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Fewer High Street shops closing down - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Charity shops and shoe shops fare worst, but ice-cream parlours and beauty salons are multiplying.
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Business
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The number of High Street shops closing down has fallen to its lowest level in seven years, research suggests.
The Local Data Company, which studied the top 500 British town centres, said 2,564 outlets closed in the first half of 2017, equivalent to 14 a day.
At the same time, there were 2,342 store openings, meaning that a net total of 222 High Street shops disappeared.
Charity shops, women's clothes shops and shoe shops were worst hit, it said.
However, general fashion stores, banks and cheque cashing shops saw their lowest number of net closures in three years.
Some sectors actually recorded growth, with tobacconists, coffee shops and beauty salons increasing in number.
Ice-cream parlours are also on the up, thanks to expansion by the Ben & Jerry's and Kaspa's chains.
Mike Jervis, a retail specialist at PwC which commissioned the research, said the "relatively low" number of closures over the period reflected a "more stable environment".
However, he warned: "The environment is, of course, uncertain, with recent data showing a more challenging retail environment. I expect net store closures to be an ongoing feature of the market.
"Retailers will choose specific closure stores very carefully and will aim to capitalise on leases expiring in the ordinary course of their businesses."
The store closures were unevenly spread across the country. Scotland fared worst, with a net loss of 42 shops, while eastern England lost 34.
Only two out of 11 British regions showed net gains: Yorkshire and the Humber, which added 12 shops, and the East Midlands, which now has eight more shops.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41962807
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Education agent recruits bogus students at private college - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Undercover investigation reveals how a recruitment agent is helping bogus students cheat the student loan system.
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A BBC Panorama investigation has uncovered evidence of abuse of the government's student loan system in one of the biggest private colleges in England.
The Greenwich School of Management (GSM) and its students receive around £66m a year in maintenance and tuition fee loans.
Panorama sent undercover reporters into GSM to investigate.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41963557
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Texas mass shooting church transformed into haunting memorial - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Twenty-five people were killed when a gunman opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
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Twenty-five people were killed when a gunman opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
It was the worst mass shooting in the state's history.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41971707
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Carl Sargeant: 'Hanging' cause of ex-minister's death - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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He was found dead at his home four days after being sacked as a Welsh Labour minister.
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North East Wales
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Carl Sargeant was found dead after an investigation was launched into his conduct
Sacked Welsh Labour minister Carl Sargeant's provisional cause of death was hanging, an inquest has heard.
The 49-year-old married father-of-two, who had been Alyn and Deeside AM since 2003, was found dead at his home in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, on Tuesday.
He was found four days after being sacked from his job as cabinet secretary for communities and children.
At the opening of his inquest, coroner John Gittins said it was "an apparent act of self harm".
Mr Gittins added he would carefully examine "the steps taken by the assembly to have regard to Mr Sargeant's mental welfare prior to his death".
The inquest in Ruthin, Denbighshire, was told Mr Sargeant was found on the floor of the utility room by his wife Bernadette.
Family members attempted to resuscitate him before paramedics arrived and continued those efforts, but the former minister was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
Mr Sargeant was facing a party investigation into claims about inappropriate personal conduct and was suspended from the Welsh Labour Party prior to his death.
He was removed from his role amid allegations he had "touched or groped" a number of women.
Mr Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, said the inquest would not consider the veracity of the allegations made against Mr Sargeant, nor would he be "looking to Cardiff and the Welsh Assembly or the Labour Party" about who was right or wrong and who could be trusted.
He said he would be seeking statements from First Minister Carwyn Jones and possibly others at the Welsh Assembly in the coming weeks, but was not in a position to say whether Mr Jones would be called to give evidence.
No date has been fixed for the full hearing as the coroner said a separate independent inquiry could have an impact on his responsibility to compile a prevention of future deaths report.
He ended by assuring Mr Sargeant's family, friends and colleagues that "there will be a full and fair examination of the matters which are relevant to my investigation and that I shall not allow the inquest to be a trial by press, politics or personality".
North Wales Police was called to Mr Sargeant's home after he was found on the floor by his wife
Mr Sargeant's family called him "the glue that bound us together" and said they were "devastated beyond words".
Mr Jones said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" and paid tribute to "a friend as well as a colleague".
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Sargeant's death was "deeply shocking news" while Prime Minister Theresa May said her "heart goes out to Carl Sargeant's friends and family".
Mr Jones sacked Mr Sargeant from his frontbench after the first minister learned of a number of alleged incidents involving women.
There will be an independent inquiry into how Mr Jones handled the case.
Meanwhile, fresh claims about bullying in the Welsh Government have been made by a former adviser to Mr Jones.
Steve Jones said he agreed with former cabinet minister Leighton Andrews, who has described a "toxic" atmosphere at the top of the administration.
For support, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123 in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-41961404
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case: Boris Johnson apologises over remarks - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Boris Johnson plans to visit Iran before the end of the year over the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
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UK
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Boris Johnson has apologised for his remarks about a British-Iranian mother who is being held in prison in Iran.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she was on holiday when she was arrested in 2016 - a claim the foreign secretary appeared to contradict this month.
Apologising in the Commons, Mr Johnson said he would meet her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, on Wednesday and will visit Iran "before the end of the year".
He retracted "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
The row over the imprisonment of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe - who has been held in Iran for more than 18 months - has intensified since Mr Johnson gave evidence before a Commons committee on 1 November.
During the hearing, the foreign secretary said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Iran - something her family and employer say is incorrect.
Campaigners say she could face an increased prison sentence in Iran as a result of the comments.
Responding to an urgent question in Parliament, Mr Johnson was asked to apologise for the remarks.
"Of course I apologise for the distress, for the suffering that has been caused by the impression I gave that I believed she was there in a professional capacity. She was there on holiday," he said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband tells Today he doesn't think Boris Johnson should resign
Mr Ratcliffe has called for his wife to be granted diplomatic protection, which under international law is a way for a state to take diplomatic action on behalf of a national.
Earlier, Downing Street said it was "one of the options" it was considering in the case.
Asked by Labour about the prospect, Mr Johnson told MPs that he would be answering the question "in person" and would meet Mr Ratcliffe this week.
He said he was also planning to visit Iran before the end of the year and would discuss the possibility of Mr Ratcliffe accompanying him.
When a British citizen is jailed overseas, they normally get basic consular help from the local embassy.
This could include anything from contacting family to legal support to medical help. But if the UK were to assert its diplomatic protection over a British citizen, that would change things significantly.
This would be a signal that the UK is no longer treating the case as a consular matter but a formal, legal dispute between Britain and that country.
That's because diplomatic protection is a mechanism under international law that a state can use to help one of its nationals whose rights have been breached in another country.
The broad legal principle is that British diplomats would no longer be representing the interests of a citizen but the interests of their state.
Last week, Mr Johnson said he was sorry if his remarks about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had caused anxiety to her family.
However, Labour's shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry pushed him to "apologise properly" for his comments.
"If it is a matter of pride that the foreign secretary is refusing to admit that simply he has made a mistake, well then I feel bound to say to him that his pride matters not one ounce compared to Nazanin's freedom," she said in the Commons.
"After a week of obfuscation and bluster, will he finally take the opportunity today to state simply and unequivocally for the removal of any doubt - either here or in Tehran - that he simply got it wrong?"
Labour MP Yvette Cooper told Mr Johnson that "words matter", saying Mr Johnson cannot keep "shrugging off" comments that are "inaccurate" or "damaging". She called for him to resign.
In reply, Mr Johnson said: "It was my mistake. I should have been clearer."
He added: "I apologise for the distress and anguish that has been caused to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family."
Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme earlier, Mr Ratcliffe said he had written to the Foreign Office following remarks made by Mr Johnson's Cabinet counterpart Michael Gove.
Mr Gove had told the BBC on Sunday he did not know what Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been doing in Iran.
Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Johnson "did promise to consider" whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be eligible for diplomatic protection, which he said "gives a different push" to what the government can do.
"I'm reassured that it is the position of the government," Mr Ratcliffe adding.
A Downing Street spokesman said diplomatic protection was one available option, adding: "I think what we need to look at is what will work best and what can be most beneficial in this case."
The spokesman said Prime Minister Theresa May had been involved in Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case "from the outset" and was treating it as "a priority".
She had raised it with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on at least two occasions, he added.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe - who has a three-year-old daughter, who is being cared for by family in Iran - was arrested and jailed in Iran in April 2016.
The full details of the allegations against her have never been made fully public.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41972704
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Trump-Duterte: US president hails 'great relationship' - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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It is unclear if Mr Trump raised the issue of human rights violations, despite calls to do so.
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Asia
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Both leaders are known for their controversial comments
US President Donald Trump said he has a "great relationship" with Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, after a highly anticipated meeting in Manila.
It was unclear whether Mr Trump raised human rights violations in the country, despite calls for him to do so.
The previous US administration had spoken out against Mr Duterte's war on drugs, which has killed almost 4,000 people.
Mr Trump is almost at the end of an extensive Asia tour.
The first meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Duterte, which took place at the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) summit, was closely watched as both are known for striking a controversially outspoken and direct tone.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was in fine voice during the Asean summit.
After the private meeting, the US president did not respond to questions about whether he had raised the subject of human rights while a spokesman for Mr Duterte said the topic had not been discussed.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders later said the topic was mentioned briefly in their private meeting, in the context of the war on drugs, but did not give further details.
On Friday, Mr Duterte said he stabbed a person to death when he was a teenager. His spokesman later said the remark had been "in jest".
Since coming into office in 2016, Mr Duterte has presided over a massive crackdown on crime in the Philippines, which critics allege undermines fundamental human rights.
He has encouraged extrajudicial killings of those involved in the drug trade, and said he would "be happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts in the country.
Police say they have killed almost 4,000 people in anti-drug operations since 2016. More than 2,000 others have been killed in connection with drug-related crimes.
Mr Trump has previously praised Mr Duterte's war on drugs, reportedly telling him: "I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem. Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing."
A Philippine government transcript of the 29 April phone call was later leaked to US media.
Mr Trump and other leaders attending the Asean event had already met on Sunday evening at a gala in Manila ahead of the summit.
During the evening, Mr Duterte took to the stage to sing a Filipino hit love song, afterwards saying it had been "on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the United States".
Presidents Trump and Duterte amid the other Asean leaders
Demonstrators took to the streets in Manila both on Sunday and Monday, protesting against Mr Trump's visit and carrying banners like "Trump Go Home" and "Ban Trump #1 terrorist".
Riot police used water cannon and sonic alarms to repel the protesters.
Mr Trump's visit to the Philippines wraps up the US president's five-country trip to Asia which also had him visit Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41964930
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History of deadly earthquakes - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives to earthquakes in the last 100 years.
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World
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First responders carry a victim out of the disaster zone following the earthquake in Nepal in April 2015
Earthquakes have claimed millions of lives in the last 100 years, and improvements in technology have only slightly reduced the death toll.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has kills at least 1,000 people and injures more than 1,500.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 2,000 people and leaves more than 12,000 people injured. Haitian officials estimates that 600,000 people are in need of emergency assistance.
Indonesia is hit by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake and at least 105 people die as a result. The country's Sulawesi island is at the epicentre.
Albania witnesses one of its most powerful earthquakes. At least 41 people are killed as a result of the 6.4-magnitude quake, which injures more than 3,000 people.
More than 460 people are killed after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Lombok. It levelled homes, mosques and businesses, displacing some 350,000 people. An earlier 6.4 magnitude tremor on 29 July killed at least 16, and the region has suffered hundreds of aftershocks.
A magnitude-7.3 earthquake, the fourth largest in 2017 up to that point, strikes the Iran-Iraq border. About 440 people are killed and another 10,000 injured as the quake is felt in Israel and across the Gulf.
At least 369 people die - most in and around Mexico City - during a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. It follows a more powerful but less deadly earthquake 12 days before; the 7 September quake was a magnitude 8.1, the most powerful to hit the country in a century, but its epicentre was offshore.
At least 298 people are killed when a magnitude 6 earthquake strikes central Italy. Worst hit is Amatrice, where many of the town's historic buildings collapse.
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Ecuador's coast, killing more than 650 people. More than 16,000 people are hurt and some 7,000 buildings destroyed.
Almost 400 people are killed when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes north-eastern Afghanistan. Most of those killed are in Pakistan, but the quake is also felt in northern India and Tajikistan.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake kills more than 8,000 people and leaves hundreds of thousands homeless, in the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since 1934. In some parts of the country, the quake flattens 98% of all homes in hillside villages.
Approximately 600 people are killed in a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that strikes Yunnan province in China. Thousands of houses are destroyed and landslides are triggered. More than 2,400 people are injured.
More than 200 people are reported to have died after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes centrally-located Bohol and Cebu in the Philippines.
More than 300 people are killed as a 7.7-magnitude quake flattens entire villages in Pakistan's remote south-western province of Balochistan, mainly in the district of Awaran.
A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake kills at least 160 people and injured at least 5,700 in China's rural south-western Sichuan province.
At least 250 people are killed and more than 2,000 injured in north-west Iran by two powerful quakes which strikes within minutes of each other near the towns of Tabriz and Ahar.
More than 200 people are killed and 1,000 are injured in a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake which hits south-eastern Turkey; many of the victims are in the town of Ercis, where dozens of buildings collapse.
A devastating magnitude-8.9 quake strikes Japan, leaving more than 20,000 people dead or missing. The tremor generates a massive tsunami along the Japanese coast and triggers the world's biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
A magnitude-6.3 earthquake shatters the New Zealand city of Christchurch, killing more than 160 people and damaging some 100,000 homes.
At least 400 people die after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes western China's Qinghai province.
A magnitude-8.8 earthquake hits central Chile north-east of the second city, Concepcion, killing more than 700 people.
About 230,000 people die in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince as a 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes the city.
More than 1,000 people die after an earthquake strikes the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
An earthquake hits the historic Italian city of L'Aquila, killing 309 people.
Up to 300 people are killed in the Pakistani province of Balochistan after an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude strikes 45 miles (70km) north of Quetta.
Up to 87,000 people are killed or missing and as many as 370,000 injured by an earthquake in just one county in China's south-western Sichuan province.
The tremor, measuring 7.8, struck 57 miles (92km) from the provincial capital Chengdu during the early afternoon.
At least 519 people are killed in Peru's coastal province of Ica, as a 7.9-magnitude undersea earthquake strikes about 90 miles (145km) south-east of the capital, Lima.
A 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake triggers a tsunami that strikes a 125-mile (200km) stretch of the southern coast of Java, killing more than 650 people on the Indonesian island.
More than 5,700 people die when a magnitude 6.2 quake hits the Indonesian island of Java, devastating the city of Yogyakarta and surrounding areas.
An earthquake measuring 7.6 strikes northern Pakistan and the disputed Kashmir region, killing more than 73,000 people and leaving millions homeless.
About 1,300 people are killed in an 8.7-magnitude quake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Nias, west of Sumatra.
Hundreds die in a 6.4 magnitude quake centred in a remote area near Zarand in Iran's Kerman province.
Hundreds of thousands are killed across Asia when an earthquake measuring 9.2 triggers sea surges that spread across the region.
At least 500 people die in an earthquake which strikes towns on Morocco's Mediterranean coast.
More than 26,000 people are killed when an earthquake destroys the historic city of Bam in southern Iran.
Algeria suffers its worst earthquake in more than two decades. More than 2,000 people die and more than 8,000 are injured in a quake felt across the sea in Spain.
More than 160 people are killed, including 83 children in a collapsed dormitory, in south-eastern Turkey.
More than 260 people die and almost 10,000 homes are destroyed in Xinjiang region, in western China.
Italy is traumatised by the loss of an entire class of children, killed in the southern village of San Giuliano di Puglia when their school building collapses on them.
An earthquake measuring magnitude 7.9 devastates much of Gujarat state in north-western India, killing nearly 20,000 people and making more than a million homeless. Bhuj and Ahmedabad are among the towns worst hit.
About 400 people die when an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale strikes Ducze, in north-west Turkey.
Taiwan is hit by a quake measuring 7.6 that kills nearly 2,500 people and causes damage to every town on the island.
A magnitude-7.4 earthquake rocks the Turkish cities of Izmit and Istanbul, leaving more than 17,000 dead and many more injured.
More than 1,600 are killed in Birjand, eastern Iran, in an earthquake of magnitude 7.1.
The far eastern island of Sakhalin is hit by a massive earthquake measuring 7.5, which claims the lives of 1,989 Russians.
The Hyogo quake hits the city of Kobe in Japan, killing 6,430 people.
About 10,000 villagers are killed in western and southern India.
About 40,000 people die in a tremor in the northern Iranian province of Gilan.
An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale devastates north-west Armenia, killing 25,000 people.
Mexico City is shaken by a huge earthquake which razes buildings and kills 10,000 people.
Some 1,500 people are killed in an earthquake that hit close to the Romanian capital, Bucharest.
The Chinese city of Tangshan is reduced to rubble in a quake that claims at least 250,000 lives.
An earthquake devastates a wide area around the town of Los Amates in eastern Guatemala, killing about 23,000 people.
Up to 10,000 people are killed in the Nicaraguan capital Managua by an earthquake that measures 6.5 on the Richter scale. The devastation caused by the earthquake is blamed on badly built high-rise buildings that easily collapsed.
An earthquake high in the Peruvian Andes triggers a landslide, burying the town of Yungay and killing 66,000 people.
An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale strikes the Macedonian capital of Skopje, killing 1,000 people and leaving 100,000 homeless.
The world's strongest recorded earthquake devastates Chile, with a reading of 9.5 on the Richter scale. A tsunami 30ft (10m) high eliminates entire villages. Death toll reports vary widely, but many settle on the 2,000 mark.
The Great Kanto earthquake, with its epicentre just outside Tokyo, claims the lives of 142,800 people in the Japanese capital.
Earthquake about 7.1 magnitude and subsequent tsunami in Italy's Messina Strait, badly affecting the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria. Deaths estimated at 70,000-80,000.
San Francisco is hit by a series of violent shocks which last up to a minute. Between 700 and 3,000 people die either from collapsing buildings or in the subsequent fire.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12717980
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Suitcase of gems stolen from train at Euston station - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The jewellery dealer's bag contained more than 40 gems including rubies, emeralds and sapphires.
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London
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Detectives have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to
A suitcase containing £1m of gems has been stolen from a train luggage rack.
A jewellery dealer boarded the train at London's Euston station and realised his bag was missing when the train pulled into Rugby in Warwickshire.
Police believe his large black case, which had more than 40 gems - including rubies, emeralds and sapphires - was taken before the train left Euston last Wednesday.
Detectives have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to.
There were more than 40 gems inside the case, including this one
The dealer boarded the 19:03 Euston service at about 18:30. He was travelling to Birmingham New Street.
Det Sgt Nick Thompson, from British Transport Police, said: "I would like to speak to the man in the CCTV images about this extremely high value luggage theft.
"I'd also like to hear from anyone who was on board the train or at Euston station on Wednesday evening, who may have seen a man acting suspiciously."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41971389
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San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find 'cannonball clue' - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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It could indicate where a Spanish trading vessel carrying valuable treasure sank 408 years ago.
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Asia
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Jun Kimura (left) and Ian McCann (centre) made the underwater discovery shortly before their air was due to run out
A team of underwater archaeologists believe they have found a cannonball from a Spanish ship that sank in a storm off Japan in 1609.
The San Francisco was travelling from the Philippines to Mexico when it sank.
The galleon was believed to be carrying valuable trade goods which could be worth millions today, researchers say.
Its location has been a mystery - but the suspected cannonball, thought to be the first artefact ever found from the ship, offers clues about where it sank.
Dr Jun Kimura from Tokai University has been leading a team of maritime archaeologists, who have been searching for the San Francisco in waters off Iwawada in Chiba prefecture.
Read more about shipwrecks in Asia:The Wreck Detectives
The cannonball was discovered by Ian McCann, an Australian researcher at the University of New England, during a deep dive nearly 40m (131 ft) below the surface.
"We were in dark, murky waters," Dr Kimura told the BBC. "Ian just saw an unusual shape on the sandy bed - he recovered it but then we had to go back to the surface as our air had nearly run out."
He said the team, and archaeological experts they had consulted, were "almost certain" it was a cannonball from the San Francisco, as it was similar to cannonballs found in other Spanish trading ships in the Philippines. However, they will be carrying out a chemical analysis to confirm this.
The object was discovered during an underwater archaeological survey
Mr McCann told the BBC: "A cannonball may not sound like much but it indicates the general vicinity where the vessel went down.
