-off series.
House of Cards, which is based on a BBC programme, was first broadcast in 2013.
The first season garnered nine Emmy nominations, becoming the first online streaming series to win such mainstream accolades.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41824948
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Manchester attack: Extradition bid for Salman Abedi's brother - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Prosecutors want to bring the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi from Libya to the UK.
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Manchester
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Libya's interior ministry issued this photo of Hashem Abedi in May
The brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi faces arrest in the UK after prosecutors asked for him to be extradited from Libya.
Hashem Abedi was arrested in the country shortly after the suicide attack that killed 22 people.
The Libyan authorities are considering the UK's formal request, Greater Manchester Police said.
Police also revealed 512 people are now known to have been injured in the blast at an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May.
Salman Abedi was born in Manchester on New Year's Eve 1994
Both brothers travelled to Libya in April, before Salman returned alone, carrying out the attack.
Hashem Abedi is understood to be currently held by a militia group in Libya.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it had "applied for and been granted a warrant for the arrest of Hashem Abedi".
The arrest warrant relates to the "murder of 22 people, the attempted murder of others who were injured and conspiracy to cause an explosion," police said.
The then 20-year-old was arrested in Tripoli by members of the Rada Special Deterrence Force a day after the attack.
The North West Counter Terrorism Unit applied for the warrant at Westminster Magistrates' Court within the last two weeks, GMP said.
The force said it was "grateful" to the Libyan authorities for considering the extradition request.
Top (left to right): Lisa Lees, Alison Howe, Georgina Callender, Kelly Brewster, John Atkinson, Jane Tweddle, Marcin Klis - Middle (left to right): Angelika Klis, Courtney Boyle, Saffie Roussos, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Martyn Hett, Michelle Kiss, Philip Tron, Elaine McIver - Bottom (left to right): Eilidh MacLeod, Wendy Fawell, Chloe Rutherford, Liam Allen-Curry, Sorrell Leczkowski, Megan Hurley, Nell Jones
Those who were injured suffered both physical and psychological injuries, a GMP spokeswoman said.
A total of 112 people needed hospital treatment after the attack, with 64 suffering "very serious" injuries.
Physical injuries include paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries and very serious facial injuries. Many have had complicated plastic surgery.
Two people remain in hospital more than five months later.
The force also revealed that:
Officers are looking for the blue suitcase that was used by bomber Salman Abedi
The investigation into the UK's worst terrorist atrocity since the 7 July 2005 attacks on the London transport system is "still running a very fast pace" with 100 officers working on it full time, GMP said.
Previously, GMP said Salman Abedi built the device packed with nuts and bolts alone.
Detectives are still looking for a blue suitcase that he was seen using in the days before the attack.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he was "encouraged" by the development but said "there may well be further challenges ahead".
Images released by police showed Salman Abedi on CCTV in Manchester
Security Minister Ben Wallace said: "We have been clear from the outset that we are determined to do everything in our power to ensure that those suspected of being responsible for the Manchester attack are brought to justice in the UK.
"That is why the Home Secretary agreed to request the extradition of Hashem Abedi, who has been named as a suspect by Greater Manchester Police, and we continue to work closely with the CPS, police and Libyan authorities to return him to the UK.
"This was a callous and evil act and the victims and their families deserve and demand justice. They must remain our priority and we will therefore not be commenting further so as not to jeopardise the investigation."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41839277
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Actor Shakib Khan sued by Bangladesh rickshaw driver over phone error - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The driver's phone number was read out in a Shakib Khan film, causing him to be bombarded by fans.
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Asia
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Shakib Khan is one of the best known actors of his generation in Bangladesh
A Bangladeshi auto-rickshaw driver is suing one of the country's best-known film stars, who used his phone number in a movie.
The blunder led to Ijajul Mia being deluged with calls from admiring female fans of film star Shakib Khan.
"The use of my number... made my life completely miserable," Mr Mia said.
He is seeking more than $60,000 (£45,000) for the distress caused by the calls, which he argues has nearly ruined his marriage.
Mr Mia is estimated to have received nearly 500 calls over a five-day period in July from women hoping to meet Mr Khan.
There has been no comment from the actor to the claims.
Cycle rickshaws and auto-rickshaws jostle for space and custom in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka - and Mr Mia says his mobile phone is vital for his business
Mr Khan is one of the famous and successful actors in Bangladesh, winning numerous awards.
The incident involving Mr Mia's mobile phone number took place in the film Rajniti - released in June and produced and directed by Mr Khan.
In the film, the movie star is seen and heard reciting Mr Mia's number to his onscreen girlfriend.
"Every day I got hundreds of calls, mostly from female fans of Shakib Khan," a frustrated Mr Mia told the AFP news agency.
"They would say 'Hello Shakib, I am your fan. Do you have two minutes to talk to me?'"
Mr Mia said the anxiety caused by the calls had left him questioning whether to sell his family home, and led to his new wife threatening to leave him.
He explained that he could not afford to get a different number because he would lose business from long-established clients if he did so.
"I am a newly-married man with one daughter," he said. "When these calls started coming, my wife thought that I was having an affair."
One fan was reported by AFP to have been so enamoured with the idea of meeting Mr Khan that she travelled 500km (300 miles) to see him.
Mr Mia's case was filed this week before a district judge, who initially was reported to have been reluctant to hear it.
But the judge is reported to have changed his mind after lawyers acting on his behalf submitted evidence showing the personal angst experienced by him because of the phone calls.
Another hearing in the case has been fixed for 18 December, local media reported.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41832986
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Workers share sexual harassment stories - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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People including a former RAF member, offered a flight to keep quiet, share their experiences.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
People have been sharing their stories of sexual harassment at work against a backdrop of claims against high profile figures.
Allegations including rape, sexual assault and unwanted touching of minors have come to light.
Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire programme Rebecca Crookshank, who used to be in the RAF, described her deployment to the Falkland Islands aged 20.
She said it had taken her 15 years to talk about her harassment.
As the only woman sent to a base in the mountains, Rebecca describes how she was "moonied" when her flight came in and the initiation ceremony to which she was subjected.
She describes how her complaint was met with an "offer of a flight" to secure her silence.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "Told to touch myself at a casting"
Model Aaron Lesta Lopez has been harassed by a casting director several times - he said he is slapped on the bottom when he sees him.
He was called to a shoot - without being told it was being held at the director's home - and told he could "touch yourself" on camera.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "I didn't tell this man not to do that - I froze"
Michelle Russell has been a nurse for 30 years but unable to work for the last two after being subjected to a sexual assault.
She says it escalated from being asked for a phone number to physical touching.
She describes how she has lost her pay and been banned from talking to colleagues.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "He said this is the room where we have sex with employees"
At 18, Becka Hudson says she was subjected to a torrent of harassment from her manager.
Working a zero-hour contract as a waitress, she described how he slapped her bum and called her names.
It reached a tipping point when on one shift she was taken to a private room and told "this is the room where we have sex with employees".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41830244
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Freeview blames air pressure for TV disruption - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Some viewers say they missed The Great British Bake Off as a consequence.
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Technology
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Freeview says viewers will have to wait until the high pressure passes
Freeview has said that high air pressure is the cause of disruption being experienced by some of its users in England and Wales.
The service provides access to digital TV channels through aerials, making it possible to watch programmes without a satellite or cable subscription.
The Downdetector website indicates the issue began on Tuesday evening.
Some viewers have complained they missed The Great British Bake Off final as a consequence.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Trevor This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Freeview said it was unable to remedy the problem until weather conditions changed.
"We recommend that you do not retune your equipment, as reception will return to normal once the weather changes," the platform posted on its website.
"TV and radio signals can be affected by atmospheric conditions, including high air pressure (which brings fine weather), heavy rain or snow."
A spokesman for the service told the BBC that the situation was "uncommon but unpredictable".
"It's impossible for us to say [how many people have been affected] but it's clear the disruption has been widespread across England and Wales," he added.
"The good news is that during the course of the day the issue has lessened as the weather front moves through."
Weather forecasts suggest the problem will continue for some into the evening, but a weak weather front is set to move in from the north on Thursday morning that should be more favourable for transmissions.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41836518
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Simon's Cat game app showed adult bite advert - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The ad showed a "red and bloody" fake tattoo on a woman's shoulder in a game popular with children.
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Technology
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The UK's advertising watchdog has intervened after an adult advert was shown within a video game app popular with children.
The pop-up ad featured a "temporary tattoo" that looked like a deep bite mark, placed on a woman's shoulder.
The imagery appeared in the match-puzzle title Simon's Cat Crunch Time in July.
Wish.com, the retailer responsible for creating the ad, failed to respond to the complaint.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it was concerned by the San Francisco-based company's lack of response and ordered the business to ensure its adverts were properly targeted in the future.
Although the body does not have the power to impose fines itself, it can refer repeat offenders to Trading Standards, which can take further action.
The game's publisher has also banned Wish.com from serving ads to its products in the future.
The Simon's Cat game has a Pegi 3 rating - meaning it has been judged to be suitable for anyone above the age of three - and has been installed more than one million times on Android and iOS devices.
As with many titles, adverts are automatically placed within the software by algorithms, which are supposed to screen out adult content.
This Wish.com ad was spotted within the game app on 24 July
The publisher, Strawdog Studios, told the ASA that it also had the power to remove ads manually.
But it added that it relied on customer reports to flag unsuitable content, and had not been alerted to the tattoo image before the watchdog had become involved.
"We considered the app was likely to have strong appeal to children and therefore children were likely to have seen the ad," said the ASA in its ruling.
"We noted that it was not clear from the ad that the product shown was a fake tattoo and we considered that the image... which was red and bloody, might cause distress."
The authority added that Wish.com was obliged to ensure the ad was not promoted again in an untargeted manner.
The company - which describes itself as the world's sixth biggest e-commerce business - sent an automated response to the BBC when asked for comment but has yet to address the problem.
"The ASA has a growing problem with non-UK online businesses, who will sometimes take the view that a self-regulatory body can be ignored," said Andy Milmore, a partner at the law firm Harbottle & Lewis.
"This is especially so where the complaints relate to 'inappropriate' marketing, where the ultimate backstop of enforcement action under criminal statute is unlikely to apply."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41822294
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What makes a whisky cask worth £500,000? - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Casks of Scotch whisky have been sold for more than £500,000. Why is interest so high in the spirit?
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Scotland business
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Just how much would you pay for a cask of rare Scotch whisky?
For some, it seems, the sky is the limit when it comes to liquid gold.
Earlier this month, an anonymous buyer in Hong Kong paid an auction-record £285,000 for a sherry cask filled with a 30-year-old Macallan single malt.
Its contents, if emptied, would work out at a neat £1,000 per 70cl bottle.
Others have paid even more for a cask of the hard stuff, with one Scotch whisky brokerage reporting a sale in excess of £500,000.
Some industry experts believe there are £1m casks out there waiting to be found.
A 30-year-old Macallan single malt sherry cask was sold recently at auction for £285,000
So why are people willing to spend such eye-watering amounts of money on the spirit?
For some, casks are merely an investment. For others, such as connoisseurs and collectors, there's more emphasis on the experience - tasting a spirit that has been ageing in oak casks for decades.
But rarity is also highly prized.
That may sound strange when an estimated three billion litres of the spirit is busy maturing in storage - enough to fill 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
But in reality much of it is relatively new - bearing in mind that it requires three years of maturation before a spirit can legally take on the name Scotch.
Those operating at the top end of the market - the really rare stuff - say there is no shortage of interest from potential buyers.
Analyst and broker Rare Whisky 101 (RW101) has noted increased demand for "quality casks" from connoisseurs, collectors and investors.
The Dunfermline-based firm, co-founded in 2014 by Andy Simpson and David Robertson, says its past deals with brands such as Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Macallan and Springbank have achieved an average cask price of more than £130,000.
RW101 was co-founded by Andy Simpson (left) and David Robertson
Mr Simpson says buyers are drawn by "rarity and uniqueness".
He explains: "The vast majority of distillers will not part with aged stock as it's too important for them to maintain the brand.
"If they do allow cask sales, as with Diageo's Casks of Distinction programme, these are, again, exceptionally rare.
"It's also about the unique factor of cask ownership - no two casks are the same - so they're truly unique.
"We've tried many concurrently numbered casks, distilled on the same day, filled into (theoretically) identical casks and the samples are hugely different."
But Mr Simpson also makes the point that while older casks can bring greater rewards - they also bring bigger risks.
He explains: "With older casks, there's a risk they drop to below 40% ABV (alcohol by volume), the legal minimum for spirit to be called Scotch.
"If that happens then the cask becomes worth a fraction of its former price.
"A couple of years ago we got excited by a 49-year-old sample coming through. On paper it should have been the oldest ever expression from the distillery of origin.
"When the sample arrived it was like Castrol GTX - thick, viscous, green gloop. And with an ABV of just 28%, it was worthless."
He adds: "Casks do also evaporate, so the longer it's left, the fewer bottles will be yielded upon bottling.
"The first rule of buying Scotch as an investment is to make sure it's exemplary quality.
"One person's investment today could be - and frequently is - another's favourite drinks cupboard dram tomorrow."
Although rare casks are highly prized by collectors, connoisseurs and investors alike, the marketplace for people with less deep pockets also appears to be thriving.
One whisky specialist has been tapping into the market by appealing to investors who don't feel the need to touch, smell or even taste the product.
Whisky Invest Direct launched an online trading platform for Scotch two years ago.
Describing itself as a "stock exchange for whisky", the company allows private investors to buy and sell Scotch whiskies early in their maturation process.
The firm now has 4,500 whisky accounts with more than £12m invested in 3.5 million litres of spirit.
Chief executive Rupert Patrick, a former director of whisky giant Diageo, says: "Buying maturing stocks of whisky on our platform has allowed investors to enjoy net returns of over 7% per year since we launched two years ago.
"Two of the key benefits that we offer investors are that we give them access to an un-inflated tangible asset, and our market place is very liquid - a 24/7 trading exchange."
Strathearn Distillery founder Tony Reeman-Clark says customers "want something that is unique"
Although the big whisky firms hold the lion's share of the 20 million or so casks currently stored around Scotland, smaller craft distilleries are now eyeing what they see as a gap in the market.
They include Perth-based Strathearn Distillery, which prides itself as being "probably Scotland's smallest distillery" with a capacity of just 10,000 litres.
Founder and owner Tony Reeman-Clark argues that small is beautiful when it comes to meeting customers' tastes.
He says: "We have found that people want a strong provenance, something that is unique, and there is no better way to do that than buy your own cask of whisky from a craft distillery.
"If you buy a hogshead cask, you will end up with 300 bottles and they are all the same.
"But because we are a small distillery, we generally offer casks with only 40 or 50 litres of whisky in them.
"We have had customers buying two or three of them at one go - casks with different finishes, such as sherry or brandy, so they can experience different tastes."
Mr Reeman-Clark says the firm has attracted customers from as far as Germany, Sweden and the Far East.
He adds: "People buy our casks for a wide range of reasons - for example, for their children, for investment purposes and even for weddings.
"We had a group of oil workers here recently who refilled their cask with peated spirit after finishing the first batch.
"They know they are welcome back anytime to taste the spirit so they have a good idea of what it will be like when they are ready to bottle it."
• None Whisky that's yours for £30,000 a bottle
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-41558737
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Former MP assaulted me in 2012 says ex-Commons intern - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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James Greenhalgh says he felt violated in 2012 but was told he could not make an anonymous complaint.
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UK Politics
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A former parliamentary intern has told the BBC that he was sexually assaulted by a former MP in 2012.
James Greenhalgh, who didn't know the MP, said he felt violated.
He said when he tried to report the assault a couple of months later, he was told by the MP's party that he couldn't make a complaint anonymously so did not proceed.
The party concerned said it took "any allegation of this nature extremely seriously".
Mr Greenhalgh told the BBC he was approached outside one of the bars in the House of Commons by the man who put his arm around him and then went on to assault him.
"He literally put his arm around me, very close, stinking of alcohol I remember and pointing out different things on the canvas [painting]," he said.
"I was interested to hear what he had to say, but I was thinking, 'This is very, this is very touchy-feely here - what's he doing?'
"And suddenly his arm slipped down towards my buttocks, and he had a good feel round there and went a bit further in between my legs.
"It wasn't very pleasant at all. I just didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to do at all."
The disclosure follows a range of recent allegations in Westminster, including claims of a lack of support for those making complaints.
Earlier, at Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May said any allegations about serious sexual abuse in Parliament should go to the police, as she promised a new "independent" process to handle complaints.
The PM said she was "deeply concerned" by recent reports about alleged harassment and abuse at Westminster.
Labour's Jeremy Corbyn said trade unions should be involved to support staff.
Mr Corbyn said he was happy to meet the PM to discuss it, with a meeting scheduled for Monday evening.
The PM said a "common, transparent independent grievance procedure" for all those who work in Parliament was needed and that it "cannot be right" for policies to vary between parties.
A dedicated support team should be available to all staff, she said, and it should recommend all criminal allegations be reported to the police.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41829721
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The robot lawyers are here - and they’re winning - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A start-up's artificial intelligence software beats lawyers at predicting the outcome of cases.
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Technology
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Amid the dire - and somewhat overhyped - predictions of occupations that will be decimated by artificial intelligence and automation, there is one crumb of comfort. Yes, lorry drivers, translators and shop assistants are all under threat from the rise of the robots, but at least the lawyers are doomed too. (Some of my best friends are lawyers, honest.)
That at least may be your conclusion when you hear about a fascinating contest that took place last month. It pitched over 100 lawyers from many of London's ritziest firms against an artificial intelligence program called Case Cruncher Alpha.
Both the humans and the AI were given the basic facts of hundreds of PPI (payment protection insurance) mis-selling cases and asked to predict whether the Financial Ombudsman would allow a claim.
In all, they submitted 775 predictions and the computer won hands down, with Case Cruncher getting an accuracy rate of 86.6%, compared with 66.3% for the lawyers.
Quite a triumph then for a tiny start-up business. For Case Cruncher is not the product of a tech giant but the brainchild of four Cambridge law students. They started out with a simple chatbot that answered legal questions - a bit of a gimmick but it caught on.
Jozef Maruscak, Rebecca Agliolo and Ludwig Bull are three of the law students involved
Then they turned to something more sophisticated - a program that could predict the outcome of cases. I was surprised to hear that none of the team had a background in computer science, though it seems the chief executive Ludwig Bull has taught himself about AI during his legal studies.
Two judges oversaw the competition, Cambridge law lecturer Felix Steffek and Ian Dodd from a company called Premonition, which runs the world's biggest database of legal cases. He says the youthful Case Cruncher team chose the subject for the contest well.
"There's a lot of these cases and the information isn't too complicated," he explained.
"For certain things like this you can ask a machine and it will do it far more speedily and efficiently than a human."
So, should lawyers now fear for their jobs? Felix Steffek is cautious about reading too much into this competition.
"Both sides could have achieved better or worse results under different conditions," he said.
"The artificial intelligence might have benefited from more computing power. The lawyers' results might have improved if only experts in PPI claims as opposed to commercial lawyers generally participated."
He says the question at this early stage of AI development is whether it will "remain limited to descriptive analysis or whether it will be capable of evaluating rules and events", and then whether it will be a tool for junior lawyers to use or something which replaces them.
The results of the week-long competition were announced on Friday
Ian Dodd thinks AI may replace some of the grunt work done by junior lawyers and paralegals but no machine can talk to a client or argue in front of a High Court judge. He puts it simply: "The knowledge jobs will go, the wisdom jobs will stay."
And maybe the smartest, wisest lawyers will do what the Case Cruncher team have done - develop new uses for AI in the law.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41829534
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Free ATMs could be cut back in cash machine shake-up - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Plans to shake-up the UK's ATM network may lead to a "vast reduction" in our free access to cash.
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Business
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Plans to shake-up the UK's ATM network may lead to a "vast reduction" in the number of free-access cash machines.
Link, the UK's largest ATM network with 70,000 machines, is proposing to overhaul the operation.
Under the change, Link would reduce the amount it charges card issuers to allow customers to use the machines.
But the move will leave "ATM deserts" where communities have no access to cash, warned the ATM Industry Association.
On Wednesday, Link published a range of proposals, including a cut in the fees it charges card companies from around 25p to 20p per withdrawal.
It said the changes - which would come into effect next April - would help protect the network, which currently includes 55,000 free-to-use machines.
Link said it was committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use machines
But the ATM Industry Association criticised the plans.
The trade body warned that unprofitable machines would be shut down, leaving "ATM deserts" where communities have no access to cash and other financial services.
"A unwarranted shake-up of Link will hit the most hard-up the heaviest - particularly the millions of people who rely on cash for day-to-day budgeting," said Ron Delnevo, of the association.
But Link chief executive John Howells said: "Free access to cash is vital for UK consumers and Link intends to maintain this for many years to come."
He said Link's financial inclusion programme will help maintain "extensive free access to cash for all in the UK".
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-your-money-41832537
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Escaped Borth lynx 'evades capture' after sightings - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The animal is seen hiding in bushes near Borth Wild Animal Kingdom where it escaped from.
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Mid Wales
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The lynx has been monitored over the past 24 hours
An escaped lynx has evaded capture overnight but the owners of the zoo it broke free from are hopeful the hunt will end soon.
Lilleth, the Eurasian lynx, about twice the size of a domestic cat, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom, near Aberystwyth, during the past week.
The zoo has been closed while members of staff try to capture her.
In a Facebook post, it said she is being tracked and looked in "good health and relaxed" but avoided traps.
"We are asking all people to stay away from the area if possible to allow our specialised tracking team to follow her movements," the post added.
"She remains close to the zoo and we hope we can capture her safely and soon."
It is believed Lilleth escaped after making a "giant leap" over an electrified fence to get out of the zoo.
There have been sightings since Sunday night.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the lynx could become aggressive if it was cornered and urged the public to be vigilant.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-41829374
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'Despicable' fraud costs NHS in England £1bn a year - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Crimes are being committed by patients, staff and contractors, a new anti-fraud body says as it promises a crackdown.
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Health
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More will be done to protect the NHS in England from "despicable" acts of fraud, the head of the health service's new anti-fraud body has said.
Sue Frith promised a crackdown as she released figures suggesting the yearly bill for fraud in the NHS topped £1bn.
Cases include patients falsely claiming for exemptions on dental and prescription fees, and dentists charging for work they had not done.
Ms Frith said the fraud takes vital funds from front line care.
Ms Frith, the chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said it would be looking at new ways to fight the crime.
The analysis by her team estimated that £1.25bn of fraud is being committed each year by patients, staff and contractors - the first time the health service has put a figure on total fraud committed itself.
The sum represents about 1% of the NHS budget.
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The two biggest single areas of fraud were related to patients and procurement of good and services, both of which was likely to cost the NHS in excess of £200m a year each, according to Ms Frith.
She said patient fraud included cases where people wrongly claimed for exemptions for the cost of things like prescriptions and dental fees.
Meanwhile, payroll fraud was thought to be costing £90m a year, while dentists were said to be claiming around £70m in work on NHS patients that has not been done.
Ms Frith said: "People may think it is just a small amount, but in large volumes it adds up and has an impact. It is criminal behaviour.
"It is despicable people would even claim things they are not entitled to. This is money that should be spent on front line patient care."
She acknowledged the NHS must do better at detecting and preventing fraud.
Last year investigators successfully pursued cases worth £9.6m, although another £30m of cases are pending.
But this is only a small fraction of what she suspects is out there.
Ms Frith said the £1.25bn was probably on the conservative side - previous estimates by experts have put it even higher.
She believes the new organisation, which is officially formed on Wednesday, will be able to improve on this detection rate.
It has been given independent status and allowed to focus solely on fraud.
Responsibility for security has now been devolved down to local NHS trusts and the budget for tackling fraud increased by over 10%.
This will also mean more field officers to be appointed to gather evidence, as well as a greater effort on fraud prevention by reviewing contracts and systems put in place to safeguard against fraud, she said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41824180
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'I didn't realise it was going to be part of my entrapment' - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Perpetrators of domestic violence are increasingly using technology to monitor and harass victims.
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Technology
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Beth Ashley and Euleen Hope both experienced technological abuse by former partners
Women's charity Refuge is warning about the rise of "tech abuse" - the use of technology to spy on or harass a partner.
Many victims of domestic violence report being either being harassed via online messages or having their activity monitored via their phones.
However, many do not report it to the police, the charity said.
Euleen Hope was a technophobe who escaped the control of her tech-savvy abusive ex-partner after 10 years.
He set up her email and social media accounts for her, which meant he had full access to them.
He also replaced her flip-phone with an iPhone which he then set up to be mirrored on to the pair's iPad so he could monitor her calls and messages, and activated the phone's location-tracker saying it would help her to get the bus.
"You wouldn't think he was doing anything bad, he showed you what he was doing," she said.
"I didn't realise it was going to be part of my entrapment."
When she noticed things such as the iPad ringing when her phone rang, her ex told her he was just testing a new app.
Euleen Hope's ex-partner set up cameras in the couple's house
He also installed cameras around the house under the guise of security.
"My twin sister came round one day to visit. Normally if my friends or family came over he would sit in the room with us," she recalled.
"This time he said he would leave us to catch up and said he would use his computer in the kitchen upstairs.
"I moved behind the camera and told my sister to keep talking, I went up the stairs and saw him listening to what he thought was our conversation."
Ms Hope's former partner was also physically and emotionally abusive and eventually served a prison sentence for assault and GBH.
Refuge is teaming up with Google to train its staff to better support victims who contact it as part of a new programme.
"Domestic violence is the biggest issue which impacts on the police," said Dame Vera Baird, police and crime commissioner for Northumbria, speaking at the project launch.
"Every 30 seconds there is a domestic violence call. Two years ago, it was every minute.
"Northumbria's police force gets 32,000 calls a year and that's maybe a fifth or a quarter of what is actually going on."
Dame Vera said the Northumbria Police force receives 32,000 domestic violence calls per year
A 2016 survey by Comic Relief found that four out of five women who experienced abuse said their partner monitored their activity.
Twenty-year-old blogger Beth Ashley said a former boyfriend had no interest in tech until she tried to end their relationship because he was controlling and sexually abusive.
"When I got with him he didn't even have a phone," she said.
"I thought he was a massive technophobe until we broke up. Suddenly he started all these social media accounts and used them as a harassment tool."
Beth Ashley said her work as a blogger meant she could not delete her online presence to hide from her ex-boyfriend
She says he also sent her a suicide note via Facebook Messenger along with graphic images of self-harm, which she later discovered he had found online.
"I went round the next day and he was just sitting there on his Xbox," she said.
She says he would regularly turn up where she worked and she would end her shift to find 50 messages from him on her phone.
Ms Ashley was very active on social media because of her work as a blogger and online writer.
"There were times when I wanted to delete the blog, the magazines," she said.
"I have these random moments of wanting to be invisible. Considering my job, that would be awful."
Ms Ashley says that she had to block old friends on social media in case one of them accidentally gave him information about her activities.
After reporting him to the police, the online harassment stopped, she said.
"But the paranoia stayed for a long time," she added.
Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, said the charity had seen a case where a man had hacked the CCTV at the pub where his wife worked so he could monitor her, and another who put a tracker on his partner's car, moved it and then accused her of losing it.
"She thought she was losing her mind," she said.
"Technological abuse is part of a broader pattern of domestic violence.
"This project was born out of our clients' experiences of technology-related abuse, and we will continue to make sure their needs and experiences shape our work in the years ahead."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41817989
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Manchester tram push death: Woman jailed for five years - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Charissa Brown-Wellington pushed Philip Carter between two carriages of a moving tram in Manchester.
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Manchester
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Charissa Brown-Wellington was sentenced to five years in prison
A woman who killed a stranger by pushing him into the path of a tram during a drunken row has been jailed.
Charissa Brown-Wellington, 31, shoved Philip Carter, 30, between two carriages at Manchester Victoria station on 11 June.
Mr Carter, from Blackley, was crushed by the tram and died at the scene.
Brown-Wellington, from Chadderton, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was given a five-year prison term at Manchester Crown Court.
The court heard that Brown-Wellington was drunk and under the influence of drugs when she became involved in an argument with Mr Carter, who had also been drinking, at the station.
She admitted pushing him but denied intending to cause him serious harm.
The court heard she had a lengthy criminal record of 65 offences, many of which involved violence.
In sentencing, Mr Justice William Davis told Brown-Wellington that although her actions were not unprovoked they were "completely unnecessary" and "aggressive".
"There was more than one victim in this case because the effect of what you did was so dreadful.
"It is merely yet another example of you reacting violently when faced with something you did not like very much," he said.
Philip Carter was crushed to death by a tram
Mr Carter's family said he was "missed every minute of every day".
"We can try to repair our heartache although no matter how long the sentence is, it will not bring Phil back or make our loss any easier," they said.
On her release, Brown-Wellington will be subject to an extended licence period of three years as a dangerous offender.
Bob Tonge, senior investigating officer at Greater Manchester Police, said Mr Carter died in "the most horrific circumstances".
"He suffered a brutal death all because she lost her temper and she will now have to live with that as she carries out her prison sentence," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41813992
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Sir Michael Fallon resigns, saying his conduct 'fell short' - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon resigns, saying past personal behaviour is "not acceptable now".
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UK Politics
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Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has resigned, saying his behaviour may have "fallen short" of the standards expected by the UK military.
He told the BBC that what had been "acceptable 15, 10 years ago is clearly not acceptable now".
He is the first politician to quit following recently revealed claims of serious sexual abuse in Parliament.
The BBC understands fresh claims about his behaviour were raised on Wednesday, but Downing Street refused to comment.
Political editor Laura Kuenssberg said that sources close to him do not believe he is "some kind of predator", but that he had not felt that he could guarantee that he would be able to account for every encounter in his long ministerial career.
Theresa May said she appreciated the "serious manner" in which Sir Michael had considered his Cabinet role.
She also praised the "particular example you wish to set servicemen and women and others".
In his resignation letter, Sir Michael said: "A number of allegations have surfaced about MPs in recent days, including some about my previous conduct.
"Many of these have been false but I accept that in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces that I have the honour to represent."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Michael Fallon: "Not right for me to go on as defence secretary".
Sir Michael told the BBC it "was right" for him to resign and said: "The culture has changed over the years, what might have been acceptable 15, 10 years ago is clearly not acceptable now.
"Parliament now has to look at itself and the prime minister has made very clear that conduct needs to be improved and we need to protect the staff of Westminster against any particular allegations of harassment."
When asked if he thought he should apologise, Mr Fallon said: "I think we've all got to look back now at the past, there are always things you regret, you would have done differently."
He added that it had been a "privilege" to have been defence secretary over the past three and a half years.
In response Mrs May accepted his resignation and paid tribute to "a long and impressive ministerial career - serving in four Departments of State under four prime ministers".
Sir Michael Fallon had an interrupted parliamentary career that spanned four decades and two constituencies.
In March 1983, he lost the Darlington by-election to Labour's Oswald O'Brien, only to win it 77 days later after Margaret Thatcher called a general election.
But in 1992 his career in government stalled after he lost his Darlington seat to Labour's Alan Milburn in the General Election.
He returned to Westminster in 1997 after being selected as the Conservative candidate for Sevenoaks when MP Mark Wolfson retired.
During the coalition government he was appointed minister for business and enterprise, and then minister for energy.
He was then appointed minister for Portsmouth in 2014 by David Cameron - a post which was created after the loss of jobs in the local shipyard at arms manufacturer BAE Systems.
In the same year he succeeded Philip Hammond as defence secretary.
The resignation comes a day after a spokesman for Sir Michael confirmed that he was once rebuked by a journalist, Julia Hartley-Brewer, for putting his hand on her knee during a dinner in 2002.
The spokesman said Sir Michael apologised when it happened.
Ms Hartley-Brewer, a former political editor of the Sunday Express and regular political commentator, told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight: "If he has gone because he touched my knee 15 years ago, that is genuinely the most absurd reason for anyone to have lost their job in the history of the universe, so I hope it is not because of that."
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Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said he was sorry to see Sir Michael go, but it showed leadership from the prime minister who "read the riot act" to her cabinet.
He told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight: "Theresa May made it very, very clear… that it was simply unacceptable that people in positions of power over others should then abuse that position to solicit things that otherwise would not be granted to them."
Labour MP Ruth Smeeth told the BBC: "I think we're all very shocked this evening, however we've got to look at what happens next. For me, it's who is going to replace him, how quickly.
"There's a lot going on and this is not the time for instability at the top of the Ministry of Defence."
General Sir Mike Jackson, former head of the British Army, said members of the armed forces would be "sad" to see Sir Michael go.
He told the BBC: "It's clearly a personal decision he's come to, and so be it."
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Following a range of recent allegations, including claims of a lack of support for those making complaints, Mrs May has written to party leaders calling for the "serious, swift, cross-party response this issue demands".
The prime minister said a "common, transparent independent grievance procedure" for all those who work in Parliament was needed and that it "cannot be right" for policies to vary between parties.
Labour, meanwhile, has launched an independent investigation into an activist's claim that she was discouraged by a party official from reporting an alleged rape at a party event in 2011.
• None Take sex abuse claims to police, May urges
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41838682
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One million homes still at risk from deadly tumble dryers - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Whirlpool has been criticised by MPs for leaving millions of people at fire risk from faulty dryers.
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Business
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A million potentially deadly tumble dryers could still be being used in British homes, Whirlpool has admitted.
The manufacturer told a government committee that it had repaired only about half of the unsafe appliances since the scandal broke in 2015.
It also admitted to the committee that it actually continued making them for three years after being notified that the appliances were faulty in 2012.
But Whirlpool said it had acted in consultation with Trading Standards.
The tumble dryers, sold under the Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit brands, have been blamed for a number of UK fires, including one in a London tower block and a blaze in Wales where two men died.
One tumble dryer led to a tower block fire that left families homeless
MPs on the Business committee accused the firm of failing to act quickly when it knew that the appliances were faulty.
They particularly criticised the firm for failing to recall the faulty machines, with committee chair Rachel Reeves asking: "How many fires are needed for a proper recall of these tumble dryers? We have already seen a number of fires and deaths, yet in many of our homes we still have these appliances."
Pete Moorey, head of campaigns at consumer group Which?, said Whirlpool had "ducked their responsibilities to customers".
Ian Moverley, communications director of Whirlpool UK, said the company had "worked proactively to identify the safety issue and worked closely with Trading Standards to determine what action would be taken".
He came under fire after being unable to answer some of the MPs' questions.
Ms Reeve said: "Why hasn't someone at a more senior level come in front of us to answer our reasonable questions and take responsibility for the actions of your firm?"
The scandal broke in 2015 after it became clear that Whirlpool manufactured some 5.4 million faulty machines over an 11-year period.
Last month a fire that killed two men in Llanrwst, Conwy county, in October 2014 was linked to the faulty appliances.
Assistant coroner David Lewis said "on the balance of probabilities, the fire was caused by an electrical fault in the tumble dryer in the laundry room of the flat".
In August 2016 the dryers were blamed for a huge fire in a West London tower block, with more than 50 people forced to flee their homes.
Despite that incident the company continued to state the machines were safe to use as long as someone was in the property.
Which? threatened to bring judicial review proceedings against Trading Standards over the advice being given. Trading Standards instructed Whirlpool to issue new guidance earlier this year that the dryers should be unplugged and not be used until they had been repaired.
Whirlpool freephone helplines: 0800 151 0905 in the UK and 1800 804320 in the Irish Republic
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-your-money-41819779
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Votes at 16: Are Labour's claims about 16-year-olds right? - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Can you get married, join the Army or work full-time at the age of 16?
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UK Politics
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The claim: You're 16. Now you can get married, join the Army, work full-time.
Reality Check verdict: You can only join the Army aged 16 or 17 with your parents' permission. At that age you also need your parents' permission to get married unless you do so in Scotland. Since 2013, 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work full-time in England, but can in the other three home nations with some restrictions.
The Labour Party is distributing a video as part of its campaign to give 16-year-olds across the UK the right to vote.
In Scotland, 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in the independence referendum and are allowed to vote in local elections and elections to the Scottish Parliament but Labour wants this right to be universal.
It argues that they should be allowed to vote because they can get married, join the Army or work full-time.
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Let's start with marriage - you need your parents' permission to get married at the age of 16 or 17 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
In Scotland you do not need permission, even if you come from one of the other nations.
You need your parents' permission to join the British army as a regular soldier at the age of 16 - you can actually start the application process when you're younger than 16 if you have parental consent. You can't apply to be an officer until you're 18.
The regulations for full-time work vary across the United Kingdom.
In England, you can leave full-time education on the last Friday in June if you will be 16 by the end of the summer holidays.
But until you are 18, the only way you can be working full-time is if it is part of an apprenticeship, which usually involves having one day a week to study skills relating to your role.
You could also take up a traineeship, which is an unpaid course that involves work experience, which can last up to six months.
In Wales, under-18s are allowed to work full-time up to a maximum of 40 hours a week once they have reached the minimum school-leaving age of 16.
You can work full-time in Scotland if you are 16 or 17, but your employer must conduct a health and safety assessment taking into account your youth and lack of experience and that must be shown to your parents.
You are also not allowed to work more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week and you are entitled to reasonable, paid time off work for education or training.
There are various restrictions around selling alcohol or cigarettes and working at night.
In Northern Ireland, 16- and 17-year-olds are also allowed to work full-time.
They are limited to eight hours a day and 40 hours a week and there are restrictions around working night shifts.
So while 16-year-olds can do all the things the Labour Party video says, there are various restrictions on all of them depending on where you live.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted a separate video on the subject in which he stresses that "at 16 you can pay tax".
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He's probably talking about direct taxes such as income tax and National Insurance.
You'd have to be earning more than £11,500 a year to pay income tax (at any age) and £8,160 to be paying National Insurance (if you're over 16).
Under-18s do not have to pay council tax while people of all ages regularly pay VAT.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41831036
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Dimitris Legakis' fears for safety after racist attack - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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How a racially motivated attack left Dimitris Legakis fearing for the safety of his family.
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South West Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dimitris Legakis recorded the moment he was attacked while calling 999
Greek-born Dimitris Legakis has lived and worked in Wales for 17 years and considers the UK his home. But since he was hurt in a racially motivated attack last year, he fears for the safety of his family.
He spoke to BBC Wales after South Wales Police said hate crime was still drastically under-reported.
It follows official figures released in October showing the number of hate crimes across England and Wales rose by 29% in 2016-17.
A Home Office report said the biggest rise was in disability and transgender hate crimes, but said the increase was mainly due to better crime recording.
South Wales Police said it was "more important than ever" that communities reported issues.
Mr Legakis explained what happened to him.
Dimitris Legakis is a familiar face to the fans and the players at Swansea City Football Club.
As their official photographer he is a regular on the touchline at the Premier League team's home and away matches.
His photographs regularly feature in the pages of the national newspapers and, trusted by the players and management, he travels with the team to matches.
Last December he was with the team for their away trip to Middlesbrough for the Swans' match at the Riverside Stadium.
The night before the match when he was in the city centre he saw a man smash a car window.
Mr Legakis, 41, called 999. The man heard his Greek accent and turned on him calling him a "smelly foreigner".
Dimitris' arms were broken in the attack
Mr Legakis was able to photograph the man before he launched a vicious attack which he also recorded on his mobile phone.
"I ended up with two broken arms, my right forearm, the left one a little bone called the scaphoid which hasn't healed yet," Mr Legakis said.
"I couldn't work for two months - I calculated it was over £10,000 of work that I lost out on."
During the five-minute call to police Mr Legakis can be heard screaming for help as his attacker Daniel Skelton kicked and punched him to the ground.
As well as broken bones, Mr Legakis suffered facial injuries, cuts, serious bruising and was left traumatised by the attack. His camera kit was also badly damaged.
Skelton was jailed for 28 months for the attack
Skelton, 29, from Redcar, Teesside was jailed for 28 months in June after admitting racially aggravated grievous bodily harm, two charges of racially aggravated damage and damaging property, at Teesside Crown Court.
The judge described it as a "sustained and vicious attack".
In a letter to Mr Legakis after the assault, Skelton apologised for his actions.
He wrote: "I am truly sorry. I had no right to touch you or your belongings - I was in a very bad place.
"If I could take it back I would. I hate myself for my actions that night."
Mr Legakis said: "He said he had separated from his girlfriend and he was trying to have a few drinks to forget about it."
A year on, Mr Legakis said it had changed the way he thinks and feels about other people.
"I'm a bit more concerned, I've always been very open to people, very friendly, I want to believe I am at least, and it's knocked me down a bit in that people may make a comment or say or do something just because of a foreign accent," he said.
Following the attack and since a reported spike in the number of recorded hate crimes after the Brexit vote, Mr Legakis said he was concerned not just for his safety but for that of his family.
"They do carry a foreign surname with them which at some point may cause some problems for them," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-41821004
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Two boys charged after probe by Northallerton terror police - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Both 14 year olds are charged with conspiracy to murder and one is also charged with aggravated burglary.
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York & North Yorkshire
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Police searched this disused garage in Northallerton after the arrests on Saturday
Two 14-year-old boys who were arrested by counter-terror police have been charged with conspiracy to murder.
The teenagers were initially arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on Saturday.
Searches were carried out at a number of properties in the market town.
One of the boys is also charged with aggravated burglary. The pair are due to appear before magistrates in Leeds on Thursday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-41834434
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Royal Navy ships 'cannibalised for parts', report finds - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The practice of swapping components is costing millions of pounds, the National Audit Office says.
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UK
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The building of third Astute submarine, HMS Artful, was delayed because parts were taken during its construction
A shortage of spares for Royal Navy warships and submarines has forced the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to strip parts from the rest of the fleet, the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.
An NAO investigation found equipment "cannibalisation" had increased by 49% over the past five years.
The spending watchdog warned that the practice was costing the MoD millions of pounds and delayed construction.
The MoD said components were only swapped when "absolutely necessary".
Currently, the Navy has 19 frigates and destroyers and seven attack submarines - but at times they lack the spare parts they need to go to sea.
The NAO said building the third Astute class submarine, HMS Artful, was delayed by 42 days because parts were taken during its construction - adding nearly £5m to the overall cost.
The vessel, built in Barrow in Cumbria, completed its maiden dive in 2014.
The NAO found that, last year, there were 795 instances when spare parts had to be removed from one vessel and given to another - the equivalent of 66 a month, up from 30 a month in 2005.
Between April 2012 and March 2017, there were 3,230 instances involving 6,378 parts, their investigation found.
The NAO report noted that in some circumstances, such as during high-intensity operations, cannibalisation could be the most effective way to keep vessels at sea.
But it said it also increased costs. The NAO said the MoD itself had identified that cannibalisation had affected submarines currently in production "leading to an estimated £40m cost increase".
The watchdog said cuts to the maritime support budget, along with the MoD's failure to monitor the practice, had exacerbated the problem.
"In the past two years, the Navy has removed an estimated £92m from its maritime support in-year budgets," the report said.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Less than 0.5% of parts we use come from swapping components, and we only do this when it's absolutely necessary to get ships out of port and back on to operations more quickly.
"We continue to make improvements to how we manage this long-established practice."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41822221
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Great British Bake Off: Final watched by 7.3 million viewers - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Millions watched the final despite Prue Leith accidentally tweeting the winner's name hours earlier.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The Great British Bake Off finale was seen by a live audience of 7.3 million, overnight viewing figures show.
That rose to 7.7 million when including those watching on Channel 4 +1.
The viewing figures come in spite of Prue Leith accidentally tweeting the name of the winner 10 hours early.
It's Channel 4's highest overnight ratings since the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in 2012.
That saw an average 7.7 million tune in to see the events from the London Games.
But the Bake Off ratings are lower than the 14 million who tuned in to BBC One in 2016 to see Candice Brown crowned champion. That figure rose to 15.9 million when those watching on catch up services were included.
Former Army officer Sophie Faldo was crowned the 2017 winner
The final saw Sophie Faldo crowned the winner and handed that all-important glass cakestand.
She beat Kate Lyon and Steven Carter-Bailey to the title, with her multilayered honey-bee cake showstopper proving too sweet for the judges to resist.
This was the first series of Bake Off on Channel 4, after it moved there from BBC One.
Alex Mahon, chief executive at Channel 4, said Prue, fellow judge Paul Hollywood and presenters Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig had "served up a showstopper of a series".
"I'm delighted that they'll all be back in the tent on Channel 4 next year," she added.
Sophie Faldo said it was "surreal" to be crowned the winner
There was a peak audience of 8.3 million just before 2100 on Tuesday - when the final three had finished their showstopper bakes, but before the judges had tried them.
Channel 4 said the final was seen by an average of 2 million in the 16-34 age group, with a 57.5% share of that audience - adding that it was the biggest series for young audiences on any UK channel this year.
They added that the overnight series average of 6.2 million is the largest Channel 4 has seen since Big Fat Gypsy Weddings in 2011.
The viewing figures rise to about 8.9 million when counting everyone who saw an episode of Bake Off over a seven-day period.
Applications for the next series of Bake Off are already open.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41817031
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Arron Banks faces EU referendum finance investigation - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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The Electoral Commission says it is looking at whether donation rules were broken.
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UK Politics
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The Electoral Commission says it is investigating whether ex-UKIP donor Arron Banks broke donation rules during the EU referendum.
The probe will look at whether the Leave.EU chairman broke the rules over donations or loans made to campaigners.
It will also look at Better for the Country Ltd, a company of which Mr Banks is a registered director.
Mr Banks said that a judge-led inquiry was needed "to clear this nonsense up once and for all".
The commission said it launched investigations where there were "reasonable grounds" to believe offences had been committed. It is already carrying out separate probes into the spending returns submitted by the official Remain and Leave campaigns.
Announcing the latest investigation, the commission said Better for the Country Ltd (BFTC) had made donations totalling £2.3m to campaigners in June 2016's referendum, while Mr Banks had given Leave.EU loans totalling £6m.
The commission said its investigation would look at:
Bob Posner of the Electoral Commission said: "Interest in the funding of the EU referendum campaigns remains widespread.
"Questions over the legitimacy of funding provided to campaigners at the referendum risks causing harm to voters' confidence.
"It is therefore in the public interest that the Electoral Commission seeks to ascertain whether or not impermissible donations were given to referendum campaigners and if any other related offences have taken place."
In a statement issued by Leave.EU, Mr Banks said: "We believe that a judge-led inquiry reporting to Parliament that investigates the main campaign groups, Vote Leave, Britain Stronger In Europe and Leave.EU would be the best way to clear this nonsense up once and for all."
He said it should also cover why the Electoral Commission allowed a leaflet to be sent by the government to each home in the UK just before the referendum spending cut-off date.
Mr Banks added: "The 'Remain' Electoral Commission isn't up to the job and consists of political placemen from all main parties.
"This is the Remain establishment once again trying to discredit the result and it's all starting to get rather boring."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41829107
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Kevin Spacey: More allegations of sexual harassment surface - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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More people have come forward claiming they were sexually harassed by the actor.
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Entertainment & Arts
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New allegations have emerged from a number of men accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct.
US filmmaker Tony Montana claims he was groped by the actor in a Los Angeles bar in 2003.
Montana says he was left with PTSD for six months after he claims Spacey "forcefully" grabbed his crotch.
It follows an allegation made by Anthony Rapp that the House of Cards actor tried to "seduce" him when he was 14 years old.
Kevin Spacey says he has no recollection of that encounter, and was "beyond horrified".
It's claimed Kevin Spacey "routinely preyed" on young male actors while he was artistic director at the Old Vic
Film director Montana told Radar Online that he was in his thirties when the incident took place at the Coronet Bar in LA.
He says he removed Spacey's hand from his crotch and walked away, but claims the actor later followed him into the men's toilets.
Incidents regarding Spacey are also alleged to have taken place in the UK while the two-time Oscar winner was the artistic director at the Old Vic in London between 2004 and 2015.
Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos, who acted in several plays at the theatre, claims Spacey "routinely preyed" on young male actors.
"It seems the only requirement was to be a male under the age of 30 for Mr Spacey to feel free to touch us," he wrote in a Facebook post.
He said he fended off two "unpleasant" advances from Spacey that "bordered on harassment," but that others were afraid to do so.
"There are a lot of us who have a 'Kevin Spacey story'," says Cavazos.
The Old Vic has set up a confidential complaints process for anyone connected to the 200-year-old theatre to come forward.
It said in a statement: "We aim to foster a safe and supportive environment without prejudice, harassment or bullying of any sort, at any level."
Separately, a British man claims Kevin Spacey exposed himself to him in 2010, when he was working at a hotel in West Sussex.
Speaking to the Sun, Daniel Beal alleges the Usual Suspects star flashed his private parts, saying: "It's big, isn't it?" and tried to get the then 19-year-old to touch him.
The former bartender claims Spacey also invited him up to his room, but he rejected the star's advances.
Beal says Spacey gave him his £5,000 watch later that same evening, and a few weeks later called him asking to meet up.
He told the Sun: "In hindsight, that must have been grooming. He was just like his character in House Of Cards - seedy and a bit weird."
The BBC has also uncovered allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey by a man who claims he was harassed by the star in the mid-1980s.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, says he met the star at theatre school before being invited to New York by him, when he was 17 years old.
Kevin Spacey holds his Oscar for Best Actor for his role in American Beauty in 2000.
Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire programme, the man (who they've called John), says despite sleeping on the star's sofa he woke up fully clothed with Spacey lying on him, in his underwear.
John, who still works in the entertainment industry, said Spacey again became "affectionate" the second night he was in the city.
"I burst into tears because I couldn't articulate any more what was happening to me. I was scared... To his credit, he backed off and we went to sleep."
Reflecting on his experience, John says: "It seems he was grooming me. For me, I never let on that that's what I was interested in. I never discussed it, nor did I want it.
John points out neither of them drank any alcohol that weekend.
"He was either very stupid or he was predatory - or maybe a little of both. I was uncomfortable at best, traumatised at worst, emotionally.
John says he didn't tell the authorities or his parents at the time, although he has since told friends.
Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey in Netflix drama House of Cards
The BBC has contacted representatives of Kevin Spacey for his response to these allegations.
Meanwhile, production of the sixth season of Netflix series House of Cards has been suspended following the sexual assault allegations against the actor.
The show was already due to end after this season, but production is now suspended "until further notice".
Spacey has also been dropped as the recipient of a special Emmy award he was due to receive next month.
The International TV Academy said in a statement that it was withdrawing the International Emmy Founders Award "in light of recent events".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41829484
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Arrest warrant issued for US actress Rose McGowan - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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Police say traces of narcotics were found on belongings left on an airplane in January.
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US & Canada
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US actress Rose McGowan: 'It's time to rise'
An arrest warrant has been issued in the US for the actress Rose McGowan for possession of a controlled substance.
It follows an investigation into belongings left on a United Airlines flight from LA to Washington Dulles airport in January.
The belongings reportedly belonged to McGowan and had traces of a controlled substance.
Washington police obtained the warrant on 1 February, spokesman Rob Yingling said.
The authorities say they have been trying to contact McGowan so she can appear in court in Virginia.
McGowan, 44, is among the most prominent accusers of Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Writing on Twitter on Monday, Ms McGowan hit out at the arrest warrant, asking "Are they trying to silence me?"
McGowan has accused Weinstein of raping her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. She received a $100,000 (£76,000) settlement after the incident, according to a New York Times report.
Through a spokesperson, Weinstein has denied any non-consensual sexual acts.
According to the New York Times, someone approached Ms McGowan's lawyer in September to offer $1 million in exchange for her signature on a nondisclosure agreement regarding Weinstein's conduct.
She told the Times she countered with a request for $6 million, but withdrew the counter-offer when the newspaper published allegations against Weinstein from several women.
UK police said on Tuesday they were investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein from seven women between the 1980s and 2015.
New York police are also investigating claims against the 65-year-old, including rape and sexual assault.
Numerous allegations have been made against the movie mogul by women including actresses Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino and Gwyneth Paltrow.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41823667
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Just a few nights of bad sleep upsets your brain - BBC News
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2017-11-01
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Even a few nights of poor sleep can lead to "repetitive negative thinking", experts say.
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Health
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Thanks to the clocks going back, many of us managed to grab a little bit of extra shut-eye over the weekend.
And that's no bad thing because, as a country, we seem to be chronically sleep-deprived. According to the Sleep Council, the average Briton gets six-and-a-half hours sleep a night, which for most people is not enough.
Lots of studies have shown that cutting back on sleep, deliberately or otherwise, can have a serious impact on our bodies.
A few nights of bad sleep can really mess with our blood sugar control and encourage us to overeat. It even messes with our DNA.
A few years ago, Trust Me I'm a Doctor did an experiment with Surrey University, asking volunteers to cut down on their sleep by an hour a night for a week.
Dr Simon Archer, who helped run the experiment, found that getting an hour's less sleep a night affected the activity of a wide range of our volunteers' genes (around 500 in all) including some which are associated with inflammation and diabetes.
So the negative effects on our bodies of sleep deprivation are clear. But what effect does lack of sleep have on our mental health?
To find out Trust Me teamed up with sleep scientists at the University of Oxford to run a small experiment.
This time, we recruited four volunteers who normally sleep soundly. We fitted them with devices to accurately monitor their sleep and then, for the first three nights of our study, let them get a full, undisturbed eight hours.
For the next three nights, however, we restricted their sleep to just four hours.
Each day our volunteers filled in a psychological questionnaire designed to reveal any changes in their mood or emotions. They also kept video diaries. So what happened?
Sarah Reeve, a doctoral student who ran the experiment for us was surprised by how quickly their mood changed.
"There were increases in anxiety, depression and stress, also increases in paranoia and feelings of mistrust about other people", she said.
"Given that this happened after only three nights of sleep deprivation, that is pretty impressive."
Three of our four volunteers found the experience unpleasant, but one of them - Josh - claimed to be largely unaffected.
"This week probably hasn't taken as much of a toll as I thought it would on me," he said. "I feel perfectly fine - not happy, sad, stressed or anything."
Yet the tests we did on him showed something very different.
His positive emotions fell sharply after two nights of disturbed sleep, while negative emotions began to rise.
So even though he felt OK there were signs that he was, mentally, beginning to suffer.
The outcome of our small test reflects the results of a much bigger study looking at the impact of sleep deprivation on the mental health of students.
Researchers recruited more than 3,700 university students from across the UK who had reported problems sleeping and randomised them into two groups.
One group received six sessions of online CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) aimed at improving their sleep; the other group got standard advice.
Ten weeks into the study, the students who received CBT reported a halving in rates of insomnia, accompanied by significant improvements in scores for depression and anxiety, plus big reductions in paranoia and hallucinations.
This is thought to be the largest ever randomised controlled trial of a psychological treatment for mental health, and it strongly suggests that insomnia can cause mental health problems rather than simply be a consequence of them.
Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at Oxford University, who led that study thinks one of the reasons why sleep deprivation is so bad for our brains is because it encourages repetitive negative thinking.
"We have more negative thoughts when we're sleep-deprived and we get stuck in them," he said.
Reassuringly he doesn't think a few nights of bad sleep means you will become mentally ill. But he does think it increases the risk.
"It's certainly not inevitable," he said. "In any one night, one in three people is having difficulty sleeping, perhaps 5% to 10% of the general population has insomnia, and many people get on with their lives and they cope with it. But it does raise the risk of a whole range of mental health difficulties."
The positive side of this research is it implies that helping people get a good night's sleep will go a long way to helping improve our sense of well-being.
Norbert Schwarz, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, has even put a figure on it.
He claims: "Making $60,000 (£48,400) more in annual income has less of an effect on your daily happiness than getting one extra hour of sleep a night."
Trust Me I'm a Doctor - Mental Health Special is on BBC2 at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday 1 November .
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41816398
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Escaped lynx: Borth zoo's big cat 'humanely destroyed' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Action was taken after the risk to public safety "increased to severe", the council says.
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Mid Wales
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Lilleth went missing some time in the last three weeks
A wild cat which escaped from a Ceredigion zoo has been "humanely destroyed", the county council has confirmed.
Lilleth, the Eurasian lynx, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom at some point in the last three weeks.
The council said despite "exhaustive efforts" to recapture her, it received advice that the risk to public safety had "increased to severe".
Earlier on Friday, the council said the zoo would be put under scrutiny.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lynx at Borth Wild Animal Kingdom similar to the one that has gone missing
A statement released by the local authority on Friday evening said the lynx had strayed over to a populated area of the community and "it was necessary to act decisively".
"The safety of the the public was paramount," the statement added.
Staff at the zoo, which has been closed since Lilleth's escape, had been attempting to catch her.
She is believed to have escaped after making a "giant leap" over an electrified fence.
Lilleth caught on camera near one of the baited traps
There had been a number of sightings but she evaded capture and was at one point thought to be hiding in bushes near the zoo.