"It is the only Spanish Manila galleon that has not been plundered by treasure hunters," he added, and the trading vessels "carried fabulously valuable cargo... by today's value the cargo may have had a value of around $80m".
Mr McCann made the discovery earlier this month - and the find was revealed in Japanese media late last week.
The project, which is funded by the Japanese government, is the first scientific mission to search for the San Francisco shipwreck.
Researchers also found a piece of timber underwater, which they believe is related to the shipwreck. They plan to conduct further expeditions in the area in early 2018.
The San Francisco shipwreck was of "historical importance", because it "impacted the relationship between Spain, the Philippines, Mexico and Japan," Dr Kimura said.
The vessel had been transporting goods from the Philippines to Mexico - both were Spanish colonies at the time. Among its passengers was the governor of the Philippines Don Rodrigo de Vivero Velasco.
On 30 September 1609, a storm drove the boat into reefs off Chiba province.
According to experts, Mr Velasco, who survived the sinking, detailed the incident in a book, writing: "The ship was getting destroyed in pieces among some cliffs on the head of Japan... all of us survivors were over the riggings and ropes, because the galleon was getting broken piece by piece."
The team worked in conditions with poor visibility
Hundreds of people survived the shipwreck, and, thanks to Mr Velasco's good relations with the Japanese, were treated well.
Eventually, they successfully sailed back to Mexico, with a number of Japanese representatives, on the first western-style ship ever built in Japan.
"They were the first Japanese ever to cross the pacific," Dr Kimura said. "The Spanish king highly appreciated what Japan had done for the survivors, so diplomatic exchanges between Japan and Spain started."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41965080
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Remembrance Sunday: UK events mark the nation's war dead - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Queen has not laid a wreath at the annual Cenotaph ceremony in London but watched from a balcony.
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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. Prince Charles lays Remembrance Sunday wreath as the Queen watches from a balcony
Politicians, members of the Royal Family and veterans are commemorating those who lost their lives in conflict as the UK marks Remembrance Sunday.
A two-minute silence was held across the country and wreaths were laid at memorials.
Prince Charles attended the annual ceremony at the Cenotaph in London and Big Ben chimed at 11:00 GMT.
The Queen did not lay a wreath but instead watched from the Foreign Office's balcony.
The only other occasions when she has not laid the wreath were when she was pregnant or abroad.
At the Cenotaph on Whitehall, the Last Post was played shortly before the Prince of Wales laid the wreath.
The royals were joined by Prime Minister Theresa May, other senior politicians, religious leaders and dignitaries from around the Commonwealth.
Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also paid their respects
The Queen watched the ceremony with Prince Philip and the Duchess of Cornwall from a nearby balcony...
...as did the Duchess of Cambridge and other royals
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry also laid wreaths
As part of services being held across Scotland, more than 100 wreaths were laid at Edinburgh's City Chambers. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attended the service.
In Wales, a service was held at the Welsh National War Memorial and a field of remembrance at Cardiff Castle featured more than 10,000 crosses.
At the Cenotaph in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar laid a green laurel wreath, 30 years after an IRA bombing there killed 12 people.
In Omagh, a wreath-laying ceremony was postponed after a suspicious object was found.
Meanwhile, bell ringers are being sought for 2018 to honour the 1,400 ringers who died in World War One.
Veterans gathered for Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph in Whitehall
Sir Stuart Peach, chief of the defence staff, told the Andrew Marr show that the day was one of remembrance and reconciliation.
"Today we mark and remember over a million British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in both world wars. So it is about remembering the sacrifice they made so that we can enjoy the freedom and liberty that we have today," he said.
"It's also very important to understand that this is about reconciliation. That nations move on."
The new Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: "We must not forget the continued sacrifices our armed services make, right across the globe serving in 30 countries, making sure that this country remains safe - and that the freedoms that we have today continue to be protected."
On Saturday, events were held around the UK to mark the 99th anniversary of Armistice Day with Big Ben chiming for the first time since August.
The evening saw a Festival of Remembrance held at Albert Hall. Members of the Royal Family watched as Emeli Sande, Tom Odell and other stars performed alongside the Queen's Colour Squadron and The Band of HM Royal Marines.
The event was held by the Royal British Legion and hosted by the BBC's Huw Edwards. It commemorated all the British military personnel killed in combat since World War One.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41957783
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Roy Moore: Woman claims US Senate candidate 'tried to rape me' - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Republicans urge the Alabama Senate candidate to step aside amid new sex misconduct claims.
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US & Canada
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A fifth woman has accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct as Republicans increase calls for him to "step aside".
Beverly Young Nelson said she was 16 years old when Mr Moore allegedly tried to force himself on her after offering a ride home from her job as a waitress.
"I tried fight him off while yelling at him to stop," she said, adding that he locked his car to prevent her escape.
Mr Moore, 70, denies the allegations, describing them as a "witch hunt".
But Senator Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said on Monday he believes Mr Moore's accusers "spoke with courage and truth" and the former Alabama Supreme Court judge should be expelled if he is elected.
"If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate," he said.
Mrs Nelson's accusation comes after four other women detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by the conservative firebrand while they were teenagers in Alabama.
The 56-year-old said she met Mr Moore during the late 1970s at the Olde Hickory House restaurant in Gadsen, Alabama, where she worked as a waitress while she was a teenager.
She claimed Mr Moore, a 30-year-old deputy district attorney at the time, offered to sign her high school yearbook and wrote: "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas."
He signed it "Love, Roy Moore, DA", according to a copy of the yearbook page provided to reporters by her attorney, Gloria Allred.
About a week or two later, he allegedly offered to drive her home and instead drove to the back of the restaurant car park.
"I was terrified. He was also trying to pull my shirt off. I thought he was going to rape me," she told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
"At some point he gave up and he then looked at me and he told me, 'You're just a child,' and he said, 'I am the district attorney of Etowah County. If you tell anyone about this, no one will believe you", Mrs Nelson said, adding that her neck was bruised in the struggle.
"He finally allowed me to open the door and I either fell out or he pushed me out."
Moore Campaign Chairman Bill Armistead denied the charges, calling Mr Moore "an innocent man".
"This is a witch hunt against a man who has had an impeccable career for over 30 years and has always been known as a man of high character," he said.
Mr Moore's wife also vehemently denies the allegations, contending that her husband's accusers are being paid.
Earlier on Monday US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said that he believed the women accusing Mr Moore of inappropriate behaviour.
Mr McConnell told reporters in his home state of Kentucky that party officials have considered whether another Republican could challenge Mr Moore in next month's election, through a so-called write-in challenge.
He said Luther Strange, whom Mr Moore beat in the Republican primary earlier this year, was a possible option.
Roy Moore said Mitch McConnell is the one who should step aside
No matter what happens between now and the 12 December election, Mr Moore's name will remain on the voters' ballot, the Alabama secretary of state has confirmed.
Alabama law prohibits the replacement of a party candidate up to 76 days before the election.
However, voters are free to "write-in" any name they choose and the party might encourage support for another Republican candidate.
The state Republican party could also disqualify Mr Moore's nomination, meaning that if he won the most votes he would still not be declared the winner.
Failing that, if Mr Moore won the election, the US Senate could vote to expel him by arguing that he lacked fitness to serve.
Last week's Washington Post story quoted four women by name, including one who alleged Mr Moore initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 - beneath the legal age of consent in Alabama - while he was a prosecutor in his 30s.
Mr Moore has said the Washington Post story is a fabricated smear by his political opponents, calling it "a prime example of fake news".
Mr McConnell previously said Mr Moore should step aside only if the allegations were proven true.
But on Monday he said flatly: "I believe the women. Yes."
Mr Moore hit back in a tweet: "The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell. He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp".
Mr Moore, an outspoken Christian conservative, had been a heavy favourite to win the 12 December election against Democrat Doug Jones.
But an opinion poll after the allegations surfaced suggested the race was tightening. Alabama has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter of a century.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41973952
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Brussels riot after Morocco World Cup qualifier win - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Football fans smash glass and loot shops after their team qualifies for the World Cup.
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Europe
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More than 20 police officers were injured in Brussels when celebrations over Morocco's qualification for football's World Cup turned violent.
The Moroccan national side qualified for the 2018 tournament in Russia with a 2-0 victory away to Ivory Coast on Saturday, topping their group.
Belgium has a large Moroccan community and fans hit the capital's streets after the game.
One witness posted video to Twitter of water cannon being used on a crowd. Police said it was used on a group of about 300 people, some of whom were throwing stones.
Calm had returned by 21:30 local time (20:30 GMT), a reporter for the AFP news agency said.
Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon condemned the riots, tweeting (in French) that they constituted "unacceptable aggression in the centre of Brussels".
He added: "Living together means respect, also for the police who are committed to our safety day and night."
In the Netherlands too, large groups of fans from Morocco or of Moroccan background celebrated in the streets. Some celebrations there turned violent, with the police in The Hague tweeting (in Dutch) that some people threw things at officers.
In Rotterdam, dancing fans set off flares in red and green, Morocco's colours.
Meanwhile in Morocco itself thousands of fans celebrated in the streets of Marrakesh, Casablanca and other cities.
Owners of businesses in the centre of Brussels woke on Sunday to damaged shop fronts
Exuberant fans hit the streets of Amsterdam too
Most celebrations - like this one in Marrakesh - were peaceful
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41961801
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Long-range earthquake prediction - really? - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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In Italy, quake predictions from self-taught forecasters have people on edge. But is it possible to pinpoint when a quake will strike?
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World
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In Italy, Asia and New Zealand, long-range earthquake predictions from self-taught forecasters have recently had people on edge. But is it possible to pinpoint when a quake will strike?
It's a quake prediction based on the movements of the moon, the sun and the planets, and made by a self-taught scientist who died in 1979.
But on 11 May 2011, many people planned to stay away from Rome, fearing a quake forecast by the late Raffaele Bendandi - even though his writings contained no geographical location, nor a day or month.
In New Zealand too, the quake predictions of a former magician who specialises in fishing weather forecasts have caused unease.
After a 6.3 quake scored a direct hit on Christchurch in February, Ken Ring forecast another on 20 March, caused by a "moon-shot straight through the centre of the earth". Rattled residents fled the city.
Predicting quakes is highly controversial, says Brian Baptie, head of seismology at the British Geological Survey. Many scientists believe it is impossible because of the quasi-random nature of earthquakes.
"Despite huge efforts and great advances in our understanding of earthquakes, there are no good examples of an earthquake being successfully predicted in terms of where, when and how big," he says.
Many of the methods previously applied to earthquake prediction have been discredited, he says, adding that predictions such as that in Rome "have little basis and merely cause public alarm".
Seismologists do monitor rock movements around fault lines to gauge where pressure is building up, and this can provide a last-minute warning in the literal sense, says BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos.
"In Japan and California, there are scientists looking for pre-cursor signals in rocks. It is possible to get a warning up to 30 seconds before an earthquake strikes your location. That's enough time to get the doors open on a fire station, so the engines can get out as soon as it is over."
But any longer-range prediction is much harder.
"It's like pouring sand on to a pile, and trying to predict which grain of sand on which side of the pile will cause it to collapse. It is a classic non-linear system, and people have been trying to model it for centuries," says Amos.
In Japan, all eyes are on the faults that lace its shaky islands.
On Monday, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda urged that the Hamaoka nuclear plant near a fault line south-west of Tokyo be shut down, pending the construction of new tsunami defences.
Seismologists have long warned that a major earthquake is overdue in this region.
But overdue earthquakes can be decades, if not centuries, in coming. And this makes it hard to prepare, beyond precautions such as construction standards and urging the populace to lay in emergency supplies that may never be needed.
Later this year, a satellite is due to launch to test the as-yet unproven theory that there is a link between electrical disturbances on the edge of our atmosphere and impending quakes on the ground below.
Then there are the hypotheses that animals may be able to sense impending earthquakes.
Last year, the Journal of Zoology published a study into a population of toads that left their breeding colony three days before a 6.3 quake struck L'Aquila, Italy, in 2009. This was highly unusual behaviour.
But it is hard to objectively and quantifiably study how animals respond to seismic activity, in part because earthquakes are rare and strike without warning.
Countries in the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", like New Zealand, are regularly shaken by quakes
"At the moment, we know the parts of the world where earthquakes happen and how often they happen on average in these areas," says Dr Baptie.
This allows seismologists to make statistical estimates of probable ground movements that can be use to plan for earthquakes and mitigate their effects. "However, this is still a long way from earthquake prediction," he says.
And what of the "prophets" who claim to predict these natural disasters?
"Many regions, such as Indonesia and Japan, experience large earthquakes on a regular basis, so vague predictions of earthquakes in these places requires no great skill."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13357963
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First CO2 rise in four years puts pressure on Paris targets - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Uptick in coal use in China sees global CO2 emissions projected to rise after years of little or no growth.
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Science & Environment
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Consumption of coal has grown once again in China after three years of decline
Global emissions of CO2 in 2017 are projected to rise for the first time in four years, dashing hopes that a peak might soon be reached.
The main cause of the expected growth has been greater use of coal in China as its economy expanded.
Researchers are uncertain if the rise in emissions is a one-off or the start of a new period of CO2 build-up.
Scientists say that a global peak in CO2 before 2020 is needed to limit dangerous global warming this century.
The Global Carbon Project has been analysing and reporting on the scale of emissions of CO2 since 2006.
Carbon output has grown by about 3% per year in that period, but growth essentially declined or remained flat between 2014 and 2016.Concern at first CO2 rise in four years
The latest figures indicate that in 2017, emissions of CO2 from all human activities grew by about 2% globally.
There is some uncertainty about the data but the researchers involved have concluded that emissions are on the rise again.
"Global CO2 emissions appear to be going up strongly once again after a three-year stable period. This is very disappointing," said the lead author of the study, Prof Corinne Le Quéré from the University of East Anglia.
"With global CO2 emissions from human activities estimated at 41 billion tonnes for 2017, time is running out on our ability to keep warming well below 2 degrees C, let alone 1.5C."
The most important element in causing this rise has been China, which is responsible for around 28% of the global total. Emissions there went up 3.5% in 2017, mainly because of increased coal use, driven in the main by a growing economy.
US coal production has increased slightly this year mainly due to export demand
Another important factor in China has been lower water levels in rivers which have seen a drop in the amount of electricity made from hydro-power, with utilities turning to coal and gas to make up the shortfall.
US emissions have continued to decline but the fall has been less than expected. Higher prices saw a drop in the use of natural gas for electricity - with renewables and hydro-power picking up the slack.
Coal use has also grown slightly in the US this year, with consumption up about a half of one percent.
India's emissions are projected to grow by about 2%, which is a considerable decrease from around 6% per year over the last decade.
However, experts believe that this may be a temporary drop-off caused by a number of factors that have hampered the consumption of oil and cement.
Europe also saw a smaller decline than expected, falling by 0.2% compared with 2.2% over the last 10 years.
One common theme around the world is continued use of gas and oil, says Prof Le Quéré.
"There have been lots of ups and downs in the use of coal but in the background there has been no weakening in the use of oil and gas. And that is quite worrisome."
The report has been launched in Bonn where UN negotiators are trying to move forward with the rules for the Paris climate agreement.
Researchers involved with the study say they are not moving fast enough.
"Lots of diplomats are working out the rules but that is all a little bit meaningless unless they go back home to their countries and ratchet up climate action and that is where the gap is," said Dr Glen Peters, from the Centre for International Climate Research in Norway.
"These countries have to be pushing on with the policies, but everything keeps getting pushed back."
Demonstrators at UN talks in Bonn demand faster cuts in carbon
The report is sure to increase tensions in Bonn between developed and developing nations.
There is increasing resentment about the fact that all the focus is on future commitments made under the Paris climate agreement but very little on the years before it becomes active.
Poorer countries want the richer ones to increase their carbon-cutting actions over the next three years.
"The climate will not let us wait until 2020 when the Paris agreement comes into force," said Nicaragua's chief negotiator, Paul Oquist.
"Climate change is happening now and it's vital that immediate actions to cut emissions become a feature of this summit."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41941265
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Nisa shareholders back Co-op takeover - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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The convenience store chain has approved the £137m acquisition by the Co-operative Group.
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Business
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Shareholders in the Nisa convenience store group have approved the chain's £137m takeover by the Co-operative Group.
The deal was backed by 75.79% of shareholders' votes at an emergency meeting, narrowly exceeding the 75% threshold required to approve the deal.
Nisa is a member-owned business that has more than 3,000 stores and operates a wholesale business.
The deal still needs to be approved by the Competition and Markets Authority.
The Nisa board said the deal was in the "best interests" of members.
Nisa chairman Peter Hartley said: "The convenience store environment is changing rapidly, and is unrecognisable from that which existed when Nisa was founded more than 40 years ago.
"Co-op will add buying power and product range to our offering, while respecting our culture of independence."
Under the deal, Nisa members will still have the option of choosing not to buy goods through the Co-op.
Nisa shareholders will receive an equal initial payment of £20,000, plus deferred payments depending on how many shares they hold.
However, there was opposition from some Nisa members who were unhappy about, among other things, the size of the initial payout.
"The threshold was only surpassed by a fraction, showing that there is still a large amount of discontent around the deal," said Molly Johnson-Jones, senior retail analyst at GlobalData.
"Many independent retailers are fearful of what the market consolidation will do to their autonomy, and there was dissidence around the idea of being owned by a large corporation."
The retail industry is undergoing a period of consolidation. A shift in shopping habits, fierce competition from the likes of Aldi and Lidl, and the arrival of Amazon has prompted retailers such as the Co-op to look to bolster their businesses by buying food wholesalers.
Earlier this year Sainsbury's began talks with Nisa about a takeover, before pulling out.
Tesco is awaiting the results of an in-depth competition inquiry into its proposed £3.7bn takeover of wholesale giant Booker, which supplies goods to convenience stores, pubs and restaurants.
Nisa has nearly 1,200 members, who operate more than 3,200 stores among them, some under the Nisa brand and others under their own names.
In the year to 2 April, Nisa reported revenues of £1.25bn. with pre-tax profits of £2.8m.
"Nisa has futureproofed itself for the increasingly competitive and monopolised convenience market," said GlobalData's Ms Johnson-Jones.
"Tesco-Booker will operate at a larger scale than any food retail company in the past, and will fundamentally change the structure of the market.
"It is essential that symbol groups move to acquire greater buying power to avoid being pushed out of the market by the big four [supermarket chains] wielding their new-found convenience and wholesale capabilities.
Nisa would now be in a better position to protect its members, she added. However, she said rising costs and high demand for convenience store spaces mean that "it's not going to be easy to be an independent retailer over the medium term, even with a partnership of this size".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41966479
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MTV EMAs 2017: Shawn Mendes scoops three awards - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Dua Lipa are among the British winners at the awards held in London.
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Newsbeat
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Shawn Mendes beat Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to scoop the best artist prize at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards.
The Canadian singer also won the best song and the biggest fans awards at the event held at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Flying the flag for Britain were Ed Sheeran who won best live act and Stormzy who won the best act for the UK and Ireland.
The awards returned to London on Sunday night for the first time in 21 years.
Stormzy performed Big For Your Boots on stage at the EMAs
Taylor Swift had been nominated for six awards but left empty-handed after failing to win any.
Other winners on the night were Dua Lipa who won best new act, Camila Cabello who scooped best pop and Eminem who won best hip-hop.
The awards were hosted by Rita Ora who turned up wearing a dressing gown - complete with a towel on her head.
She was given the first ever MTV EMAs power of music award to honour the charity efforts of musicians who performed on the Grenfell fire charity single.
Best song: Shawn Mendes for There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
Best world stage: The Chainsmokers for Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2017
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NI budget reveals health spend increase - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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The region's civil service will start running out of money unless action is taken, says NI secretary.
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Northern Ireland
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A lack of devolution at Stormont means the budget will be passed into law using Westminister legislation
Northern Ireland's budget for 2017/18 has been published and shows an increase in health spending of 5.4%.
The bill has gone through the House of Commons, backed by all parties without a vote.
It will go to the House of Lords on Tuesday.
NI Secretary James Brokenshire said that public services would begin to run out of money if a budget was not in place by the end of November.
He said he regretted having to bring a budget to Westminster but was hopeful an executive could be formed.
Northern Ireland has been without a Stormont executive for 10 months.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Brokenshire said the passing of budget legislation "should not be a barrier to to negotiations to continue, but the ongoing lack of agreement has had tangible consequences for people and public services in Northern Ireland".