Ceredigion council and Dyfed-Powys Police said they had tried a "range of measures" to capture the Lynx, including baited traps.
A post-mortem examination of a sheep found dead on land near the zoo showed "traumatic injury" but experts have been unable to say if the missing lynx was responsible.
The council said it would carry out an inspection of the zoo later this month.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-41944467
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Parachute trial: Emile Cilliers 'lust-driven pantomime villain' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The court heard Emile Cilliers was an "easy target" to the prosecution because he had been unfaithful to his wife.
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Wiltshire
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An Army sergeant accused of trying to murder his wife may be a "pantomime villain driven by lust" but he had no motive to kill, a jury has been told.
Former Army officer Victoria Cilliers suffered multiple injuries in 2015 when her parachute failed to open and she fell 4,000ft (1,200m).
Emile Cilliers is accused of tampering with the equipment to cause her death.
The court heard he was an "easy target" to the prosecution because he had been unfaithful to his wife.
In her closing statement at Winchester Crown Court, Mr Cilliers' defence barrister Elizabeth Marsh QC told the jury that the prosecution considered Cilliers a "vile human being" and treated him with "scorn, sarcasm and theatricality".
She asked jurors to remember he was "innocent until they were sure he was guilty".
Ms Marsh said: "Mr Cilliers is an easy target, no Prince Charming, if anything the pantomime villain, unfaithful, lying to each of the women in his life, as one assumes 'needs must' if you are conducting any sort of affair."
Emile Cilliers is being represented by defence barrister Elizabeth Marsh QC
She added that his dishonesty during his affairs had been "driven by lust" but did not mean he was lying in his account of what happened to his wife.
"Do not characterise lies to fan the flames of lust as someway a motive for a murder," she said.
Ms Marsh also said that the suggested motive that he expected to receive his wife's estate if she died was "utterly rubbish".
She explained that the couple had a pre-nuptial agreement which excluded the "financially incontinent" and "penniless scoundrel" from inheriting from his wife.
Jurors were told Victoria Cilliers' survival was a "near miracle"
Ms Cilliers suffered multiple injuries when her hired parachute malfunctioned and the reserve failed as she plummeted 4,000ft to the ground at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire on 5 April 2015.
Jurors were told her survival was a "near miracle".
The defendant denies tampering with his wife's hire kit in a toilet cubicle at the Army Parachute Association.
The father-of-six also denies a second attempted murder charge relating to a gas leak at the family home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, and a third charge of damaging a gas valve, recklessly endangering life.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-41940947
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Rodrigo Duterte: Philippines president says he killed someone as teenager - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Rodrigo Duterte says he stabbed someone to death at 16 but a spokesman says his remarks are "jest".
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Asia
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Mr Duterte made the claim in a speech to Filipino expatriates
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has said he stabbed a person to death when he was a teenager.
"At 16, I killed someone," he told Filipinos in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang, where he is attending a regional summit. He said he stabbed the person "just over a look".
His spokesman later said his remarks had been "in jest".
Mr Duterte has previously said he killed criminal suspects as mayor of the city of Davao.
The Filipino leader is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, alongside regional leaders and US President Donald Trump.
He has presided over a massive crackdown on crime in the Philippines, which critics allege undermines fundamental human rights.
Mr Duterte has encouraged extrajudicial killings of those involved in the drugs trade, and said he would "be happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts in the country.
Addressing the Filipino community in Da Nang, he said he had killed a person during his violent teenage years, when he said he was in numerous fights and "in and out of jail".
But a spokesman for the president, Harry Roque, told the AFP news agency that the remarks were "in jest" and the Filipino leader often used "colourful language" when addressing Filipinos overseas.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. President Duterte said last year that he shot dead three men while mayor of Davao
Mr Duterte has previously said he possibly killed someone while a teenager. In 2015 he told the Philippines edition of Esquire magazine that during "a tumultuous fight in the beach" when he was 17, "maybe I stabbed somebody to death".
It is not clear if he was referring to the same incident in his speech.
He also claims to have thrown corrupt officials out of helicopters, warning officials he would do it again if they embezzled financial aid. His spokesman described that claim as an "urban legend".
Speaking about human rights during his Vietnam visit, Mr Duterte proposed a "world summit" on the issue - but not looking solely at human rights abuses in the Philippines.
"What makes the death of people in the Philippines more important than the rest of the children in the world that were massacred and killed?" the Manila Bulletin quoted him as saying.
Since he took office, police say they have killed almost 4,000 people in anti-drug operations. More than 2,000 others have been killed in connection with drug-related crimes.
In September, the proposed budget for the human rights commission investigating the deaths was cut to 1,000 pesos - the equivalent of $20 (£15). It had asked for 1.72bn pesos ($34m).
Mr Duterte is due to hold bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump in the Philippines in the coming days - the first meeting between the pair.
The Philippines president was adversarial towards Mr Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, labelling him a "son of a whore."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41939823
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Lupita Nyong'o accuses Grazia of removing her hair - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The magazine apologises after the actress says her image was edited to "fit their notion of beautiful hair".
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Newsbeat
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Lupita Nyong'o has accused Grazia magazine of removing part of her hair for the front cover of its November edition.
She said she was "disappointed" it changed her hairstyle to "fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like".
The actress posted the original image on Instagram alongside the published version - which appears to show some of her hair missing.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the Oscar-winning actress said: "I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too."
The 12 Years a Slave star went on to say if she had been consulted she wouldn't have supported the "omission of what is my native heritage".
Lupita, who's from Kenya, added there was "still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women's complexion, hair style and texture".
The magazine took to Instagram to apologise to Lupita
In a statement, Grazia said it was "committed to representing diversity" and apologised to the actress.
It also said it also wanted to make clear that it did not ask the photographer to alter the image or make the edit itself.
Lupita is the latest star to tell a UK magazine not to touch her hair.
Solange Knowles hit out at the London Evening Standard magazine last month for digitally removing some of her braids on its front cover.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articles/41939545
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John Hillerman, Magnum PI star, dies at 84 - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The actor played a snooty English butler in Tom Selleck's '80s TV series.
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Entertainment & Arts
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John Hillerman, the US actor who shot to fame as snooty English caretaker Higgins in Tom Selleck's '80s TV series Magnum PI, has died at the age of 84.
Hillerman's publicist said he died of natural causes on Thursday at his home in Houston, Texas.
Born in 1932, Hillerman started out on stage before landing small roles in such '70s classics as The Last Picture Show, Blazing Saddles and Chinatown.
But he is best known for Magnum, which won him a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
Hillerman beat several British actors to the Higgins role, which he once called "the best gig I've ever had".
He proved so convincing that he once received a fan letter from the UK describing him as "a credit to the Empire".
"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm a hick from Texas," he would write back to fans who assumed he was British.
The actor was last seen on screen playing a doctor in 1996 comedy A Very Brady Sequel.
Larry Manetti, who played bar owner Orville "Rick" Wright in Magnum, remembered Hillerman on Twitter as a "good friend".
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Others tweeted tributes using pictures of 'Higgins' with his loyal Doberman Pinschers, Zeus and Apollo.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41940675
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New Star Wars trilogy raises Disney hopes - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The media giant says it has signed a deal to make three more Star Wars movies.
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Business
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Walt Disney has announced a deal to make three new Star Wars movies.
The company said it had struck a deal with Rian Johnson, director of the upcoming "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", to create a new trilogy of the science fiction blockbuster.
Disney is also working on a live-action Star Wars series for a new online streaming service.
The news overshadowed Disney's first drop in annual profits since 2009, amid steep competition from online rivals.
Profits for the year to September fell 4% to $8.98bn (£6.8bn).
Disney's shares fell initially in after-hours trading on the release of its results, but they then rallied to 1% higher on news of the new Star Wars movies.
Chief executive Bob Iger said: "We remain optimistic about our future, in part because quality truly does matter."
The entertainment giant also plans to launch a sports-focused ESPN+ app in the spring, and a Disney streaming service in 2019.
Mr Iger said those investments, which add to an existing Disney subscription service in Europe, were "vital" to the firm's future.
"Our goal here is to be a viable player in the direct-to-consumer space, a space that we all know is a very compelling space to be in," he said.
He declined to address reports that the company had held talks with 21st Century Fox about acquiring parts of its business, but he did not rule out an acquisition.
"I don't think there's ever such a thing as having too much quality."
Disney is grappling with a challenge from online video, which has won viewers of traditional television and movies and is driving a shift away from cable television.
In the fourth quarter of Disney's financial year, covering the three months to the end of September, profits dipped 1% to $1.7bn.
Quarterly revenues fell 3% to $12.8bn as the impact of hurricanes, lower advertising revenue and a decline in cable subscriptions weighed on the results.
Revenue in its movie division sank 21%, which Disney said was due to a tough comparison with last year, when a new Star Wars movie lifted results.
Disney's parks and resorts business, which has steadied results in recent quarters, was the only division that reported year-on-year revenue growth in the quarter, rising 6%.
But even that unit was affected by the hurricanes that struck the US earlier this year. Disney said that accounted for a roughly 3% decline in US attendance.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41932861
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Penny Mordaunt - the UK's first female defence secretary - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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A profile of the UK's first female defence secretary, who replaces Gavin Williamson after his sacking.
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UK Politics
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Penny Mordaunt has become the UK's first female defence secretary after Gavin Williamson was sacked.
She was previously international development secretary, in charge of a multi-billion pound annual budget.
With a background as a naval reservist, and having served as an armed forces minister under David Cameron, Ms Mordaunt seems well prepared for the role.
She was seen as a frontrunner for the defence secretary position in 2017 when Michael Fallon was forced to quit the post, but lost out to Mr Williamson.
Ms Mordaunt was a high-profile campaigner for the Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum and underlined her pro-Brexit credentials by backing Andrea Leadsom in the subsequent Conservative leadership contest.
During the referendum campaign - while a defence minister - she prompted a row by telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the UK could not veto Turkey joining the European Union. The then-prime minister contradicted her on ITV's Peston on Sunday an hour later.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Penny Mordaunt: "We're not going to be consulted... they are going to join, it's a matter of when"
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Cameron: "Britain and every other country in the EU has a veto on another country joining. That is a fact"
The daughter of a paratrooper and a special needs teacher, Ms Mordaunt has two brothers, Edward and James, who is her twin, and has lived in her home town of Portsmouth since the age of two.
She was educated at Oaklands RC Comprehensive School and was the first member of her family to go to university.
Before studying philosophy at Reading University, she worked as a magician's assistant for a member of the Portsmouth and District Magic Circle, Will Ayling, author of The Art of Illusion and Oriental Conjuring and Magic.
She says on her website that she first became interested in politics working in hospitals and orphanages in post-revolutionary Romania during her gap year.
But Ms Mordaunt, 46, is probably best known outside Westminster for her appearance on ITV's celebrity diving show Splash! to raise money for charity.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Penny Mordaunt relives her moment diving in to a swimming pool on TV and admits "it hurt a bit" as she hit the water
She exited the contest in January 2014 after twice mistiming her back somersault from the 7.5m board but earned praise from Tom Daley and the other judges for her have-a-go attitude.
Later that year she was in the headlines again for a speech she gave in the Commons on poultry welfare, which turned out to be an excuse to slip some very un-parliamentary language into proceedings.
She admitted she had made the speech - with its liberal use of "lay", "laid" and "cock welfare" - as a bet.
"When I was at Dartmouth doing my reservist training, some of my marine training officers thought it would be a good idea to try and break the ladylike persona that I maintained throughout the whole of my course by getting me to yell particular rude words during the most gruelling part of our training, and I'm happy to say that they failed in that," she said.
"But during our mess dinner at the end of the course I was fined for a misdemeanour, and the fine was to say a particular word, the abbreviation of cockerel, several times during a speech on the floor of the House of Commons and mention all of the officers' names present."
MP for Portsmouth North since 2010, Ms Mordaunt is a former head of the Conservative Party's youth wing and was a press officer for William Hague when he was party leader, during which time she was seconded to work on George W Bush's 2000 election campaign in Washington.
"I was amazed at the similarities of the issues and tactics," she told The Daily Telegraph.
Before entering the world of Westminster politics, she was a press officer for Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Freight Transport Association, when she supported British truckers during French blockades.
She has also worked in the charity sector as a director of the Big Lottery Fund and Diabetes UK, where she set up services in developing countries particularly prone to the condition. She was also involved in David Willetts' abortive campaign to be Conservative leader in 2005 as his chief of staff.
On Twitter, Ms Mordaunt describes her two main interests as "freedom and cats".
And, in her maiden speech to Parliament in June 2010, she revealed that she had been named after the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Penelope.
"I point out to my critics," she added, "that HMS Penelope latterly became known as HMS Pepperpot because of her ability to endure massive amounts of shelling and remain afloat and able to return fire."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41930719
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RNLI rescue fishermen in a storm - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Six fishermen were brought to shore by a lifeboat crew in a nine-and-a-half hour rescue in stormy seas.
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Six fishermen were brought to shore by a lifeboat crew in a nine-and-a-half hour rescue in stormy seas.
The men's creel boat, Sparkling Line, broke down off the north Sutherland coast on Thursday. Thurso lifeboat was launched to go to their aid.
The conditions included gale force eight winds and waves of up to 33ft (10m) in height.
The RNLI volunteers managed to get a towline to the fishing boat but the tow parted fives times during the rescue.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41944830
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UK industrial output jumps in September - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Production rises by more than expected, while the UK's trade deficit narrows.
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Business
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The UK's industrial output grew at its fastest pace so far this year in September, according to official figures.
Production rose by 0.7% compared with the month before, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, boosted by machinery and equipment output.
Separate data showed the UK's trade deficit in goods and services narrowed by more than expected in September.
However, construction output fell by 1.6% in the month, the ONS said.
The increase in industrial production was better than analysts' forecasts, and the fastest growth seen since December last year.
Manufacturing output - a subset of industrial output - also rose by 0.7% in September.
"Industrial production has risen for six consecutive months, a feat last achieved 23 years ago," said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
However, he added that the recovery in manufacturing output could be hit by recent rises in the oil price.
Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said the outlook for manufacturing appeared "mixed".
Domestic conditions looked "challenging despite recent decent demand", he said.
"Increased prices for capital goods and big-ticket consumer durable goods, weakened consumer purchasing power, and economic and political uncertainty threaten to hamper manufacturers.
"On the export side, a very competitive pound and healthy global demand are helping UK manufacturers competing in foreign markets. The weakened pound also appears to be encouraging some companies to switch to domestic sources for supplies."
The UK's trade deficit in goods and services narrowed by £0.7bn between August and September 2017 to £2.75bn, mainly due to trade in goods exports increasing by £1.3bn.
Despite this, the UK's trade performance during the third quarter as a whole worsened, according to the ONS data.
In the three months to September 2017, the total UK trade deficit widened by £3bn to £9.5bn, mainly due to a increased imports, including of machinery, non-monetary gold and fuels.
The construction output data was much weaker than expected. As well as the sharp fall in September from August, output was only up 1.1% from a year earlier - the weakest annual rate since March last year.
The ONS said the latest economic data did not suggest there would be any change to its initial estimate that the UK economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter of the year.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41939068
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Poison charge over Oxford police chemical injuries - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Seven police officers were affected by a chemical during a "routine arrest" in Oxford.
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Oxford
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Seven police officers were affected by a substance while making an arrest
A man has been charged with administering a poison with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm after two police officers were injured during an arrest.
They were affected by a chemical at a flat in north Oxford on Thursday and kept in hospital overnight.
Hamad Nejad, 34, from Oxford, appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court earlier and was remanded in custody.
He is also charged with one count of intimidating a witness.
Five other officers also experienced "minor irritation" as a result of the substance at the flat on Elizabeth Jennings Way.
Surrounding flats on the street were evacuated as a precaution but residents have been able to return after tests showed there was no risk.
Mr Nejad is due to appear at Oxford Crown Court on 8 December.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-41939085
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Paradise Papers: UK millionaires 'using offshore tax avoidance schemes' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Leaked documents identify more than 100 Britons as tax dodgers who hid wealth in Mauritius companies.
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UK
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More than 100 UK millionaires have been identified as tax dodgers after hiding their wealth using offshore schemes.
Documents in the Paradise Papers leak show the identities of taxpayers who moved assets worth tens of millions of pounds into companies in Mauritius.
The tax avoidance schemes involve them claiming to no longer own property, cash and investments in order to keep their fortunes out of reach of HMRC.
It appears many of them use the companies like personal bank accounts.
This allows them to continue to enjoy the benefit of their hidden riches.
Mark Faulkner and his partner Harriet Logan moved more than £28m in cash and assets to a Mauritian company called Babington PCC.
Officially they have given away their fortune, but the Paradise Papers documents show they could still control how cash was spent because they acted as "investment advisers" to Babington.
They have advised the offshore company to buy a £3.25m country mansion, properties in London, a brand new Aston Martin, an art collection, a collection of classic photographs and a cellar of vintage wines.
It also owned their holiday home in Florida, funded the upkeep of another holiday home in the south of France, paid for trips to New York and Miami, and spent more than £100,000 a year funding Mr Faulkner's hobby of classic yacht racing.
Mr Faulkner, a former banker, and ex-war photographer Ms Logan contributed £1.6m of the offshore money to the "Education Purpose Trust" - which would then fund their four children's entire private education.
Mr Faulkner initially denied putting any money into the Mauritian company, but his lawyers later told BBC Panorama that while they did not accept our assertions, they have "now commenced dialogue with HMRC to review the arrangements that their previous advisers had recommended".
The tax avoidance schemes were administered by Appleby, the law firm at the centre of the Paradise Papers leak.
The leaked documents show dozens of Britons have moved their wealth into companies based in Mauritius
They were set up by James O'Toole, a British lawyer who has made his own fortune by advising the wealthy how to dodge tax.
The documents show that Mr O'Toole has personally used a similar type of tax avoidance scheme to his clients.
He was an "investment advisor" to a Mauritian company which owns his mansion in Northumberland.
He has also not owned two Aston Martins, a BMW, a Range Rover, luxury watches including a Rolex, and a Harley Davidson motorbike - which were all kept at his home.
Mr O'Toole even advised his offshore company to use his tax-free cash to pay for his own personal shopper.
She was paid tens of thousands of dollars to buy his clothes, shop for groceries, pick up nappies, order limos and suggest Mother's Day presents.
Some of the cash came from the huge fees he charges clients.
One British couple were charged £960,000 for tax advice by Mr O'Toole's company - £827,000 of that cash was paid straight into the offshore bank account connected to Mr O'Toole's company.
Panorama asked Mr O'Toole whether he had declared this income to HMRC.
Mr O'Toole's lawyer said the allegations are "ill-judged and unsupported by any relevant evidence".
He said Mr O'Toole "prepared a detailed and rigorous rebuttal" but could not comment further.
In a statement on the Paradise Papers, Appleby said it was a law firm which operates in jurisdictions regulated to the highest international standards and "advises clients on legitimate and lawful ways to conduct their business".
Find out more about the words and phrases found in the Paradise Papers.
Your browser does not support this Lookup Your guide to financial jargon
The papers are a huge batch of leaked documents mostly from offshore law firm Appleby, along with corporate registries in 19 tax jurisdictions, which reveal the financial dealings of politicians, celebrities, corporate giants and business leaders.
The 13.4 million records were passed to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and then shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Panorama has led research for the BBC as part of a global investigation involving nearly 100 other media organisations, including the Guardian, in 67 countries. The BBC does not know the identity of the source.
Paradise Papers: Full coverage; follow reaction on Twitter using #ParadisePapers; in the BBC News app, follow the tag "Paradise Papers"
Watch Panorama on the BBC iPlayer (UK viewers only)
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41893764
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Seahorses found living in River Thames in London - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Two species of seahorses are among the unexpected creatures found living in London.
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Two species of seahorses have made their home in the River Thames, conservation charity ZSL has found.
The creatures have been spotted six times in the last two months in the river between Greenwich and the South Bank.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41936634
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Sick baby's treatment 'should continue', High Court told - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Doctors say giving further intensive care treatment to Isaiah Haastrup is not in his best interests.
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London
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Isaiah, pictured with an aunt, has brain damage
A mother and father are fighting a High Court battle to stop their eight-month-old son's life support machine being switched off.
Isaiah Haastrup is brain damaged and dependent on a ventilator to keep him alive at King's College Hospital, London.
Doctors said giving him further treatment was "futile, burdensome and not in his best interests".
But father Lanre Haastrup and mother Takesha Thomas want it to continue.
They also hope an independent assessor will be appointed to give a medical opinion.
Isaiah was born with a severe brain injury believed to have been caused by oxygen deprivation.
Doctors do not think there are any "further investigations or forms of treatment" which would benefit him, the hospital's barrister Fiona Paterson said.
She told Mr Justice MacDonald relations between hospital bosses and Isaiah's parents were "difficult".
The court heard that Mr Haastrup, of Peckham, south London, had been barred from visiting the hospital following an incident a few days ago.
Mr Haastrup sought a judicial review over the ban which has been refused by the High Court.
"I am not a saint but I am not a demon either," he said.
He told the court there had been a "lack of care" for Isaiah.
Mr Justice MacDonald created an order barring the media from identifying medical staff caring for Isaiah and said he hoped mediation could avoid a full trial.
Failing that, the court case will formally begin on 15 January.
A King's College Hospital spokeswoman said Mr Haastrup had already made a written application for permission to launch a judicial review but this was refused by a judge earlier this week.
In July, the High Court ruled Great Ormond Street Hospital doctors could stop providing life-support treatment to baby Charlie Gard, following a lengthy and high profile court case.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41944958
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Saudi anti-corruption probe 'finds $100bn was embezzled' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Attorney general says 201 people are being held for questioning, some of them reportedly at a luxury hotel.
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Middle East
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Those caught up in the anti-corruption drive are reportedly being held at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton
Saudi Arabia's attorney general says at least $100bn (£76bn) has been misused through systemic corruption and embezzlement in recent decades.
Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said 201 people were being held for questioning as part of a sweeping anti-corruption drive that began on Saturday night.
He did not name any of them, but they reportedly include senior princes, ministers and influential businessmen.
"The evidence for this wrongdoing is very strong," Sheikh Mojeb said.
He also stressed that normal commercial activity in the kingdom had not been affected by the crackdown, and that only personal bank accounts had been frozen.
Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said investigations by the newly-formed supreme anti-corruption committee, which is headed by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, were "progressing very quickly".
He announced that 208 individuals had been called in for questioning so far, and that seven of them had been released without charge.
"The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large," the attorney general said. "Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least $100bn has been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades."
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Sheikh Mojeb said the committee had a clear legal mandate to move on to the next phase of its investigation and that it had suspended the bank accounts of "persons of interest" on Tuesday.
"There has been a great deal of speculation around the world regarding the identities of the individuals concerned and the details of the charges against them," he added. "In order to ensure that the individuals continue to enjoy the full legal rights afforded to them under Saudi law, we will not be revealing any more personal details at this time."
Among those reportedly detained are the billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, a son of the late king who was also removed from his post as National Guard chief on Saturday; and his brother Prince Turki bin Abdullah, a former governor of Riyadh province.
It is the Saudi weekend now and the country is still reeling from the monumental changes taking place.
So far, so good, as far as the crown prince and his supporters are concerned. "Phase One", as the attorney-general calls it, is complete. Around 200 leading royal and business figures have been "called in for questioning" and there has been no visible resistance, no disaffected army hammering at the palace gates, no calls to arms on social media. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Saudi Arabia's overwhelmingly young population has largely welcomed this clean-out of the kingdom's notoriously profligate elite. The more hardline Wahhabi religious clerics, still licking their wounds from the crown prince's recent announcement that the country needs to become more tolerant of other religions, will also be welcoming the purge.
The questions on everyone's mind though, are how far will it go and who will be next?
Others are said to include Alwalid al-Ibrahim, owner of the television network MBC; Amr al-Dabbagh, former head of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; Khalid al-Tuwaijri, former chief of the Royal Court; and Bakr Binladen, chairman of the Saudi Binladen Group.
At least some of them are believed to be held at the five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh's diplomatic quarter. Paying guests were asked to vacate their rooms late on Saturday and the hotel's exterior gate has been shuttered since Sunday.
On Tuesday, the US said it had urged the Saudi government to handle any prosecutions stemming from the probe in a "fair and transparent" manner.
Human Rights Watch meanwhile called on Saudi officials to "immediately reveal the legal and evidentiary basis for each person's detention and make certain that each person detained can exercise their due process rights".
The detentions follow a wave of other recent arrests of clerics, human rights activists and intellectuals, for which the authorities have not given specific reasons.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41932490
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France's Macron makes surprise Saudi visit amid Lebanon crisis - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Emmanuel Macron holds unscheduled talks in Riyadh, as tensions between the kingdom and Lebanon grow.
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Middle East
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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) and Emmanuel Macron met in Riyadh on Thursday
French President Emmanuel Macron has paid an unscheduled visit to Saudi Arabia amid an escalating crisis between the kingdom and Lebanon.
His trip comes days after Lebanese PM Saad Hariri resigned while in Riyadh, saying he feared for his life.
Foes Saudi Arabia and Iran have accused each other of fuelling instability in Lebanon and the wider region.
Mr Macron and Saudi officials also discussed the crisis in Yemen, where Riyadh is leading a war against rebels.
France has historical ties with Lebanon, as it was given the mandate to run the country before Lebanese independence during World War Two.
The French president was in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to open the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a spin-off of the famous Paris art museum.
Ahead of his two-hour visit to Riyadh, Mr Macron said all Lebanese officials should live freely, "which means having a very demanding stance on those who could threaten any leader".
No details of the alleged plot against Mr Hariri have been made public.
Uncertainty surrounds Mr Hariri's circumstances, amid rumours he was being held in Riyadh.
Mr Macron said on Thursday he had had informal contact with Mr Hariri, without giving details, while France's foreign minister said France believed Mr Hariri was able to move freely.
Mr Hariri said in a TV broadcast on Saturday that he was stepping down because of the unspecified threat to his life.
In the video statement, Mr Hariri also attacked Hezbollah, which is politically and militarily powerful in Lebanon, and Iran.
There are fears Lebanon could become embroiled in a wider regional confrontation between major Sunni power Saudi Arabia and Shia-dominated Iran.
Mr Macron is a keen supporter of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, which both the Saudis and the Trump administration have heavily criticised.
Before going to Saudi Arabia, Mr Macron said that he had heard "very harsh opinions" on Iran from Saudi Arabia, which did not match his own view. "It is important to speak with everyone," he added.
But an official communiqué from his office following the visit did not say Iran was among the matters discussed, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia, Iran and Lebanon have soared since Mr Hariri announced his resignation.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies told their citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately. It came after Riyadh accused Iran of "direct military aggression", saying it supplied a missile which it says was fired by Hezbollah at Riyadh from Yemen on Saturday.
Iran has dismissed the Saudi allegations as "false and dangerous".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41937439
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Broadband and landline users to get automatic compensation - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Householders will get £8 a day if broadband or landline faults are not fixed immediately.
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Business
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Householders who receive poor service from their telecoms provider are to get automatic compensation, the regulator Ofcom has announced.
From 2019 they will get £8 a day if a fault is not fixed, paid as a refund through their bill.
This is less than the £10 that was proposed when Ofcom began its consultation earlier this year.
Providers will also have to pay £5 a day if their broadband or landline is not working on the day it was promised.
If an engineer misses an appointment, they will have to give £25 in compensation.
Ofcom has estimated as many as 2.6 million people could benefit from the new rules.
The agreement covers consumers who have contracts with BT, Sky, Talk Talk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet - which make up around 90% of telecoms customers in the UK.
Plusnet and EE are expected to join the scheme at a later date.
"Waiting too long for your landline or broadband to be fixed is frustrating enough, without having to fight for compensation," said Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's consumer group director.
"So providers will have to pay money back automatically, whenever repairs or installations don't happen on time, or an engineer doesn't turn up.
"People will get the money they deserve, while providers will want to work harder to improve their service."
Ofcom said the scheme would not come in to operation until early 2019, because of the complexity of the changes.
It said that billing systems and online accounts would need to be altered, and staff would need to be re-trained.
In total, customers can expect to get £142m in pay-outs every year, according to Ofcom's estimates.
At the moment telecoms users can get compensation in theory, but only around 15% of those who complain manage to get a refund.
Even then most only get small amounts, said Ofcom.
Anyone wanting to obtain compensation under the current arrangements can find help on the Ofcom website.