Faced by DUP calls for the immediate appointment of direct-rule ministers, the secretary of state said: "That is a step that I do not intend to take while there is an opportunity for an executive to be formed."
He continued: "This measure I am taking today with the utmost reluctance and only because there is no other option available."
It comes after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin failed to reach a deal in political talks.
Overall, the amount of money available for day-to-day spending is up by 3.2%, meaning no real increase when inflation is considered.
Better late than never, Northern Ireland finally has a budget for the 2017-18 financial year.
It means a cliff-edge of running out of cash has been avoided.
Civil servants have been controlling the finances since the executive collapsed before a budget was set.
Overall, the allocation for day-to-day spending is up by 3.2%, or about £330m, on 2016-17.
However, because of inflation, the budget has really flat-lined in real terms.
The budget does not include any of the £1bn windfall that the DUP extracted for propping up the Conservative government; that is to come separately.
In April, indicative figures suggested the education budget would be cut, causing an outcry from teachers and parents.
However, the education budget is up by 1.5% compared to last year, the justice budget is down by 0.4% and the agriculture and environment budget is down by 3%.
Health economists usually estimate that health service spending needs to rise by an annual rate of 3% - 5% to cope with rising demand.
The Department of Finance has cautioned that the budget is not fully comparable to the 2016/17 budget, due to timing differences.
The 2016/17 budget was published before the start of the financial year while this budget comes mid-year and includes in-year reallocations.
Is this direct rule or not direct rule? It depends who you talk to.
The SDLP says it is direct rule, and blames the DUP and Sinn Féin.
The Alliance party says it is a "slippery slope" towards direct rule, but both James Brokenshire and Theresa May dismiss that.
Mr Brokenshire is fearful of "full-fat" direct rule because it would be very hard to get back out of it.
He might, therefore, try and get away with this halfway house solution, at least until the end of the year.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds welcomed the budget move as the "right thing" to do in the absence of a deal to restore devolution.
He said the decision by the secretary of state is "not full blown direct rule".
The North Belfast MP also said that if a deal is not forthcoming to restore devolution, direct rule ministers of "some ilk will have to be appointed".
He said the failure to restore power sharing rests with Sinn Féin and that the DUP and other parties were ready to set up an executive "in the morning".
He added that the £1bn promised by the government for Northern Ireland as part of the Tory-DUP confidence and supply arrangement would be "detailed in the coming days".
NI Secretary James Brokenshire said a budget is needed in the absence of a devolved government
However, Sinn Féin's Stormont leader said the reason for the budget was "DUP opposition to a rights-based society".
Michelle O'Neill said that the UK government had been "complicit in this, backing the DUP's refusal to honour the commitments previously made and blocking the delivery of equality."
She also said her party had told Prime Minister Theresa May that direct rule was "not an option".
"These issues aren't going away. It is now the responsibility of the two governments to look to the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and for a British-Irish intergovernmental conference to meet as soon as possible.
"We have sought urgent meetings with both the taoiseach [Irish prime minister] and the British prime minister.
"The way forward now is for the two governments to fulfil their responsibility as co-guarantors of the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements, to honour outstanding commitments, and to deliver rights enjoyed by everyone else on these islands to people here."
Mr Brokenshire has said he would be willing to withdraw the budget bill if an executive is formed before December.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it was a "significant day" with "decisions being taken in London which should have been taken in Belfast".
"This is British direct rule, delivered by the DUP and Sinn Féin," he added.
Ulster Unionist Steve Aiken said: "We need to have executive ministers in place in January at the absolute latest because we need to get policy decisions made so we can shape the 18-19 budget for everybody in Northern Ireland - if we don't do that we're in real danger."
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the budget "doesn't redirect money to where it's needed now, it simply disperses the money on the basis of decisions that were taken by the last executive and that's now quite considerably out of date".
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In a call to the DUP and Sinn Féin on Friday, Prime Minister Theresa May told the parties that Monday's budget bill was "absolutely not an indication of direct rule".
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said he told the prime minister that direct rule was not an option and called for the establishment of an intergovernmental conference involving London and Dublin.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41962296
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Venus and Jupiter conjunction: Sky-watchers witness dawn display - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Enthusiasts across the UK share their photos of the two brightest planets appearing together.
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UK
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Jupiter and Venus were photographed here above Brighton Pier
Jupiter and Venus - the two brightest planets - have appeared together in the morning sky.
The planetary conjunction was visible to the naked eye across much of the UK, with the time before dawn being the best to catch the spectacle.
Experts said the planets were so close as to appear almost on top of each other.
One astronomer said it would probably be "decades rather than years" before they appeared as close together.
While the planets have been visible to the unaided eye, viewers with a telescope have also been able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons.
People in the UK have taken to social media to share their photos of the planetary display.
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Viewed from London, the planets began appearing shortly before 06:00 GMT with the conjunction occurring just after.
Those on high ground with a clear view of the eastern horizon had the best chance of witnessing the planetary display.
This image of the planetary display was captured by Alexandra Palace in London
The planets were spotted here in the Merseyside skyline
The conjunction of the planets looks like a bright star
In 2004, the planet Venus could be seen crossing the Sun as a small black dot
Mark Thompson, an astronomer and former presenter on the BBC show Stargazing Live, said conjunctions occur when planets line up in such a way that they appear from Earth to be next to each other - despite in this case being hundreds of millions of miles apart.
Mr Thompson told the BBC the cloudy atmospheres of the two planets made them appear bright to the naked eye.
He said the event was not uncommon - Venus and Jupiter appeared together in 2015 and 2016, also on 13 November - but it was much rarer for them to appear so close to each other.
"There have certainly been cases where they've been close in the sky but they've not been this close in recent years, certainly the last couple of planetary conjunctions.
"This is actually quite a good conjunction because they're so close, and over the next few years they'll pass each other and be close but not this close…
"One as close as this, you're probably looking decades rather than years."
The conjunction can also be seen in countries in the mid-northern latitudes, including parts of the US.
Those who missed the event will be able to see the two planets again on Tuesday morning, but they will not be as close together.
According to Nasa, stargazers will be treated to another planetary pairing later this month, when Saturn will meet Mercury on the western horizon at dusk on 24 and 28 November.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41956191
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Parliament to get binding vote on final Brexit deal - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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MPs and peers will be given a take-it-or-leave it say on agreement via an Act of Parliament, David Davis says.
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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. Davis: Parliament will be given time to debate, scrutinise and vote on the final deal with the EU
Parliament is to be given a take-it-or leave-it vote on the final Brexit deal before the UK leaves the EU.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said the terms of the UK's exit, such as money, citizen rights and any transition must become law via a new Act of Parliament.
Labour welcomed a "climbdown" but some MPs warned of a "sham" if ministers could not be asked to renegotiate.
Sources have told the BBC some Tory rebels were unimpressed, with one saying the promise was "meaningless".
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the announcement was significant because it represented a big concession to potential Tory rebels and Labour MPs at a highly important moment in the Brexit process.
It comes as MPs prepare to debate key Brexit legislation later this week with the government facing possible defeat on aspects of the EU Withdrawal Bill, which will convert EU law into UK law.
The UK is due to leave the EU in March 2019, irrespective of whether MPs back or reject the terms of the deal negotiated by Theresa May's government.
But updating MPs on the sixth round of talks which concluded on Friday, Mr Davis told MPs they would still play a major role and "there cannot be any doubt that Parliament will be intimately involved at every stage".
The government had previously agreed to give MPs and peers a vote on a Commons motion relating to the final Brexit deal - before it has been voted upon by the European Parliament.
A confident government wouldn't have conceded like this the day before the Brexit debate was due to come back to the Commons in earnest.
This climbdown does not remotely mean that other grievances over the existing Brexit legislation will disappear.
It doesn't mean that the next few weeks will suddenly become plain sailing. And if there isn't a withdrawal deal with the rest of the EU, well, then there can't be a bill that covers the withdrawal bill.
It's only in the coming days that the government will know if they have done enough to get the existing plans through.
And the move also of course adds to a massive load of complicated Parliamentary business that has to be cleared before we actually leave.
Mr Davis said he still "intended and expected" this to happen but went further - agreeing to Labour and Tory MPs' demands for any vote to take place on substantive primary legislation, which would allow MPs and peers to amend the bill before it became law.
The bill, he told MPs, would contain the contents of the withdrawal agreement that the UK hopes to seal in time ahead of its scheduled departure and all key aspects of it - such as the financial settlement between the two sides, the future status of UK and EU citizens and the terms of any implementation period.
"This means that Parliament will be given time to scrutinise, debate and vote on the final deal we strike with the EU," he said, adding that it was not clear when such a bill would be published.
Labour's Keir Starmer said it was a "significant climbdown from a weak government on the verge of defeat".
"With less than 24 hours before they had to defend their flawed bill to Parliament, they have finally backed down," the shadow Brexit secretary said.
"However, like everything with this government, the devil will be in the detail."
Labour's Chris Leslie said what "could have been a very welcome concession instead looks like a sham that pretends to respect the sovereignty of Parliament but falls well short of what is required".
The Lib Dems reiterated their call for the final deal to be put to a referendum while several Tory MPs questioned what would happen if a deal was only agreed at the last minute before the 29 March deadline - a scenario Mr Davis has suggested was conceivable - and MPs could only vote after exit.
Dominic Grieve, the Conservative former Attorney General, said this would not be acceptable and if time ran out then negotiations with the EU should be extended "so all parties are able to deal with it".
And Conservative MP Antoinette Sandbach pressed Mr Davis to reassure MPs how "if the bill intended to ensure a meaningful vote only comes forward after that date, the vote is in any sense meaningful".
Mr Davis responded by saying MPs would have the opportunity to say "either you want the deal or you don't want it" and if the UK and EU could not agree a deal, there would be no legislation.
But, in a meeting with the Conservative chief whip, a group of about a dozen Tory MPs expressed anger at the government's plans, sources have told the BBC.
One of the MPs, Anna Soubry, said the idea of a Brexit Act of Parliament was "'insulting… it sounds in theory very good but there's no guarantee".
She suggested that the promise was "meaningless" and that the government is in "grave difficulty" over passing its Brexit legislation in the coming months.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41975277
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Police launch two-week weapons surrender in England and Wales - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Police in England and Wales say many people hold firearms without knowing they are illegal.
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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. Police have urged the public to surrender unwanted firearms
People in England and Wales have two weeks to hand in guns, other weapons and ammunition to police stations without being punished for possession.
People who surrender firearms will not automatically be charged, but will be if they are later connected to a crime.
Police say many firearms are held in ignorance of their illegality.
The parents of 18-year-old Yusuf Sonko, who was shot dead in Liverpool on 2 June, have called on people to hand in any firearms.
Papa and Kajdijah Sonko spoke to BBC Breakfast about finding out that their son had been killed.
Mr Sonko said he was "a bright boy who had finished his last exam to go to university", and was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Kajdijah Sonko pleaded with anyone who owns a gun to give it into police.
She added: "Every single day another family is crying."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Yusuf Sonka's grieving parents urge people to hand over their weapons
The National Ballistics Intelligence Service said that families sometimes do not know what to do with firearms left behind by elderly relatives.
Assistant Chief Constable Helen McMillan said police were "realistic" that they were "not going to get hardened gang members" surrendering their arms.
But she added: "This is part of our response to try and make it as difficult as possible for those people to come into possession of any type of weapon at all.
"You don't have to give your name or address, we just want more guns out of harm's way."
Illegally-held BB-guns, air weapons, rifles, shotguns or pistols are among the weapons police say should be handed in by the 26 November cut-off.
Police think some people come across weapons when clearing the houses of relatives and may not know what to do with them.
Ms McMillan said: "It could be a trophy of war, it could be a starting pistol - please contact us on 101 and arrange to hand it in to your nearest police station."
She added: "Each firearm we retrieve has the potential to save a life so do the right thing and surrender your weapon."
After the last gun surrender in England and Wales in 2014, more than 6,000 weapons were handed in.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jo Chilton, said: "Surrendering unwanted or illegal firearms avoids the risk of them becoming involved in crime."
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that crime involving firearms in England and Wales increased by 27% in the year to June 2017.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41964031
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Australian girl, 8, dies after crashing drag race car - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Australian girl was on a "test run" to gain her junior racing licence, authorities say.
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Australia
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Anita had just turned eight, the minimum age for racing
An eight-year-old girl has died after crashing her junior drag racing car on a track in Western Australia.
Anita Board was on a solo "test run" when her vehicle hit a concrete barrier at the Perth Motorplex, police said.
Paramedics treated her at the scene on Saturday before taking her to hospital, where she died a day later.
The girl had been attempting to gain her licence for junior dragster racing, the Australia National Drag Racing Association (Andra) said.
She had just turned eight - the minimum age required to race under official rules - and was driving a 210cc dragster, local media reported.
As a result of the accident, Western Australia has now suspended junior racing at the Perth Motorplex, the state's only drag racing arena.
A statement from Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray said: "The suspension of this category of motorsport activity allows for a full investigation to be carried out into the nature of the accident.
"The State Government will wait until the details of the accident are clear following the investigation before taking any further action".
Drag racers across Australia have posted tributes on social media
Mr Murray told reporters that he was unaware that children as young as Anita Board could take part in drag racing.
"I was very surprised... but in saying that, from my understanding, it was well controlled but an unfortunate accident," he said.
The girl's father, Ian Board, posted a message online saying "my heart [is] in a million pieces".
"We will need ... the love and support in the days weeks months ahead," he wrote in local community forum.
Members of the drag racing community have posted tributes online, including under the hashtag #HelmetsOutForAnita.
Andra said in a statement: "Anita was undergoing a licensing pass at the Perth Motorplex, as part of the process for her to receive her racing licence, when this tragic accident happened.
"Junior racers must adhere to stringent safety rules and regulations regarding safety equipment, and their dragsters must meet specific safety requirements. ANDRA regulations for junior competition are benchmarked against similar organisations internationally."
Mike Sprlyan, of Junior Dragster Australia, told news outlet Perth Now that beginners aged between eight and 17 reached top speeds of about 40-50km/h (25-30mph).
Police said they would prepare a report for a coroner.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41964046
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Ann Maguire inquest: Pupil threatened to kill teacher - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Ann Maguire was murdered by pupil Will Cornick, 15, at a school in Leeds in April 2014.
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Leeds & West Yorkshire
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Ann Maguire had taught Spanish at Corpus Christi Catholic College for more than 40 years
A 15-year-old pupil who stabbed his teacher to death told other pupils of his plan to attack her, an inquest has heard.
Ann Maguire, 61, was murdered by Will Cornick at Corpus Christi Catholic College, Leeds, in April 2014.
She was stabbed seven times, including one blow which cut her jugular vein.
Cornick boasted to other pupils about attacking the teacher, but they did not believe him and did not report it, Wakefield Coroners Court heard.
The inquest heard Cornick had told at least 10 other pupils precisely what he was going to do, where he was going to do it and how he was going to do it.
Det Supt Nick Wallen told the court: "He was a young man who was prone to say things that weren't true."
Messages on Facebook about attacking Mrs Maguire were also not taken seriously by his friends at the time.
Giving evidence, Det Supt Wallen said the attack had come "completely out of the blue" and Mrs Maguire "stood absolutely no chance whatsoever".
She was ambushed by a "strapping 15-year-old lad", he said.
Will Cornick is serving a life sentence for stabbing Ann Maguire
The inquest heard Cornick had stormed out of a meeting involving Mrs Maguire called to discuss his work in Spanish.
He later received a detention, but went off on a bowling trip instead.
Det Supt Wallen said similar incidents happened in schools up and down the country.
"Is it a warning that this individual was about to kill his teacher? My answer to that would be 'no'.
"At no time did we have the impression of a disruptive, violent, angry individual who... was about to explode in a frenzy of violence such as his," he said.
Ann Maguire's husband Don told the inquest the idea her killer had an "irrational and historical hatred" of his wife "seems as strange now as it did then".
Mr Maguire told the jury: "This was a good lad. He was bright. He was doing well at school. He was from a good home. He had a bit of a dark sense of humour.
"He did this terrible thing. There's no explanation and no logic to it."
"I personally have always struggled a little bit with that narrative."
Mr Maguire also criticised what he called "the poor quality" of the review published by Leeds Safeguarding Children Board, saying there should have been a full Serious Case Review.
An earlier High Court hearing ruled that children should not be called to give evidence at the inquest. This followed an appeal by the family to have the evidence heard.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-41969471
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Italy 0-0 Sweden (agg: 0-1) - BBC Sport
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2017-11-13
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Four-time champions Italy fail to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958 after a play-off defeat against Sweden.
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Last updated on .From the section European Football
Four-time champions Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958 after a play-off defeat against Sweden.
It means the Azzurri will not be present in the competition for only the second time in their history having declined to play at the inaugural tournament in 1930.
Midfielder Jakob Johansson's deflected strike in the first leg was the difference as the second leg at Milan's San Siro stadium ended goalless.
Sweden sat back on their advantage and, despite the hosts enjoying 76% possession, they failed to find the breakthrough - Italy's best chance saw goalkeeper Robin Olsen palm away substitute Stephan El Shaarawy's thumping late volley.
Striker Ciro Immobile missed a number of chances and his low effort in the first half was cleared off the line by centre-back Andreas Granqvist.
The result sees Jan Andersson's Sweden side reach the World Cup for the first time since 2006, when they were in the same group as England.
• None Which teams have qualified for Russia?
• None What you need to know about play-offs
While Italy dominated the second leg and had 20 shots at goal, their exertions radiated a growing sense of desperation.
Giampiero Ventura's side were unable to carve open a resolute Swedish defence which sat deep and often had a line of six defenders camped in their box, heading away each cross and set-piece into the box.
In all, the Swedes made a total of 56 clearances between them, plus 19 interceptions.
Both sides could have been awarded penalties: first Ludwig Augustinsson brought down Marco Parolo with a clumsy challenge while Manchester United's Matteo Darmian and Juventus veteran Andrea Barzagli were fortunate to escape with handballs for Italy.
Lazio striker Immobile, who has 14 club goals this season, hit the side-netting from a tight angle early on and struck a first-time shot wide from close range in the second half.
At the other end, Sweden keeper Olsen saved well from midfielders Jorginho and Alessandro Florenzi, who also clipped an acrobatic volley narrowly wide.
Many of the Italy players fell to the ground at the full-time whistle, with strikers Andrea Belotti and Immobile reduced to tears, as the Swedes ran off to enthusiastically celebrate their qualification for next summer's tournament in Russia.
End of an era as Buffon bows out
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport described the loss as akin to the "apocalypse" in their headline for the match report.
Captain Gianluigi Buffon was earning his 175th cap for Italy and the 39-year-old goalkeeper confirmed it was his last international appearance, having announced his decision to retire from football at the end of the season.
AC Milan's highly-rated 18-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma was on the bench and the teenager, who already has four caps, is in line to take over the number one shirt for the next campaign - qualifying for the 2020 European Championship.
World Cup winner Buffon, who was also tearful at the final whistle, said: "I am not sorry for myself but all of Italian football. We failed at something which also means something on a social level."
It may also be the end for coach Ventura. The 69-year-old manager reportedly refused to give an interview to television after the match.
He received much criticism for his decision to play a 4-2-4 formation against Spain, when his side were heavily beaten 3-0, and will once again be asked questions why he refused to play Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne, who has six goals already this season for his club side.
Ventura was given a new contract until 2020 only in August, but the Italian football association could now turn to former AC Milan and Juventus manager Carlo Ancelotti who is available after leaving German champions Bayern Munich.
Former Wigan defender Granqvist, who was man of the match in the first leg, put in another colossal performance at the back for Sweden.
The 32-year-old said: "For my part, this is the biggest thing that has happened to me and for those of us that are older this is probably the last chance to play at a World Cup so to succeed in those circumstances is an unbelievable joy."
Shortly after the match, skipper Granqvist was seen sporting a new haircut because of a promise made earlier in the qualifying campaign.
He added: "I said to the lads in the dressing room that if we got to the World Cup they could shave it off. I thought they had forgotten it, but John Guidetti and Victor Lindelof shaved it off straight away,"
• None Offside, Italy. Federico Bernardeschi tries a through ball, but Giorgio Chiellini is caught offside.
• None Attempt blocked. Federico Bernardeschi (Italy) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt blocked. Alessandro Florenzi (Italy) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt missed. Jorginho (Italy) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
• None Federico Bernardeschi (Italy) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Leonardo Bonucci (Italy) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Giorgio Chiellini with a cross.