Which? said that those providers who have not already joined the automatic compensation scheme should do so.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41940505
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Sturgeon 'substantially in dark' over Brexit talks - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The first minister calls on the UK government to make sure devolved administrations have a "genuine role" in talks.
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Scotland politics
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Nicola Sturgeon has accused the UK government of leaving devolved administrations "substantially in the dark" on key Brexit talks.
The first minister's comments come ahead of a meeting of the British Irish Council in Jersey.
She called on the UK government to make good on its promise to give the devolved administrations a "genuine role" in discussions.
The UK government said there had been an unprecedented level of engagement.
Ms Sturgeon will attend the British Irish Council with Scottish Brexit minster Mike Russell and External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop. The First Secretary of State Damien Green will represent the UK government.
The first minister is seeking urgent clarity on what kind of transition arrangements are planned for sectors like agriculture and fisheries.
Ahead of the meeting, she claimed the devolved administrations had been "cut out" of the talks.
Damien Green will represent the UK government at the meeting
She said: "In less than 18 months' time, the UK will be leaving the EU, but despite reassurances that all devolved administrations will be consulted on the withdrawal negotiations, we remain substantially in the dark.
"The UK government assured us that the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) would seek to agree UK positions and discuss issues stemming from the negotiations, respecting the devolved competencies, but the UK government then allowed that process to fall short of what is required."
She added that there had only been one meeting of the JMC on EU negotiations since talks began on 19 June.
"This is not an abstract debate about process," she said. "Leaving the EU will have an enormous impact on Scottish jobs, our economy and our relationship with the world - indeed, Brexit's effects are already being felt.
"We know from businesses in Scotland that a hard Brexit will cause serious and long-term economic damage and it is crucial we stay in the single market and customs union.
"As has previously been said, the clock is ticking on Brexit and it is essential that the UK government live up to its promises to give devolved administrations a genuine role on what is by far the most important issue facing every corner of these islands."
A UK government spokesman said: "These comments come just weeks after an agreement was made at a Joint Ministerial Committee between the UK government and the devolved administrations, including the Scottish government, on the principles that will underpin the process for bringing back powers from the EU to the UK.
"There has been an unprecedented level of engagement between ministers and officials in devolved administrations which will continue. We are committed to securing a deal that works for the entire UK, including Scotland."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41939416
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Holy smoke: Vatican bans duty-free cigarette sales - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Pope Francis orders sales of duty-free cigarettes to stop from next year, on health grounds.
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Europe
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The duty-free sales to staff and retired workers raise revenue for the Vatican
Pope Francis has ordered a ban on the sale of cigarettes inside the Vatican, beginning next year.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See could not co-operate with a practice that clearly harmed people's health.
About 5,000 employees and retired staff of the Vatican are currently allowed to buy discounted cigarettes.
The sales are estimated to bring in millions of euros every year to the Vatican.
But Mr Burke said no amount of profit could be legitimate if it was costing people their lives.
He cited World Health Organization figures that blame smoking for more than seven million deaths worldwide every year .
"I think many people enjoyed it as sort of a fringe benefit," he said.
"It comes as a bit of a sacrifice for the Holy See, this was a source of revenue, but it's obviously much more important to do what is right."
Pope Francis, who had a lung removed as a teenager, does not smoke.
Vatican staff and pensioners are permitted to buy five cartons of cigarettes every month from a duty-free shop, housed in a former railway station, which is only open to those with a special pass.
Correspondents say many non-smokers inside the Vatican are asked by friends outside to buy cigarettes for them because they are cheaper than in Italy where they are heavily taxed.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41933527
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Kamil Ahmad death: Jeffrey Barry jailed for murder - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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The "savage and sustained" attack ended with Barry slicing off the Kurdish refugee's penis.
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Bristol
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A mental health patient who was found guilty of murdering his neighbour in a "savage and sustained" attack has been jailed for life.
It ended with Barry, 56, slicing off the Kurdish refugee's penis.
Sentencing, Mrs Justice May said the decision to release Barry had been "nothing short of calamitous".
Barry had denied murder but admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility at Bristol Crown Court.
"Once inside Mr Ahmad's flat, you subjected him to a frenzied attack, and the pathologist describes over 70 separate knife injuries," she said.
"Mr Ahmad bled to death. After he died, you cut off his penis and then you went downstairs and phoned the police."
Barry was told he would serve at least 23 years.
The court was told Barry had stabbed his 49-year-old neighbour to death at his flat in Wells Road in Bristol at about 02:00 BST on 7 July 2016.
Last month a jury unanimously convicted Barry, who is being held at Broadmoor Hospital, of murder following a two-week trial.
The jury was told he was racist towards Iraqi-born Mr Ahmad and had previously assaulted him.
A post-mortem examination found injuries to Mr Ahmad included 25 stab wounds to his face and eyes.
Barry had told a community psychiatric nurse he was "criminally insane" in a phone call he made minutes before the fatal attack.
But police discovered a note in his room reading: "The fact is, I have acted out my entire psychiatric history. I'm very well. Sorry."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41943117
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Penny Mordaunt replaces Priti Patel in cabinet reshuffle - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Penny Mordaunt says she is "delighted" to be named as the new international development secretary.
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UK Politics
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Penny Mordaunt has been promoted to the cabinet as the new International Development Secretary, following the resignation of Priti Patel.
Like Ms Patel, Ms Mordaunt was among Conservatives who backed Leave during the EU Referendum campaign.
Ms Mordaunt, 44, said she was "delighted" to take on the role, as she visited her new department.
Ms Patel quit on Wednesday, admitting unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials had "lacked transparency".
It was the second cabinet resignation in a week. Last week Gavin Williamson replaced Sir Michael Fallon as defence secretary, after he quit saying his conduct had "fallen short" of the required standards after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Ms Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North, is a Royal Navy reservist and was appointed as the first female minister for the Armed Forces in 2015. It had been thought she was in the running to replace Sir Michael last week.
Speaking at the Department for International Development, Ms Mordaunt said: "I'm delighted to have been appointed by the prime minister to be the new secretary of state for International Development.
"I'm looking forward to working with the team here to continue building a safer, more secure, more prosperous world for us all and really giving the British public pride in what we do."
There are good reasons why Penny Mordaunt has been promoted to the Department for International Development.
She has worked in humanitarian aid, she has been a minister in two different departments, former colleagues rate her abilities and she was tipped last week to be elevated to running the Ministry of Defence.
But there is a lot more to her than meets the eye, and a lot more that is interesting about her than going on TV in a swimsuit. She also has a different political qualification - she was prominent campaigning Brexiteer.
First elected to the Commons in 2010 she had been minister for disabled people in the Department for Work and Pensions until her promotion. She is also known for appearing on the reality TV programme Splash! in 2014.
BBC political correspondent Vicki Young said she thought Ms Mordaunt would be a popular appointment within the party. She said it would keep the balance within the cabinet when it came to Brexit - in terms of the numbers of ministers who supported Leave or Remain during the referendum - as well as preserving the gender balance, an issue which Theresa May was concerned about.
As International Development Secretary, Ms Mordaunt will be in charge of the UK's £13bn foreign aid budget.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Penny Mordaunt relives her moment diving in to a swimming pool on TV and admits "it hurt a bit" as she hit the water
Former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale told the BBC: "I think it's a good appointment. Penny is somebody who has a lot of experience, she has worked in an international department before - as armed forces minister, I have no doubt she will do an excellent job."
Aid charities also welcomed the appointment. Referring to Ms Mordaunt's student work in Romanian orphanages, director of anti-poverty campaign One UK, Romilly Greenhill, said she was "well suited for her new role" while Oxfam chief executive Mark Goldring hoped Ms Mordaunt would be "a champion for Britain ensuring that aid is spent where it is most needed, helping the world's poorest people".
Her Labour shadow Kate Osamor congratulated Ms Mordaunt on her appointment and said she "faces an immediate challenge of restoring integrity to British international development policy after the actions of Priti Patel".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What went wrong for Priti Patel? The BBC's James Landale explains
She added: "That means she must unequivocally commit to the spirit, as well as the letter, of Britain's pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on international development, and face down those in her party who want to merge DFID into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office."
Ms Patel's difficulties began last week, when the BBC revealed she had arranged a number of meetings with business and political figures during a family holiday to Israel in August, without telling Downing Street or the Foreign Office.
It later emerged that after Ms Patel's visit to Israel, she asked her officials to look into whether Britain could support humanitarian operations conducted by the Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights area.
In other appointments on Thursday, Sarah Newton has been made a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions while Victoria Atkins has become a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41931063
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Theresa May warns rebels as Brexit talks set to resume - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The PM outlines plans to set the UK's EU departure date and time in law, ahead of a new round of talks.
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UK Politics
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Theresa May has outlined plans to set the UK's departure date and time from the EU in law, warning she will not "tolerate" any attempt to block Brexit.
She said the EU Withdrawal Bill would be amended to formally commit to Brexit at 23:00 GMT on Friday 29 March 2019.
The bill will be scrutinised by MPs next week - but the PM warned against attempts to stop it or slow it down.
Mrs May was writing in the Daily Telegraph as a fresh round of Brexit negotiations are due to begin later.
The UK is due to leave the European Union after 2016's referendum in which 51.9% of voters backed Brexit.
The prime minister said the decision to put the specific time of Brexit "on the front page" of the Brexit bill showed the government was determined to see the process through.
"Let no-one doubt our determination or question our resolve, Brexit is happening," she wrote.
"It will be there in black and white on the front page of this historic piece of legislation: the United Kingdom will be leaving the EU on March 29, 2019 at 11pm GMT."
The draft legislation has already passed its second reading, and now faces several attempts to amend it at the next part of its parliamentary journey - the committee stage.
Mrs May said most people wanted politicians to "come together" to negotiate a good Brexit deal, adding that MPs "on all sides" should help scrutinise the bill.
She said the government would listen to MPs if they had ideas for improving the bill, but warned against attempts to halt the process.
"We will not tolerate attempts from any quarter to use the process of amendments to this Bill as a mechanism to try to block the democratic wishes of the British people by attempting to slow down or stop our departure from the European Union."
MPs have previously been told there have been 300 amendments and 54 new clauses proposed.
David Davis is due to take part in a fresh round of Brexit negotiations
The PM said the "historic" bill was "fundamental to delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit" and would give "the greatest possible clarity and certainty for all businesses and families across the country".
Labour MP and remain campaigner, Chuka Umunna, said many experts believed the March 2019 leaving date did not give much time for negotiations.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "Lord Bridges said he could not see the government being able to negotiate the transition arrangement, like the bridge to us leaving, and the divorce bill, by 2019. So we may actually need more time."
Lord Kerr, the former diplomat who helped draft Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the mechanism the UK has used to exit the EU - said putting the Brexit date on the bill did not mean the withdrawal process was irreversible.
The cross-bench peer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that decisions such as these were being made in Westminster, and "had nothing to do with the treaty, and they have nothing to do with the views of our partners in Brussels".
But the Conservative MP and leave campaigner, Peter Bone, welcomed the decision to enshrine the leaving date in law, saying it was a "really big, important step".
It comes as a leaked account of a meeting of EU diplomats this week suggested that Northern Ireland may have to abide by the EU's rules on the customs union and single market after Brexit - in order to avoid the introduction of border checks.
Both Britain and the EU say they are committed to ensuring that Brexit does not undermine the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement or lead to the emergence of hard-border with the Republic of Ireland.
However, BBC correspondent Adam Fleming said the commission's suggestion appeared to be at odds with comments made by the Northern Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire, this week.
Mr Brokenshire said it was "difficult to imagine" Northern Ireland remaining in either the customs union or the single market after Brexit.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41936428
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Brexit bill: Barnier gives UK two weeks to clarify key issues - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The EU says Britain has two weeks to say what it will pay when it leaves the bloc, among other issues.
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UK Politics
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The UK has two weeks to clarify key issues or make concessions if progress is to be made in Brexit talks, the bloc's chief negotiator has said.
Michel Barnier was speaking after meeting the Brexit secretary for talks on citizens' rights, the Irish border, and the UK's "divorce bill".
David Davis said it was time for both sides "to work to find solutions".
Before the talks, Theresa May said she wanted the UK's exit date set in law, and warned MPs not to block Brexit.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier suggested Britain would have to clarify its position in the next fortnight on what it would pay to settle its obligations to the EU if the talks were to have achieved "sufficient progress" ahead of December's European Council meeting.
"It is just a matter of settling accounts as in any separation," Mr Barnier said.
Mr Barnier also said both sides had to work towards an "objective interpretation" of Prime Minister Theresa May's pledge that no member of the EU would lose out financially as a result of the Brexit vote.
The Brexit secretary insisted good progress was being made across the board, and that the negotiations had narrowed to a "few outstanding, albeit important, issues".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Davis says there cannot be a new border within the UK
Mr Davis and Mr Barnier agreed there had been progress on the issue of settled status for EU citizens in the UK after Brexit.
Mr Barnier said the UK had provided "useful clarifications" on guaranteeing rights, although more work needed to be done on some points including rights of families and exporting welfare payments.
For the UK's part, Mr Davis said, the government had "listened carefully" to concerns and that there would be a "streamlined and straightforward" process for EU nationals to obtain settled status.
But Mr Davis rejected a suggestion that Northern Ireland could remain within the European customs union.
He was responding to a European Commission paper, which proposed that Northern Ireland may have to remain a member of the EU's single market or customs union, if a so-called "hard border" with the Irish Republic is to be avoided.
Saying there had been "frank discussions" with Mr Barnier and his negotiators on the issue of the Irish border, Mr Davis insisted there could be "no new border" inside the UK.
"We respect the European Union desire to protect the legal order of the single market and the customs union, but that cannot come at cost to the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom," Mr Davis told reporters in Brussels.
"We recognise the need for specific solutions for the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland. But let me be clear - this cannot amount to creating a new border inside our United Kingdom," he added.
Mr Barnier said the "unique situation" on the island of Ireland required "technical and regulatory solutions necessary to prevent a hard border".
Michel Barnier usually says at post-negotiation press conferences that the clock is ticking.
He didn't this time: he gave a specific timeframe. He wants the UK to provide more clarity in the next two weeks on its positions on the rights of EU citizens who wish to remain after Brexit, the plans for the Irish border and principles for calculating Britain's financial obligations.
Although the EU doesn't want a precise figure, it wants the UK to clarify what it's willing to pay to live up to the financial commitments made as a member.
On Ireland, both sides have pledged to protect the peace process but the EU has suggested that might require Northern Ireland sticking to European rules on customs and the single market - rules that the rest of Britain might not follow in future. David Davis rejected that.
UK sources agree it looks like they've been set a deadline but they feel it is a logical reading of the EU's timetable, under which their officials have to begin preparations for the next summit of EU leaders in December fairly soon.
Looking ahead to December's EU summit, Mr Davis pledged the UK was "ready and willing" to engage with Brussels "as often and as quickly as needed".
"But we need to see flexibility, imagination and willingness to make progress on both sides if these negotiations are to succeed and we are able to realise our new deep and special partnership," he said.
Friday's update came as Prime Minister Theresa May announced she wanted the date the UK leaves the EU - 29 March 2019 - enshrined in law.
The prime minister wrote in Friday's Daily Telegraph she would not tolerate attempts to "block" Brexit
The prime minister said the decision to put the specific time of Brexit "on the front page" of the Brexit bill showed the government was determined to see the process through.
"Let no-one doubt our determination or question our resolve, Brexit is happening," she wrote.
The draft legislation has already passed its second reading, and now faces several attempts to amend it at the next part of its parliamentary journey - the committee stage.
Mrs May said the government would listen to MPs if they had ideas for improving the bill, but warned against attempts to halt the process.
"We will not tolerate attempts from any quarter to use the process of amendments to this bill as a mechanism to try to block the democratic wishes of the British people by attempting to slow down or stop our departure from the European Union."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41941414
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Manchester police face legal bid over teen's naked photo details - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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A police force's refusal to delete information from its database is being challenged in the High Court.
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Manchester
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A police force is facing a legal challenge against its refusal to delete the details of a teenager who sent a naked photograph of himself on social media to a girl at his school.
The boy, 14 at the time, was not arrested or prosecuted by Greater Manchester Police.
But his mother said she was concerned police could release the information to potential employers when he is older.
The High Court is due to consider the case this morning.
The boy used a messaging site to send a photo of his naked body to the girl, who then shared it with others, more than two years ago.
His mother said she was "in complete shock" when she heard what had happened, but "this had all happened in the privacy of his own bedroom".
She said even though "he was young, he was naive, he was silly" she believes the sharing of the photo was "malicious".
Police took no action against him other than to record on their database that he had taken and forwarded an "indecent" image of himself, logged under a section entitled "Obscene Publications".
Greater Manchester Police has refused to delete the boy's name from its files, a decision his mother is contesting at the court, which is sitting in Manchester.
She said: "It's going to be held there infinitum, so for all his adult life it hangs over him.
"I'm his parent and its my job to know when something needs to be dealt with and that's why I'm still pursuing proceedings to ultimately get his name removed.
"We are criminalising our children for something that if they did at the age of 18 is not a crime.
"The law hasn't kept up with technology. By giving our children smartphones in effect we're giving them a Pandora's Box."
The force is expected to argue it would pass on the details to an employer only after weighing up the risk he presented against the impact that disclosure would have on him.
Campaign group Just for Kids Law, which is supporting his family, says it is aware of other so-called "sexting" cases where police have been criticised for being too heavy-handed.
The Home Office is an interested party in the proceedings. Its position is understood to be that although police have to record such incidents, it is at their discretion whether they include the name of the person.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41937955
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Joe Fox: Homeless busker to A$AP Rocky's album - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Joe Fox went from being homeless to collaborating with A$AP Rocky alongside Kanye West, MIA and Future.
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Joe Fox went from being homeless, to meeting A$AP Rocky whilst busking in London. He then became Rocky's main collaborator, featuring five times on his latest number one album.
We caught up with him before a "Shelter from the Storm" gig for the homeless.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41920427
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Louis CK: Five women accuse US comic of sexual misconduct - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Accusers level similar allegations against Emmy-winning Louis CK in a New York Times report.
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US & Canada
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Louis CK's planned appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has also been cancelled
US comedian Louis CK's movie premiere has been cancelled hours before the screening as five women levelled sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Four of the accusers told the New York Times he had masturbated during interactions with them and a fifth said he had asked to do so.
The BBC has contacted the Emmy-winning comic's manager for a comment.
The distributor of his new film, I Love You, Daddy, said it was reviewing plans for its general release.
Four comediennes - Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Rebecca Corry and Abby Schachner - and a fifth woman who spoke on condition of anonymity made allegations about the entertainer in Thursday's New York Times report.
Ms Goodman and Ms Wolov said Louis CK stripped naked and masturbated after inviting them to his hotel room during the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002.
Actresses Julia Wolov (L) and Dana Goodman in Hollywood in 2011
Ms Corry told the newspaper that the comic was a guest star on a TV pilot she was appearing on in 2005 when he asked if he could go to her dressing room so she could watch him perform a sex act on himself.
She said she rebuked him and pointed out that he had a daughter and a pregnant wife.
Ms Schachner said she called Louis CK in 2003 to invite him to one of her shows and was dumbfounded to realise during their phone conversation that he was masturbating.
"I felt very ashamed," she told the New York Times.
A fifth woman, who did not want to be named, told the newspaper of alleged incidents involving the comic in the late 1990s while she was working in production on The Chris Rock Show.
Louis CK, who was a writer and producer on the show, repeatedly asked her to watch him perform a sex act, she said.
A question mark now hangs over the general release of the comedian's new film
The accuser told the New York Times she went along with his requests even though she knew it was wrong.
"He abused his power," she said.
The premiere of Louis CK's new movie in New York City on Thursday night was abruptly called off.
I Love You, Daddy was written and directed by Louis CK, who also stars in the film as a father who tries to stop his 17-year-old daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) from having a relationship with a seedy 68-year-old film director (John Malkovich).
Rebecca Corry said Louis CK asked if he could go to her dressing room so she could watch him perform a sex act
The movie's distributor, the Orchard, has not confirmed that it will go ahead with its release date in cinemas on 17 November.
"In light of the allegations considering Louis CK references in today's New York Times, we are cancelling tonight's premiere of I Love You, Daddy," the Orchard said in a statement to industry publications.
"There is never a place for the behaviour detailed in these allegations.
"As a result, we are giving careful consideration to the timing and release of the film and continuing to review the situation."
"I felt very ashamed," Abby Schachner told the New York Times
Louis CK's planned appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has also been cancelled.
On Thursday night, HBO announced it would purge Louis CK's past projects from its On Demand service.
The cable TV network also said the comic would no longer participate in a charity comedy special, Night of Too Many Stars, later this month.
In September at the Toronto film festival, where I Love You, Daddy, was shown, the New York Times said it had asked Louis CK about claims of sexual misconduct against him.
The divorced father of two daughters dismissed the reports as "rumours".
Louis CK joins a growing list of Hollywood figures including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner and James Toback who have been engulfed by such allegations.
On Thursday, a Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey announced a task force of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to address "the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in entertainment industry".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41936594
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Three Chinese students injured in car attack in Toulouse - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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There is no suggestion of terrorism and the driver had previous drugs offences, police say.
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Europe
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The three victims have been taken to hospital
A driver has ploughed into a group of pedestrians near the French city of Toulouse, injuring three Chinese exchange students.
A 23-year-old woman was seriously injured, and two men aged 22 and 23 were also hurt, police said.
The incident occurred outside a college in the suburb of Blagnac.
The 28-year-old driver "purposefully hit" the group on a crosswalk, Toulouse prosecutor Pierre-Yves Couilleau said.
The victims are students at the ICD-Toulouse International Business School. The woman's life is not in danger, police said.
The driver was arrested immediately afterwards. Police said he had several previous minor convictions, some drugs-related.
Unconfirmed reports say he had a history of mental illness including acute schizophrenia. La Dépêche du Midi newspaper quoted him as telling police he had heard voices telling him to harm someone.
Mr Couilleau visited the scene of the accident and said there was no suggestion the incident was an act of terrorism.
"What matters in this case is the psychiatric profile of the person," he said.
The man "had been planning this act for a month", Mr Couilleau added.
Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc tweeted (in French): "Very shocked by the aggression towards the students in Blagnac. We offer all our support to them and their loved ones."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41948298
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England 0-0 Germany - BBC Sport
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2017-11-10
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Five England players make their debuts as an inexperienced side hold world champions Germany to a draw in an entertaining contest at Wembley.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Debutants Jordan Pickford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek excelled as England's most inexperienced side since 1980 played out an entertaining goalless draw with world champions Germany at Wembley.
Everton goalkeeper Pickford, one of three debutants in the starting XI and five overall, kept his side in contention with two vital first-half saves from Timo Werner, while Loftus-Cheek, on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, also impressed.
England struggled to contain Germany in the first half but grew in confidence as the game progressed and it took a fine save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen to keep out Jamie Vardy's second-half header as Gareth Southgate's side pressed.
There was disappointment for Manchester United's Phil Jones, who was an early injury casualty, allowing Liverpool's Joe Gomez to make his debut. Burnley's Jack Cork also won his first cap as a late substitute.
• None Football Daily podcast: Best international I've seen at Wembley in a long time - Jenas
Southgate raised eyebrows when he announced Joe Hart remained his first-choice goalkeeper despite a poor spell for his country and an exile from Manchester City that has led to loan spells at Torino and now West Ham United.
The 30-year-old has had a tough time with the Hammers this season - and there is now every chance he will face a serious fight to maintain his England status, despite Southgate's backing.
Southgate had planned to use Stoke's Jack Butland in these friendlies before a broken finger sidelined him - opening the door for Pickford.
And how the 23-year-old took his chance, producing an outstanding display of such confidence and assuredness that he has now surely given Southgate food for thought.
Pickford was alert from the first minute, reacting quickly to clear a poor back-pass from Harry Maguire, then further distinguished himself with fine saves low to his left and right from Werner.
He commanded his area and also gave England an extra dimension with his superb distribution. It was a very good night for Pickford, who looked right at home on the international stage against the World Cup holders.
England's central midfield has been open to justifiable accusations of a lack of creativity when Eric Dier, captain against Germany, and Jordan Henderson have been paired together.
So, with Liverpool captain Henderson injured, this was a real opportunity for Loftus-Cheek to make his mark and stake a serious claim for consideration for next summer's World Cup in Russia.
And the 21-year-old did his chances no harm with a purposeful and powerful display, mixing subtle touches with surging runs from midfield.
This was only a friendly, of course, so will not be a truly accurate measure of Loftus-Cheek's suitability to play on that elite stage, but the signs were good and Southgate will surely have been impressed.
The midfielder grew in confidence as the game progressed and drew Wembley's approval on several occasions with his strong running and range of passing.
He, like Pickford, can be very pleased with his night's work.
Informative night for Southgate - but disappointment for Jones
The currency of this game may have been devalued by so many England withdrawals and absentees - but there was still plenty for Southgate to draw from the meeting with the world champions.
His experimental side acquitted themselves well, although they were thankful to Pickford and a goal-line clearance from Jones to still be on level terms at the interval.
England's new boys did not look overawed in the shirt and after the deadly dull conclusion to the successful World Cup qualifying campaign, this was a lively game to keep an excellent Wembley crowd of 81,381 entertained. It was certainly not a wasted exercise.
The only blot on England's night was the latest injury to luckless Manchester United defender Jones, who picked up a problem early on and was replaced by Liverpool's Gomez immediately after making a crucial block on the line from Leroy Sane.
Jones had played himself back into England contention after a spell off the scene and Southgate was keen to look at him in the three-man central defensive system he has started to employ.
This is another setback for the 25-year-old - now he and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will hope it is not a serious one.
What they said
England manager Gareth Southgate told ITV: "In the first half we needed a couple of really goods saves from Jordan Pickford - we caused our own problems with a couple of those. But we posed our own questions and I thought we used the ball well.
"Ruben Loftus-Cheek did everything I know he can do. It took him 10 minutes to realise he is OK at this level. He is capable of anything. He has the physical attributes and can handle the ball. He will gain huge confidence from it. There will be harder tests as the likes of Germany will have another gear to go to."
England captain Eric Dier: "We did well. Against a well-oiled machine they will have periods in the game where they control possession but I didn't think they hurt us. And we had our periods, broke well at times and are actually disappointed we didn't score."
Debutant Ruben Loftus-Cheek: "If we won it would have been better but I'm really happy. It was a really tactical game. It was good for us young players and I certainly learned a lot.
"The manager has said 'do your best'. I had Gareth in charge for nearly three years at the Under-21s and the boys have been great. I've settled in really well and they gave me a platform to go out and play.
"To go to the World Cup? It's a long season and I still have to improve. I have to keep learning and getting better and hopefully there's a chance to get on the plane."
The stats you need to know
• None England and Germany remain on 13 wins against each other in international competition, with the other six games ending in draws.
• None This was the first goalless draw England have played out at Wembley since October 2010, when they drew 0-0 with Montenegro under Fabio Capello.
• None It was also the first 0-0 between England and Germany since June 1982, when Ron Greenwood's side drew against West Germany at the World Cup in Spain.
• None The Three Lions remain unbeaten at Wembley under Gareth Southgate (W5 D2), keeping five clean sheets in seven games.
• None England handed starts to debutants Pickford, Loftus-Cheek and Abraham against Germany. The last time three England debutants started in the same game was against Chile in November 2013 (Fraser Forster, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez).
• None Five England players made their debut in this game (also Gomez and Cork) - their most in a single international fixture since November 2012 (six v Sweden - Osman, Caulker, Shawcross, Jenkinson, Sterling and Zaha).
England host Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday, while Germany continue preparations for the defence of the World Cup they won in 2014 when they entertain France the same night.
• None Attempt missed. Jesse Lingard (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Harry Maguire with a headed pass following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt blocked. Marcus Rashford (England) right footed shot from long range on the left is blocked. Assisted by Ryan Bertrand.
• None Offside, England. Ryan Bertrand tries a through ball, but Jamie Vardy is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Emre Can (Germany) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41854505
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Portia de Rossi accuses Steven Seagal of sexual harassment - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Arrested Development star Portia de Rossi says the actor unzipped his trousers in an audition.
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US & Canada
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The actress alleges Steven Seagal propositioned her while she auditioned for a role
Actress Portia de Rossi has accused actor and producer Steven Seagal of sexual harassment.
The Arrested Development actress, who is married to US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, made the allegation in a tweet posted on Wednesday night.
She alleges that during a film audition Mr Seagal told her "how important it was to have chemistry off-screen" before unzipping his trousers.