• None Attempt missed. Marco Parolo (Italy) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Alessandro Florenzi with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Stephan El Shaarawy (Italy) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Ciro Immobile with a headed pass.
• None Attempt blocked. Federico Bernardeschi (Italy) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alessandro Florenzi with a cross.
• None Attempt missed. Andrea Belotti (Italy) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Marco Parolo. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41955834
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Iran country profile - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Provides an overview about Iran, including key facts and dates about this Middle Eastern country.
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Middle East
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Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown and clerics assumed political control under Ayatollah Khomeini.
The revolution put an end to the rule of the Shah, who had alienated powerful religious, political and popular forces with a programme of modernisation and Westernisation, coupled with heavy repression of dissent.
Iran was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, and has long maintained a distinct cultural identity by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shia interpretation of Islam.
The Supreme Leader - the highest power in the land - appoints the heads of the judiciary, military and media. He also confirms the election of the president.
Ali Khamenei was appointed for life in June 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini. He previously served two consecutive terms as president in the 1980s.
This hardline cleric and Khamenei ally won the 2021 election against a slate of middle-ranking conservative candidates, as supporters of reform and prominent conservatives were barred from standing.
His main task was initially to try to rebuild the struggling economy - made more difficult by his hostility to the United States, which has imposed crippling sanctions on the country.
But late 2022 brought a new challenge in the form of nationwide protests following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the so-called morality police, which enforces the Islamic dress code.
All broadcasting from Iranian soil is controlled by the state and reflects official ideology. A wider range of opinion may be found online and in the printed press.
Iran is one of the world's most repressive countries for journalists, says Reporters Without Borders.
Iran has a rich historical heritage which can be seen in places such as Persepolis
1921 - Military commander Reza Khan seizes power and is later crowned Reza Shah Pahlavi.
1941 - Britain and Russia occupy Iran during World War Two.
1953 - Coup engineered by British and US intelligence services overthrows Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
1989 - Ayatollah Khomeini, the supreme leader and founder of the Islamic Republic, dies and is replaced by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
2004 - US says Iran's nuclear programme is a growing threat and calls for international sanctions.
2009 - Ahmadinejad is re-elected in a disputed election triggering months of mass protests known as the "Green Movement".
2015 - Iran and major world powers reach agreement over its controversial nuclear activities. Tehran agrees to cut its nuclear programme in return for partial lifting of sanctions.
2018 - US withdraws from the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear programme and imposes sanctions on Tehran.
2020 - Qasem Soleimani, head of IRGC's external arm known as the Quds Force and arguably the most powerful figure in Iran after Ayatollah Khamenei, is assassinated by the US in Iraq.
2022 - Mass nationwide protests after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini.
The leader of the Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, returned from exile in 1979
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14541327
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Two arrested over missing Dorset teenager Gaia Pope - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A 19-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman are arrested over the disappearance of Gaia Pope.
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Dorset
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Gaia Pope was last seen in Swanage on 7 November
A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenager who has not been seen for nearly a week.
Dorset Police said a 19-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were arrested in connection with the disappearance of Gaia Pope, 19, who has severe epilepsy.
The teenager, from Langton Matravers, was staying in Swanage when she disappeared on 7 November.
Searches took place at two addresses in Swanage and the man and woman were arrested.
Police said they were both known to Gaia.
The last reported sighting of the teenager was by Rosemary Dinch at an address in Manor Gardens on Morrison Road in Swanage.
Rosemary Dinch, a friend of the family, is believed to be the last person to see Gaia on Tuesday 7 November
The family friend told the BBC Gaia "pounded" on her door and spent about 20 minutes at her house.
She said: "She was very upset, she slid to the floor at one point, I gave her a cuddle and she responded to me - I have no idea where she is - she just seems to have disappeared."
She was said to be wearing a red checked shirt with white buttons, grey and white woven leggings and white trainers and she went missing without her medication.
On Saturday, Dorset Police released CCTV footage of what they believe was Gaia running past a house in Morrison Road at about 15:40.
Det Ch Insp Neil Devoto, who is leading the investigation, said on Monday: "It has been almost a week since Gaia's last confirmed sighting and she has not been seen or heard from since.
"We have looked through CCTV that covers the Swanage area, including transport hubs, and there is nothing to suggest she has left the area.
"Her disappearance is completely out of character and, following our extensive inquiries, we sadly now believe that she may have come to harm.
"We have not yet found Gaia and our searches will continue.
"Our specially-trained officers have updated Gaia's family and are supporting them at this very difficult time."
• None Missing teen 'does not have medication'
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-41976025
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YouTube removes dead extremist's videos - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Nearly 50,000 videos by radical Islamist preacher Anwar al-Awlaki are purged from the video-sharing site.
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Technology
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The remaining videos about Awlaki are news items and documentaries, says YouTube
YouTube has removed nearly 50,000 videos featuring radical Islamist preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike in 2011.
Awlaki was renowned for preaching violence as a religious duty, although at the time of his death his family denied he was a terrorist.
The remaining videos are mainly documentaries and news items, reports the New York Times.
The BBC understands this is a result of human review, not machine learning.
To help ensure that the videos stay off YouTube, once humans flag a video for removal it is run through a formatting system that creates a digital fingerprint or "hash".
Uploaded videos are compared to this hash to spot when people are trying to share copies of banned content.
Awlaki posted many different types of videos to YouTube.
Some were explicit calls to violence, but others were commentaries on Islam and its history.
Most of these videos are believed to have been purged from the site.
If he were alive today, Awlaki would have been banned from owning a YouTube channel because he was named as a terrorist on UK and US government lists.
Anti-extremism groups lodged their first complaints about Awlaki's videos in 2009, but until last year it was still possible to find copies of his most explicitly violent material on YouTube.
A long series of complaints and reports from groups working to counter extremism detailed Awlaki's influence and called on YouTube to act.
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, from George Washington University's research programme on extremism, told the New York Times that YouTube "deserved credit" for removing the videos.
YouTube's design often led people to discover Awlaki's content inadvertently, he said.
However, he added, Awlaki's videos were still easy to find on other video sites and social networks.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41969461
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: More charges for mum in Iran - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving five years for alleged security offences.
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UK
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Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has served 19 months of her five-year sentence
A British-Iranian mother being held in Iran faces two more charges in relation to her alleged involvement in trying to overthrow the government.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, has served 19 months of a five-year term for alleged security offences.
The charity worker was arrested at Tehran Airport in April 2016 while visiting family in Iran with her daughter.
She rejects the charges, which carry an extra 16 years in prison if proven.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has worked for the charity the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the BBC, lost her final appeal in April 2017.
Under the previous charges, which have not been made public, she was accused of plotting to topple the regime in Tehran.
The latest charges allege Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe joined organisations which specifically worked to overthrow the government.
She is also accused of attending a demonstration outside the Iranian Embassy in London - it is claimed a photo was found during a search of her private email account.
Her family has paid bail to stop her being put back in solitary confinement and a date for the full trial has not been set.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Speaking to the BBC in January 2017, Richard Ratcliffe recalls the moment he realised his wife would not be returning to the UK
Iran does not recognise dual nationals and denies them access to consular assistance.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking more information from the Iranian authorities and both the prime minister and foreign secretary had raised the case with Tehran and at the UN General Assembly.
Middle East minister Alistair Burt has met Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family both in London and in Tehran to discuss her case, and hopes to meet with them again later this month.
A spokesman for the FCO said: "We continue to be concerned for the welfare for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and have repeatedly raised this with the Iranian authorities, urging them to provide all necessary medical assistance.
"We will continue to raise all our dual national detainees, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case with the Iranian government at every available opportunity."
Richard Radcliffe has said he believes his family is being used as a "bargaining chip" over UK-Iran politics
Speaking from the UK, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard, said the UK and Iran need to look after its citizens.
"The Iranian Ambassador and the UK government need to stand up, and say they will protect British Iranians.
"It is not enough just to focus in public on their business deals, and to keep a silent pretence. It looks like heads in the sands."
Monique Villa, CEO at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said the accusation Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was trying to overthrow the regime is a "complete invention".
"The Thomson Reuters Foundation doesn't work in Iran and has no programme or dealings with Iran.
"We continue to assert that she is 100% innocent and that these ludicrous charges must be dropped immediately."
She added the charity worker was subject to "inhumane treatment" which had already caused "irreparable damage".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41558956
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CBI: 'Time to stop Brexit soap opera' - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The business lobby group's president will tell its annual conference a clearer Brexit strategy is needed.
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Business
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Current Brexit negotiations resemble "a prime-time soap opera", the president of the CBI will say on Monday.
Paul Drechsler will tell the lobby group's annual conference it is time for government and business to unite behind "a clear strategy".
This new approach is needed to protect the UK's economy, he will say.
Research conducted by the CBI suggests 60% of firms will trigger contingency plans by the end of March 2018, if no transition deal is agreed by then.
"We need a single, clear strategy, a plan for what we want, and what kind of relationship we seek with the EU," Mr Drechsler is set to say.
"At the moment, I'm reminded of a prime-time soap opera, with a different episode each week. First Lancaster House, then Article 50, the European Council, two dinners with Juncker - and no doubt many exciting instalments to follow," he will say.
"Each one becomes the Big Story, until the next one rolls around."
The UK economy will grow more slowly in the short term if no deal for a future trade agreement with the EU is reached, the Bank of England governor has said. In an ITV interview he was asked if the economy would be adversely affected if there was no Brexit deal.
"The short answer is yes, in the short term... In the short term, without question, if we have materially less access (to the EU) than we have now, this economy is going to need to re-orient and during that period of time it will weigh on growth," he said.
A third of firms will have begun to implement contingency plans by the end of January, if there is no further certainty before then.
Business representatives have repeatedly called for faster progress and more clarity over what will happen in March 2019 when the UK is due to formally leave the European Union.
The government has proposed a transition or "implementation" period to allow businesses to adjust to new trading conditions, but the terms and length of the adjustment period have yet to be decided.
Last month five business groups, including the CBI, wrote to the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, to warn that the UK risks losing jobs and investment unless a transition deal is agreed by the end of the year.
However, formal discussions on transition arrangements and future trade relations cannot begin before the UK and the EU reach an agreement over a financial settlement.
A survey of CBI members suggests that 13% of companies have not yet discussed Brexit at board level; those firms "need to roll up their sleeves" according to the CBI.
The CBI said smaller businesses are "struggling" and are less prepared than larger firms.
One in ten firms have already begun to move staff or slow recruitment as they await the outcome of Brexit negotiations, the CBI said.
The lobby group warned that the "clock is ticking", with Brexit 508 days away.
Mr Drechsler will also emphasise the need for government and business to focus on improving productivity in the UK, which lags significantly behind US, France and Germany.
He will call for the apprenticeship levy, introduced earlier this year to encourage large businesses to take on more apprentices, to be made more flexible, and for more investment in schools, including protection for "per pupil" funding.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41865046
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Ambulance parking notes 'pretty normal' - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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A note left on an ambulance windscreen told paramedics not to block a driveway.
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A paramedic says an incident in which a note was left on an ambulance windscreen criticising alleged blocking of a driveway is not uncommon.
A handwritten message tweeted by West Midlands Ambulance Service telling paramedics not to park their "van" in a "stupid place" while seeing to a critically ill patient on Friday went viral.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-41961763
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Regent Street Apple store guard threatened by moped gang - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Ten suspects on five mopeds smashed their way into the central London store in the early hours.
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London
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A security guard at a central London Apple store was threatened with a hammer as he tried to stop a gang of raiders on mopeds.
Ten suspects on five mopeds smashed their way into the Regent Street shop at 00:45 GMT and escaped with iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches.
Two iPhone Xs were later recovered near Kings Cross.
The flagship store was fully operational with no visible damage later on Monday morning.
Miah Mohammad Sheful, captured video of the raid when he was waiting for a bus nearby.
The Apple store on Regent Street was fully operational later on Monday morning
The 28-year-old said it took the suspects several attempts to break in the door of the tech giant's store.
Passing cars started beeping their horns to prevent the burglary as they realised what was unfolding, he said.
The moped gang got away within seconds.
The suspects, described as wearing dark clothing, are said to have made off northbound along Regent Street.
The man who threatened the guard was described as black.
The raid comes one month after a gang riding mopeds attacked a jeweller's in the same street.
Three suspects are believed to have used a hammer, axe and bats to break into Mappin & Webb on 9 October. They escaped with a high-value haul.
Offences involving scooters and mopeds are on the rise in London.
Figures suggest that in the year to September, there were more than 19,385 "moped enabled" crimes in the capital - an average of 53 a day - including thefts and robberies.
Last month, a moped gang that robbed more than 100 people, including former Chancellor George Osborne, was jailed.
Anyone with information about the latest raid is urged to contact the Metropolitan Police.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41970767
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Liam Miller: Ex-Celtic and Man Utd midfielder in cancer fight - BBC Sport
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2017-11-13
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Former Celtic, Manchester United and Hibernian midfielder Liam Miller is having treatment for cancer.
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Last updated on .From the section Scottish
Former Celtic and Manchester United midfielder Liam Miller has cancer.
The Irishman, 36, is reportedly on his way back to Ireland from the United States, where he has been having chemotherapy treatment.
Miller, who won 21 caps for Republic of Ireland between 2004 and 2009, started his career at Celtic before moving to Old Trafford.
"I hope he can get through this difficult time of his life," said former Celtic team-mate John Hartson.
"Obviously all our thoughts go out to him and his family," added Republic of Ireland manger Martin O'Neill.
Former Celtic and Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov, who recovered from acute leukaemia, said : "I'm saddened to hear the news about my old team-mate Liam Miller. Be strong buddy and remember a few of us have beaten it. YOU WILL too my friend. I'm thinking about you."
Miller also played for Leeds United, Sunderland, QPR and Hibernian before heading to Australia.
Miller played for three clubs down under - Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City - before returning to his native Cork City.
He also played for semi-professional American team Wilmington Hammerheads in North Carolina last year.
News of Miller's condition has been met with messages of support.
Republic of Ireland international David Meyler said the squad are thinking about their compatriot ahead of their play-off match against Denmark.
"Obviously we heard the news," the Hull City midfielder said on Monday. "We're unsure about the details, but our thoughts go out to his family and we're just thinking about him and we just hope he can pull through and he's strong. That's from the whole team and everyone."
Celtic wrote on their official Twitter account: "The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Football Club are with Liam Miller and his family at this time."
And Manchester United tweeted: "The thoughts of everyone at Manchester United go out to Liam Miller and his loved ones at this difficult time."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41966734
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In pictures: Deadly earthquake in Iran and Iraq - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Hundreds have been killed in a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in the countries' border region.
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Middle East
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The epicentre of the quake was in north-east Iraq, but neighbouring Iran saw the worst of the damage
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41966241
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Emma Dent Coad MP accused of writing 'racist' blog post - BBC News
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2017-11-13
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Emma Dent Coad labelled a Tory parliamentary candidate as a "token ghetto boy" in a 2010 blog piece.
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London
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Emma Dent Coad has been accused of writing a "racist" article in a 2010 blog piece
A Conservative London Assembly member has accused a Labour MP of writing a "racist" article about him before she entered Parliament.
Emma Dent Coad wrote a blog piece in 2010 in which she labelled Shaun Bailey a "token ghetto boy".
Mr Bailey said the MP should apologise for the "hate-filled, racist article".
A spokesman for Ms Dent Coat, who was elected to Kensington in June, said she had been quoting Mr Bailey's "own comments about parts of the borough".
In the article Ms Dent Coad called Shaun Bailey the "'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron"
In the piece Ms Dent Coad claimed Mr Bailey, who was a parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith, had "stigmatised" the area he was born in by referring to it as a "ghetto".
"Who can say where this man will ever fit in, however hard he tries? One day he is the 'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron, the next 'looking interested' beside G Osborne. Ever felt used?," she wrote.
After the blog post was highlighted, Mr Bailey said he had never been "labelled a 'token ghetto boy'" before and was "shocked and saddened" by the article.
He said Ms Dent Coad's "use of language should not be acceptable for an elected politician... and she should be ashamed", he said.
"I am proud of where I am from and would certainly not use language like ghetto in a way to disparage the area I grew up in," the London Assembly member said.
Ms Dent Coad's spokesman said it was clear in the original post she had been quoting Mr Bailey's "own comments... plus those of his Conservative colleagues on Kensington and Chelsea Council".
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41976865
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Theresa May accuses Vladimir Putin of election meddling - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The PM says Russia is trying to "undermine free societies" in the West and "sow discord".
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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. Russia 'tries to sow discord in the West'
Theresa May has launched her strongest attack on Russia yet, accusing Moscow of meddling in elections and carrying out cyber espionage.
Addressing leading business figures at a banquet in London, the prime minister said Vladimir Putin's government was trying to "undermine free societies".
Mrs May said it was "planting fake stories" to "sow discord in the West".
While the UK did not want "perpetual confrontation" with Russia, it would protect its interests, she added.
Her comments are in stark contrast to those of US President Donald Trump, who last week said he believed his Russian counterpart's denial of intervening in the 2016 presidential election.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is due to visit Russia next month.
In a major foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet at London's Guildhall, which Mrs May described as a "very simple message" for President Putin, she said he must choose a very "different path" from the one that in recent years had seen Moscow annex Crimea, foment conflict in Ukraine and launch cyber attacks on governments and Parliaments across Europe.
Russia could be a valuable partner of the West but only if it "plays by the rules", she argued.
"Russia has repeatedly violated the national airspace of several European countries and mounted a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption.
"This has included meddling in elections and hacking the Danish Ministry of Defence and the Bundestag among many others."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What Boris Johnson told MPs about Russian meddling in UK elections
"We know what you are doing and you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies and the commitment of Western nations to the alliances that bind us."
She said as the UK left the EU and charted a new course in the world, it remained absolutely committed to Nato and securing a Brexit deal which "strengthens our liberal values", adding that a strong economic partnership between the UK and EU would be a bulwark against Russian agitation in Europe.
There are some countries in Europe that believe the West should engage more closely with Russia.
They argue the European Union and the United States should better understand Russia's point of view, its belief that it is threatened from all sides.
And that more should be done to accommodate this sense of vulnerability, by softening Nato's approach and reducing sanctions.
Well, not Theresa May. In a speech in the US in February, the prime minister spoke of the need to "engage but beware" of Russia. She has now switched the order and the focus is very much on beware.
She believes that President Putin should be called out for the threat she believes he poses both internationally and in the UK.
The Electoral Commission is investigating claims that Russia used social media to meddle in the Brexit referendum.
So Mrs May is willing to engage with Russia - she is sending the foreign secretary to Moscow next month.
But she also wants Russia to know that Mr Johnson will come with a clear message that its destabilising activities will no longer be tolerated.
Mr Johnson, who will be making his first trip to Russia since becoming foreign secretary in December, has said the UK's policy towards Moscow must be one of "beware but engage" following a decade of strained relations.
He told MPs earlier this month that he had not seen any evidence of Russia trying to interfere in British elections or the 2016 Brexit vote, in which Moscow has insisted it remained neutral.
"We will take the necessary action to counter Russian activity," Mrs May added.
"But this is not where we want to be and not the relationship with Russia we want.
"We do not want to return to the Cold War or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation.
"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has the reach and the responsibility to play a vital role in promoting international stability.
"Russia can, and I hope one day will, choose this different path. But for as long as Russia does not, we will act together to protect our interests and the international order on which they depend."
Responding to Mrs May's speech, former Labour cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw - who has been raising the issue of Russian interference in UK elections for nearly a year - tweeted: "Asking why May suddenly acknowledging Russian interference now having stonewalled for months."
"The international system of rules must be saved not from Russia but from the advocates of intervention, coups and regime change. Russia will not accept those 'rules'," he tweeted.
"The world order that suits May, with the seizure of Iraq, war in Libya, the rise of IS and terrorism in Europe, has had its day. You can't save it by attacking Russia."
In Mrs May's speech, she also said the authorities in Myanmar - formerly known as Burma - must take "full responsibility" for what "looked like ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya people in Rakhine province.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41973043
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Tesco takeover of Booker gets go-ahead - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The regulator says the bid for the UK's biggest wholesaler does not raise competition concerns.
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Business
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Tesco's £3.7bn takeover of food wholesaler Booker has been provisionally cleared by the UK's competition regulator.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the deal could even increase competition in the wholesale market and reduce prices for shoppers.
Tesco and Booker did not compete head-to-head in most activities, it added.
Booker is the UK's largest food wholesaler, and also owns the Premier, Budgens and Londis store brands.