Mr Seagal's manager told BBC News that the actor had no comment.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Portia de Rossi This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
The 65-year-old is best known for his action roles during the 1980s and 1990s, including Under Siege and Flight of Fury. He was given Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin in 2016.
Several other women have come forward to accuse Mr Seagal of inappropriate behaviour and harassment, including the Good Wife actress Julianna Margulies and model Jenny McCarthy.
He is the latest person in Hollywood to stand accused of sexual harassment or sexual assault after women began coming forward about producer Harvey Weinstein.
Harvey Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex made against him.
Steven Seagal has bonded with the Russian president over martial arts
In the tweet, Ms de Rossi said her complaints about Mr Seagal's behaviour were dismissed at the time by her agent.
She did not specify which movie the audition was for, or in which year the incident allegedly happened.
The Australian-American actress has been married to television host Ellen DeGeneres for nine years.
Ms DeGeneres shared Ms de Rossi's tweet with her 75 million followers on Thursday with the caption: "I am proud of my wife".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41936741
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Naomi Campbell: Abuse in fashion 'a big problem' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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British supermodel Naomi Campbell says she's saddened by stories of abuse within the fashion industry.
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British supermodel Naomi Campbell has said she's saddened by stories of abuse within the fashion industry.
She told the BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz that it was "just the beginning" as "the lid's now been opened".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-41950387
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How much of your area is built on? - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Discover at the click of button exactly how the land is used in your local authority area.
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UK
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For the first time, you can find out at the click of button exactly how the land is used in your local authority area.
Your browser does not support this Lookup Enter your postcode to find out how land is used in your area The percentages above are estimates. For a detailed methodology see note at bottom of article page. Maps produced by Alasdair Rae from the University of Sheffield using data from Corine and Ordnance Survey.
If you can't see the area search, click or tap here.
Every council area in the UK has been analysed and individual maps produced showing how much of the area falls into four land categories:
More than half of the UK land area is farmland (fields, orchards etc), just over a third might be termed natural or semi-natural (moors, heathland, natural grassland etc), a little under 6% is built on (roads, buildings, airports, quarries etc) and 2.5% is green urban (parks, gardens, golf courses, sports pitches etc).
The four categories are drawn from 44 different land use codes used by the Co-ordination of Information on the Environment (Corine) project initiated by the European Commission in 1985.
Using high-definition satellite images and detailed local maps, Corine offers a comprehensive picture of every corner of the United Kingdom. Now that information is readily available to everyone.
The local authorities with the highest proportion of farmland are the Isles of Scilly (96%) and Mid Suffolk (95%). The council area with the greatest quantity of "natural" landscape is Highland (91%). The City of London has the highest amount of land that is built on (98%) and the local authority with the greatest proportion of green urban is Richmond upon Thames (58%).
Read Mark's blog about the research findings here.
The data has been produced with the help of Dr Alasdair Rae from the Urban Studies and Planning Department at the University of Sheffield. All the original local authority data and maps are available in A Land Cover Atlas of the United Kingdom and can be found here and here.
The largest component of the "built on" category is "discontinuous urban fabric", within which 20-50% of the surface area may be green space. To account for this we have reassigned the minimum 20% of "discontinuous urban fabric" to "green urban", which in many cases may be an underestimate. The map uses building land cover data from Ordnance Survey.
Produced by Will Dahlgreen. Design by Prina Shah. Development by Evisa Terziu.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41901294
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China: President Trump v candidate Trump - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Once Donald Trump spoke of China "raping" the US. Now he gives it "credit" for "taking advantage".
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Once Donald Trump spoke of China "raping" the US – now he gives it "credit" for "taking advantage".
So how has the US president's attitude changed since he took office?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41934951
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Christmas ad spend 'to hit record high' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Industry body predicts record £6bn ad spend as John Lewis brings out its seasonal pitch
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Business
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The latest John Lewis campaign focuses on a little boy and his friendship with an imaginary monster
Brands will be spending a record £6bn on Christmas advertising in 2017, according to an industry body forecast.
The Advertising Association says it is being driven by intense market competition, especially within the retail sector, and the rise of big-budget campaigns.
It believes spending on ads has jumped nearly 40% in just seven years.
The figures come as campaigns by major retailers such as John Lewis, M&S and Asda get under way.
"There have been so many blockbuster campaigns over the last 10 years," says Karen Fraser, director of Credos, a think tank which compiled the forecast with the Advertising Association.
John Lewis' Christmas ads have become particularly anticipated by the public and advertisers in recent years.
A recurring theme in John Lewis adverts has been to take out branding and centre on stories to grab people's attention.
Their latest campaign - launched this week - focuses on the tale of a little boy and his friendship with an imaginary monster living under his bed.
Rival Marks and Spencer has launched an advert featuring Paddington Bear stumbling across a burglar he mistakes for Father Christmas.
Marks and Spencer's ad has Paddington handing out a marmalade sandwich
Meanwhile, Asda's ad follows a girl and her grandfather visiting a festive food factory.
Among a survey of 1,000 Brits interviewed on behalf of the Advertising Association, nearly half said they had been moved to tears by Christmas ads they'd seen.
One in six also said they have changed plans to watch the premiere of their favourite Christmas ad.
"It's just upped the ante," adds Karen Fraser, "and so many brands and retailers are looking to compete in that market but it means that everyone needs to work harder to get people's attention."
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that purchasing from retailers - traditionally the biggest investor in Christmas advertising - has increased.
Prices of consumer goods have also undergone their highest year-on-year growth since March 2012 at 3.3%, meaning shops are facing an uphill struggle to attract consumers as real wages fall.
"A lot of businesses don't have much of an option other than to go for it," says Craig Mawdsley, chief strategy officer at advertising agency AMVBBDO.
"Some brands get to grow, but most are trying to offset the growth of others".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41933877
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YouTube to restrict 'disturbing' children's videos, if flagged - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The site will restrict videos aimed at children but contain adult themes, if they are reported.
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Technology
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One unofficial cartoon shows Peppa Pig having teeth pulled at the dentist
YouTube is to restrict the availability of videos showing children's characters in violent or sexual scenes if they are reported by viewers.
Last week, a blog post by writer James Bridle highlighted how YouTube was still being swamped by bizarre and indecent videos aimed at children.
The site says it already stops such videos earning advertising revenue.
YouTube said its team was "made up of parents who are committed to improving our apps and getting this right".
But critics say YouTube is not taking enough action by waiting for viewers to report inappropriate videos.
The problem of video-makers using popular characters such as Peppa Pig in violent or sexual videos, to frighten children, has been widely reported.
However, Mr Bridle's blog post went deeper into what he called the rabbit hole of children's content on YouTube.
He gave examples of videos aimed at children that were not necessarily violent or sexual but were sinister, "disturbing" or otherwise inappropriate.
Often it appeared that the videos had been algorithmically generated to capitalise on popular trends.
In one clip, Spiderman and Elsa, from Frozen, fire machine guns
"Stock animations, audio tracks, and lists of keywords being assembled in their thousands to produce an endless stream of videos," he said.
Many used popular family entertainment characters such as Spiderman, and Elsa from Frozen, and had been viewed millions of times.
"Someone or something or some combination of people and things is using YouTube to systematically frighten, traumatise, and abuse children, automatically and at scale," he wrote.
YouTube says it has already barred such videos from earning advertising money when they are reported by viewers, to try to remove the incentive to produce them.
However, many of the videos do not get reported by viewers and continue to carry advertisements.
YouTube has now said it will give such videos an age restriction if they are reported by viewers, so they cannot be viewed by people under 18.
Some of the videos are not rude or violent but use Disney characters in odd situations
Age-restricted videos are blocked from appearing in the YouTube Kids app, which is primarily curated by algorithms.
They also cannot be viewed on the YouTube website unless people are logged in with an adult's account.
However, a report in the New York Times found that inappropriate videos have previously slipped through the net.
YouTube says it uses human reviewers to evaluate whether flagged videos are appropriate for a family audience.
In his blog post, Mr Bridle said he did not know how YouTube could stamp out the problem.
"We have built a world which operates at scale, where human oversight is simply impossible, and no manner of inhuman oversight will counter most of the examples I've used in this essay," he said.
• None The disturbing YouTube videos that are tricking children
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41942306
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Facebook founding president sounds alarm - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A man responsible for helping Facebook get off the ground now says he's deeply concerned about its impact on society.
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Technology
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
“God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.”
A view on social media shared not by some uninformed luddite, but by one of the people responsible for building Facebook into the social media titan it is today.
Sean Parker, Facebook’s founding president, unloaded his worries and criticisms of the network, saying he had no idea what he was doing at the time of its creation.
Speaking on stage to Mike Allen from Axios, Mr Parker said: "The thought process that went into building these applications, Facebook being the first of them, was all about: 'How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?’"
“That means that we need to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once in a while, because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post or whatever.
"And that's going to get you to contribute more content, and that's going to get you... more likes and comments.”
Mr Parker first rose to tech prominence as the creator of pioneering file-sharing service Napster.
In the Facebook story, it was Mr Parker who steered the firm into Silicon Valley and put Mark Zuckerberg’s idea in front of big name investors.
Those early days were reimagined in the film the Social Network. Mr Parker was played by Justin Timberlake.
"When Facebook was getting going,” Mr Parker said on Wednesday, "I had these people who would come up to me and they would say, 'I'm not on social media.’
"And I would say, 'OK. You know, you will be.’”
He then added: "I don't know if I really understood the consequences of what I was saying, because [of] the unintended consequences of a network when it grows to a billion or two billion people and, it literally changes your relationship with society, with each other.
"It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways. God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains."
As for his own habits, Mr Parker said he no longer used social media as it was “too much of a time sink”.
However, he said he still had an account on Facebook. "If Mark hears this he’s probably going to suspend my account,” he joked.
Facebook did not respond to the BBC's request for reaction to the comments.
“I use these platforms, I just don’t let these platforms use me,” Mr Parker concluded.
You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41936791
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Ed Westwick: BBC shelves drama after rape allegations against actor - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A major drama is removed from the Christmas schedule after actor Ed Westwick was accused of rape.
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Entertainment & Arts
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A BBC drama has been taken out of the Christmas schedule after Ed Westwick, one of its stars, was accused of rape.
Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence, which was due to be on BBC One, will not be broadcast "until these matters are resolved", the BBC said.
And the former Gossip Girl star has "paused" filming on the second series of BBC Two comedy White Gold.
Westwick has vehemently denied the allegations, which have been made by two women.
One of the accusers has made a complaint of sexual assault to the Los Angeles Police Department.
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A BBC spokesperson said: "These are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied.
"The BBC is not making any judgement but until these matters are resolved we will not include Ordeal by Innocence in the schedules.
"The independent production company making White Gold has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations."
The three-part Ordeal By Innocence, adapted from the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, also stars Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson and Anna Chancellor. It was expected to be one of the BBC's key festive dramas.
BBC One tweeted a photo from the drama on Tuesday, before it was pulled from the schedule.
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Meanwhile, filming had begun on the second series of White Gold, in which Westwick stars as an Essex double glazing salesman.
The actor wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: "It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude that I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct.
"I have absolutely not, and I am co-operating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41941904
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Carl Sargeant: First minister orders independent inquiry - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Wales' first minister orders an independent inquiry into his decisions before the sacked minister's death.
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Wales politics
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Carl Sargeant died on Tuesday after an investigation was launched into his conduct
An inquiry will be held into how Wales' first minister handled Carl Sargeant's sacking, days before he was found dead.
Carwyn Jones ordered the inquiry into his actions amid mounting pressure, and shortly after Mr Sargeant's family said a probe should start "immediately".
The former communities secretary was being investigated by the Labour party over claims of "unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping".
He is understood to have taken his own life on Tuesday.
The Welsh Government said the inquiry would be independent but this was disputed by Mr Sargeant's family, who criticised the announcement.
Mr Jones had faced criticism for suggesting on Thursday that an inquiry should only be held if it was not possible for the AM's family to get answers through an inquest.
His decision to hold an inquiry followed pressure from two north east Wales Labour MPs, Mark Tami and Ian Lucas, former local government minister Leighton Andrews and opposition parties.
A spokesman for the first minister said Mr Jones believes a senior QC should lead the probe to examine his "actions and decisions".
Permanent secretary Shan Morgan, the Welsh Government's most senior civil servant, is to contact the family to discuss who the senior QC will be and the inquiry's terms of reference.
However, a statement from Mr Sargeant's family said the permanent secretary reports directly to the first minister and "is therefore not independent", adding they would prefer a senior civil servant from Whitehall.
"We believe that a truly independent body must also be responsible for agreeing the terms of reference and appointing the chair and secretariat for the inquiry," the family said.
The Welsh Government would not respond to the family's statement but a spokeswoman said: "The impartiality of the civil service is a given."
Carwyn Jones is certainly a man being led by events.
The fact that he failed yesterday to address any of the serious questions that have been raised over the past few days has only increased the pressure on him.
He clearly felt it was inappropriate to do so so close to the death with so many people still grieving for Mr Sargeant.
But the fact that Mr Sargeant's family and friends want answers, and more and more of them have been saying so publicly today, meant Mr Jones did not really have much choice but to announce the inquiry.
The first minister will certainly be hoping this will take at least some of the pressure away after a phenomenally intense week for him and his government.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Flintshire council's deputy leader Bernie Attridge wants the first minister to stand aside after announcing the inquiry
Mr Jones had been criticised for how allegations against Mr Sargeant, who was AM for Alyn and Deeside and had been suspended from the Labour party, were handled.
He was dismissed from his job as communities secretary on Friday 3 November and suspended by the Labour Party but said he had not been made aware of the full details of the allegations.
Bernie Attridge, deputy leader of Flintshire council and a lifelong friend of Mr Sargeant, called the announcement a "major U-turn by Carwyn Jones, of which I welcome".
"But I still feel, that now an independent inquiry has been set up, that he should step aside," he added.
Mr Andrews welcomed the announcement, saying: "I am glad an independent inquiry is to address the multiple questions that remain."
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Leighton Andrews This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Mr Lucas also welcomed the inquiry, as did Cardiff Central AM Jenny Rathbone.
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said he was "grateful" for the announcement but said it was "regrettable" that it was not made in Thursday's statement.
"We need the answers to the questions that have rightly been asked of how a 49-year-old man felt so, so down at the beginning of this week that the only way out [was] that he could take his own life", Mr Davies told BBC Radio Wales.
Mr Davies has also asked for an investigation into allegations made by Mr Andrews of a bullying culture in Welsh Government.
The first minister previously said he would be open to scrutiny over how he sacked Mr Sargeant from his Welsh Government cabinet job.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carwyn Jones said he had "no alternative" but to sack Carl Sargeant
Mr Sargeant had vowed to clear his name but following his death, his family claimed he did not receive "natural justice".
The inquest into his death is due to open and adjourn on Monday.
The first minister's spokesman added: "It is our understanding that such an inquiry should not take place before the outcome of a coroner's inquest - but we will take further advice on this matter."
The announcement was released minutes after a solicitor for the family said they were "deeply" concerned the first minister suggested that the answers the family seek should be dealt with in a coroner's inquest.
"What a coroner's inquest cannot determine or appear to be determining is the civil or criminal liability," the statement read.
It added that an inquiry would determine the "reasons for the complete abdication of responsibility and duty of care that was owed to Carl".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-41936336
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Egypt drugs case: Briton 'had no idea painkiller was illegal' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Laura Plummer says she feels "stupid" after being told she faces drug smuggling charges.
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UK
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A British woman being held in Egypt on drug smuggling charges says she had "no idea" the prescription painkillers she was carrying were banned there.
Laura Plummer, 33, is due in court on Saturday accused of smuggling 300 tablets of Tramadol, a painkiller that is legal in the UK but not in Egypt.
The shop assistant from Hull says they were given to her for her Egyptian boyfriend's "back problems".
Local police says that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Ms Plummer's relatives hope the judge at her custody hearing in the Red Sea Resort of Hurghada on Saturday will believe she made an innocent mistake - drug smuggling can be punishable by death in Egypt.
Tramadol is legal in the UK with a prescription but banned in Egypt where many are addicted to the opiate.
Ms Plummer told the BBC that a colleague had given her the tablets in a chemist's bag that she put in her suitcase. "I didn't even look in bag," she said. "I can't tell you how stupid I feel."
She said her cell in a police station was the size of her bedroom in the UK, but she was having to share it with 25 other women.
She said her spirits were at rock bottom and she dreamt of coming home, catching up with her favourite soap opera Emmerdale, sleeping in her own bed, and having a cup of tea.
She added her shared cell was claustrophobic, that it was sometimes hard to breathe and that although her fellow prisoners were trying to look after her, none of them spoke English.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41943837
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Three Canadians charged in naked car crash in Alberta - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A relative says the man and two women may have unintentionally consumed hallucinogenic tea.
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US & Canada
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Three Canadians who were involved in a bizarre car crash while naked have been charged with kidnapping and resisting arrest.
They were among five nude people detained after a two-vehicle collision on a rural highway last Monday about 30km (20 miles) south of Edmonton.
The man and two women appeared in court in Leduc, Alberta, on Thursday.
They allegedly kidnapped a man, a woman and a six-week-old baby from a home and forced them into a vehicle.
The abducted man, who was being held in the car boot, somehow managed to escape, police say.
Shortly after so did the woman with the baby.
A man who was driving to work along the highway picked up the three victims after he saw them shoeless on the road.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says the BMW driven by the alleged kidnappers then apparently deliberately rammed the Good Samaritan's vehicle, before ending up in the ditch at the side of the road.
Those allegedly kidnapped were not injured.
The three accused cannot be named due to a court publication ban. Two female minors who were also arrested at the scene were later released with no charges.
Derek Scott, the employer of the man who picked up the three victims after their escape, witnessed the arrest.
He told the Canadian Press it was a "wild fight" to get the female suspect out of the car.
He also described the "walk of shame" taken by the nude kidnappers.
There has been no explanation as to why five people were not wearing any clothes on a Monday morning in subzero temperatures.
Police say they believe it was a "targeted incident" and that the kidnappers knew the three people they took from the home.
The RCMP has called the ongoing investigation "convoluted", adding that drugs or alcohol may have been a factor.
A relative who spoke to CTV News and the Canadian Press said the whole incident was completely out of character for those involved.
He believes they unknowingly ingested a "herbal tea" brought back from an overseas trip that may have had hallucinogenic properties.
"It's a scary thought thinking, 'Oh, let's try this tea that we purchased,'" the relative told the Canadian Press.
"And then all sit down thinking they're just going to have a nice morning and end up in that circumstance."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41937279
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Sydney classroom crash: Grieving father says he forgives driver - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A Sydney man whose son died when a car hit a classroom on Tuesday says the crash was an accident.
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Australia
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The father's statement (left) was translated by undertaker Ahmad Hraichie
A man whose son died when a car crashed into a classroom in Sydney has said he forgives the driver of the vehicle.
The child was one of two eight-year-old boys who were killed in the tragedy at a primary school on Tuesday.
A 52-year-old woman, Maha al-Shennag, has been charged over the crash, which police believe was not intentional.
The father's message of forgiveness in Arabic was translated by an undertaker as the pair sat in a hearse on their way to the boy's funeral.
The video message, posted by Ahmad Hraichie, shows the boy's coffin in the background as he explains the father's view of the crash as an accident.
"They [the family] have forgiven. If anything, they want to sit with this lady and talk with her and tell her 'we forgive you'," says Mr Hraichie in his translation.
"She is welcome to come and sit with the family to have a meal and to talk about how they can move forward."
Police investigate the crash in the Sydney suburb of Greenacre on Tuesday
The father also calls for the community to stop any abuse aimed at the driver and the school.
"The father says they are making it bigger than it is. They are telling everyone out there. Forget her. It was an honest mistake. It could have happened to any of us," Mr Hraichie says.
Of the message, Mr Hraichie says: "This is the way a proper Muslim acts in a time of calamity and tribulation."
The crash at Banksia Road Public School in the suburb of Greenacre has rocked what local lawmaker Jihad Dib described as a "very close-knit community".
Three girls were taken to hospital with injuries after the crash.
Ms al-Shennag - also a parent at the school, according to Mr Dib - has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41937096
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Northern Ireland 0-1 Switzerland - BBC Sport
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2017-11-10
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Northern Ireland's hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 32 years suffer a blow as a controversial penalty earns Switzerland victory in their play-off first leg.
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Northern Ireland face an uphill struggle to reach a first World Cup since 1986 after losing to Switzerland in controversial circumstances in the first leg of their play-off at Windsor Park.
Ricardo Rodriguez scored with a penalty just before the hour mark after Corry Evans was deemed to have handled inside the area.
Though that decision was harsh as the ball clearly struck the defender's shoulder, the visitors were dominant throughout and might have won by a greater margin had they converted a series of other chances.
They are now strong favourites to reach a fourth consecutive World Cup when the two sides meet again in the second leg in Basel on Sunday.
The result was a disappointment for Northern Ireland, who followed an impressive qualifying campaign with a below-par performance in their first major finals play-off.
Michael O'Neill's side had finished second in Group C behind Germany. Six wins from their 10 matches was more than they had mustered in any previous World Cup qualifying campaign.
Switzerland led Group B throughout, having won nine fixtures in a row, but lost their last game 2-0 to Portugal to miss out on automatic qualification on goal difference.
• None We must channel our anger for second leg - O'Neill
In front of a raucous crowd of more than 18,000, Northern Ireland posed little threat for most of the game in the country's biggest match at Windsor Park for 36 years.
The Northern Irish have only reached the World Cup three times - in 1958, 1982 and 1986 - but are aiming to take part in back-to-back major tournaments for the first time, having played at Euro 2016 in France.
O'Neill's men boasted a formidable recent home record and had kept four clean sheets in their five qualifying games at Windsor Park, with last month's 3-1 defeat by Germany their first competitive home defeat for more than four years.
They had also won seven of their past 10 competitive matches in Belfast, but on this occasion they were never a match for three-time World Cup quarter-finalists Switzerland.
Kyle Lafferty headed over in the first half but the men in green's best chance fell to Josh Magennis, who headed off target from a Chris Brunt free-kick late in the game.
Rodriguez appeared to handle in the area soon after but referee Ovidiu Hategan waved play on, one of a number of baffling decisions made by the Romanian official.
Switzerland - who are 11th in the Fifa rankings, 12 places above their opponents - controlled proceedings, stamping their authority on the game from the outset and eventually securing the away goal to swing the tie firmly in their favour.
AC Milan defender Rodriguez sent goalkeeper Michael McGovern the wrong way from the spot to put his side well on their way to an 11th World Cup finals and their fourth in succession.
The visitors made light of the absence of Udinese midfielder Valon Behrami and ex-Arsenal defender Johan Djourou, with Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka a prominent figure throughout.
He volleyed over the bar in the first half, while Haris Seferovic saw his close-range effort brilliantly saved by McGovern.
Early in the second half, Shaqiri curled an effort just off target and Seferovic was unable to connect with a cross from three yards out with the goal gaping.
But it was the penalty award that had everyone talking.
'Welcome to the dark ages'
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill on Sky Sports: "The referee has no-one in his line of sight. Corry's arm isn't in an unnatural position, it's by his side. The ball hits him on the back more than anything. I thought the referee had blown for a foul or an offside. Nobody had claimed for it.
"I'm staggered by the decision, staggered by the yellow card.
"It's such a defining moment in the match. The opening tackle by Fabian Schar was borderline. I thought it was a red card. The referee hasn't done us any favours."
Northern Ireland midfielder Evans: "It's disgraceful. I clearly didn't put my hand up. I'm gutted. It's devastating."
BBC Radio 5 live presenter (and ardent Northern Ireland fan) Colin Murray at Windsor Park: "Feel free to take the mic out of my hands if I overstep the mark in the next 20 minutes. We talked about history and occasion and how football can be a catalyst for change and for heroes. Yet here we are talking about referees. It's the dark ages. Welcome to the dark ages.
"The Republic of Ireland had Thierry Henry's handball in 2009 in a play-off for the 2010 World Cup. It was such a baffling decision tonight. There is nobody in Wales, England or Scotland who thinks that was a penalty. Nobody in Switzerland thought it was a penalty. It was shocking. Here's a clue: if the opposing team do not appeal for a penalty and you're standing on the wrong side of the player, it's probably not a penalty.
"There's no point reading out texts or tweets. There are no shades of grey with that decision."
Former Northern Ireland defender John O'Neill: "It was a terrible decision. It hit him on the top of the shoulder at best. You have to gauge the reaction of the players. They didn't think it was a penalty. The referee was awful through the whole game. He's the worst referee I've seen in a long time. It did spoil the night.
"I was disappointed with the Northern Ireland performance. In a game of this stature, we didn't perform. Switzerland were the better side by a mile. But if they didn't get the penalty, we'd have played awfully and might have got away with a 0-0 draw."
A defining 90 minutes in store for NI and O'Neill
Northern Ireland now face a major battle to pull back their deficit at St Jakob's Park in Basel, a ground at which only England have beaten Switzerland in a 17-game run stretching back to 2001.
O'Neill's men must plan for the game without Corry Evans, who received a second yellow card of the campaign for his alleged handling offence, which led to the penalty.
Evans was one of eight Northern Ireland players who went into the game one booking away from being ruled out of the second leg, a list which included skipper Steven Davis, who won his 100th cap in the first leg.
If Northern Ireland fail to progress, the match in Switzerland may be the last in a Northern Ireland shirt for international veterans Gareth McAuley, Aaron Hughes and Chris Brunt.
A defeat may also serve to increase speculation linking Edinburgh-based O'Neill with the Scotland managerial position left vacant by the recent departure of Gordon Strachan.
'We have to channel the anger'
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill on Sky Sports: "We have to forget about the penalty. I thought the players' reaction to it was very good. We played much better in the second half, the game was even. We are still in the tie. Maybe a referee will give us a decision in the second leg.
"I'll have to pick the players up. There's anger in the dressing room. We're going to have to find a way to get a goal back. Stuart Dallas' injury is a blow. I thought the players who came on did well. We might look to freshen the team up on Sunday. We have to channel the anger."
Switzerland forward Xherdan Shaqiri on Sky Sports: "I don't know if it was a penalty or not. I tried to get a shot on target and I don't know if he touched it with his hand or not. In the end the referee gave the penalty. That is football.
"We controlled the game over 90 minutes, had a lot of possession and created chances. We played much better than Northern Ireland and deserved to win.
"It is, for us, the best result to get. We knew it would be difficult. They have their own fans behind them. We are looking forward to Basel, the second leg and trying to win again to reach the World Cup."
The stats you need to know
• None This is the first time Northern Ireland have lost back-to-back home games since February 2012 (a run of three).
• None Indeed, they have now conceded in consecutive home games for the first time since October 2015, following a run of eight clean sheets in nine games at Windsor Park.
• None The hosts failed to register a single shot on target for the first time since facing Poland at Euro 2016.
• None All three of Ricardo Rodriguez's goals for Switzerland in this qualifying process have come away from home, making him the top Swiss away scorer in World Cup 2018 qualifying.
• None Switzerland have now won 10 of their past 11 competitive games, with the exception being last month's loss to Portugal which forced them into the play-off.
• None Offside, Switzerland. Admir Mehmedi tries a through ball, but Stephan Lichtsteiner is caught offside.
• None Attempt blocked. Steven Zuber (Switzerland) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Fabian Frei. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41840566
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Gordon Brown warns of Brexit 'crisis point' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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Gordon Brown tells the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Leave voters might think again on Brexit next summer.
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Former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned that the UK may hit a "crisis point next summer" as the UK edges closer to Brexit and held out the possibility that the UK may not leave the EU.
He said that he was not now advocating a second referendum, but suggested that there "may be scope for a reassessment" as voters began to realise, he suggested, that the promises of the Leave side of the referendum campaign would not be fulfilled.
He suggested that there could be a "game changer" from the EU side that allowed the UK to rethink.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41935901
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MPs' sex harassment scandal 'not as big as expenses' - Bercow - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Learning from past scandals will improve how we deal with the current situation, the Commons Speaker says.
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UK
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Mr Bercow has previously called for "zero tolerance" of sexual harassment in Parliament
Fewer people will be caught up in the Westminster sex scandal than were exposed in the expenses row, Commons Speaker John Bercow has predicted.
Mr Bercow said he did not expect numbers "anything like" those found to be claiming fraudulently in 2009.
He added this would "probably limit the damage" but did not mean the current revelations were "insignificant".
His comments came as parliamentary leaders agreed a grievance procedure for handling allegations of misconduct.
A number of MPs and officials from different parties are being investigated over their behaviour.
Labour activist Bex Bailey has said she was raped at a party event and discouraged from reporting the 2011 incident by a party official.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon was the first to resign over allegations against him. He stepped down after journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer told how a senior politician - named by others as Sir Michael - repeatedly touched her knee until she explained to him she would punch him in the face if he did it again.
Meanwhile Labour MPs, Kelvin Hopkins and Clive Lewis, have also faced accusations but have issued firm denials.
Mr Bercow, who has previously called for zero tolerance of sexual harassment in Parliament, said he did not think the "sheer numbers" would be as great and that "might and probably will limit, not remove, not render insignificant, but limit the damage".
At an event at Queen Mary University in London, he said: "I think that we will get to grips with it by acting speedily and effectively, both to ensure that people who are suspected of wrongdoing are investigated and, in particular, to ensure that a complaints mechanism is established which is characterised above all by independence."
He added: "I am not diminishing the significance of this. It is a real and big challenge, but I think almost learning from past scandals will help us react to and deal with it better."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41933405
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Avon and Somerset Police officers sacked for rape voicemail - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Two officers are sacked for the "horrific" message they left for a woman whose child had been missing.
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Bristol
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The comments were inadvertently left on a family answerphone by officers who had been called out to deal with a "vulnerable child"
Two police officers have been sacked after they left a message on a woman's answer machine saying they hoped her child "would get raped".
The Avon and Somerset officers left the recording after being called to deal with a "vulnerable child", a misconduct hearing was told.
PC Samuel Dexter and PC Hannah Mayo are heard laughing and saying they did not care what happened to the child.
Both officers admitted gross misconduct and were dismissed without notice.
The hearing on Tuesday at police headquarters was told the child had been reported missing before being found by PC Dexter and reunited with the family.
But a short while later, according to the hearing outcome notice, the child's mother called the police again to report the child was "causing problems at the family home".
En-route to the property, PC Dexter and PC Mayo phoned the mother for more information and inadvertently activated the answerphone.
In the recorded message the officers can be heard laughing and saying they had "no interest whatsoever" in the child and both then said they hoped the child would "get raped".
In his verdict at the hearing, Chief Constable Andy Marsh said the comments had "broken the trust" the child's family had in the police.
He said: "[The comments] go way beyond the boundaries that could be described as dark humour.
"I cannot accept the comments were a mistake, they were far more serious than that, and the people we serve will be appalled to hear that police officers spoke in such a way about a child."
Ch Insp Mark Edgington, of the professional standards department, said the officers had "failed to treat the child and their family with respect".
"Both officers used appalling and horrific language about a vulnerable missing child and their family," he said.
"There are no excuses for their behaviour and their actions are not reflective of our force or the officers and staff who work extremely hard every day to safeguard and protect vulnerable people."
Both officers have offered "fulsome apologies" to the child and their family.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41932817
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No alternative but to sack Carl Sargeant says Carwyn Jones - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Wales' first minister defends the handling of allegations against Carl Sargeant who died this week.
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Wales politics
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carwyn Jones said he had "no alternative" but to sack Carl Sargeant
First Minister Carwyn Jones has said he had no alternative but to sack Carl Sargeant following allegations about his conduct.
Mr Sargeant's body was found on Tuesday, four days after he was dismissed as communities minister and suspended from the Welsh Labour party.
It is understood he took his own life but Mr Jones said he had acted "by the book" over the matter.
He said he would try to provide answers which Mr Sargeant's family deserved.
There has been criticism of the way Mr Sargeant was treated and his family has called for an independent inquiry.
Ex-Welsh Government minister Leighton Andrews, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood also want an inquiry, which Mr Jones suggested could take place in future.
Claims about inappropriate behaviour were made to the first minister's office last week and following Friday's sacking, the Alyn and Deeside AM had vowed to clear his name even though he said he did not know the details of the allegations.
An inquest into Mr Sargeant's death will be opened and adjourned on Monday.
Mr Jones met Labour AMs on Thursday to explain how he handled the conduct allegations against Mr Sargeant.
Mr Jones then made a statement from Welsh Government headquarters in Cardiff on Thursday afternoon.
He called the situation "the darkest days" any of those at the assembly could remember, but said they were the "darkest of all for the family".
A relentless drip-drip of disinformation had a strain on Mr Sargeant and others, Leighton Andrews says
Despite speculation Mr Jones could have resigned on Thursday, the speech made no reference to his own political future.
Speaking publicly for the first time since Mr Sargeant's death, he said: "There are a lot of inaccuracies in the press and many of you have questions to ask about what happened last week."
He said precise details "will need to be properly disclosed" at the inquest.
"I and my team will of course be cooperating fully with any questions that are raised there," he said.
"The family deserve to have their questions answered and if that isn't possible through the inquest then I will endeavour to make that happen through other means.
"I welcome any scrutiny of my actions in the future and it is appropriate for that to be done independently."
Paying tribute to Mr Sargeant, he said: "Carl was a true force of nature - he drove through more legislation than any other minister. Not just through force of argument, but through force of personality."
When Carwyn Jones finally appeared in front of the cameras today to deliver a statement on the death of Carl Sargeant and the events that led up to it, there was an expectation that the first minister would attempt to answer at least some of the many questions that have been raised since the former secretary's death.
Instead, while paying tribute to the man he described as a "true force of nature" he did little to answer the questions raised by Mr Sargeant's family and others.
A reference to a possible independent inquiry seemed equivocal at best.
The first minister's reference to "inaccuracies in the press" again raises more questions than answers.
If reports are inaccurate - why not correct them and why refuse to answer questions from journalists who are trying their best to report the situation accurately?
Carwyn Jones is human, of course, and I have no doubt that his grief and shock is genuine.
That may explain why a statement which would have been perfectly apt in the hours following Mr Sargeant's death seems insufficient and vague when delivered two and half days later.
Following the news conference, opponents rounded on Mr Jones.
Mr Davies said the episode has "significantly undermined public confidence in the first minister", while Ms Wood said the statement "was not adequate".
UKIP Wales said it would call for a motion of no confidence in the first minister.
And Mr Sargeant's lifelong friend and Flintshire council's deputy leader Bernie Attridge, called for Mr Jones to resign saying he "had not done the decent thing".
Mr Andrews said a number of people were expecting a "definite commitment to an independent inquiry" from Mr Jones' statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Andrews alleged Mr Sargeant had been the target of bullying in the Welsh Government.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Leighton Andrews wants answers from the first minister
Former public services minister Mr Andrews - claimed there was "minor bullying" and "mind games" during his time in government - and said the atmosphere was "toxic" during the last assembly term.
"The undermining was of ministers, deputy ministers and special advisers," Mr Andrews said in a statement issued on Thursday.
He said Mr Sargeant "was unquestionably the target of some of this behaviour. The relentless drip-drip of disinformation - and worse - had a strain on his and others' mental health."
The ex-Rhondda AM said he had raised one particular issue with Mr Jones, of which he had direct evidence, but claimed due process was not followed.
The Welsh Government has declined to respond to Mr Andrews' claims.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-41921678
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Patrice Evra leaves Marseille and is banned for seven months by Uefa - BBC Sport
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2017-11-10
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Patrice Evra leaves Marseille and is banned from Uefa competition for the rest of the season for kicking one of his own supporters.
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Patrice Evra has left Marseille by mutual consent and been banned from Uefa competition for the rest of the season for kicking one of his own fans.
The former Monaco, Manchester United and Juventus full-back, 36, is banned by Uefa until June 2018, the same month his Marseille deal would have ended.
Having played in the Europa League group stage, Evra would not have been able to play for another side in Europe this season even without his ban.
Evra aimed a kick at a fan next to the pitch before a Europa League game with Vitoria Guimaraes on 2 November.
The France defender joined Marseille in January 2017 from Juventus, where he had spent three seasons following his departure from Old Trafford.
"By mutual agreement, Marseille and Evra have decided to put an end to their partnership," said a club statement. "The player's contract is officially terminated with immediate effect."
French newspaper L'Equipe reported that Marseille supporters had been jeering Evra for about half an hour while the players prepared for the game with Vitoria Guimaraes, which the Ligue 1 side lost 1-0.
The player had gone over to the fans to talk to them, but the situation escalated.
Evra, who was named as a substitute for the game, was dismissed before kick-off so Marseille were able to begin the match with 11 players.
During their Ligue 1 win over Caen on 5 November, some Marseille fans unfurled a banner that read: "You thought you were above the institution OM and its supporters. We don't want you wearing our colours. Evra get out."
What has been Marseille's reaction?
Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud in a statement on the club's website:
Today there is great sadness at the club, above all for Patrice Evra, who well understands the consequences of his actions and is no longer able to undertake his passion at Olympic Marseille, and for the Olympic Marseille supporters, who have been stigmatised by the irresponsible behaviour of a handful of fans.
Despite this incident, we are determined more than ever to demonstrate on and off the field that we are driven by the highest individual and collective standards.
• None Named as a substitute, Evra begins warming up with his team-mates before the game
• None The former Manchester United left-back appears to be the target of songs and abuse from the crowd for about 30 minutes
• None Evra approaches the Marseille fans, about 500 of whom had travelled to Guimaraes
• None He volleys a ball towards the crowd, but some of his team-mates come over and look to calm the defender down
• None Evra climbs over the billboards and looks to confront spectators who have come towards the front of the stand
• None The 36-year-old returns to the pitch, but a group of fans approach the billboards and Evra appears to kick one of them
• None Evra is led away to the substitutes' bench, but is sent off by the referee and watches the game from the stands
The original problem was when he went to Guimaraes for the match, 500 Marseille ultras were the first ones into the ground. You could hear everything they were saying, and they started chanting about him, saying he was rubbish, 'we don't want you at the club', because he has been poor recently.
He lost his place in the team and he took it badly as a former captain. Then they started to wind him up, saying 'stick to your Instagram videos' etc. There were no racist chants at all, a bit of abuse, but then Evra thought it was a good idea to kick a ball at the Ultras, which wound them up further.
You don't do 28 hours on a coach to Portugal to insult a former captain, it was stupid. But it was also stupid for him to respond in the way he did. He has been insulted throughout his whole career. For him to respond in the way he did was quite stupid even if you understand the anger and frustration.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41948317
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Gordon Brown predicts Brexit 'crisis point' - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Gordon Brown tells BBC News the British public might be persuaded to stay in the EU next summer.
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UK Politics
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The UK could remain in the EU if Leave voters could be offered a "game-changing" deal next summer, Gordon Brown has told BBC News.
The former Labour prime minister told Laura Kuenssberg he was not arguing for a second EU referendum "at this stage".
But he predicted a "crisis point", when Leave voters realised they were not going to get what they were promised.
And they might be persuaded to change their mind if they were given "new evidence", he said.
The UK is due to leave the European Union at the end of March 2019, after 2016's referendum in which 51.9% of voters backed Brexit.
"Is there something that we didn't get right the last time that could persuade millions of Leave voters that it was worth going Remain?" Mr Brown, who campaigned to remain in the EU, said.
He predicted it would become clear by next summer that the UK was not going to get "proper control" of its borders, trade and laws, saying: "We will still be governed in many ways by the European Court of Justice."
And he said the UK would not get its money back in the way the Leave campaign had claimed, "including the £350m a week for the National Health Service".
"I would not try to tell people that they were wrong," he said, stressing people had voted Leave for "very real reasons" that had to be "respected".
But, he said, there "may be scope for a reassessment" next summer.
Brexit negotiations are continuing but EU sources told the BBC on Thursday that the UK had only two weeks left to make progress on so-called withdrawal issues such as the so-called "divorce bill" - the amount the UK will pay to settle its financial obligations. Other sticking points include the Northern Ireland border and citizens' rights.
If a deal is to be ratified by the various national and regional parliaments by March 2019 - EU negotiator Michel Barnier has suggested one will need to be agreed by October 2018.
Mr Brown was not specific about what a "game-changing" offer might entail, but he said the mood was changing in the EU, which would have to agree to any new offer.
"You'd have to be able to say something about migration, about the courts, about money - but I think that is the point at which the nation should be given new information about what is possible. So, I'm not advocating a referendum at this stage," he said.
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Mr Brown, who is promoting his new memoir, My Life, Our Times, also warned that Scotland could become the next Catalonia, with two "opposing extremes" pulling the nation apart.
He argued for a "middle way" between the SNP's demand for full independence and what he said was the Conservative Party's belief in maintaining the "status quo".
The answer, he said, was to move to a "federalist UK with maximum autonomy for Scotland".
Mr Brown also called for more action on tax havens and hit back at claims he had agitated for then Prime Minister Tony Blair's removal when he was chancellor, insisting that any disagreements they had had been about policies rather than personalities.
He added he believed political leaders had a "shelf life" of about six years and it was an "aberration" that he had been able to survive at the top for 13 years, including his time at the Treasury and Number 10.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41899727
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Brexit: Michel Barnier says 'time pressing' as talks resume - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The EU steps up pressure on Brexit secretary David Davis over divorce issues including how much UK will pay.
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UK Politics
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EU negotiator Michel Barnier has told the UK "time is pressing" to get a deal on a divorce bill, as Brexit talks resumed in Brussels.
Mr Barnier said "the moment for real clarity" from the UK was approaching.
EU sources have told the BBC the UK has only two weeks left to make progress on so-called withdrawal issues.
A major stumbling block remains the amount the UK will pay as it leaves, as well as the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and UK citizens in the EU.
Without agreement in these areas, and the Northern Ireland border, EU leaders are unlikely to vote at their December summit to widen talks to include trade and transition deals as the UK wants, sources say.
Mr Barnier, who is in Rome to make a speech to Italian politicians, tweeted "it's high time to clarify the essential principles" of an exit deal with the UK.
He will meet UK Brexit Secretary David Davis for a sixth round of negotiations on Friday, with talks being conducted by their officials on Thursday.
It comes as European leaders are reportedly concerned about the instability of the UK government, as Theresa May lost a second cabinet minister in seven days.
According to The Times, European Union leaders are preparing for the possible "fall of Theresa May before the new year" and either "a change of leadership or elections leading to a Labour victory".
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said it was "a bit rich" for EU leaders to suggest Mrs May's position was precarious, at a time when the Netherlands and Germany faced difficulties forming governments, there was "chaos" in Italy and arrests of Catalonian separatists in Spain.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government's lack of a Parliamentary majority meant it would be "a bit bumpy at times" but Mrs May's position was secure.
"I think Theresa May is the one person that can actually still unite the cabinet, unite the party, and make sure that whilst we are leaving the European Union, the party itself stays at ease with her domestic agenda," he said.
The UK government has, meanwhile, published updated proposals on how the rights of EU citizens in the UK will be protected, as it claimed "real progress" had been made in this area.
EU citizens would be granted a statutory right of appeal if their application to stay in the UK after Brexit is rejected - and the cost of applying for settled status would be kept to "no more than that of a British passport".
But the UK proposal was criticised by the European Parliament's Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, who said he wanted the application to be cost-free and near-unconditional.
"We don't recognise reports suggesting that a deal on citizens' rights is almost finalised. There are still major issues that have to be resolved," said Mr Verhofstadt on Wednesday.
The UK is due to leave the EU at the end of March 2019 after a referendum in which 51.9% of people voted in favour of Brexit.
The two sides have said they are in favour of a transitional phase lasting around two years to smooth the way to relations with the UK outside the EU, but they are also doing preparatory work in case no agreement is reached and the UK leaves without any deal in place.
• None Brexit is 'getting dramatic', says EU
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41927860
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Universities to be warned over misleading adverts - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The advertising watchdog is going to warn universities about using misleading claims in their marketing.
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Family & Education
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Universities are going to be given tougher guidance on their advertising claims
Universities are going to face a crackdown on how they advertise and market courses to attract students.
With hundreds of thousands of young people in the process of applying, universities are going to be warned by the advertising watchdog that they need to prove the accuracy of their claims.
It is expected that universities will be told not to mislead or exaggerate in language used in adverts for students.
They will scrutinise claims such as being in the "top 1%".
The University of Reading has already had to take down its claim to be the top 1% of the world's universities, because it could not be objectively substantiated.
Next week the Advertising Standards Authority is expected to identify up to six more universities which have breached the advertising code - along with issuing tougher guidelines on what is permissible language in marketing.
The University of Reading had to stop saying it was in the top 1% in the world
It has emerged that two universities have already agreed to clarify advertising.
The watchdog says the University of Bedfordshire faced a complaint about claiming to have "gold standard" teaching quality - when the university held a silver award in the new teaching excellence ratings.
Liverpool John Moores University was challenged over being more specific about its claim to be "university of the year".
It won the title in this year's "Educate North Awards".
Universities are competing for students and their fee income and have been putting increasing efforts into how they appeal to potential applicants, selling marketing information on websites and on open days.
There has been a proliferation of league tables and rankings which are used to base claims about "world class" status for universities or individual degree courses.
The advertising watchdog has been considering whether university claims are justified by any "objective substantiation" - and without "adequate substantiation", can rule them to be "misleading".
If advertisers persistently refuse to accept rulings from the watchdog, they can be referred to trading standards officers, who could impose fines.
But the advertising watchdog says advertisers are more likely to comply rather than face "bad publicity".
The University of Reading was told in the summer that it could be "materially misleading" to market itself as being in the top 1% of all world universities - a claim made by several other UK universities.
The claim had been based on Reading's ranking in a number of international league tables - but without a clear agreement over how many universities there are in the world, such a claim was deemed as unacceptable.
The university agreed to remove the claim and the complaint was "informally resolved" without a formal investigation or ruling.
But it is understood that the issue was then raised with wider university representative groups - because many universities make such specific claims about their international reputations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41931610
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Mum wins legal review over police keeping son's naked photo details - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The boy's mother fears that police keeping her son's name on file could "hang over him" for life.
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Manchester
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Police logged details of the boy's action under the heading "Obscene Publications"
The mother of a schoolboy who sent a naked photo of himself to a girl has won the right to a judicial review over a police force's refusal to delete his name from its records.
The boy, aged 14 at the time, was not arrested or prosecuted by Greater Manchester Police.
His mother said she was concerned police could release the information to potential employers when he is older.
The boy sent the naked photograph over social media to a girl at his school.
The girl then shared the image, sent two years ago, with others.
The boy's mother said she was "in complete shock" when she heard what had happened, but "this had all happened in the privacy of his own bedroom".
She said even though "he was young, he was naive, he was silly" she believes the subsequent sharing of the photo by others was "malicious".
Police took no action against him other than to record on their database that he had taken and forwarded an "indecent" image of himself, logged under a section entitled "Obscene Publications".
Greater Manchester Police has refused to delete the boy's name from its files, a decision his mother is contesting at the High Court.
She said: "It's going to be held there infinitum, so for all his adult life it hangs over him."
Shauneen Lambe, chief executive of Just For Kids Law which is supporting the family, said a generation of children was being "penalised" by a law that was supposed to protect them.
Home Office policy is understood to be that police have to record such incidents but whether their name is included is at the force's discretion, which may have implications for future job applications especially if working with children.
Ms Lambe said the real fear about discretion was that it creates uncertainty, as one chief officer might take one view while another might take the opposite.
Olivia Pinkney, the chief constable of Hampshire who is lead officer on the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC), expressed concern two years ago that the policy was not consistently applied and said she was "worried for today's young people".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41945498
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Louis CK admits sexual misconduct allegations are true - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The US comedian say the "stories are true" in a frank statement addressing allegations against him.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Louis CK has won six Emmy Awards and had 39 nominations
US comedian Louis CK has admitted that sexual misconduct allegations made against him by five women are true.
He said he had "wielded power irresponsibly" and could hardly wrap his head around the "scope of hurt" he had caused them.
Four of the accusers told the New York Times he masturbated during interactions with them and a fifth said he had asked to do so.
The allegations led to the release of his new movie being scrapped.
I Love You Daddy - a comedy about an ageing film director, played by John Malkovich, who has a reputation for getting embroiled with young women - was due to have been released in the US on 17 November.
"These stories are true," Louis CK said in his statement, which is reproduced in full at the bottom of this article.
"The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly."
The comedian added that he regretted the hurt he had inflicted on people he worked with, including his manager Dave Becky, his family, his friends, his children and their mother.
In Thursday's New York Times report, four comediennes - Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Rebecca Corry and Abby Schachner - and a fifth woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, made allegations about the entertainer.
Actresses Julia Wolov (left) and Dana Goodman in Hollywood in 2011
Goodman and Wolov said Louis CK stripped naked and masturbated after inviting them to his hotel room during the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002.
Schachner said she called Louis CK in 2003 to invite him to one of her shows and was dumbfounded to realise during their phone conversation that he was masturbating. "I felt very ashamed," she told the New York Times.
A fifth woman, who did not want to be named, told the newspaper of alleged incidents involving the comic in the late 1990s, while she was working in production on The Chris Rock Show.
Louis CK, who was a writer and producer on the show, repeatedly asked her to watch him perform a sex act, she said. "He abused his power," she said.
Abby Schachner told the New York Times she felt "very ashamed"
Louis CK's planned appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled and HBO announced it would purge Louis CK's past projects from its On Demand service.
The cable TV network also said the comic would no longer participate in a charity comedy special, Night of Too Many Stars, later this month.
On Thursday, a Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey announced a task force of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to address "the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in entertainment industry".
"I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not.
"These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn't a question. It's a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.
"I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position.
"I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it.
"There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with.
"I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work.
"The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I'd be remiss to exclude the hurt that I've brought on people who I work with and have worked with who's professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I've brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years.
"I've brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother.
"I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41950043
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Iran building permanent military base in Syria - claim - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Satellite images of activity at a compound south of Damascus come amid worsening regional tensions.
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Middle East
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Iran is establishing a permanent military base inside Syria, a Western intelligence source has told the BBC.
The Iranian military is said to have established a compound at a site used by the Syrian army outside El-Kiswah, 14 km (8 miles) south of Damascus.
The report comes amid growing tensions over Iranian influence in Syria and across the region.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned that Iran wanted to establish itself militarily in Syria.
"Israel will not let that happen," he said.
Satellite images commissioned by the BBC seem to show construction activity at the site referenced by the intelligence source between January and October this year.
The images show a series of two dozen large low-rise buildings - likely for housing soldiers and vehicles.
In recent months, additional buildings have been added to the site. However, it is impossible to independently verify the purpose of the site and the presence of the Iranian military.
An official from another Western country told the BBC that ambitions for such a long-term presence in Syria would not be illogical for Iran.
Its adversaries have accused Iran of seeking to establish not just an arc of influence but a logistical land supply line from Iran through to the Shia Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
With so-called Islamic State (IS) suffering major defeats on the battlefield and losing its last strongholds, attention is increasingly turning to what comes next and the new map of power and influence in Syria.
Iran has been a consistent backer of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Photographs published on social media in the past few days also showed a senior Iranian general in Deir al-Zour shortly after IS was driven out of the town.
The photos show Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) alongside members of a militia.
With a significant number of IRGC fighting - and in some cases dying - in Syria, there has already been a significant presence in the country but the question is now whether they are preparing to remain in the long term.
The images of the base do not reveal any signs of large or unconventional weaponry which means if it was a base it would most likely be to house soldiers and vehicles. One source said it was possible that senior Iranian military officials may have visited the compound in recent weeks.
Independent analysis of the images commissioned by the BBC says the facility is military in nature. The analysis also suggests there are a series of garages that can hold six to eight vehicles each.
The analysis suggests new buildings have been constructed and other buildings renovated in the past six months although the exact role of the new structures cannot be determined.
However, it is not clear whether the facility is currently occupied. Shia fighters from other countries - including Pakistan and Afghanistan - are also alleged to be operating in Syria under the control of the IRGC and it is possible the base could be used by them. Analysts estimate up to 500 troops could be based at the site.
The presence of Iranian forces in Syria has been reported for some time but the claim of a potentially more permanent Iranian base raises the possibility of military action by Israel which has repeatedly warned it will not tolerate such a development.
The Lebanon-based Shia group Hezbollah is backed by Iran
The base lies about 50 km (31 miles) from the Golan Heights - Syrian territory occupied and then annexed by Israel and where it now has a significant military presence.
"As Isis [IS] moves out, Iran moves in," Mr Netanyahu tweeted on Sunday.
"Iran wants to establish itself militarily in Syria, right next to Israel. Israel will not let that happen," he added.
In an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on the same day he said Iran wanted to bring its air force and submarines as well as military divisions right next to Israel.
Israel has raised further concerns of Iran seeking to use Syrian ports and bases for its submarines. When asked whether Israel would use military force to stop such developments, Mr Netanyahu told the BBC: "You know, the more we're prepared to stop it, the less likely we'll have to resort to much greater things. There is a principle I very much adhere to, which is to nip bad things in the bud."
However, international pressure is likely to be the first avenue pursued by Israel. Other countries have also raised concerns over potential long-term Iranian presence in the region.
The issue of potential Iranian military bases is likely to have been raised by Israeli officials with Syria's ally Russia.
In October, Russia's defence minister was in Jerusalem and was told by Mr Netanyahu that Israel would not allow the Iranian military "to gain a foothold in Syria", according to reports at the time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran in the past week and Russian media suggested Syria - including Iran's influence in the country - would be on the agenda.
In recent years, the Israeli air force has struck targets in Syria a number of times which it has linked to Hezbollah.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41945189
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Davis stands firm on Irish border issue - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After "frank discussions" with EU negotiators, the Brexit secretary rejects idea of a new UK border.
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Northern Ireland
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The future operation of the Irish border is one of the most sensitive Brexit issues
There were "frank discussions" about the Irish border in the latest round of Brexit talks, David Davis has said.
The Brexit Secretary was speaking in Brussels after a meeting with chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier.
Mr Davis said any solution for the border could not be at the expense of the constitutional integrity of the UK.
The EU tabled a paper which suggested Northern Ireland will have to continue to follow many EU rules after Brexit if a hard border is to be avoided.
The paper hinted that Northern Ireland may need to stay in the EU customs union if there are to be no checks at the border.
That is something which the Conservatives and DUP have said they cannot accept as it would effectively create a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Britain and the EU say they are committed to ensuring Brexit does not undermine the Good Friday agreement.
Neither want Brexit to lead to the emergence of a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
"Let me be clear, we cannot have anything resulting in a new border being set up with in the UK," said Mr Davis after the sixth round of UK-EU talks on citizens' rights, the Irish border, and the UK's "divorce bill".
"We remain firmly committed to avoiding any physical infrastructure.
"We respect the EU desires, but they cannot come at the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom."
Mr Davis said the EU and UK teams had drafted joint positions on the common travel area, as well as joint principles and commitments for the second phase of talks.
The EU leaked paper stops short of saying a hard border can only be avoided by the UK or Northern Ireland staying in the single market or customs union.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was attending the British-Irish Council in Jersey
However, it brings the commission closer to the European Parliament position which "presumes" that the UK or Northern Ireland will have to stay in the internal market and customs union.
It is also the clearest indication that the commission has accepted the Irish position on Brexit and the border issue.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said the only way of avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit is for the whole of the UK, or Northern Ireland, to follow the rules of the customs union and single market.
Speaking at a meeting of the British-Irish Council in Jersey, Mr Varadkar said his proposal would not mean the UK or Northern Ireland had to be members of the customs union and single market, but "it would mean continuing to apply the rules".
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has given the UK two weeks to clarify what it will pay to leave the EU
DUP Parliamentary leader and North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds rejected the suggestion that a hard border can only be avoided if the UK or Northern Ireland continue to abide by the rules of the single market and customs union after Brexit.
He said the paper shows the EU is unwilling to engage in negotiations on the border issue in a "meaningful fashion".
"Northern Ireland will not be separated from the rest of the UK as a result of Brexit," he said.
"Brussels must realise this and accept that progress will not be achieved through bully-boy tactics."
The DUP's Nigel Dodds said Brussels must accept progress will not be achieved through bully-boy tactics
Meanwhile, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said talk of individual countries vetoing a move to the next stage of Brexit negotiations is "unhelpful", but progress still had to be made on the border issue.
"There is a way to go between the two negotiating teams to be able to provide credible answers and sufficient progress in the context of the Irish border before we can move on to Phase Two," he told Irish state broadcaster, RTE.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bertie Ahern tells BBC Newsnight a hard border would be a "huge setback" for the peace process
Former Irish Taoiseach and Good Friday Agreement signatory Bertie Ahern told BBC Newsnight that a hard border would be a "huge setback" for the peace process and that a physical border across the island of Ireland would give a "huge incentive" to those that want to cause mischief.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41936931
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John Lewis Christmas advert: Moz gets mixed response - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Social media responds with a mixture of joy and derision to this year's John Lewis Christmas advert.