More than 30% of its sales are to the catering sector, which Tesco does not supply, although the supermarket is keen to get a foothold in the market.
The CMA concluded that the wholesale market would "remain competitive in the longer term", because Booker's share of the UK grocery wholesaling market, at less than 20%, "was not sufficient to justify the longer-term concerns".
Despite losing market share in recent years, Tesco remains the UK's biggest supermarket with a share of about 28%.
The retail industry is undergoing a period of consolidation. A shift in shopping habits, fierce competition from the likes of Aldi and Lidl, and the arrival of Amazon has prompted retailers to look to bolster their businesses by buying food wholesalers.
On Monday, shareholders in the Nisa wholesaler and convenience store group approved the company's £137m takeover by the Co-operative Group.
Morrisons also recently signed a deal to become the UK wholesale supplier to convenience store chain McColls and it has also formed a tie-up with Amazon
Christmas has come early for Tesco.
The question in many minds was how many of its 1,700 convenience stores would it have to offload to get this deal through.
In other words, what would the trade off need to be to secure what Tesco sees as the bigger long term prize of a slice of the growing out of home market.
After an in depth look, including countless submissions from all part of the grocery sector, the regulator has come to the provisional conclusion that no remedies are needed.
Tesco-Booker have won the argument that their stores don't directly compete with each other.
The creation of an immensely powerful new combined food business now looks unstoppable.
In reaching its conclusions, the CMA found that it was "likely Booker would be able to negotiate better terms from a number of its suppliers for some of its groceries, and that it was likely to pass on some of the benefits of these savings to the shops that it supplies".
"This might increase competition in the wholesale market, as well as reducing prices for shoppers."
Simon Polito, chair of the CMA's inquiry group, said: "Our investigation has found that existing competition is sufficiently strong in both the wholesale and retail grocery sectors to ensure that the merger between Tesco and Booker will not lead to higher prices or a reduced service for supermarket and convenience shoppers."
Tesco and Booker both welcomed the CMA's provisional decision and added that they would continue to work with the competition regulator, which is due to publish its final report by the end of the year.
Booker said it was "pleased that the CMA has provisionally concluded that this transaction does not lessen competition".
Tesco said it anticipated the merger would be completed in early 2018.
However, the CMA's findings were criticised by the managing director of wholesale group Landmark, John Mills.
"This move will not increase competition, it will destroy it," he said.
"The combined Tesco/Booker operation has sales of £60bn, the rest of the UK wholesale industry amounts to £25bn. Other wholesalers will not be able to compete with the buying and distribution power of Tesco/Booker.
"So Tesco, who account for £1 in every £8 spent in the High Street will now dominate the convenience and corner shop market. And will no doubt now dominate the food service/out of home market as well."
Following the CMA announcement Tesco's shares rose by 5.7% and Booker's were up by 6.1%.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41966480
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Arthur Collins guilty over Dalston nightclub acid attack - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Arthur Collins threw acid over revellers in a packed east London nightclub in April.
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London
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A man has been found guilty of carrying out an acid attack in a packed London club which left 22 people injured.
Arthur Collins, the ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann, threw the corrosive substance at revellers in Mangle E8 in Dalston on 17 April.
The 25-year-old admitted throwing the liquid but had claimed he believed it was a date rape drug.
He was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court. Andre Phoenix, who was accused of helping him, was found not guilty.
Twenty-two people were injured, 16 of those suffering serious burns, when Collins sprayed acid over revellers inside the busy east London venue at about 01:00 BST.
One man suffered third-degree chemical burns to the left side of the face and required a skin graft. Others had eye injuries.
Arthur Collins had denied knowing the substance he threw was acid
Phoebe Georgiou, who had been celebrating her 23rd birthday in the club that night, said she still suffers from night terrors and anxiety about being in crowded places having been hit by the substance.
When she was taken to hospital she said she "saw my reflection in the shower hold, which was so shocking because my whole chest looked like it had been ripped apart and I could see the inside of my chest and my arm".
"I have a life sentence to deal with, with scars and mental injuries," she said.
A solicitor for two of the other victims said Collins' "despicable crime" had "changed the lives of so many people in the club that night".
Twenty-two people were injured when acid was thrown in the Mangle E8 nightclub
CCTV shown in court showed clubbers clutching their faces and running off the dancefloor as they were hit with the liquid.
Victims told the jury their skin began "blistering straight away" and described a burning smell. The liquid was later found to have a rating of pH1, equal to strong acids such as those used in battery acid.
Collins told the court during the trial he had been at the club celebrating the news of Ms McCann's pregnancy, which the couple had revealed to her family the previous day.
He was seen on CCTV getting into a confrontation with a group of men in the club before he sprayed liquid from a bottle over the crowd.
Andre Phoenix (left) was acquitted earlier on Monday of helping Arthur Collins (right) carry out the attack
Following the trial the Met said Collins had grabbed the bottle "from the back pocket of an unidentified man".
Collins, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, had claimed in court he had taken the bottle from that group and thought it was a date rape drug.
However, the jury found him guilty of five counts of GBH with intent, and nine counts of ABH against 14 people.
Collins will be sentenced on 19 December.
The attack happened in Mangle E8 in Dalston on 17 April
He was not arrested for several days after the attack and was eventually detained when officers Tasered him after he tried to flee by jumping from an upstairs window of a house in Northamptonshire.
Scotland Yard said he answered no comment to all questions put to him after he was detained.
Det Ch Supt Simon Laurence said Collins had intended to "inflict serious harm" on a large number of people in a "barbaric and cowardly act".
Collins sent a message to his sister reading: "Tell mum to mind that little hand wash in my car acid"
The court heard Collins had sent a text to his sister a week before the attack, reading: "Tell mum to mind that little hand wash in my car acid".
Collins claimed he was referring to hair-thickening shampoo which contained amino acid, which he needed for his hair after having two hair transplants.
He had said he kept the shampoo in his car so his girlfriend did not find out about his hair loss.
Lily Saw, London CPS reviewing lawyer, said the prosecution had "proved this acid attack was no accident".
"Acid can be as much of a weapon as a knife with equally damaging consequences," she said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41973161
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Inflation steady despite food price rises - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The UK's key inflation rate remained at 3% in October, even though food inflation hit a four year high.
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Business
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The UK's key inflation rate remained steady in October at a five-and-a-half-year high of 3%, official figures show.
Higher food prices were offset by lower fuel costs, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The price of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose at an annual rate of 4.1%, the highest since September 2013.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) had been expected to rise, with the Bank of England forecasting it would peak at 3.2% this autumn.
The official target for the CPI is 2%.
If the CPI inflation rate had risen above 3%, Bank of England governor Mark Carney would have been forced to write to the chancellor explaining why it was so far above target.
Maike Currie at Fidelity International said Mr Carney could "breathe a sigh of relief this month".
However, she added: "While the Bank of England raised interest rates at the beginning of this month given concerns over inflation, it will take some time for inflation to fall back nearer the 2% target.
"This means cash-strapped consumers will continue to feel the pinch as wages lag price rises."
While food price inflation picked up last month, this was offset by the falling cost of motor fuel and lower furniture prices, the ONS said.
The fall in the value of the pound since last year's Brexit referendum has contributed to the recent rise in inflation, as it has increased the cost of imported goods and services.
However, Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said the latest inflation figures "will add to the sense that the worst of this impact has already passed".
"Data on company costs, which tend to change ahead of changes in consumer prices, are already shown signs of having peaked earlier in the year," he added.
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Earlier this month, Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe said the UK was "probably through the worst" of food price rises following the slide in the pound.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG said the "relatively positive" news on inflation could prompt the Bank to plan fewer rate rises in the next two to three years.
"That may help support a vulnerable UK economy in the process of leaving the EU, but at the same time it could put further strain on savers and significant sectors of the economy such as banks and insurers, while stoking potential pockets of over-exuberant asset prices," she said.
October's Retail Prices Index (RPI), a separate measure of inflation, was 4%, up from 3.9% in September. Government index-linked savings products and some train ticket prices rise in line with RPI.
The ONS's preferred inflation measure of CPIH, which contains owner-occupiers' housing costs, was unchanged at 2.8%.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41982269
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Face ID iPhone X 'hack' demoed live with mask by Bkav - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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A Vietnamese cyber-security firm shows the BBC how a mask can be used to unlock Apple's new phone.
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A Vietnamese cyber-security firm has shown the BBC how a mask can be used to unlock Apple's new iPhone X.
The demo took place about a week after Bkav first claimed to have undermined the handset's security.
But other experts have cast doubt on what the "hack" amounts to.
Apple has not commented beyond referring the public to documents it had already published about its security system.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41992610
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Heads complain of having to ask parents for school funds - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Head teachers say schools need another £1.7bn in funding from next week's Budget.
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Family & Education
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Head teachers from the Worth Less? campaign brought their message to Downing St
Head teachers representing more than 5,000 schools across England are supporting a protest letter to the chancellor over "inadequate" funding.
The letter, being delivered to Downing Street, warns of schools increasingly having to make "desperate requests to parents for 'voluntary' donations".
Heads are calling for an extra £1.7bn per year for schools.
The government has already moved £1.3bn of education funding directly into school budgets.
The protest, ahead of next week's Budget, has been organised by regional groups of head teachers representing schools with 3.5 million pupils in 30 local authorities from Cornwall to Cumbria.
It follows a letter warning about funding cuts, sent to the parents of more than 2.5 million pupils in September.
This is the biggest collective protest so far from the school funding campaigners, who have been warning of an overall lack of investment and a failure to resolve differences in levels of per pupil spending.
"It is extraordinary that some English secondary schools will receive 60% less funding than others of the same size," says the letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond.
"The impact on class sizes, curriculum offer and staffing is obvious," the heads write. "A school receiving over £4m more than another could, for example, afford 133 more teachers."
The government has recognised the regional anomalies in funding and published a new national funding formula.
But the heads argue that changes in how funding is allocated will depend on there being enough overall money in the system.
Despite the promise to move £1.3bn from the Department for Education's budget directly into school spending, the heads say they will still have faced a real-terms cut of £1.7bn between 2015 and 2020.
Without this £1.7bn being restored, heads are warning the chancellor:
Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said the government "needs to start listening to head teachers and concerned parents".
"Despite Tory spin, the new funding formula does nothing to reverse the cuts to budgets and every penny they have found just comes from cutting other education provision - it isn't fair, and it isn't funded."
But school standards minister, Nick Gibb, said the £1.3bn being put into school budgets "will put an end to historic disparities in the system".
"There are no cuts in funding - every school will see an increase in funding through the formula from 2018, with secondary schools set to receive at least £4,800 per pupil by 2019-20.
"As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41969961
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Daisy Goodwin: 'I was groped by 10 Downing Street official' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Daisy Goodwin, creator of ITV's Victoria, says a government official put his hand on her breast.
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UK
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A TV producer has said she was groped by a government official during a visit to 10 Downing Street.
Daisy Goodwin, who created the ITV series Victoria, told the Radio Times the man put his hand on her breast after a meeting to discuss a proposed TV show when David Cameron was PM.
Ms Goodwin said she was "cross" at the time, but did not report the incident.
Downing Street said it took allegations seriously and officials would look into a formal complaint, should one be made.
Ms Goodwin said the official - who has not been named - invited her into an office at Number 10 for the meeting.
She said she was surprised when the man put his feet up on her chair and remarked that her sunglasses "made me look like a Bond Girl".
She said she tried to steer the conversation back onto professional matters, but added: "At the end of the meeting we both stood up and the official, to my astonishment, put his hand on my breast.
"I looked at the hand and then in my best Lady Bracknell voice said: 'Are you actually touching my breast?'
"He dropped his hand and laughed nervously."
Ms Goodwin said she left Downing Street in a state of "high dudgeon".
"I wasn't traumatised, I was cross. But by the next day it had become an anecdote, The Day I Was Groped In Number 10," she said.
Mr Cameron, who was prime minister between 2010 and 2016, said he was first made aware of this "serious allegation" on Monday.
His spokesman said he was "alarmed, shocked and concerned", and immediately informed the Cabinet Office.
Ms Goodwin said recent revelations of alleged abuses had made her question whether she was wrong not to have made a formal complaint.
"Now, in the light of all the really shocking stories that have come out about abusive behaviour by men in power from Hollywood to Westminster, I wonder if my Keep Calm and Carry on philosophy, inherited from my parents, was correct?
"The answer is, I am not sure."
Hollywood has been rocked by allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein and others.
At Westminster, several Conservative and Labour MPs are being investigated over claims of sexual misconduct.
On Ms Goodwin's case, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "Allegations such as this are taken very seriously.
"The Cabinet Office would look into any formal complaint, should one be made."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41976749
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Why David Davis's Brexit vote announcement matters - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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It matters because the Brexit deal that shapes the future of the country will now be the subject of a specific new Act of Parliament that MPs and Lords will have to approve in early 2019, before we leave the EU.
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UK Politics
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I know this doesn't sound that exciting unless you are as much of a nerd as I am. However, the Brexit secretary's announcement in the House of Commons in the last few minutes really matters.
It matters because the Brexit deal that shapes the future of the country will now be the subject of a specific new Act of Parliament that MPs and Lords will have to approve in early 2019, before we leave the EU.
It matters because Parliament will now be given specific votes, therefore, on the deal itself once the broad outlines have been agreed (Remember, the thrust of it is expected in about a year's time, although that feels hard to believe sometimes.)
It matters because the decision is a big concession to the Tory rebels and Labour MPs who were threatening to vote against the government, in part, because of ministers' refusal to promise a new set of laws.
And it matters because it demonstrates that the government was unlikely to be able to persuade enough of their own side to vote with them to keep the show on the road this week.
A confident government wouldn't have conceded like this the day before the Brexit debate was due to come back to the Commons in earnest.
This climbdown does not remotely mean that other grievances over the existing Brexit legislation will disappear.
It doesn't mean that the next few weeks will suddenly become plain sailing. And if there isn't a withdrawal deal with the rest of the EU, well, then there can't be a bill that covers the withdrawal bill.
It's only in the coming days that the government will know if they have done enough to get the existing plans through.
And the move also of course adds to a massive load of complicated Parliamentary business that has to be cleared before we actually leave.
P.S. The signs in the last few hours about David Davis' attempt at a concession have not been good.
Sources have told the BBC about a "stormy" meeting between the new Chief Whip Julian Smith and a group of Tory rebels this afternoon. In politics that's code for pretty grim and probably with shouting.
MPs have said the offer was "insulting", "disappointing" and warned the "government should be worried" .
But remember, this is going to be a long process of Parliamentary moves. The concession may have not moved much sentiment tonight, but both sides of the Tory Party know they are in this for the long haul, and the most troublesome votes are further down the track.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41974583
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North Korea defector who crossed DMZ 'was shot five times' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The soldier, who made the dramatic crossing at the heavily guarded DMZ, is in a critical condition.
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Asia
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Doctors have removed five bullets from the soldier's body - but suspect there are two more bullets inside
A North Korean who defected at the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone was shot at least five times and is in a critical condition, South Korea says.
The soldier crossed to the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the village of Panmunjom on Monday.
He had driven near the JSA, but had to finish his journey by foot when a wheel came loose, the South said.
North Korean troops shot at him 40 times - but he made it across and was found under a pile of leaves, it added.
About 1,000 people from the North flee to the South each year - but very few defect via the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which is one of the world's most heavily guarded strips of land.
It is even more unusual for North Koreans to cross at the JSA, which is a tourist attraction, and the only portion of the DMZ where both forces stand face-to-face.
North and South Korea are technically still at war, since the conflict between them ended in 1953 with a truce and not a formal peace treaty.
South Korea's military gave more details of the soldier's condition on Tuesday.
"Until this morning, we heard he had no consciousness and was unable to breathe on his own - but his life can be saved," military official Suh Uk told lawmakers.
Doctors had extracted five bullets from his body, but suspected there were two more inside, he added.
The soldier had been spotted driving towards the JSA on Monday afternoon - but a wheel came off, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
"He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from North Korea," the US-led United Nations Command said.
The defector took cover behind a building on the South Korea side - troops later found him collapsed under a pile of leaves, and crawled to the spot to recover him, the military added.
The JSA is the only part of the DMZ where North and South Korean troops face each other
South Korea's defence minister Song Young-moo told lawmakers that it was the first time North Korean soldiers had shot into the South's side of the JSA.
Some MPs questioned whether this meant North Korea had violated the terms of the armistice agreement between the two sides, Yonhap news agency reported.
Seoul says more than 30,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
The majority of the defectors flee via China, which has the longest border with North Korea and is easier to cross than the heavily protected DMZ.
China though regards the defectors as illegal migrants rather than refugees and often forcibly repatriates them.
On Tuesday, the BBC's Korean service spoke to one man whose wife and four-year-old son are currently in detention in China, and are likely to be repatriated to the North.
Addressing Chinese President Xi Jinping, the man, who asked to be identified only as Mr Lee, urged the Chinese leader to "please keep them alive and send them to South Korea".
He said his wife and son would either face execution or be put in a political prison camp if sent back to the North.
"My wife told me that the location of their safe house was revealed. After waiting an hour I called her again and she said she was arrested and cuffed. Then she hung up."
"I realise I'm useless as there's nothing I can do... I'm deeply regretful - I will live under guilt until we meet again," he added.
Separately, a US man was arrested after he tried to enter North Korea on Monday, Yonhap reported.
The 58-year-old crossed the Civilian Control Line, which marks an extra buffer zone beneath the DMZ, for political purposes, the news agency said.
He is currently being investigated by police.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41979423
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Sir Mohamed Farah receives knighthood - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Sir Mohamed Farah receives knighthood.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41984952
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Brexit no-deal could stop Aston Martin production - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Aston Martin says it might have to stop production if the UK fails to get a deal with the EU after Brexit
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Business
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Aston Martin has said it may have to halt production if the UK fails to strike a Brexit deal with the EU.
All new cars in the UK must have Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) approval, which is valid in the EU.
Without a UK-EU deal, that validity would cease for new cars from March 2019.
Mark Wilson, Aston Martin's finance chief, said it would have the "semi-catastrophic effect of having to stop production".
"We're a British company. We produce our cars exclusively in Britain and will continue to do so," he said.
"Recertifying to a new type of approval, be that federal US, Chinese or even retrospectively applying to use the EU approval, would mean us stopping our production."
However, Mr Wilson added: "We suppose there will be a transitional arrangement. During that transition we would have to look to see how Aston Martin could recertify under a non-VCA approval structure."
Honda imports two million components every day from Europe
Mr Wilson was giving evidence to the Business Select Committee along with Mike Hawes, Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders chief executive, and Patrick Keating, Honda Motor Europe's government affairs manager.
All three called for clarity on a transition deal with the EU.
Mr Keating told the MPs that Honda would take 18 months to get its systems ready for new customs procedures for exporting to Europe.
He said Honda imported two million components every day from Europe on 350 trucks and had just one hour of stock on its shelves.
Every 15 minutes of delay at customs would cost the company £850,000 a year, although Mr Keating admitted the figure was not "scientific".
"We're thinking about increasing the amount of warehousing and the amount of stock we would have to hold if friction entered the border," he said. "March 2018 is where we would want clarity around transition."
Mr Hawes added that the UK motor industry's integration into European supply chains could make it harder to benefit from any free trade agreement with non-EU countries after Brexit.
Free trade agreements require that about 60% of goods must originate from within the countries making the agreement.
Mr Hawes said: "The average car made in the UK has 44% of its components from UK suppliers. How much of that 44% actually comes from the UK, bearing in mind those suppliers are buying in supply chains from all over the world? The figure is more like 25%, which is a long way from the 60% threshold you would need to qualify for a free trade agreement."
The problem could be overcome through a "cumulation" agreement with the EU, he said. That would allow EU content to count as being of UK origin and vice versa - but would need to be part of the Brexit trade deal.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41983342
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Iran earthquake survivors plead for help as death toll rises - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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About 12,000 homes collapsed in the quake, the BBC learns, leaving thousands out in the cold.
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Middle East
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President Rouhani visited Sarpol-e Zahab on Tuesday - the buildings behind him highlight the difference in damage between privately-built and state-built homes
Iranians living outdoors in bitterly cold temperatures after an earthquake are making desperate pleas for help.
About 540 people were killed and close to 8,000 injured when the quake hit near the Iran-Iraq border on Sunday.
The government is scrambling to get aid to the worst-hit Kermanshah province, where hundreds of homes were destroyed.
President Hassan Rouhani, visiting the region, said state-built houses suffered more damage, and those responsible would be held accountable.
Night-time temperatures in Kermanshah province fell close to freezing for the second night in succession.
Ali Gulani, 42, lives in the province's badly-hit town of Qasr-e-Shirin, and told BBC Persian people were burning crates to try to stay warm.
"We are living in a tent and we don't have enough food or water," he said. "You can hear children crying, it's too cold. They are holding on to their parents to warm themselves - it's pretty bad."
Mr Gulani said there were an average of three strong aftershocks an hour, provoking panic.
Close to 200 aftershocks have hit the region since the magnitude-7.3 earthquake on Sunday night. It was one of the strongest on earth this year, as well as the deadliest.
Mr Gulani said he understood aid had been despatched within the province, but that people in his town had not yet received help. Instead, people were having to trek to the other side of town to get water from a tank.
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Iranian state TV said thousands of survivors had spent another night in makeshift camps or in the open.
"It is a very cold night... we need help. We need everything. The authorities should speed up their help," one homeless young woman in Sarpol-e-Zahab, where most of the victims died, told Reuters news agency.
One aid agency said 70,000 people needed shelter and the UN said it was "ready to assist if required".
While visiting the region on Tuesday, a national day of mourning, President Hassan Rouhani pointed out that many privately-built homes appeared to have been spared damage.
In Sarpol-e Zahab, he asked: "Who is to be blamed for this? Our engineers?" He said the government would hold accountable anyone found not to have upheld building standards.
Iranian state news agency Irna said 530 people had died in Iran alone. In the more sparsely populated areas across the border in Iraq, 10 people died and several hundred were injured.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A Kurdish TV channel was live on air during the earthquake
Mansoureh Bagheri, an Iran-based official with the Red Crescent Society, told the BBC about 12,000 residential buildings had "totally collapsed".
She said now that rescue operations had ended, the priority was getting people into shelters as quickly as possible, and that the delivery of aid was on track.
Maj Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said that the immediate needs were tents, water and food.
"Newly constructed buildings... held up well, but the old houses built with earth were totally destroyed," he told state TV while visiting the affected region.
The Iranian Red Crescent said many areas lacked water and electricity and that aid supplies were being hampered by roads blocked by landslides. Iranian army helicopters are taking part in the relief effort.
About 30 Red Crescent teams are working in the earthquake zone, Irna reported.
The earthquake struck at 21:18 local time (18:18 GMT) on Sunday, about 30km (19 miles) south of Darbandikhan in Iraq, near the north-eastern border with Iran.
Tremors were felt as far away as Turkey, Israel and Kuwait.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41977714
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Zimbabwe: Army chief accused of 'treasonable conduct' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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General Chiwenga had said the army could intervene to halt a purge within the governing party.
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Africa
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Zimbabwe's ruling party has accused the country's army chief of "treasonable conduct" after he warned of a possible military intervention in politics.
General Constantino Chiwenga had challenged President Robert Mugabe after he sacked the vice-president.
Gen Chiwenga said the army was prepared to act to end purges within Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
The party said the general's comments were "calculated to disturb national peace... [and] incite insurrection".
In a statement, the party said it would never succumb to military threats, and that it "reaffirms the primacy of politics over the gun".
The statement was signed by SK Moyo, the information secretary, on party letterheaded paper.
The US State Department urged all parties in Zimbabwe to resolve disputes "calmly and peacefully" and said it was "closely monitoring" the situation.
Mr Mnangagwa had previously been seen as an heir to the 93-year-old president, but First Lady Grace Mugabe is now the clear front-runner.
On Tuesday, BBC correspondents reported that a few armoured vehicles had been seen on a main public road outside the capital city, Harare, having left one of the country's main military barracks, Inkomo.
It is not clear where they were heading but they were not seen on the streets of the city itself. One of the vehicles had broken down on the side of the road.
It was not clear where the armoured vehicles near Harare were headed
The Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa, Isaac Moyo, told Reuters that the government was "intact" and dismissed any talk of a possible coup as "just social media claims".
Gen Chiwenga's warning of possible military intervention came on Monday at a news conference at the army's headquarters.
He said the "purging" within Zanu-PF was "clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background", referring to the country's struggle for independence.
"We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in," he said.
Mr Mnangagwa is one such veteran of the 1970s war which led to independence.
Grace Mugabe is seen as a potential successor to her elderly husband
But the leader of Zanu-PF's youth wing, Kudzai Chipanga, said the general did not have the full support of the entire military.
"We will not sit and fold hands while threats are made against a legitimately-elected government," he warned.
The youth wing supports President Mugabe's wife, Grace, as his successor - something which the former vice president had opposed.
Mr Mnangagwa had told Mr Mugabe that Zanu-PF is "not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please" before he was forced into exile.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-41991425
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Republic of Ireland 1-5 Denmark (agg: 1-5) - BBC Sport
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2017-11-14
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The Republic of Ireland fail to reach the World Cup as Christian Eriksen's hat-trick gives Denmark victory in the play-off to reach Russia 2018.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
The Republic of Ireland failed to reach the World Cup as Christian Eriksen's hat-trick gave Denmark an emphatic victory in the play-off to reach Russia 2018.
After a goalless first leg, the hosts made the perfect start by scoring after just six minutes as defender Shane Duffy nodded in his second international goal when the visitors failed to clear a free-kick.
But the Danes netted twice in the space of three first-half minutes, courtesy of Cyrus Christie's own goal and Eriksen's stunning strike.
That left the Republic - who could have gone further ahead after taking the lead, but saw striker Daryl Murphy flick an effort into the side netting and winger James McClean drive wide following a slick team move - needing to score twice more to qualify.
But in the second half Tottenham midfielder Eriksen curled in from the edge of the box and then thumped in from inside the area to secure his treble and seal the tie.
Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner came on with six minutes to go and slotted a late penalty after he was brought down as Denmark, who failed to qualify for Brazil 2014, booked their trip to Russia next year.
Hat-trick scorer Eriksen said: "It's an incredible feeling. We've been fighting for so long to get to the World Cup. We are very much looking forward to it. It's not often I score any hat-trick so of course it is incredible.
"I know how nervous I was all day and night. We got the ball, we played better than the first game."
• None Relive Denmark's victory over the Republic of Ireland
• None Which teams have qualified for the World Cup?
• None What you need to know about the World Cup
Martin O'Neill's Ireland side had lost just one of their previous 11 competitive games at home and they were heading to a World Cup for the first time since 2002 when Brighton's Duffy nipped in ahead of Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for the opener.
However, having decided to sit back on their advantage and play on the counter-attack, individual errors saw the game turn in Denmark's favour.
When the speedy Pione Sisto worked space on the left and played in Andreas Christensen, the Chelsea centre-back's effort came back off the post, but Christie was unable to react quickly enough to clear and only managed to send the ball into his own net.
With the Republic rattled, they conceded again just three minutes later. Burnley's Stephen Ward gave the ball away in his own half and the visitors constructed a swift attack that ended with Tottenham's Eriksen curling in via the crossbar.
The home side pushed forward in the second period, but Eriksen found space on the edge of the box to finish off a break for his second, before Ward's miss-control in his own area allowed the Spurs midfielder to slam home his side's fourth.
"The second one was the most technical one, better than the others," said the 25-year-old.
"Mentally I have grown up. I take the more clinical shot rather than passing. I am thinking more like a striker."
Eriksen now has 21 goals for his country, 11 of which came in this qualifying campaign.
With a minute remaining, there was still time for further disaster as McClean tripped Bendtner in the area and the striker stroked home the fifth Danish goal from the spot.
O'Neill and assistant Roy Keane agreed new contracts with the Football Association of Ireland back in October but questions are now likely to be asked as to whether they are the right men to take the country forward.
Veteran manager Age Hareide took over after Morten Olsen's failure to reach Euro 2016 and under his guidance the team end 2017 unbeaten, having claimed five victories and four draws.
They last suffered defeat over a year ago when they were beaten by Montenegro, but once they went ahead against the Republic they controlled the game, keeping possession and clinically taking their chances.
They could have had more than five, with former Wigan midfielder William Kvist forcing Darren Randolph into a stunning, full-stretch save low to his right, while the Middlesbrough goalkeeper also pushed away Sisto's drive.
"It was very good, especially when we came from behind," said Hareide. "We didn't get stressed. We tried to play and we got the goals.
"I am very pleased with the team and the performance. This is a difficult place to play football - scoring five goals against the Republic of Ireland does not happen.
"I was surprised. They played with a diamond and that gave us lots of space and I just say thank you very much.
"Eriksen is a fantastic player. An inspiration for those around him. He is a world class player. The lads stuck together and gave a fantastic performance in a difficult game."
Denmark, who have qualified for only the fifth time, will now wait to find out the result between Peru and New Zealand (Thursday, 02:15 GMT) to see whether they are in pot 2 or pot 3 for the tournament.
The first leg between the Peruvians and Kiwis ended goalless in New Zealand.
If the South Americans go out, Denmark will go into the higher pot as one of the second seeds alongside fellow European teams England, Spain and Switzerland.
• None Republic of Ireland have failed to qualify for the last four World Cup finals.
• None Ireland conceded five or more goals in a home game for the first time since October 2012 against Germany (6-1).
• None Christian Eriksen has been directly involved in 14 goals in the World Cup 2018 qualification process (11 goals, three assists), 10 more than any other Denmark player.
• None Eriksen has scored more goals in European 2018 World Cup qualifiers than any other midfielder.
• None Cyrus Christie is the first player to score an own goal for Republic of Ireland since Ciaran Clark against Sweden in June 2016.
• None Attempt missed. Shane Duffy (Republic of Ireland) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Robbie Brady with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. James McClean (Republic of Ireland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Daryl Murphy with a headed pass.
• None Goal! Republic of Ireland 1, Denmark 5. Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.
• None Penalty conceded by James McClean (Republic of Ireland) after a foul in the penalty area.
• None Attempt saved. Andreas Cornelius (Denmark) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
• None Attempt missed. James McClean (Republic of Ireland) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Wes Hoolahan.
• None Wes Hoolahan (Republic of Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
• None Attempt missed. Andreas Cornelius (Denmark) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Christian Eriksen with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt missed. Shane Long (Republic of Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Wes Hoolahan.
• None Attempt missed. Pione Sisto (Denmark) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Christian Eriksen. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41884909
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Former PM David Cameron 'shocked' at No 10 groping claim - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Daisy Goodwin, creator of ITV's Victoria, says a man touched her breast on a visit to Downing Street.
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UK
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Daisy Goodwin says she was cross, not traumatised, after the incident
David Cameron says he is "alarmed and shocked" by a TV producer's claim that she was groped by a government official at 10 Downing Street.
Daisy Goodwin, who created the ITV series Victoria, told the Radio Times the man touched her breast after a meeting about a new TV show during Mr Cameron's time as PM.
Ms Goodwin said she was "cross" at the time, but did not report the incident.
No 10 said the Cabinet Office would look into any formal complaint made.
"Allegations such as this are taken very seriously," the Downing Street spokesman added.
Ms Goodwin said the official - who has not been named - invited her into an office at Number 10 for the meeting.
She said she was surprised when the man, who was a few years younger than her, put his feet up on her chair and remarked that her sunglasses made her "look like a Bond Girl".
She said she tried to steer the conversation back onto professional matters, but added: "At the end of the meeting we both stood up and the official, to my astonishment, put his hand on my breast.
"I looked at the hand and then in my best Lady Bracknell voice said: 'Are you actually touching my breast?'
"He dropped his hand and laughed nervously."
Ms Goodwin said she left Downing Street in a state of "high dudgeon".
"I wasn't traumatised, I was cross. But by the next day it had become an anecdote, The Day I Was Groped In Number 10," she said.
A spokesman for Mr Cameron - who was in office from 2010 to 2016 - said he was first made aware of this "serious allegation" on Monday.
"He was alarmed, shocked and concerned to learn of it and immediately informed the Cabinet Office," the spokesman added.
Theresa May's official spokesman said: "Of course this is something that we would be concerned about.
"We are looking at it, and as we have said, wherever an allegation has been made we will make sure it's treated with the utmost seriousness."
Ms Goodwin said recent revelations of alleged abuses had made her question whether she was wrong not to have made a formal complaint.
"Now, in the light of all the really shocking stories that have come out about abusive behaviour by men in power from Hollywood to Westminster, I wonder if my Keep Calm and Carry on philosophy, inherited from my parents, was correct?
"The answer is, I am not sure."
Hollywood has been rocked by allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein and others.
At Westminster, several Conservative and Labour MPs are being investigated over claims of sexual misconduct.
A group established in the wake of the allegations to strengthen grievance procedures for those working in Parliament met for the first time on Tuesday.
House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said she was determined the group - made up of representatives of different parties, MPs' staff and union officials - would listen to all those affected and devise an independent complaints process which was "underpinned by evidence, fairness and transparency".
The group, set up by Theresa May, aims to publish draft proposals following further meetings later this month.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41980357
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Girl, 14, arrested in south London over terror offence - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The girl was arrested on suspicion of assisting a person to carry out an act of terrorism, police say.
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London
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A 14-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence.
The teenager was held at an address in south London on suspicion of assisting a person to carry out an act of terrorism.
Scotland Yard said she had been detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) by the Met's counter terrorism command.
The girl is in custody at a south London police station as inquiries continue, the force said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41990100
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Deliveroo claims victory in self-employment case - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Deliveroo riders are self-employed finds labour law body the Central Arbitration Committee.
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Business
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Deliveroo riders have been ruled self-employed by labour law body the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC).
The test case was brought against the delivery company by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) .
The IWGB said the ruling showed a majority of Deliveroo riders wanted workers' rights and union recognition.
But the CAC found they were self-employed because of their freedom to "substitute" - allowing other riders to take their place on a job.
The case follows a number of claims brought by workers in the "gig" economy demanding rights such as holiday pay, the minimum wage and pensions contributions.
Drivers at Uber won a victory a week ago when the company lost an appeal at the Employment Appeal Tribunal against an earlier decision to grant them workers' rights.
IWGB brought the case after it had asked Deliveroo to recognise it as a union representing drivers in Camden and Kentish Town and to start collective bargaining over workers' rights.
Deliveroo refused and the case was taken to the CAC.
The company said its turquoise-and-grey clad "Roomen" and "Roowomen" wanted to keep flexibility of being self-employed.
But the IWGB said the ruling showed that Deliveroo riders were not satisfied with their current terms and conditions and wanted worker rights, including holiday pay and the minimum wage.
IWGB General Secretary Dr Jason Moyer-Lee said: "It seems that after a series of defeats, finally a so-called gig economy company has found a way to game the system."
"On the basis of a new contract introduced by Deliveroo's army of lawyers just weeks before the tribunal hearing, the CAC decided that because a rider can have a mate do a delivery for them, Deliveroo's low paid workers are not entitled to basic protections."
Crowley Woodford, employment partner at law firm Ashurst said: "This will be a significant blow to the unions who are trying to expand their membership within the gig economy by challenging the basis on which such employers engage and use their labour."
A decision by the CAC can be challenged in the High Court on a point of law.
Dan Warne, Managing Director for Deliveroo in the UK and Ireland said: "This is a victory for all riders who have continuously told us that flexibility is what they value most about working with Deliveroo.
"As we have consistently argued, our riders value the flexibility that self-employment provides. Riders enjoy being their own boss - having the freedom to choose when and where they work, and riding with other delivery companies at the same time."
Deliveroo said it was pushing to have employment law to be changed so it could offer its self-employed riders injury pay and sick pay.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41983343
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Gun surrender: Parents' emotional plea over weapons - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The parents of a teenager shot dead in Liverpool make an emotional plea over gun violence.
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The parents of a teenager shot dead in Liverpool have urged people to hand over their guns to police.
Yusuf Sonko was 18 when he died from a gunshot wound to the head in June last year.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41968322
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Drivers 'should have compulsory eye tests' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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One in three optometrists say they know of patients who drive with vision below the legal standard.
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UK
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Drivers should have compulsory eye tests every 10 years, the Association of Optometrists has said.
One in three optometrists say they have seen patients in the last month who continue to drive with vision below the legal standard, their association said.
Motorists must read a number plate from 20m (65ft) in the practical driving test, but there is no follow-up check.
The Department for Transport said changes to eyesight should be reported by motorists to the DVLA.
"All drivers are required by law to make sure their eyesight is good enough to drive," a spokeswoman said.
Data from the Department for Transport shows seven people were killed and 63 were seriously injured in accidents on Britain's roads last year when "uncorrected, defective eyesight" was a contributory factor.
Nine out of 10 optometrists believed the existing rule - that put the onus on motorists to report themselves to the DVLA if they develop eyesight problems - is insufficient.
When drivers pass the age of 70, the emphasis changes a little. Drivers must actively make a declaration every three years that they are fit to drive. As part of that they must confirm that they meet the minimum eyesight requirement.
Brenda Gutberlet, whose 28-year-old niece Natalie Wade was killed in 2006 by a 78-year-old driver who was blind in one eye, says she wants the "outdated laws on drivers' medical fitness" changed.
Ms Gutberlet, from Canvey Island, Essex, said her niece died just months before her wedding and that she does not want other families "to go through what we have".
Optometrist Dr Julie Anne-Little said Britain "falls behind many other countries" because of the initial number plate test and the self-reporting of eyesight problems.
"Because sight changes can be gradual, often people won't realise that their vision has deteriorated over time," she said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41972450
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Russian politicians dismiss PM's 'election meddling' claims - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The UK PM said Russia was trying to "undermine free societies" in the West and "sow discord".
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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. Russia 'tries to sow discord in the West'
Senior Russian politicians have dismissed accusations by Theresa May that Moscow has meddled in elections and carried out cyber-espionage.
On Monday night, Mrs May accused Moscow of "planting fake stories" to "sow discord in the West".
She said Vladimir Putin's government was trying to "undermine free societies".
Russian senators accused the UK PM of "making a fool of herself" with a "counterproductive" speech.
But the top US diplomat in the UK, Woody Johnson, said countries engaging in such behaviour needed to be "called out".
President Donald Trump's newly appointed ambassador to the UK told BBC News that Mrs May "probably has evidence" of Russian meddling and she had "every right" to draw attention to it.
Mrs May's comments, at the Lord Mayor's Banquet at London's Guildhall, were in contrast to those of US President Donald Trump, who last week said he believed President Putin's denial of intervening in the 2016 presidential election.
The Russian Embassy in the UK hit back at her criticism on Twitter and described her remarks as "fake news".
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Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator involved in media policy, said: "The world order that suits May, with the seizure of Iraq, war in Libya, the rise of IS and terrorism in Europe, has had its day. You can't save it by attacking Russia."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Wood Johnson on Mrs May's comments: 'She probably has evidence to indicate that that was the case'
Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Russia's Parliament, said: "Russia, like the UK, is by no means striving to bring back the Cold War. We are ready to develop a mutual dialogue and partnership relations."
He added: "In this case, I completely disagree with the statement that Russia is allegedly trying to undermine the international system of rules."
And Frants Klintsevich, deputy chairman of the defence and security committee in the Parliament's upper house, said: "May has done more damage to herself than to us, making a fool of herself in the eyes of the world community and once again raising Russia's profile."
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is due to visit Russia next month.
In what Mrs May described as a "very simple message" for President Putin, she said he must choose a very "different path" from the one that in recent years had seen Moscow annex Crimea, foment conflict in Ukraine and launch cyber-attacks on governments and parliaments across Europe.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What Boris Johnson told MPs about Russian meddling in UK elections
Russia could be a valuable partner of the West but only if it "plays by the rules", she argued.
"Russia has repeatedly violated the national airspace of several European countries and mounted a sustained campaign of cyber-espionage and disruption.
"This has included meddling in elections and hacking the Danish Ministry of Defence and the Bundestag among many others.
"We know what you are doing and you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies and the commitment of Western nations to the alliances that bind us."
She said that as the UK left the EU and charted a new course in the world, it remained absolutely committed to Nato and securing a Brexit deal which "strengthens our liberal values", adding that a strong economic partnership between the UK and EU would be a bulwark against Russian agitation in Europe.
There are some countries in Europe that believe the West should engage more closely with Russia.
They argue the European Union and the United States should better understand Russia's point of view, its belief that it is threatened from all sides.
And that more should be done to accommodate this sense of vulnerability, by softening Nato's approach and reducing sanctions.
Well, not Theresa May. In a speech in the US in February, the prime minister spoke of the need to "engage but beware" of Russia. She has now switched the order and the focus is very much on beware.
She believes that President Putin should be called out for the threat that she believes he poses both internationally and in the UK.
The Electoral Commission is investigating claims that Russia used social media to meddle in the Brexit referendum.