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UK
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A giant snoring monster called Moz has split critics online, after it was revealed as the star of this year's John Lewis Christmas advert.
The eagerly anticipated ad from the high street store tells the story of a little boy and his friendship with an imaginary monster living under his bed.
It features a cover of The Beatles song Golden Slumbers by Elbow.
Viewers cast their verdicts on Twitter: "So ready to cry," said one. "Lost their magic touch," said another.
The ad has appeared on the store's Youtube channel and will preview on television on Friday night.
Reviews so far have included "heart-warming" to "disappointing", with some questioning how "Christmassy" the story was.
The campaign follows the release of other big-budget festive ads from Marks and Spencer, Argos and Debenhams.
Joe wakes up on Christmas morning to find a gift from his monster friend
The John Lewis advert is directed by Oscar-winning Michel Gondry, whose past work includes the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and music videos for the likes of The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers and Björk.
"When I told my ex-girlfriend I was doing the next John Lewis Christmas film she said, 'You have big shoes to fill, this John Lewis commercial must make people cry, don't forget'. Last week I showed it to her and she cried. Phew," he said.
But there were no tears from one viewer, Claire Hyman, who wrote on Facebook: "I actually wonder if this will give any children nightmares?"
Other viewers drew comparisons with the Disney Pixar 2001 film Monsters Inc, after spotting a small sock stuck to Moz's fur.
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Previous John Lewis campaigns have included Buster the bouncing boxer, a man on the moon and Monty the penguin.
A nightlight featured in the ad was sold out online on Friday morning and #MozTheMonster was the top trending topic worldwide on Twitter.
A 10% donation will go to children's charity Barnardo's from the sale of Moz mugs and cuddly toys.
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Meanwhile, an American computer science teacher called John Lewis, has once again found himself at the centre of a social media frenzy despite previously stating that he is "not a retail store".
"Trust me, no one wants to know what's under my bed", he posted.
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Last year, John Lewis the store sent Mr Lewis a personalised gift as a thank you for fielding misdirected tweets.
Moz the monster already has its own Twitter account, tweeting that Joe has "the comfiest under-bed I've ever slept under".
Marks and Spencer's advert sees Paddington Bear inadvertently saving Christmas for his neighbours
'Paddington and the Christmas Visitor' sees Paddington Bear stumbling across a burglar he mistakes for Father Christmas.
However the store has already been forced to respond to speculation that the burglar swears at Paddington.
He is in fact saying "thank you little bear", a spokesperson assured.
Meanwhile, Asda's ad follows a girl and her grandfather visiting a festive food factory.
And Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi's offering, this time with a love interest.
The Sainsbury's advert is set to premiere on Sunday on ITV.
Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41939115
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Penny Mordaunt: Reshuffle maintains cabinet's Brexit balance - BBC News
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2017-11-10
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Laura Kuenssberg says the PM is not looking for more drama after eight days of turmoil.
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UK Politics
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Choosing ministers is about more than just who is best for the job.
There are good reasons why Penny Mordaunt has been promoted to the Department for International Development.
She has worked in humanitarian aid, she has been a minister in two different departments, former colleagues rate her abilities and she was tipped last week to be elevated to running the Ministry of Defence.
But there is a lot more to her than meets the eye, and a lot more that is interesting about her than going on TV in a swimsuit, although no doubt, for many voters, that is the way they will have come across her before.
She also has a different political qualification - she was prominent campaigning Brexiteer.
By promoting her, rather than others, Theresa May has opted to preserve the precarious balance around the cabinet table.
There has been an almost equal split, not so much between those who were tagged as Leavers or Remainers in 2016, but the two sides of the argument now - those who want a future closely tied to the European Union and those who want a much looser arrangement.
In Whitehall's technical lingo it's now known as "high or low alignment".
And by keeping the balance roughly 50-50, disregarding what one cabinet minister described as the "swing voters" - those like Sajid Javid, Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt who are not considered to be dogmatic on the issue - it means that in effect, Theresa May has the decisive vote.
In theory that allows her, in a position with little authority, to be able to tip the balance relatively easily in either direction when the big Brexit decisions have to be made.
Time for that is clearly pressing, with Brussels giving the UK only a couple of weeks to show movement, in particular on the Brexit bill.
It's not clear if the UK will feel able to move forward on the bill that soon - that is a difficult debate to come.
The very limited changes to government today however won't obstruct the path of those decisions.
Ms Mordaunt has a sense of humour, and is far from a political drone - but her appointment is also about Theresa May trying to quietly hold the current cabinet equilibrium together.
With this appointment, after the eight days of turmoil, the prime minister is not looking for drama.
PS: It's worth noting too, that the first MP from the Tories' 2015 intake was brought into government today.
Victoria Atkins so far has stood out in Westminster for saying that people thought President Trump was a "wazzock". Let's see what she has to say next!
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41936423
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Escaped lynx: Borth zoo's big cat 'humanely destroyed' - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Action was taken after the risk to public safety "increased to severe", the council says.
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Mid Wales
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Lilleth went missing some time in the last three weeks
A wild cat which escaped from a Ceredigion zoo has been "humanely destroyed", the county council has confirmed.
Lilleth, the Eurasian lynx, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom at some point in the last three weeks.
The council said despite "exhaustive efforts" to recapture her, it received advice that the risk to public safety had "increased to severe".
Earlier on Friday, the council said the zoo would be put under scrutiny.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lynx at Borth Wild Animal Kingdom similar to the one that has gone missing
A statement released by the local authority on Friday evening said the lynx had strayed over to a populated area of the community and "it was necessary to act decisively".
"The safety of the the public was paramount," the statement added.
Staff at the zoo, which has been closed since Lilleth's escape, had been attempting to catch her.
She is believed to have escaped after making a "giant leap" over an electrified fence.
Lilleth caught on camera near one of the baited traps
There had been a number of sightings but she evaded capture and was at one point thought to be hiding in bushes near the zoo.
Ceredigion council and Dyfed-Powys Police said they had tried a "range of measures" to capture the Lynx, including baited traps.
A post-mortem examination of a sheep found dead on land near the zoo showed "traumatic injury" but experts have been unable to say if the missing lynx was responsible.
The council said it would carry out an inspection of the zoo later this month.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-41944467
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Woman killed in Horsham by stolen hit-and-run car - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Two stolen Mercedes cars had been spotted by police minutes before the fatal crash.
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Sussex
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The driver of a Ford Fiesta died at the scene and her passenger suffered minor injuries
A 70-year-old woman has been killed in a hit-and-run crash with a stolen car which had failed to stop for police moments earlier.
The woman was driving a Ford Fiesta on the A24 in Horsham, West Sussex.
Another 70-year-old woman, who was a passenger, was injured in the crash at the Farthing Hill roundabout, just before 14:30 GMT on Friday.
The driver of the Fiesta died at the scene, police said.
A black Mercedes AMG was believed to have been taken during a burglary in Goring-by-Sea, and was seen leaving the services on the A24 along with another stolen car - an A Class Mercedes.
Both cars failed to stop for police, and at 14:23 the A Class car crashed into a hedge. The driver ran off and was caught by officers shortly after.
The other Mercedes carried on, but was not being followed by police when it crashed with the Fiesta about 10 minutes later, a Sussex Police spokesman said.
Officers with dogs, and a police helicopter failed to find the missing driver of the Mercedes, who escaped on foot.
Emergency services remained at the scene of the crash into the evening
Det Insp Will Rolis said: "Enquiries are ongoing to identify the driver who ran from the scene after crashing in to the Ford Fiesta. We believe he tried to flag down a lift from near the fatal crash scene minutes later."
An 18-year-old man from Feltham in West London has been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been informed and any witnesses are asked to come forward.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-41954020
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TPP trade deal talks move forward despite Canada wobble - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Leaders from 11 Asia-Pacific nations are working towards a deal after the US pulled out.
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US & Canada
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The meeting was held during the Apec summit in Da Nang, Vietnam
Members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed a new framework to revive the proposed trade deal, following the US withdrawal earlier this year.
Meeting on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Vietnam, the remaining eleven nations released a joint statement saying they were committed to free and open trade.
Canada had been accused of stalling.
However its trade minister said good progress has now been made.
François-Philippe Champagne also denied that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had deliberately skipped a leaders' meeting on the TPP on Friday and blamed his no-show on a scheduling mix-up.
"There was never an intention not to show up at any meeting," he said.
Mr Trudeau said earlier in the week that Canada would not be rushed into a renewed TPP deal.
The country's delegation said labour and environmental rights would be crucial pillars of a new agreement, but added that a lot of work still needs to be done.
Canadian officials said Canada was not the only country that wanted more time to work through the agreement.
The other countries working towards an agreement are Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam.
President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the original 12-nation TPP agreement in January.
The bid to revive the TPP, which would have covered 40% of the global economy, was led by trade ministers from Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
When President Trump abandoned the TPP it was widely expected that the deal would collapse.
It had originally been championed by President Obama, partly as a way of maintaining US influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and the US economy was bigger than that all of the other members combined.
The remaining countries are now having to renegotiate the terms of the deal, as access to the huge US market was the prize that persuaded less developed countries, including Vietnam and Peru, to sign up to tough conditions on issues such as labour rights and protection of intellectual property.
Canada remains concerned that commitments made could affect any renegotiation of the huge North American Free Trade Agreement, which may be needed if President Trump keeps up his threats to pull out of that deal as well.
But the 11 TPP members now say they have enough agreement on what they call the core elements of the trade pact to move ahead, although it is still not clear when it will be finalised.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41937285
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RNLI rescue fishermen in a storm - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Six fishermen were brought to shore by a lifeboat crew in a nine-and-a-half hour rescue in stormy seas.
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Six fishermen were brought to shore by a lifeboat crew in a nine-and-a-half hour rescue in stormy seas.
The men's creel boat, Sparkling Line, broke down off the north Sutherland coast on Thursday. Thurso lifeboat was launched to go to their aid.
The conditions included gale force eight winds and waves of up to 33ft (10m) in height.
The RNLI volunteers managed to get a towline to the fishing boat but the tow parted fives times during the rescue.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41944830
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Borth Wild Animal Kingdom 'outraged' over lynx killing - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Lilleth the lynx was "humanely destroyed" because of safety concerns, the council says.
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Mid Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The zoo's co-owner Dean Tweedy has been "broken emotionally and physically" over the lynx killing
A Welsh zoo is "truly devastated and outraged" that an escaped wild cat has been killed.
Lilleth, the Eurasian lynx, had escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom but Ceredigion council said on Friday that she had been "humanely destroyed".
The council said despite "exhaustive efforts" to recapture her, it received advice that the risk to public safety had "increased to severe".
But the zoo owners have condemned the "hunting and killing" of Lilleth.
Ceredigion councillor Ceredig Davies has called for "a full investigation" and for a report to be presented to councillors "on how this unfortunate animal met its end in this way".
A statement on Borth Wild Animal Kingdom's Facebook page said: "The decision to kill her was not ours and we in no way agreed to or participated in the shooting of our baby lynx.
"We are truly devastated and outraged that this happened."
Borth zoo added that "for the past three weeks we have been tracking and attempting to catch her in a safe way" and employed 24-hour on-site help from "expert trackers and animal recovery specialists".
They said they "spared no expense or effort" in the search and sighted the lynx underneath a caravan at a nearby caravan park, which is closed for the winter, on Thursday.
"All we had to do was sling a net across the back and we would have had her trapped," the statement said.
"Unfortunately, one of the officials insisted that he needed to photograph her and make a positive ID before we were allowed close.
"He slipped and fell going up the bank which startled her causing her to run past him and off across the fields.
"After a fruitless search we were informed that due to her being in a heavily populated area they would be issuing a shoot to kill order and we had run out of time."
They said a marksmen with "state-of-the-art night scopes and thermal imaging cameras" was called in "to hunt her down and shoot her dead".
Lilleth went missing some time in the last three weeks
Dean Tweedy, co-owner of the zoo, told BBC Wales he wanted to see Lilleth darted but was told there were "issues" with the terrain and licensing of the guns.
He said he was "absolutely responsible" for the escape and that they had been building new enclosures over the summer having taken over the zoo six months ago, as it was in "a real state of disrepair".
"Ironically the next project on the list was building a new lynx enclosure," he added.
The Farmer's Union of Wales (FUW) said it had raised concerns the escaped lynx was not being taken seriously enough.
Glyn Roberts, FUW president, wrote to Dyfed-Powys Police's crime commissioner on 9 November, urging officers to make a statement about the potential danger to livestock, after the "suspected killing" of seven sheep by the lynx.
"It is a great concern that proactive action has not been taken by the police and other authorities to warn people or capture the escaped animal," he wrote.
"Many of our members feel that the issue is being treated by the authorities with indifference."
Flowers have been left outside the zoo in tribute to Lilleth
Ceredigion council said the lynx had strayed over to a populated area of the community and "it was necessary to act decisively".
It said that, because the lynx had been used to being near people, it "presented an even greater danger to the general public once it had strayed into a populated area".
"The safety of the public was paramount," the council statement said, adding it could not return the lynx's body to the zoo because a post mortem examination would be carried out.
Lilleth was caught on camera near one of the baited traps
Staff at the zoo, which has been closed since Lilleth's escape, had been attempting to catch her.
She is believed to have escaped after making a "giant leap" over an electrified fence.
There had been a number of sightings but she evaded capture and was at one point thought to be hiding in bushes near the zoo.
Ceredigion council and Dyfed-Powys Police said they had tried a "range of measures" to capture the Lynx, including baited traps.
Ceredigion council has said it would carry out an inspection of the zoo later this month.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-41953073
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Rebel Wilson reveals sexual harassment experience - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The actress complained to the film studio about the "disgusting" encounter with a male star.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Rebel Wilson says a male star repeatedly asked her to perform an obscene act
Australian actress Rebel Wilson is the latest Hollywood star to reveal her experience of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
In a series of tweets, she alleged that "a male star in a position of power" had repeatedly asked her to perform an obscene act.
"I refused. The whole thing was disgusting," she said.
Wilson said the unnamed star's male friends had attempted to film the incident before she left the room.
She complained to the film studio about the encounter, but says she was later "threatened by one of the star's representatives".
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The Pitch Perfect actress also recounted a second incident which she described as a "hotel room encounter with a top director".
"Nothing physical happened because the guy's wife called and started abusing him over the phone for sleeping with actresses... I bolted out of there immediately," she said.
Wilson added: "If I witness this behaviour, whether it happens to me or someone I know, I will no longer be polite."
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A growing number of sexual misconduct allegations have been made against public figures in recent weeks.
The allegations have been sparked by multiple women speaking out against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and a subsequent campaign encouraging victims to share their stories of sexual harassment under the #metoo hashtag..
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Margot Robbie wants "something positive" to come out of the Harvey Weinstein allegations
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41955113
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Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 'needs to do more' to keep teams safe, says Lewis Hamilton - BBC Sport
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2017-11-11
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Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 'needs to do more' after members of his Mercedes team were robbed at gunpoint in Sao Paulo on Friday night.
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Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton says he was "upset" by news that personnel from his Mercedes team were robbed at gunpoint in Sao Paulo on Friday night.
A van of Mercedes workers was held up on the road away from the Interlagos track. No-one was hurt in the incident.
Hamilton said: "Gun shots fired, gun held at one's head. This is so upsetting to hear.
"It happens every single year here. F1 and the teams need to do more. No excuse."
• None Hamilton starts from back after crash as Bottas takes pole
Hamilton added: "Please say a prayer for my guys, who are here as professionals today even if shaken."
A Mercedes spokesman said: "Valuables were stolen but most importantly everybody is safe and uninjured."
Other F1 personnel had near-misses on the same road, which is notorious for robberies.
A gunman approached a car containing officials from governing body the FIA and tapped his weapon on the window, but the vehicle was armoured with bulletproof glass and they escaped.
A car containing Williams team members was behind the FIA car and was approached by a gunman but managed to leave the scene safely.
They are the latest in a series of incidents affecting F1 personnel at the Brazilian Grand Prix in recent years.
Former F1 driver Jenson Button escaped a similar attempted robbery in 2010 when his driver, again in an armoured car, charged through stationary traffic to get away.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41954941
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Sick baby's treatment 'should continue', High Court told - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Doctors say giving further intensive care treatment to Isaiah Haastrup is not in his best interests.
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London
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Isaiah, pictured with an aunt, has brain damage
A mother and father are fighting a High Court battle to stop their eight-month-old son's life support machine being switched off.
Isaiah Haastrup is brain damaged and dependent on a ventilator to keep him alive at King's College Hospital, London.
Doctors said giving him further treatment was "futile, burdensome and not in his best interests".
But father Lanre Haastrup and mother Takesha Thomas want it to continue.
They also hope an independent assessor will be appointed to give a medical opinion.
Isaiah was born with a severe brain injury believed to have been caused by oxygen deprivation.
Doctors do not think there are any "further investigations or forms of treatment" which would benefit him, the hospital's barrister Fiona Paterson said.
She told Mr Justice MacDonald relations between hospital bosses and Isaiah's parents were "difficult".
The court heard that Mr Haastrup, of Peckham, south London, had been barred from visiting the hospital following an incident a few days ago.
Mr Haastrup sought a judicial review over the ban which has been refused by the High Court.
"I am not a saint but I am not a demon either," he said.
He told the court there had been a "lack of care" for Isaiah.
Mr Justice MacDonald created an order barring the media from identifying medical staff caring for Isaiah and said he hoped mediation could avoid a full trial.
Failing that, the court case will formally begin on 15 January.
A King's College Hospital spokeswoman said Mr Haastrup had already made a written application for permission to launch a judicial review but this was refused by a judge earlier this week.
In July, the High Court ruled Great Ormond Street Hospital doctors could stop providing life-support treatment to baby Charlie Gard, following a lengthy and high profile court case.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41944958
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Analysing Trump and Putin's body language at G20 meeting - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Two alpha males meet - but who had the dominant handshake and who couldn't maintain eye contact?
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It's the first time the two presidents have met - so what did their body language tell us about how it went? Expert Mary Civiello breaks down three key moves.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-40534986
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Armistice Day: Two minutes' silence marks remembrance - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Big Ben chimed at 11:00 GMT for the first time since August to remember the war dead.
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UK
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Millions of people have fallen silent to remember the nation's war dead, as the UK marked Armistice Day.
Big Ben, which has been silent since August while repair work is carried out, chimed at 11:00 GMT.
Events have been held around the country to mark the 99th anniversary of the end of World War One.
And the Queen and other members of the Royal Family have taken part in a Royal Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Prime Minister Theresa May, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cambridge were among those at the event, run by the British Legion and featuring performances from Emeli Sande, Tom Odell, Melanie C, Alfie Boe and the Band of HM Royal Marines.
The service marked the centenaries of the women's service in the regular Armed Forces, the Battle of Passchendaele, the creation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the 100th birthday of Dame Vera Lynn.
There was also praise for service personnel and civilian services who came to the aid of the injured in this year's terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Les Cherrington said thinking about his fallen comrades made him very emotional
Earlier, the Western Front Association held its annual service of remembrance at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, central London, where a two-minute silence was observed.
And the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire hosted an outdoor service of remembrance within the walls of the Armed Forces Memorial.
People observe a two minute silence at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire
The Western Front Association's annual service of remembrance at the Cenotaph, Whitehall
The Duke of York and Duchess of Cambridge were among those attending the Royal Festival of Remembrance
They were joined by the Queen and Prince Philip
In Brighton, the world's tallest moving observation tower, the British Airways i360, is turning red to mark the event.
The Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey
On Sunday, Prince Charles will lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on his mother's behalf.
It will be the first time, as head of state, that the Queen will observe the ceremony from a nearby balcony, where she will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh.
People gathered at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to observe a two minute silence
A service of remembrance was held at the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance
Elsewhere, Australians have observed a minute's silence to remember their war dead.
The country's Sydney Opera House was lit up with red poppies.
The sails of the Sydney Opera House are seen illuminated with red poppies
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull joined his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, in Vietnam - where the Apec summit is taking place - to attend a service of remembrance.
"We remember every ANZAC serviceman and woman who has made the supreme sacrifice to keep our two countries free," he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron lays a wreath in front of the statue of Georges Clemenceau in Paris
Armistice Day is a national holiday in France and Belgium. French president Emmanuel Macron has laid a wreath in front of the statue of Georges Clemenceau - the prime minister of France during World War One.
Princess Anne paid tribute during the Last Post ceremony at Ypres Memorial in Belgium
Armistice Day falls each year on 11 November to mark the day in 1918 when the fighting in World War One was stopped.
The Allies and Germany signed an armistice in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne in France at 05:00. Six hours later, at 11:00, the conflict ceased.
King George V announced that a two-minute silence would be observed in 1919, four days before the first anniversary of Armistice Day. The silence continues to be observed every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Watch the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on BBC One on Saturday at 21:00 GMT.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41952990
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Adolf Hitler waxwork removed from Indonesian museum - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Pictures shared on social media showed people grinning as they posed with the life-size model.
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Asia
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Pictures like these have provoked outrage across the globe
A life-size model of Adolf Hitler used for "selfies" by visitors to an Indonesian museum has been removed.
Pictures shared on social media show people grinning as they pose with the Nazi leader in front of an image of the gates of Auschwitz concentration camp.
It was only when the international community reacted with outrage that the De ARCA Statue Art Museum realised it had caused any offence.
The museum, in Jogjakarta, Java, said it had only wanted to educate.
"We don't want to attract outrage," the museum's operations manager, Jamie Misbah, told news agency AFP.
Pictures on social media show numerous people posing with the fibreglass statue, including a group of young boys dressed in orange uniforms performing a Nazi salute.
It has left many around the world sickened - even if, as the museum originally said, no visitor had actually complained.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, of Jewish human rights organisation The Simon Wiesenthal Center, told news agency AP: "Everything about it is wrong. It's hard to find words for how contemptible it is.
"The background is disgusting. It mocks the victims who went in and never came out."
An estimated 1.1 million people, mainly European Jews, but also groups including Roma gypsies and Soviet prisoners-of-war, died at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
Some people have blamed a lack of education about the Holocaust on the lack of sensitivity, but Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono suggested it revealed anti-Jewish feeling in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
The display, one of about 80 in the museum, came less than a year after a Nazi-themed cafe was shut down in Bandung, Java.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41953468
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Did you know you should give under-fives vitamin tablets? - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Many parents are unaware of this vitamin supplement advice, a study finds.
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Health
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Children between the age of six months and five years should take vitamin A, C and D supplements, government advice says - do you find this surprising?
If you do, it seems you're not alone.
Researchers in Wales found only 30% of parents and carers said they had ever been given advice by a health professional about giving young children vitamin supplements.
And nearly two-thirds (64%) of those asked said they didn't give their children vitamin supplements.
The Department for Health (DoH) recommends all children aged six months to five years should be given supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.
This advice has been in existence since the early 1990s, when it was endorsed by the then committee on medical aspects of food policy.
The DoH also says breastfed babies should be given a daily vitamin D supplement from birth.
The Welsh researchers wanted to find out how well known this advice was among parents and carers.
They surveyed adults accompanying children at paediatric out-patient clinics in two hospitals in Swansea.
A total of 101 filled out questionnaires designed to test their knowledge of the guidelines.
The researchers said the most common reasons given by parents for not giving their children vitamin supplements were:
"We are concerned that the majority of carers participating in our survey do not follow guidance around vitamin supplementation for their young children," the report says.
"Many seem unaware of recommendations, suggesting that health professionals are not providing them with information.
"We feel that action needs to be taken to raise carers' awareness and encourage a much wider use of vitamin supplements in the under-fives, with health professionals adopting a more proactive approach."
Dr Bethan McMinn, paediatric registrar at the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said the complexity of the guidelines could be a barrier for effective information sharing between professionals and parents.
She said that while the DoH recommends all children aged six months to five years take a daily supplement, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated its advice.
It now says that all babies from birth to one year should take a daily Vitamin D supplement - but this does not apply for infants having 500ml a day of formula milk.
Dr McMinn acknowledges her research is small scale, but says it could well reflect the situation across the UK.
"Our project was conducted in Swansea, Wales so it is difficult to comment on whether our findings reflect the situation across the UK in general.
"However it would not surprise me if this were the case."
Prof Mary Fewtrell, nutrition lead at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the Swansea research suggested healthcare professionals were not routinely sharing the information with new parents.
"I suspect in large part this is due to the complex and conditional nature of the guidelines leading to confusion and that we would be likely to see a similar picture in other parts of the country.
"Further research is needed to establish if this is the case and, if so, how to best overcome these challenges so that our children can receive the best possible nutrition."
Prof Louis Levy, head of nutrition science at Public Health England, said: "All children aged six months to five years should take a supplement containing vitamins A, C and D.
"This is a sensible step because growing children may not get enough of these vitamins - especially those not eating a varied diet."
The research was presented at the Welsh Paediatric Society autumn clinical meeting.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41942105
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MP to submit 'unwanted attention' letters - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Kerry McCarthy claims she received "upsetting" correspondence from fellow Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins.
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Bristol
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Kerry McCarthy will hand over the letters to Labour officials on Monday
Labour's Kerry McCarthy is to submit letters to the party which she says show she received "unwanted attention" from a fellow MP, the BBC understands.
The member for Bristol East claims she was sent "upsetting" correspondence from Kelvin Hopkins, the MP for Luton North, over a period of about 20 years.
Mr Hopkins 76, said the complaint had caused him "unbearable" stress.
He is currently suspended from the party in connection with a separate allegation, which he denies.
Ms McCarthy, 52, a former shadow environment secretary, will hand the file to Labour party officials on Monday, the BBC has learned.
She alleges Mr Hopkins sent her a series of letters and cards commenting on her appearance, including one in which he described having a dream about her.
Mr Hopkins said the allegations caused him "immense personal hurt"
The former Labour frontbencher said she believed Mr Hopkins, who urged her in two of the notes to "dispose" of them, knew his actions were wrong.
"I never responded in any way, I never gave him any encouragement in any way, I tried to keep my distance as much as possible," she said.
"I absolutely believe he knew this behaviour was unacceptable. It made me feel uncomfortable in his presence and was quite upsetting."
Ms McCarthy says Mr Hopkins told her he dreamt about her in a letter written of House of Commons notepaper
In a statement, Mr Hopkins said her complaint had caused him "immense personal hurt and utter dismay" from someone he regarded as a friend.
"I cannot understand why a parliamentarian of such experience and standing, who is also such a long-term friend, would not have told me that she was unhappy with any aspect of our friendship rather than going straight to the national press," he said.
"At a minimum I would have expected a parliamentary colleague to raise any complaint through normal channels, allowing me due process and a fair chance to defend myself, if necessary.
"I do ask, on my behalf and on behalf of all other individuals and their families dealing with allegations, that these matters are dealt with by proper due process and not by unfair, humiliating one-sided trial by media.
"I am a 76-year old man and the stress this has caused me and my family is unbearable."
The note Kerry McCarthy says she was sent in the run up to the 1997 general election
The MPs first met when Ms McCarthy was in her late 20s and they were both involved in Labour politics in Luton.
After a lunch in 1994, the purpose of which she believed was to discuss politics she said, he sent her a card saying he had invited her "because you are attractive, intelligent and charming".
More notes and cards followed over the next three years, she claimed, but they then stopped until her 50th birthday.
A final letter, sent some time in 2015/16, said Mr Hopkins had a dream about Ms McCarthy and she remained a "very attractive woman".
She said she decided to go public after the "bravery" of a young activist, Ava Etemadzadeh, who complained last week about the behaviour of Mr Hopkins.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41951618
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Priti Patel 'overwhelmed' by support after quitting cabinet - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The MP's comments came at her first appearance since quitting the cabinet over the Israel meetings row.
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Essex
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Priti Patel says she has been "inundated" with support since resigning over unofficial meetings in Israel
Priti Patel has made her first public appearance since resigning as UK international development secretary after a row over unauthorised meetings.
Ms Patel, 45, attended the Armistice Day service in her Witham constituency in Essex on Saturday.
Earlier this week, she was summoned to Downing Street and quit her cabinet post over her meetings with Israeli officials.
After the service, she said she had been "inundated" with support.
Ms Patel quit her post on Wednesday, admitting unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials had "lacked transparency".