So Mrs May is willing to engage with Russia - she is sending the foreign secretary to Moscow next month.
But she also wants Russia to know that Mr Johnson will come with a clear message that its destabilising activities will no longer be tolerated.
Mr Johnson, who will be making his first trip to Russia as foreign secretary in December, has said the UK's policy to Russia must be one of "beware but engage" following a decade of strained relations.
He told MPs earlier this month that he had not seen any evidence of Russia trying to interfere in British elections or the 2016 Brexit vote, in which Moscow has insisted it remained neutral.
In her speech, Mrs May said the UK would "take the necessary action to counter Russian activity".
"We do not want to return to the Cold War or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation.
"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has the reach and the responsibility to play a vital role in promoting international stability.
"Russia can, and I hope one day will, choose this different path. But for as long as Russia does not, we will act together to protect our interests and the international order on which they depend."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41983091
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Gianluigi Buffon retires as Italy lose to Sweden in World Cup play-off - BBC Sport
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2017-11-14
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Italy fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after a 0-0 draw against Sweden in Milan.
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A tearful Gianluigi Buffon said he was "sorry for all of Italian football" as he led a wave of international retirements after a World Cup play-off defeat by Sweden.
Italy were held to a 0-0 draw in Milan and failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Buffon, 39, said: "It's a shame my last official game coincided with the failure to qualify for the World Cup.
"Blame is shared equally between everyone. There can't be scapegoats."
Buffon's Juventus team-mate Andrea Barzagli and Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi also ended their Italy careers, while Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini is expected to join them. The quartet have won 461 caps between them.
Goalkeeper Buffon made 175 appearances for his country in a 20-year career - lifting the World Cup in 2006 - and believes the future could still be bright for the four-time world champions.
"There is certainly a future for Italian football because we have pride, ability, determination and after bad tumbles, we always find a way to get back on our feet," he said.
Italy manager Giampiero Ventura did not speak to national television after the defeat but arrived at a news conference 90 minutes after full-time.
The Italian FA have said they will meet on Wednesday to discuss the future of the coach, who is under contract until 2020.
"I have not resigned because I haven't spoken to the president yet," Ventura, 69, said after the game.
"I'm sorry for being late, but every player I had the privilege of working with, I wanted to salute individually.
"Resignation? I have to evaluate an infinity of issues. We will meet with the federation and discuss it."
Barzagli, 36, said it was "painful" to "leave this group of lads".
He added: "I don't know what we missed. All I know is we're out of the World Cup. It's a unique disappointment.
"The era of four or five veterans comes to a close, the one of the hungry young players coming through begins and that's how it should be."
There was a bizarre moment late in the game when De Rossi was asked to warm up but pointed instead at Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, a player Ventura refused to call upon despite pressure from Italian media and supporters.
"I just said we were near the end and had to win, so send the strikers to warm up!" said De Rossi. "I pointed to Insigne too.
"I just thought perhaps it was better that Insigne come on instead."
Ultimately, De Rossi, 34, was not used either as Italy failed in their search for the goal that would have taken the tie to extra time.
Italy's leading sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport said the result brought the arrival of the "apocalypse".
The article said: "We will not be with you and you will not be with us. A love so great must be reserved for other things. Italy will not participate at the World Cup.
"It is time to start thinking about what else we can do in June: concerts, cinema, village festivals. Anything but watching Sweden play at the World Cup - that would be too painful."
On Buffon, former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said: "I don't like seeing you like this. I want to see you as you've always been, as what you are for so many - as a legend. I'm proud to have met you and to have faced you many times."
Who next for Italy?
Gazzetta have outlined four candidates who could replace Ventura to "rebuild from rubble and work for the 2020 Euros".
Former AC Milan, Juventus and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is the "most liked" name to take over, having been sacked as Bayern Munich boss earlier this season. He also leads the poll on the Gazzetta website.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, who left the Italy job after Euro 2016, has also been mentioned as he is "a bit tired of England", while ex-Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, now at Zenit St Petersburg, and Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri have also been touted.
It is a national tragedy. It feels surreal that in a World Cup where so many nations take part, Italy will not be there.
It is a lot of mediocre players put together in the squad. The ones who do have talent have not been given the opportunity to show off their talents by Ventura. The oldest coach to take charge of Italy, it was amazing he did not have the room or tactics to bring in Lorenzo Insigne, considering how effective he has been for Serie A's best side Napoli.
The very good players for Italy are the experienced veterans who did so well and Ventura was largely put in charge to bring through the young talents to mix with old players and take Italy forward. He did not manage that.
This is not a great thing to happen to Italian football, but maybe it was needed and can look at it as a blessing in disguise. It may give an opportunity to rebuild and that means from the top, getting rid of the men who have been in power for so long.
Ventura is perhaps not the right age for someone to adapt to the national team. He is only a man who won the Serie C title with Lecce so this is not someone with great experience of winning trophies.
This is the chance to start afresh, bring in the right people at the top, on the pitch and those giving the strategies. It will no longer mask the deficiencies in Italian football.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41977749
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Emma Dent Coad MP apologises over 'racist blog post' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Emma Dent Coad had labelled a Tory parliamentary candidate as a "token ghetto boy" in a 2010 blog piece.
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London
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Emma Dent Coad has been accused of writing a "racist" article in a 2010 blog piece
A Labour MP accused of writing a "racist" article about a London Assembly member has apologised for "any offence caused".
Emma Dent Coad wrote a blog piece in 2010 in which she labelled Shaun Bailey a "token ghetto boy".
Ms Dent Coad told BBC Radio London she had been quoting "an Afro-Carribean" constituent in her blog.
Mr Bailey urged the Labour leadership "to take the strongest disciplinary action possible" against Ms Dent Coad.
However, Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not withdraw the whip from the Kensington MP.
He said he would "obviously ensure that people discuss the use of language" and "make sure that everyone treats others with respect."
In a letter to the Labour leader, Mr Bailey called the apology "cowardly".
Mr Bailey said: "Despite her claims, she can provide no evidence that I or anyone else used the horrendous terms she advocated."
In the article Ms Dent Coad called Shaun Bailey the "'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron"
In the piece Ms Dent Coad claimed Mr Bailey, who was a parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith, had "stigmatised" the area he was born in by referring to it as a "ghetto".
"Who can say where this man will ever fit in, however hard he tries? One day he is the 'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron, the next 'looking interested' beside G Osborne. Ever felt used?", she wrote.
Speaking on the Vanessa Feltz breakfast show on BBC London, Ms Dent Coad said: "If [Mr Bailey] is offended, I apologise."
In another letter sent to Mr Corbyn, Conservative MPs Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly called his "failure to condemn her comments... disappointing and concerning".
"It gives the impression that you are comfortable with the comments Ms Dent Coad made," they wrote.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41980425
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Connected toys have ‘worrying’ security issues - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Parents are warned about the dangers of net-connected toys, by the Which? consumer group.
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Technology
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The security services have warned about the dangers of toys being exploited by malicious hackers
Consumer watchdog Which? has called on retailers to stop selling some popular toys it says have "proven" security issues.
Those toys include Furby Connect, the i-Que robot, Cloudpets and Toy-fi Teddy.
Which? found that there was no authentication required between the toys and the devices they could link with via Bluetooth.
Two of the manufacturers said they took security very seriously.
The lack of authentication meant that, in theory, any device within physical range could link to the toy and take control or send messages, the watchdog said.
"Connected toys are becoming increasingly popular, but as our investigation shows, anyone considering buying one should apply a level of caution," said Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which?
"Safety and security should be the absolute priority with any toy. If that can't be guaranteed, then the products should not be sold."
Hasbro, which makes the Furby Connect, said in a statement that it believed the results of the tests carried out for Which? had been achieved in very specific conditions.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rory Cellan-Jones sees how Cayla, a talking child's doll, can be hacked to say any number of offensive things.
"A tremendous amount of engineering would be required to reverse-engineer the product as well as to create new firmware," it said.
"We feel confident in the way we have designed both the toy and the app to deliver a secure play experience."
I-Que maker Vivid Imagination said there had been "no reports of these products being used in a malicious way" but added that it would review Which?'s recommendations.
Spiral Toys, which makes Cloudpets and Toy Fi, did not comment.
Other toys tested by Which? included the Wowee Chip, Mattel Hello Barbie and Fisher Price Smart Toy Bear - but these were not found to have serious security concerns.
Cyber-security expert Prof Alan Woodward, from Surrey University, told the BBC it was a "no brainer" that toys with security issues should not be put on sale.
"Sadly, there have been many examples in the past two to three years of connected toys that have security flaws that put children at risk," he said.
"Whether it is sloppiness on the part of the manufacturer, or their rush to build a product down to a certain price, the consequences are the same.
"To produce these toys is bad enough, but to then stock them as a retailer knowing that they are potentially putting children at risk is quite unacceptable."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41976031
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Donald Trump Jr releases Twitter exchanges with Wikileaks - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Wikileaks published masses of leaked information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US election.
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US & Canada
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Mr Trump Jr played down the story and his correspondence with the group
Donald Trump Jr has released private Twitter correspondence with anti-secrecy website Wikileaks after a US magazine revealed they had communicated shortly before his father's election.
The Atlantic magazine revealed the organisation had asked Mr Trump Jr for co-operation and information.
The group published leaks of Clinton campaign emails during the election.
The congressional inquiry is one of several looking into allegations of Russian collusion and meddling in the US election.
The largely one-sided transcripts show the president's eldest son replied only a few times to a series of requests from Wikileaks.
Donald Trump Jr also released emails about his meeting with a Russian lawyer
In a series of Monday night tweets, Mr Trump Jr played down his contact with the group, referring to his "whopping 3 responses" which he said one of the congressional committees "has chosen to selectively leak. How ironic!".
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Messages show Wikileaks appeared to have first contacted Mr Trump Jr on 20 September, asking if he knew the origin of an anti-Trump website.
He replied the next day saying: "Off the record I don't know who that is, but I'll ask around. Thanks."
The Atlantic alleges he then emailed senior officials including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to tell them Wikileaks had made contact.
The correspondence between September 2016 and July this year shows Wikileaks urging his father to share their Clinton files; asking him to supply his tax returns to Wikileaks and advising him to challenge the result if he lost the election.
The Atlantic piece points out that while Mr Trump Jr didn't reply to later messages, timestamps from tweets show instances where he and his father appear to have "acted on its requests" by mentioning or sharing Wikileaks stories shortly afterwards.
He accuses it of selecting messages that were "edited" and failing to show the full context of the conversations.
Mr Assange also said the messages were part of the group's promotional efforts. "Wikileaks can be very effective at convincing even high-profile people that it is their interest to promote links to its publications," Mr Assange said in a tweet.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since claiming asylum in 2012
Donald Trump Jr's lawyer Alan Futerfas told the magazine: "Over the last several months, we have worked co-operatively with each of the committees and have voluntarily turned over thousands of documents in response to their requests."
"Putting aside the question as to why or by whom such documents, provided to Congress under promises of confidentiality, have been selectively leaked, we can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents and any questions raised about them have been easily answered in the appropriate forum."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41980359
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Senate committee questions Trump nuclear authority - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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One senator says they are concerned the "volatile" US president could launch a nuclear strike.
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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. Would the US military disobey a nuclear order from President Trump?
For the first time in over 40 years, Congress has examined a US president's authority to launch a nuclear attack.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was titled Authority to Order the Use of Nuclear Weapons.
Some senators expressed concern that the president might irresponsibly order a nuclear strike; others said he must have the authority to act without meddling from lawyers.
The last time Congress debated this issue was in March 1976.
In August, Mr Trump vowed to unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea if it continued to expand its atomic weapons programme.
Last month, the Senate committee's Republican chairman, Senator Bob Corker, accused the president of setting the US "on a path to World War 3".
Senator Ben Cardin set the tone at Tuesday morning's public hearing on Capitol Hill.
"This is not a hypothetical discussion," the Maryland Democrat said.
Some senators present said they were troubled about the president's latitude to launch a nuclear strike.
Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said: "We are concerned that the president is so unstable, is so volatile, has a decision-making process that is so quixotic, that he might order a nuclear-weapons strike that is wildly out of step with US national-security interests."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lashing out: What Bob Corker really thinks of President Trump
One of the experts, C Robert Kehler, who was commander of the US Strategic Command from 2011-13, said that in his former role he would have followed the president's order to carry out the strike - if it were legal.
He said if he were uncertain about its legality, he would have consulted with his own advisers.
Under certain circumstances, he explained: "I would have said, 'I'm not ready to proceed.'"
One senator, Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, asked: "Then what happens?"
People in the room laughed. But it was a nervous laugh.
The Minot Air Force Base houses part of the US arsenal of Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
Another expert, Duke University's Peter Feaver, a political science professor, explained that a presidential order "requires personnel at all levels" to sign off on it.
It would be vetted by lawyers, as well as by the secretary of defence and individuals serving in the military.
"The president cannot by himself push a button and cause missiles to fly," said Prof Feaver.
Another expert, Brian McKeon, a former under-secretary of defence for policy, said military officials would stop the president if they felt he was acting in a rash manner.
"Four-star generals are not shrinking violets," said Mr McKeon.
"I don't think we should be trusting the generals to be a check on the president," he said.
One of the key questions at the hearing was whether the senators - and Americans in general - had confidence in the president to make such a decision within minutes, or even seconds.
At that moment, the defence secretary, military officials and lawyers would have little time to review the president's decision.
Some of the senators said the president needed to have the freedom to act fast and forcefully under those circumstances.
Senator Marco Rubio explained that the US president "has to have the capacity to respond if we are under attack" - and not be circumvented by "a bunch of bunker lawyers".
Senator James Risch, an Idaho Republican, reinforced Mr Rubio's message, explaining that officials in Pyongyang should not misinterpret their discussion.
"He will do what is necessary to defend this country," said Mr Risch.
At the end of the hearing, the lawmakers and experts agreed that the nuclear arsenal should be modernised - just in case.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41977120
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Liver test to aid paracetamol overdose treatment - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Researchers say the test will help doctors identify which patients arriving in hospital need more intensive treatment.
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Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland
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People who overdose on paracetamol could be helped by a blood test that shows immediately if they are going to suffer liver damage.
Researchers in Edinburgh and Liverpool said the test would help doctors identify which patients arriving in hospital need more intensive treatment.
The blood test detects levels of specific molecules in blood associated with liver damage.
The three different molecules are called miR-122, HMGB1 and FL-K18.
Previous studies have shown that levels of these markers are elevated in patients with liver damage long before current tests can detect a problem.
A team led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Liverpool measured levels of the three markers in more than 1,000 patients across the UK who needed hospital treatment for paracetamol overdose.
They found the test could accurately predict which patients are going to develop liver problems, and who may need to be treated for longer before they are discharged.
The test could also help identify patients who could be safely discharged after treatment, freeing up hospital beds.
About 50,000 people are admitted to hospital each year in the UK due to paracetamol overdose.
Many people unknowingly consume too much by taking paracetamol at the same time as cold and flu medications that also contain the drug.
Liver injuries are a common complication of drug overdoses. In some cases the damage can be so severe the patient needs a transplant and, in rare instances, can be fatal.
Patients with a life-threatening level of paracetamol in their blood can be treated with an antidote called acetylcysteine, given by intravenous drip.
The treatment is associated with side effects so doctors do not treat patients longer than necessary.
The researchers said the test could help to pinpoint patients who are unlikely to benefit from treatment.
The study, published in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, was funded by the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation and the Medical Research Council.
Dr James Dear, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Paracetamol overdose is very common and presents a large workload for already over-stretched emergency departments.
"These new blood tests can identify who will develop liver injury as soon as they first arrive at hospital. This could transform the care of this large, neglected, patient group."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-41969181
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Ex-UVF man Haggarty's evidence to be used in murder case - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Gary Haggarty's evidence is to be used against an alleged UVF man accused of murdering two Catholics.
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Northern Ireland
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Gary Haggarty admitted a lengthy list of serious criminal charges in June
Evidence from a so-called supergrass will be used against an alleged Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) man accused of murdering two men during the Troubles.
Catholic workmen Gary Convie and Eamon Fox were shot dead at a building site in Belfast city centre in May 1994.
It is understood the man to be charged is James Smyth, from Forthriver Link in Belfast.
Former UVF commander Gary Haggarty, who has admitted 202 offences, including five murders, will be the star witness.
The police bristle at the very mention of the word supergrass, because of its association with a series of high-profile trials in the 1980s.
Hundreds of republicans and loyalists were convicted on the word of informers and suspects who agreed to give evidence in return for reduced sentences, new identities and lives outside Northern Ireland.
Those deals were done at a political level, with the details kept secret.
Technically, those individuals were assisting offenders but they became known as "touts" and "supergrasses" in communities.
The system collapsed in 1985 because of concerns about the credibility of the evidence provided by the supergrasses.
Members of the judiciary complained that they were being used as political tools to implement government security policy.
A change in law in 2005 implemented safeguards for trials of that kind.
Mr Smyth will be prosecuted for the two 1994 murders, one attempted murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and membership of the UVF.
Mr Smyth was previously charged with the murders and when he was brought to court in 2014, he denied all of the offences.
The charges were withdrawn two years ago.
Eamon Fox and Gary Convie were shot dead while eating their lunch at a building site in 1994
Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, announced on Tuesday the decision to use Haggarty as what is known as an assisting offender.
"I am satisfied that there is independent evidence which is capable of supporting his identification of the subject," he said.
"This includes both eyewitness and forensic evidence.
"In these circumstances, I have concluded that there is a reasonable prospect of conviction and that the test for prosecution is met.
"I can confirm that we intend to use assisting offender Gary Haggarty as a witness in this prosecution."
Gary Haggarty was the commander of the Ulster Volunteer Force's north Belfast unit
Prosecutors had received files relating to four UVF murders based on information provided by Haggarty.
In June, he pleaded guilty to a lengthy list of serious changes, including murders, attempted murders, kidnappings and false imprisonments.
He was given five life sentences for the murders, but his agreement to act as an assisting offender will see those terms significantly reduced.
All of the killings, and the majority of the other offences, took place while Haggarty was working as a police informer.
Haggarty signed an agreement to become an assisting offender under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.
He was interviewed by detectives more than 1,000 times and the information he gave them ran beyond 12,000 pages.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41983639
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Iran-Iraq earthquake: Rouhani vows action over collapsed buildings - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Visiting the region, Iran's president finds private buildings fared better than state housing.
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Middle East
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Mr Rouhani said the government would give financial help to those left homeless after the quake
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has vowed to "find the culprits" responsible for buildings collapsing in a 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Sunday.
He suggested that government-built buildings had collapsed while privately-built ones remained standing.
As he spoke in the worst-affected city, Sarpol-e Zahab, he gestured to two buildings, one of which had collapsed while the other had not.
More than 400 people were killed and close to 8,000 injured in the quake.
Although an earlier report from the state news agency Irna said 530 people had died, the death toll was later revised downward, to 432. But many more people are thought to have died and been buried without death certificates, meaning they are not included in the official figures.
The government is scrambling to get aid to Kermanshah province in the west of the country, where hundreds of homes were destroyed and people have spent two nights outdoors in the cold.
President Rouhani visited the region on Tuesday - a national day of mourning - and made an address that was broadcast live on TV.
He said the government would lend and give money to those left homeless, and hold accountable anyone found not to have upheld building standards.
"Who is to be blamed?" he asked.
"These are the issues that we should follow, we should find the culprits and people are waiting for us to introduce the culprits.
"We will do that, we will do that."
A photograph circulating on social media shows an unaffected private building next to a collapsed building that was part of the Mehr project, a scheme created by previous President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to build two million housing units for people on low incomes.
Some buildings were much more damaged than others
Mehr is Farsi for kindness, and under the scheme hundreds of homes were built in Sarpol-e Zahab.
"Pay attention, please, that some of these houses are very new, some of them have been built by the government and they are not very old," Mr Rouhani said.
"However, you can see that some buildings collapsed. How could that happen?"
The buildings behind President Rouhani highlight the difference in damage between privately-built and state-built homes in Sarpol-e Zahab
But Maj Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told state TV: "Newly constructed buildings... held up well, but the old houses built with earth were totally destroyed."
Mansoureh Bagheri, an Iran-based official with the Red Crescent Society, told the BBC about 12,000 residential buildings had "totally collapsed".
One aid agency said 70,000 people needed shelter after the quake, which struck at 21:18 local time (18:18 GMT) on Sunday, about 30km (19 miles) south of Darbandikhan in Iraq, near the north-eastern border with Iran.