Ms Patel said she had been "overwhelmed" by people's support
Last week the BBC revealed how she had arranged a number of meetings with business and political figures during a family holiday to Israel in August, without telling Downing Street or the Foreign Office.
It later emerged that after Ms Patel's visit to Israel she asked her officials to look into whether Britain could support humanitarian operations conducted by the Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights area.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Priti Patel left the back entrance of 10 Downing Street after quitting
The Conservative MP did not take any questions during her visit to Saturday's service, but told the BBC: "I've been overwhelmed with support from colleagues across the political divide.
"Of course, nothing is more humbling than the support I've received from my constituents.
"I look forward to returning to Parliament on Monday where I will continue to be a strong voice for Witham and Britain."
The Conservative MP for Portsmouth North Penny Mordaunt has taken over Ms Patel's post.
Like her predecessor, she had also backed Brexit in last year's referendum.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-41954049
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Christmas rail delays: Work to shut lines across UK - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Passengers are advised to plan ahead to avoid more than 200 sets of work from 23 December.
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UK
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Rail passengers are being advised to travel earlier to avoid disruption over the Christmas period, with more than 200 sets of engineering works planned.
Routes across London, Kent, East Sussex, Lancashire, Essex and Glasgow are among the lines to be shut.
Network Rail, which controls the UK's railways, says 95% of the network will be unaffected and it is the least disruptive time to do this work.
Bus replacements are planned but journey times are likely to increase.
London Paddington will be closed for four days between Christmas Eve and 27 December with Great Western Railway advising passengers to travel by 23 December "at the latest".
Between 23 December and 1 January, there will be no Greater Anglia trains between London Liverpool Street and Ingatestone or Billericay.
Elsewhere, buses will replace trains between Preston and Lancaster from Christmas Eve until 27 December.
Over this period, those travelling between London and Glasgow will also face longer journey times as passengers are advised to go via Edinburgh.
Southeastern trains will not be running to London Bridge, Charing Cross or Cannon Street from 23 December to 1 January.
Network Rail's chief executive Mark Carne said most of the network is open for "business as usual" but some routes will be "heavily affected".
He strongly advised passengers to plan ahead this Christmas.
"We know that our railway is up to 50% quieter than usual during the festive period, so taking on and delivering these huge transformational schemes at this time of year minimises our impact on passengers."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41950724
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Armistice Day: WW2 veteran 'emotional' over fallen pals - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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Les Cherrington, 99, describes his tank coming under fire in north Africa - and his emotions over his friends who were killed.
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Millions of people have fallen silent to remember the nation's war dead, as the UK marks Armistice Day.
Among those paying tribute at the National Memorial Arboretum was 99-year-old World War Two veteran Les Cherrington.
Speaking to the BBC's Phil Mackie, he described his tank coming under fire in north Africa - and his emotions over his friends who were killed.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41956181
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Brexit bill: Barnier gives UK two weeks to clarify key issues - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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The EU says Britain has two weeks to say what it will pay when it leaves the bloc, among other issues.
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UK Politics
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The UK has two weeks to clarify key issues or make concessions if progress is to be made in Brexit talks, the bloc's chief negotiator has said.
Michel Barnier was speaking after meeting the Brexit secretary for talks on citizens' rights, the Irish border, and the UK's "divorce bill".
David Davis said it was time for both sides "to work to find solutions".
Before the talks, Theresa May said she wanted the UK's exit date set in law, and warned MPs not to block Brexit.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier suggested Britain would have to clarify its position in the next fortnight on what it would pay to settle its obligations to the EU if the talks were to have achieved "sufficient progress" ahead of December's European Council meeting.
"It is just a matter of settling accounts as in any separation," Mr Barnier said.
Mr Barnier also said both sides had to work towards an "objective interpretation" of Prime Minister Theresa May's pledge that no member of the EU would lose out financially as a result of the Brexit vote.
The Brexit secretary insisted good progress was being made across the board, and that the negotiations had narrowed to a "few outstanding, albeit important, issues".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Davis says there cannot be a new border within the UK
Mr Davis and Mr Barnier agreed there had been progress on the issue of settled status for EU citizens in the UK after Brexit.
Mr Barnier said the UK had provided "useful clarifications" on guaranteeing rights, although more work needed to be done on some points including rights of families and exporting welfare payments.
For the UK's part, Mr Davis said, the government had "listened carefully" to concerns and that there would be a "streamlined and straightforward" process for EU nationals to obtain settled status.
But Mr Davis rejected a suggestion that Northern Ireland could remain within the European customs union.
He was responding to a European Commission paper, which proposed that Northern Ireland may have to remain a member of the EU's single market or customs union, if a so-called "hard border" with the Irish Republic is to be avoided.
Saying there had been "frank discussions" with Mr Barnier and his negotiators on the issue of the Irish border, Mr Davis insisted there could be "no new border" inside the UK.
"We respect the European Union desire to protect the legal order of the single market and the customs union, but that cannot come at cost to the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom," Mr Davis told reporters in Brussels.
"We recognise the need for specific solutions for the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland. But let me be clear - this cannot amount to creating a new border inside our United Kingdom," he added.
Mr Barnier said the "unique situation" on the island of Ireland required "technical and regulatory solutions necessary to prevent a hard border".
Michel Barnier usually says at post-negotiation press conferences that the clock is ticking.
He didn't this time: he gave a specific timeframe. He wants the UK to provide more clarity in the next two weeks on its positions on the rights of EU citizens who wish to remain after Brexit, the plans for the Irish border and principles for calculating Britain's financial obligations.
Although the EU doesn't want a precise figure, it wants the UK to clarify what it's willing to pay to live up to the financial commitments made as a member.
On Ireland, both sides have pledged to protect the peace process but the EU has suggested that might require Northern Ireland sticking to European rules on customs and the single market - rules that the rest of Britain might not follow in future. David Davis rejected that.
UK sources agree it looks like they've been set a deadline but they feel it is a logical reading of the EU's timetable, under which their officials have to begin preparations for the next summit of EU leaders in December fairly soon.
Looking ahead to December's EU summit, Mr Davis pledged the UK was "ready and willing" to engage with Brussels "as often and as quickly as needed".
"But we need to see flexibility, imagination and willingness to make progress on both sides if these negotiations are to succeed and we are able to realise our new deep and special partnership," he said.
Friday's update came as Prime Minister Theresa May announced she wanted the date the UK leaves the EU - 29 March 2019 - enshrined in law.
The prime minister wrote in Friday's Daily Telegraph she would not tolerate attempts to "block" Brexit
The prime minister said the decision to put the specific time of Brexit "on the front page" of the Brexit bill showed the government was determined to see the process through.
"Let no-one doubt our determination or question our resolve, Brexit is happening," she wrote.
The draft legislation has already passed its second reading, and now faces several attempts to amend it at the next part of its parliamentary journey - the committee stage.
Mrs May said the government would listen to MPs if they had ideas for improving the bill, but warned against attempts to halt the process.
"We will not tolerate attempts from any quarter to use the process of amendments to this bill as a mechanism to try to block the democratic wishes of the British people by attempting to slow down or stop our departure from the European Union."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41941414
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Jailed woman's husband 'to speak to Boris Johnson' - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is to speak to the foreign secretary on Sunday, he tells the BBC.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife is in jail in Iran, wants to go there with Boris Johnson
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman being held in Iran, will speak to Boris Johnson tomorrow, he has told the BBC.
He also wants to meet the foreign secretary in the coming days, he said.
The BBC understands the Foreign Office agreed Mr Ratcliffe would meet Mr Johnson the week after next at a meeting with families involved in dual nationality cases.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was in Iran visiting family, is accused of spying.
It is also understood the Foreign Office is reviewing Mr Radcliffe's latest request, made this morning on BBC Breakfast, to meet next week.
He has also asked to join Mr Johnson on his next visit to Iran, which he says will hopefully be in the coming weeks.
The foreign secretary caused consternation earlier this week when he told a group of MPs that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been "training journalists" in Iran.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This is how Iranian media reported Boris Johnson's remarks about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Soon after those comments, Iran moved to double her prison sentence.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41956588
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Russia-Trump: Who's who in the drama to end all dramas? - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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It was just like House of Cards. Or maybe Game of Thrones. Trump-Russia was the only drama that mattered.
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US & Canada
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It was more gripping than any box set we could get our hands on.
Over two years, the investigations into Russian interference in the US election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, delivered daily developments and drama worthy of anything seen in House of Cards.
In the end, 35 people and three companies were charged by Robert Mueller, the special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here's our guide to the main characters in the four seasons of the only political drama that mattered.
This was the season in which Donald Trump, the reality TV star, took centre stage in his own political drama by launching a presidential campaign. He was supported by his family and got the attention of the Russians. The season ended with a cliffhanger - could Trump the outsider actually win?!
It's been a while since all of this happened, so let's remind you of the key players in this season.
Who was he? Donald Trump, the billionaire candidate (who by Season Three is the 45th president of the United States). If you really need a refresher, here's his life story.
Key plot line As Donald Trump was busy traversing the country canvassing for votes in Season One, Russia hacked into the emails of his Democratic rivals, investigators later said.
The question is why? Was the Kremlin trying to alter the outcome of the election, and what did Trump and his campaign know?
Skip forward to the end of Season Four and Mr Trump stood triumphant before reporters in a Florida airport, celebrating what he called "a complete and total exoneration".
But in between, there was no shortage of drama or tension.
Who was he? He was Trump's campaign chairman before being forced to quit over his ties to Russian oligarchs and Ukraine.
Key plot line He was one of the biggest dominoes to fall. When he ended up being arrested, it was a big season-ending shocker.
Manafort hung around a bit in Season One, but then disappeared from view for a while.
He quit the campaign after being accused of having links to pro-Russian groups in Ukraine. He also sat in on a crucial meeting with a Russian lawyer who may have been trying to feed the Trump team classified information (more on that later).
After an FBI raid on his home in Season Three, Manafort was found guilty on eight charges of tax fraud, bank fraud, and failing to disclose foreign banks accounts and is sentenced to 47 months in prison.
In Season Four, he agreed to co-operate with a special counsel inquiry in exchange for a reduced prison term. But then, in a twist - prosecutors claimed he breached his plea bargain by repeatedly lying to the FBI.
Read more: The man who helped Trump win
Who was he? The president's eldest child, who it emerged met some questionable Russians.
Key plot line Donald Trump Jr's role in this unfolding saga all came down to a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer, which was set up by a music publicist (the full details of which come out in Season Three). If it sounds random, then in many ways it is.
The publicist, Rob Goldstone, offered Trump Jr a meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, promising him dirt on Hillary Clinton.
This meeting was the key to much of our plot line because it raised several key questions. Did this amount to the campaign colluding with a foreign government? Why did he agree to the meeting?
What happened at the meeting was the scene investigators played over and over again as they tried to work out if there was any impropriety. In the end, no collusion charges were brought.
Donald Trump confounded his critics by winning the presidency. But the transition was as gripping as the season before it as Trump picked his cabinet, introducing key characters to the mix.
The season ended with Trump taking the oath of office on a cold January morning - but there were more twists to come.
Who was he? The granite-faced former general who later became the shortest-serving member of Donald Trump's cabinet. He resigned after not being honest about his contact with a Russian official - and was later charged with making false statements to the FBI.
Key plot line Flynn was appointed national security adviser just days after the election, against the advice of then-President Obama, who warned Trump not to hire him. Flynn's starring role came in December 2016, just before Trump was sworn in, when he spoke to the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
The Washington Post and New York Times said the men discussed Russian sanctions, and that Flynn later lied to the Vice President Mike Pence about the conversation (Mr Kislyak says the men discussed only "simple things").
The substance of those talks eventually led to Flynn being prosecuted as part of the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
At the end of Season Three, in December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI about what he and Kislyak discussed.
With that, the investigation reached Trump's inner circle.
Read more: Out after 23 days - who is Michael Flynn?
Who was he? Many roads in this drama led back to Sergei Kislyak, the jolly and charismatic figure, who up until July 2017 was the Russian ambassador to Washington.
Key plot line Kislyak's role in this drama remained unclear up to the end - but many of the players in this drama had meetings with him, and that put them in awkward spots.
The key questions for investigators were: why were they drawn to him, and what was said? The Russian ambassador spoke to both Flynn and Attorney-General Jeff Sessions - meetings which both Trump officials didn't initially acknowledge took place.
Anything else we should know? Well, Russia fiercely fought back against claims on CNN that Kislyak was a "top spy and recruiter of spies".
Who was he? Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III hovered in the background during Season One, when he was an Alabama senator and a trusted Trump adviser, but we really got to know him during Season Two, when he became Trump's nominee for attorney general, a job he kept for almost two years.
Key plot line Sessions was one of several Trump aides to meet Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak, and question marks emerged over the nature of those meetings.
When the FBI investigation focused on the Trump campaign, Sessions stood down from the inquiry, much to Trump's irritation.
That decision to step down dogged him to the end, and he was written out of the series close to the end of Season Four, when Trump forced him to resign.
That move put control of the Mueller investigation into the hands of a Trump loyalist.
Read more: An attorney general dogged by scandal
This was where the drama really picked up and all the plot lines came together. A lot of the background characters we saw in Season One came back with a vengeance and the infighting got nasty - and this is when the police started circling.
Who was she? A Russian lawyer with a fearsome reputation who fought against US restrictions on Russia. But was she a Kremlin stooge?
Despite earlier denials, she admitted in April 2018 to being an "informant" for Russia's prosecutor general.
Key plot line Hers was a small but crucial role - she's the one who Manafort, Trump Jr and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met in June 2016, the details of which begin trickling out a year later in a flashback sequence.
She said the meeting was to discuss adoptions - but those who helped set it up said she was offering dirt on the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign.
While the meeting became a central plot point, whatever happened inside never actually led to any charges.
That meeting would never have happened without...
Who were they? Emin Agalarov is Azerbaijan's biggest pop star, of course. Have you not heard Love is a Deadly Game? Emin helped bring Donald Trump's Miss Universe competition to Russia and the two are close enough to send each other birthday messages. His dad, Aras, is a billionaire who mixes in the highest circles of influence in Moscow.
Key plot line Again in a flashback scene, we met Emin as he set the wheels in motion on that Trump Jr meeting.
An email sent to Trump Jr suggested Emin was offering information on the Democrats (Emin said he wasn't). The email also said Aras Agalarov had apparently met the "crown prosecutor" of Russia - a role that weirdly didn't exist - and got information on Hillary Clinton.
Who was he? He became deputy attorney general under Jeff Sessions. In the TV drama of the Russia scandal, this is the sort of role that would go to a solid Broadway actor you recognise but can't put a name to.
Key plot line When Sessions stood down from leading the main investigation into the Trump-Russia ties, it fell to Rosenstein to do that job. In a major plot development, he appointed a special investigator - not a popular move with the White House.
Read more: Who is Rod Rosenstein?
Who was he? Married to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, Kushner was the character who was seen but very rarely heard.
Key plot line Amid cries of nepotism, he was given a plum White House job as senior adviser to the president with a wide-ranging portfolio. It was his contacts with the Russians during the election campaign and beyond that led investigators to circle him.
In June 2016, Kushner attended THAT meeting with Donald Trump Jr and the Russian lawyer. He said he was so bored he messaged his assistant to call him so he could leave.
Kushner was also another character who had repeated contact with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak - contact that he initially failed to disclose.
Read more: The son-in-law with Trump's ear
Who was he? A British former tabloid journalist, with a penchant for selfies in silly hats, was perhaps an unlikely addition to the cast, but in most good dramas there's always room for the slightly out-of-place eccentric.
Key plot line Rob Goldstone found his way into Donald Trump's circle of trust thanks to his connections with Russian pop star Emin Agalarov.
Goldstone managed the pop star, and it was he who contacted Donald Trump Jr on behalf of his client to set up that now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016. Goldstone sent an email to Trump Jr promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Read more: The Music Man with a love for hats
Who was he? At 6ft 8in, James Comey was a towering figure, the character who gave little away about himself personally but had a huge role in this story.
Key plot line He first entered this drama in Season One, when as head of the FBI he reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails - just weeks before the election. Democrats blamed him for her loss, Republicans hailed him a hero. That, we thought, was the last we'd seen of him.
Jump ahead to Season Three, when months into the Trump presidency, Comey was fired by the new president. In true television drama style, he learned of his sacking as he was watching TV news during a trip to LA. Up to then, Comey was heading up an investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Even by the end of the series, whether this amounted to obstruction of justice by the president remained an unresolved plot point.
Comey's testimony to the Senate was one of the most set-pieces in the series up to this point, as - under oath - he told politicians he was asked to pledge loyalty to the president, but refused.
Read more: The FBI director who took centre stage
Who was he? A former election adviser to Trump, although you'd be forgiven if you didn't remember the face. He was in only a few scenes in Season Two, but he had a massive role to play in Season Three, becoming the first person to plead guilty as part of the investigation.
Key plot line In late October 2017, court documents emerged showing Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.
After lying to the FBI, he deleted an incriminating Facebook account and destroyed a phone.
His guilty plea and co-operation with the investigation had the potential to damage the US leader because it related directly to his campaign - but in the end, it didn't do so.
Who was he? The man who held the fate of the Trump presidency in his hands.
Key plot line Some characters wielded a lot of power, but didn't have a starring role, such as Robert Mueller, the tall chiselled figure who was appointed as "special counsel" to take over the Russia investigation after the dismissal of James Comey. Mueller came from the same stock as Comey - both were former heads of the FBI.
There were no showboating scenes and powerhouses speeches from Mueller in this series - we only ever saw him studiously working in his office.
There were reports that the president considered firing Mueller at one point - but Mueller stayed in the background doing his job until the very end of the series.
After Season Three ended with the first charges being laid down by Robert Mueller, things really sped up in Season Four. The president's fury with the special counsel investigation increased and he fired his Attorney-General. But the series ended with no charges laid against the president and a sense of victory in the White House. Might we see a spin-off series...?
Who was he? OK, he wasn't Putin's chef by this point, but he once was. In Season Four, he was the man accused of spearheading Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Key plot line A little out of the blue, Mueller announced charges against Prigozhin and 12 other Russians, accusing them of tampering with the US election by (among other things) organising and promoting political rallies in the US.
In one surreal flashback sequence, we even see the Russians trying to buy a cage large enough to hold an actress dressed as Hillary Clinton in a prison costume.
Read more: Seven key takeaways from indictment
Who was he? The man who once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump - but who instead turned against him.
Key plot line Cohen, as Trump's long-time personal lawyer, lingered around the edges of the plot for the first three seasons, but became the big player of the fourth.
When Mueller's team began looking into Cohen's finances, they passed on their concerns to investigators in New York.
Then the plot took an unexpected new turn: Cohen, a long-time Trump loyalist, flipped and began co-operating with investigators. Not only that, but he ended up giving them a lot of help in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Cohen ended up admitting violating campaign finance laws, committing tax evasion and lying to Congress.
The last shot of the entire series was a mournful Cohen being locked into his jail cell.
Who was he? A long-time Washington political operative who acted as an informal adviser to the Trump campaign. He called himself an agent provocateur, and once defended his actions by saying: "One man's dirty trick is another man's political, civic action."
Key plot line Stone was one of those memorable bit-part characters in Seasons One and Two - a colourful character known for his fiery tongue, sharp suits and the Richard Nixon tattoo spread across his back.
Towards the end of Season One, he appeared to let the cat out of the bag, hinting on Twitter that there was damaging information coming out on Hillary Clinton. Soon after, that information (that we later learned was found by Russia) was made public.
After a bit of a lull in the middle of Season Four, investigators indicted Stone on seven counts of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements, although he wasn't charged with co-ordinating with Russia.
All the way through, he denied any wrongdoing. He, like the president, called the investigation a "witch-hunt" and once said the accusations of collusion with Russia were "a steaming plate of bull".
Text by Rajini Vaidyanathan and Roland Hughes; illustrations by Gerry Fletcher
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40709270
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School exclusion 'the ultimate rejection' for adopted kids - BBC News
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2017-11-11
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Adopted children are far more likely to be excluded from school than their peers, Adoption UK says.
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Family & Education
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"Being permanently excluded was the ultimate rejection for him," says Faye, mother of 15-year-old Joe.
Faye says since he was excluded from secondary school, Joe's behaviour has deteriorated, with a devastating knock-on effect for the rest of the family.
But this family's experience is not unusual, according to a report by the charity Adoption UK.
Its research estimates adopted children can be up to 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded than their peers.
The charity surveyed 2,084 of its members and found that of those with adopted children at school in 2015-16, 12% had had a fixed-term and 1.63% a permanent exclusion.
This compares with a rate of 4.29% for fixed and 0.08% for permanent exclusions across all state schools in England.
Adoption UK says that while its survey is indicative rather than scientific, it raises serious concerns.
Its report says adopted children often experience challenges in education, with the "effects of early loss, trauma, abuse and neglect" accounting for much of this.
"Our survey revealed that many adoptive families have struggled in their search for a school that can understand and cater for their child's needs," it says.
Faye says her son had coped fairly well in his small, nurturing primary school but struggled when he made the transition to secondary school.
"They put him in isolation when he did something wrong, which wasn't good for him," she says.
"They didn't understand the huge sense of shame and rejection that adopted children feel.
"The other major thing is organisation. Adopted children are on another level - we have to remind them to clean their teeth, but their teachers expect them to remember various different textbooks each day.
"I've got a file full of negative letters about him from the school."
Joe was temporarily excluded on a number of occasions and then was permanently excluded earlier this year.
"That has been the ultimate rejection for him. He was sorting his head out about his own rejection, but now he's in a pupil referral unit," says Faye.
"His behaviour has gone drastically downhill, and his behaviour has become increasingly unmanageable, dangerous and aggressive.
"He's now got dreadful anxiety about learning and school."
Faye believes adopted children need a small, nurturing school with staff who understand the sorts of issues children with a history of care often have.
"But these schools don't seem to exist," she says.
"One of the main things is the size of the school, because they get lost and they feel like a very small fish."
Adoption UK is calling for school staff to have better training around the needs of adopted children and for better support for these children throughout their schooling.
The charity's schools development officer, Becky White, says: "The true extent of this problem is being masked because schools are regularly asking adoptive parents to take their children home and keep them out of school, without recording them as exclusions.
"We need to find better ways of improving the situation for children and teachers rather than relying on exclusions.
"The challenge for us now is in convincing education professionals that extra support is needed for adopted children from the start - instead of waiting until they are at crisis point."
Children and Families Minister Robert Goodwill said there was a "range of measures in place" to help adopted children in England, as well as priority admission to schools that best met their needs.
"From April 2018, a network of 'virtual school heads' and designated teachers will be responsible for ensuring adopted children are getting the support that they need," he said.
"Alongside this, we are reviewing exclusions in schools to look at how we can improve practices and focus on the experiences of those groups who are disproportionately likely to be excluded."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41915775
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England 0-0 Germany - BBC Sport
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2017-11-11
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Five England players make their debuts as an inexperienced side hold world champions Germany to a draw in an entertaining contest at Wembley.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Debutants Jordan Pickford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek excelled as England's most inexperienced side since 1980 played out an entertaining goalless draw with world champions Germany at Wembley.
Everton goalkeeper Pickford, one of three debutants in the starting XI and five overall, kept his side in contention with two vital first-half saves from Timo Werner, while Loftus-Cheek, on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, also impressed.
England struggled to contain Germany in the first half but grew in confidence as the game progressed and it took a fine save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen to keep out Jamie Vardy's second-half header as Gareth Southgate's side pressed.
There was disappointment for Manchester United's Phil Jones, who was an early injury casualty, allowing Liverpool's Joe Gomez to make his debut. Burnley's Jack Cork also won his first cap as a late substitute.
• None Football Daily podcast: Best international I've seen at Wembley in a long time - Jenas
Southgate raised eyebrows when he announced Joe Hart remained his first-choice goalkeeper despite a poor spell for his country and an exile from Manchester City that has led to loan spells at Torino and now West Ham United.
The 30-year-old has had a tough time with the Hammers this season - and there is now every chance he will face a serious fight to maintain his England status, despite Southgate's backing.
Southgate had planned to use Stoke's Jack Butland in these friendlies before a broken finger sidelined him - opening the door for Pickford.
And how the 23-year-old took his chance, producing an outstanding display of such confidence and assuredness that he has now surely given Southgate food for thought.
Pickford was alert from the first minute, reacting quickly to clear a poor back-pass from Harry Maguire, then further distinguished himself with fine saves low to his left and right from Werner.
He commanded his area and also gave England an extra dimension with his superb distribution. It was a very good night for Pickford, who looked right at home on the international stage against the World Cup holders.
England's central midfield has been open to justifiable accusations of a lack of creativity when Eric Dier, captain against Germany, and Jordan Henderson have been paired together.
So, with Liverpool captain Henderson injured, this was a real opportunity for Loftus-Cheek to make his mark and stake a serious claim for consideration for next summer's World Cup in Russia.
And the 21-year-old did his chances no harm with a purposeful and powerful display, mixing subtle touches with surging runs from midfield.
This was only a friendly, of course, so will not be a truly accurate measure of Loftus-Cheek's suitability to play on that elite stage, but the signs were good and Southgate will surely have been impressed.
The midfielder grew in confidence as the game progressed and drew Wembley's approval on several occasions with his strong running and range of passing.
He, like Pickford, can be very pleased with his night's work.
Informative night for Southgate - but disappointment for Jones
The currency of this game may have been devalued by so many England withdrawals and absentees - but there was still plenty for Southgate to draw from the meeting with the world champions.
His experimental side acquitted themselves well, although they were thankful to Pickford and a goal-line clearance from Jones to still be on level terms at the interval.
England's new boys did not look overawed in the shirt and after the deadly dull conclusion to the successful World Cup qualifying campaign, this was a lively game to keep an excellent Wembley crowd of 81,381 entertained. It was certainly not a wasted exercise.
The only blot on England's night was the latest injury to luckless Manchester United defender Jones, who picked up a problem early on and was replaced by Liverpool's Gomez immediately after making a crucial block on the line from Leroy Sane.
Jones had played himself back into England contention after a spell off the scene and Southgate was keen to look at him in the three-man central defensive system he has started to employ.
This is another setback for the 25-year-old - now he and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will hope it is not a serious one.
What they said
England manager Gareth Southgate told ITV: "In the first half we needed a couple of really goods saves from Jordan Pickford - we caused our own problems with a couple of those. But we posed our own questions and I thought we used the ball well.
"Ruben Loftus-Cheek did everything I know he can do. It took him 10 minutes to realise he is OK at this level. He is capable of anything. He has the physical attributes and can handle the ball. He will gain huge confidence from it. There will be harder tests as the likes of Germany will have another gear to go to."
England captain Eric Dier: "We did well. Against a well-oiled machine they will have periods in the game where they control possession but I didn't think they hurt us. And we had our periods, broke well at times and are actually disappointed we didn't score."
Debutant Ruben Loftus-Cheek: "If we won it would have been better but I'm really happy. It was a really tactical game. It was good for us young players and I certainly learned a lot.
"The manager has said 'do your best'. I had Gareth in charge for nearly three years at the Under-21s and the boys have been great. I've settled in really well and they gave me a platform to go out and play.
"To go to the World Cup? It's a long season and I still have to improve. I have to keep learning and getting better and hopefully there's a chance to get on the plane."
The stats you need to know
• None England and Germany remain on 13 wins against each other in international competition, with the other six games ending in draws.
• None This was the first goalless draw England have played out at Wembley since October 2010, when they drew 0-0 with Montenegro under Fabio Capello.
• None It was also the first 0-0 between England and Germany since June 1982, when Ron Greenwood's side drew against West Germany at the World Cup in Spain.
• None The Three Lions remain unbeaten at Wembley under Gareth Southgate (W5 D2), keeping five clean sheets in seven games.
• None England handed starts to debutants Pickford, Loftus-Cheek and Abraham against Germany. The last time three England debutants started in the same game was against Chile in November 2013 (Fraser Forster, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez).
• None Five England players made their debut in this game (also Gomez and Cork) - their most in a single international fixture since November 2012 (six v Sweden - Osman, Caulker, Shawcross, Jenkinson, Sterling and Zaha).
England host Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday, while Germany continue preparations for the defence of the World Cup they won in 2014 when they entertain France the same night.
• None Attempt missed. Jesse Lingard (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Harry Maguire with a headed pass following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt blocked. Marcus Rashford (England) right footed shot from long range on the left is blocked. Assisted by Ryan Bertrand.
• None Offside, England. Ryan Bertrand tries a through ball, but Jamie Vardy is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Emre Can (Germany) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41854505
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