Forty-eight hours after the earthquake, thousands of people complain that still they have no tents, food or water. They complain about the lack of co-ordination between security forces and aid agencies. Although many soldiers showed up, they didn't have enough ambulances or proper machinery to move rubble.
More than 1,900 Kurdish mountain villages have been affected. The villagers say no one from the government has come to their rescue but ordinary Iranians from neighbouring cities and provinces have started sending aid.
Most of the government-sponsored affordable housing complexes for the poor were damaged severely, and many died inside. Even the newly-built hospital in Sarpol-e-Zahab was completely destroyed.
President Rouhani brought attention to this, saying those responsible for the projects - initiated under his predecessor's presidency - must be held accountable. But his opponents claim Mr Rouhani's aim is to divert attention from his own government's slow response to the victims.
Tremors were felt as far away as Turkey, Israel and Kuwait. The earthquake was the deadliest of 2017, and one of the year's strongest.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A dam in Iraq has developed cracks following Sunday's earthquake, as BBC Arabic's Rami Ruhayem reports
Although the quake hit both Iran and Iraq, the Iraqi side of the border is much more sparsely populated. Several hundred people were injured in Iraq, and 10 people died.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41988176
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Brexit: Ministers see off early EU Withdrawal Bill challenges - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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MPs back ministers on the first day of EU Withdrawal Bill scrutiny, as some Tories signal future rebellions.
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UK Politics
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Ministers have seen off challenges to their authority on the first of eight days of scrutiny of a key Brexit bill.
MPs backed plans to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which will end the supremacy of EU law in the UK, by 318 votes to 68.
Calls for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to have a veto over the process were rejected by 318 votes to 52.
But several Tories criticised plans to specify an exact date for Brexit and hinted they will rebel at a later date.
The Daily Telegraph reported that up to 15 Conservative MPs could join forces with Labour on the issue when it is voted on next month, threatening defeat for the government.
The MPs, including a number of former cabinet ministers, are angry at a government plan to enshrine in law the Brexit date and time - 23:00 GMT on 29 March 2019 - as announced by Theresa May last Friday.
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The newspaper described the group of Tories as "Brexit mutineers", but one of those named - ex-business minister Anna Soubry - told MPs the front page was a "blatant piece of bullying that goes to the very heart of democracy".
She said she regarded her inclusion as a badge of honour and insisted "none of those people named want to delay or thwart Brexit" but rather sought "a good Brexit that works for everybody in our country".
Responding to the Telegraph story, Brexit minister Steve Baker said he regretted "media attempts to divide the Conservative Party".
He tweeted: "My parliamentary colleagues have sincere suggestions to improve the bill which we are working through and I respect them for that.
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Although the issue was not formally debated on Tuesday, it dominated the early skirmishes in the Commons as MPs began considering the EU Withdrawal Bill in depth for the first time.
Former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve said he could not support the "mad" proposal which he said would "fetter" the government's hands if the negotiations dragged on longer than expected and would prevent any extension to the talks to get a deal in both sides' interests.
And former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke signalled he would be opposing the government when the matter came to a vote, telling MPs that - as a pro-European - "he was the rebel now" and Eurosceptics in his party now represented the "orthodoxy" within his party.
Under current EU laws, the UK will leave two years to the day after it triggered Article 50, which was on March 29 2017, unless the UK and all 27 other EU members agree to an extension.
Labour said the amendment was therefore a "desperate gimmick" that was "about party management not the national interest", arguing it increased the chance of the UK crashing out of the bloc without an agreement.
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Ministers said being "crystal clear" about the precise moment of the UK's departure would maximise certainty for businesses and citizens and prevent the risk of "legal chaos".
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is a crucial piece of legislation paving the way for the UK's withdrawal by essentially copying all EU law into UK law.
After a marathon eight-hour session, the government also won three votes on clauses and amendments relating to how British courts will interpret retained EU law after the UK leaves and the role of the European Court of Justice during a transition period expected to last about two years.
Ministers did make one concession by agreeing to make a statement to the Commons about how compatible any new Brexit legislation is with existing equalities laws, before they introduce that legislation.
Debate will resume on Wednesday, with MPs expected to consider Labour's calls for guarantees on workers' rights and the environment.
MPs have tabled more than 470 amendments - running to 186 pages - for changes they want to see before the bill is passed into law by both the Commons and the Lords.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What's going on with the EU Withdrawal Bill?
Brexit Secretary David Davis, who did not speak in Tuesday's debate, earlier told City executives that he hoped to get agreement on a time-limited Brexit implementation phase "very early next year".
He told an audience at the Swiss investment bank UBS that he envisaged a new partnership with the EU that protects the mobility of workers and professionals across the continent.
The BBC's business editor Simon Jack said his assurances may come too late for some companies which have already begun to trigger their contingency plans.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41989084
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Cleaner 'blocked' and fined £25 for being ill - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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A cleaner was fined and stopped from working for a London customer by a "gig economy" business.
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Business
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When Polly Mackenzie heard her cleaner was ill and unable to work her normal day, she was hoping to reschedule through the Handy site that supplied her.
But that was not how the system worked. When her cleaner was unable to attend on her regular day, Handy offered to send a replacement.
But the app blocked the cleaner from working for her again.
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The story took a further turn the next day: the cleaner was reinstated - but was also docked £25.
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Ms Mackenzie herself, from south London, was sent what she described to the BBC as "a grovelling email - as if they'd killed my firstborn", then found her account had been credited with £5 to compensate for the inconvenience.
She said that meant Handy had "profited £20 from her illness, about twice as much as they'd make if she turned up".
New York-based Handy told the BBC the cleaner was automatically blocked by its system as she had appeared as a "no show".
Handy said at no point was the cleaner banned and that it was now "reviewing its policy regarding waiving fees for emergencies such as this".
It added that the fine was cancelled after the firm learned the reason for her not attending.
The cleaner has since been made available to Ms Mackenzie once more, but the incident has ignited a debate on social media about the use of app-based services and the gig economy.
In the gig economy, instead of a regular wage, workers get paid for each job, such as a food delivery or a car journey. One of the best-known examples is driving for Uber.
Proponents of the gig economy claim that people can benefit from flexible hours, with control over how much time they can work as they juggle other commitments. Those against say its simply another form of employment - without rights or in-work benefits.
It is not unheard of for gig economy workers to be charged for days they do not work.
Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that Parcelforce couriers who make deliveries for Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Hamleys could be charged up to £250 a day if they were off sick and could not find someone to cover their shift.
The debate also came to the boil last week when a tribunal ruled that Uber should give drivers the same rights as workers, rather than treat them as self-employed.
Handy added: "While there was initial confusion, any fees have been waived and the [cleaner] can continue to work for customers on the platform as a valued member of the Handy community.
"After reviewing the incident in question we can confirm that the professional was never banned from the platform and has completed bookings since the incident in question."
• None What is the 'gig' economy?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41980922
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FDA approves 'trackable' pill - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The schizophrenia tablets have an embedded sensor that tells doctors whether the patient has taken them.
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Health
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US regulators have approved the first pill that can be digitally tracked through the body.
The Abilify MyCite aripiprazole tablets - for treating schizophrenia and manic episodes - have an ingestible sensor embedded inside them that records that the medication has been taken.
A patch worn by the patient transmits this information to their smartphone.
The information can also be sent to the prescribing doctor, if the patient consents to this.
Experts hope it could improve medication compliance, although the company that makes the tablets says this has not been proved for their product.
The prescribing notes also stress that Abilify MyCite should not be used to track drug ingestion in "real-time" or during an emergency, because detection may be delayed or may not occur.
The pills are not licensed to be used in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis.
About the size of a grain of sand, the sensor activates when it comes into contact with stomach fluid.
It can take 30 minutes to two hours to detect ingestion of the tablet.
Mitchell Mathis, from the Food and Drug Administration, said: "Being able to track ingestion of medications prescribed for mental illness may be useful for some patients.
"The FDA supports the development and use of new technology in prescription drugs and is committed to working with companies to understand how technology might benefit patients and prescribers."
• None Did you know under-fives need vitamins?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41980836
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Madagascar's 'worst plague outbreak' in 50 years - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The island is one of the global hotspots most prone to the deadly disease.
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The WHO describes the plague as "one of the oldest - and most feared - of all diseases".
Historically, plague has been responsible for widespread pandemics with extremely high numbers of deaths.
The good news is that a simple short course of antibiotics can cure the plague, providing it is given early.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41973621
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Trump and Putin 'agree to defeat IS in Syria' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The two leaders agreed a statement after a brief meeting at the Asia-Pacific summit.
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Middle East
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Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had kept the world guessing about whether they would formally meet in Vietnam
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to fight so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria until its defeat.
A statement was prepared by experts after the leaders met briefly on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam on Saturday.
In total, they had three encounters within 24 hours at the summit.
During one conversation, Mr Trump said Mr Putin had denied allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election.
Questions over Mr Trump's ties to Moscow have dogged his presidency, with key former aides under investigation for alleged collusion with Russia.
The two stood side by side in matching shirts for a group photo on Friday
A formal bilateral meeting between the two presidents had been widely expected at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit in the port city of Da Nang, but Mr Putin later said scheduling issues had got in the way.
The pair met for the first time in July at the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg.
A statement released by the Kremlin on Saturday said the leaders had "agreed that the conflict in Syria has no military solution".
They also confirmed their "determination to defeat Isis [another term for IS]" and called on all parties to take part in the Geneva peace process.
According to Russia's Interfax news agency, they promised to maintain existing Russian-US military channels of communication to prevent "serious incidents involving the forces of partners combating IS".
Russia has been the Syrian government's main ally in the six-year-long civil war. The US meanwhile has been backing Syrian Arab and Kurdish rebels on the ground, and since 2014 it has led a coalition carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria.
The jihadist group has been pushed out of its main strongholds in Syria in recent months by a combination of offensives involving the Syrian army and the Kurdish and Arab coalition.
Last month the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared they were in full control of Raqqa, a city that became the headquarters of IS's self-styled "caliphate" in 2014.
Mr Trump and President Putin posed side by side for a photo in custom-made blue shirts for the summit on Friday. They also shook hands as leaders sat down for talks on Saturday morning and later exchanged a few words before a "family photo" of attendees.
The two men were seen chatting as they joined a larger group shot of attendees at the summit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also met his US counterpart Rex Tillerson earlier the same day, a source from the Russian delegation told Interfax news agency. The Kremlin said the two had co-ordinated the statement on Syria especially for the meeting in Da Nang.
Questions over whether the two leaders would formally meet or not were raised after conflicting statements from the White House and the Kremlin on Friday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41953110
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Firearms dealer Paul Edmunds supplied weapons to gangs - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Paul Edmunds supplied ammunition used in a bid to shoot down a police helicopter in the 2011 riots.
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England
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A firearms dealer has been found guilty of supplying illegal handguns and home-made ammunition linked to more than 100 crime scenes, including three murders.
Paul Edmunds, of Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, supplied ammunition used in an attempt to shoot down a police helicopter in the 2011 riots.
The 66-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to supply firearms and ammunition by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.
He will be sentenced on 20 December.
The court was told Edmunds, of Bristol Road, was arrested at his home in 2015, where he had three armouries he used to make ammunition to fit antique weapons.
Paul Edmunds had denied conspiracy to supply firearms and ammunition
Detectives discovered that a Colt pistol - imported on November 14 2013 - was used five weeks later in a Boxing Day fatal shooting at the Avalon nightclub in London.
Four of Edmunds' rounds of ammunition were recovered from the victim's body.
The jury were told Edmunds' ammunition was also recovered following the Birmingham murders of Derek Myers in 2015 and 18-year-old Kenichi Phillips in 2016.
Following his arrest, 100,000 live rounds were seized from the armoury inside Edmunds' garage, while seven wheelie bin-loads of gun and ammunition components were recovered from a bedroom and attic.
Following Edmunds' arrest, 100,000 live rounds were seized from the armoury inside his garage
One of the seized guns which was examined by forensics officers
In all, 17 criminally-linked weapons recovered by police are known to have been imported by Edmunds, while around 1,000 rounds of ammunition connected to him have been recovered from crime scenes in nine different police force areas.
In police interviews, Edmunds said he was "not responsible for the actions of somebody that buys some things", adding his "duty of care" only extended to not selling to people who "didn't look right".
He told officers: "Like me selling a knife and you take that knife and kill somebody and then the system blames me for selling you the knife.
"It's your problem, got nothing to do with me."
Dr Mohinder Surdhar admitted conspiracy to supply firearms and ammunition between 2009 and 2015
The two-month long re-trial heard Edmunds and middleman Dr Mohinder Surdhar - likened by police to the lead characters in the TV series Breaking Bad - acted together to supply antique revolvers and custom-made ammunition to criminal gangs.
Surdhar, 56, from Grove Lane in Handsworth, Birmingham, admitted conspiracy to supply firearms and ammunition between 2009 and 2015 before Edmunds' trial.
Jurors also convicted Edmunds of possessing a prohibited air pistol and perverting the course of justice by filing down a bullet-making tool to destroy potential evidence.
His barrister acknowledged that the gun-dealer faces a sentence of at least 25 years when he is sentenced.
Det Con Phil Rodgers, from West Midlands Police, said: "They were like the Breaking Bad of the gun world - on the face of it, both decent men, but using their skills and expertise to provide deadly firearms."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41984857
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Suitcase of gems stolen from train at Euston station - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The jewellery dealer's bag contained more than 40 gems including rubies, emeralds and sapphires.
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London
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Detectives have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to
A suitcase containing £1m of gems has been stolen from a train luggage rack.
A jewellery dealer boarded the train at London's Euston station and realised his bag was missing when the train pulled into Rugby in Warwickshire.
Police believe his large black case, which had more than 40 gems - including rubies, emeralds and sapphires - was taken before the train left Euston last Wednesday.
Detectives have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to.
There were more than 40 gems inside the case, including this one
The dealer boarded the 19:03 Euston service at about 18:30. He was travelling to Birmingham New Street.
Det Sgt Nick Thompson, from British Transport Police, said: "I would like to speak to the man in the CCTV images about this extremely high value luggage theft.
"I'd also like to hear from anyone who was on board the train or at Euston station on Wednesday evening, who may have seen a man acting suspiciously."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41971389
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Paradise Papers: Government urged to tackle tax avoidance in Budget - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Labour's Dame Margaret Hodge says the issues raised by the Paradise Papers are "a disgrace".
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UK Politics
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Labour's Dame Margaret Hodge said tax avoidance was taking place on an "industrial scale"
The government should use next week's Budget to crack down on issues of tax avoidance raised by the release of the Paradise Papers, an ex-minister says.
Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who led an emergency debate on the leaked documents, said tax avoidance was "a national and international disgrace".
She called for new laws to force big firms to report profits more openly.
Treasury Minister Mel Stride said the government had a "very strong track record" in tackling tax avoidance.
The leak, dubbed the Paradise Papers, contained 13.4m documents, mostly from one leading offshore finance firm.
The papers raised questions about how politicians, multinational companies, celebrities and other high-net-worth individuals use complex structures to protect their cash from higher taxes.
Speaking in the Commons, Dame Margaret - who was in the cabinet under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and is also a former chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee - said tax avoidance was now a "widely accepted behaviour of too many of those who are rich and influential".
The practice is taking place on an "industrial scale", she told MPs.
She said the record of the last Labour government had not been "as good as I would have wanted", but added that the actions of the current government had been "inadequate and somewhat hypocritical".
The Paradise Papers show firms and individuals are using certain financial jurisdictions - viewed as tax havens by some, offshore finance centres by others - to lower their taxes on profits or assets.
They include a number of UK Crown Dependencies or Overseas Territories, such as the Isle of Man and Jersey.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Paradise Papers: How to hide your cash offshore
Dame Margaret called for legislation to force multinational firms to report their profits "on a country-by-country basis, so that companies can be taxed where they make their profits".
And she called on the Treasury to introduce a new public register of property ownership and to help British tax havens "in transforming their economies".
"The government needs to grasp this moment to act. They have an opportunity to do so in next week's Budget," she said.
"Britain will never get rich on dirty money and our public services cannot function if the most wealthy individuals and the most powerful companies deliberately avoid paying their fair share."
Mr Stride said the government had raised £160bn as a consequence of clamping down on tax avoidance since 2010.
He told MPs: "One of the problems is we have been so active in bringing in so many measures that unfortunately not all of them have been noticed."
However, Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Peter Dowd, called for the government to introduce a public register of offshore trusts.
"It should also stop cuts to HMRC [HM Revenue and Customs] and ensure HMRC has the staff and resources it needs to enable it to tackle avoidance at its core," he added.
Tory MP Andrew Mitchell, a former government chief whip, said the "time has come" to insist on the same levels of transparency for British overseas territories as the UK.
He echoed the call for tax havens to have a public register of investments, adding: "Registers must be open to the media, to journalists, to NGOs and to those people who can join up the dots."
The leaked papers were also debated in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, on Tuesday where the EU's tax commissioner said finance professionals who enable aggressive tax avoidance were "vampires" who "fear the light".
Pierre Moscovici said only greater transparency would work as a deterrent.
He called on EU members to agree "in the next six months" on proposals to force tax advisers to report avoidance schemes devised for clients.
Mr Moscovici also urged countries to agree on a blacklist of tax havens by the end of the year.
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-politics-41986273
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Roy Moore: Woman claims US Senate candidate 'tried to rape me' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Republicans urge the Alabama Senate candidate to step aside amid new sex misconduct claims.
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US & Canada
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A fifth woman has accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct as Republicans increase calls for him to "step aside".
Beverly Young Nelson said she was 16 years old when Mr Moore allegedly tried to force himself on her after offering a ride home from her job as a waitress.
"I tried fight him off while yelling at him to stop," she said, adding that he locked his car to prevent her escape.
Mr Moore, 70, denies the allegations, describing them as a "witch hunt".
But Senator Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said on Monday he believes Mr Moore's accusers "spoke with courage and truth" and the former Alabama Supreme Court judge should be expelled if he is elected.
"If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate," he said.
Mrs Nelson's accusation comes after four other women detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by the conservative firebrand while they were teenagers in Alabama.
The 56-year-old said she met Mr Moore during the late 1970s at the Olde Hickory House restaurant in Gadsen, Alabama, where she worked as a waitress while she was a teenager.
She claimed Mr Moore, a 30-year-old deputy district attorney at the time, offered to sign her high school yearbook and wrote: "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas."
He signed it "Love, Roy Moore, DA", according to a copy of the yearbook page provided to reporters by her attorney, Gloria Allred.
About a week or two later, he allegedly offered to drive her home and instead drove to the back of the restaurant car park.
"I was terrified. He was also trying to pull my shirt off. I thought he was going to rape me," she told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
"At some point he gave up and he then looked at me and he told me, 'You're just a child,' and he said, 'I am the district attorney of Etowah County. If you tell anyone about this, no one will believe you", Mrs Nelson said, adding that her neck was bruised in the struggle.
"He finally allowed me to open the door and I either fell out or he pushed me out."
Moore Campaign Chairman Bill Armistead denied the charges, calling Mr Moore "an innocent man".
"This is a witch hunt against a man who has had an impeccable career for over 30 years and has always been known as a man of high character," he said.
Mr Moore's wife also vehemently denies the allegations, contending that her husband's accusers are being paid.
Earlier on Monday US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said that he believed the women accusing Mr Moore of inappropriate behaviour.
Mr McConnell told reporters in his home state of Kentucky that party officials have considered whether another Republican could challenge Mr Moore in next month's election, through a so-called write-in challenge.
He said Luther Strange, whom Mr Moore beat in the Republican primary earlier this year, was a possible option.
Roy Moore said Mitch McConnell is the one who should step aside
No matter what happens between now and the 12 December election, Mr Moore's name will remain on the voters' ballot, the Alabama secretary of state has confirmed.
Alabama law prohibits the replacement of a party candidate up to 76 days before the election.
However, voters are free to "write-in" any name they choose and the party might encourage support for another Republican candidate.
The state Republican party could also disqualify Mr Moore's nomination, meaning that if he won the most votes he would still not be declared the winner.
Failing that, if Mr Moore won the election, the US Senate could vote to expel him by arguing that he lacked fitness to serve.
Last week's Washington Post story quoted four women by name, including one who alleged Mr Moore initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 - beneath the legal age of consent in Alabama - while he was a prosecutor in his 30s.
Mr Moore has said the Washington Post story is a fabricated smear by his political opponents, calling it "a prime example of fake news".
Mr McConnell previously said Mr Moore should step aside only if the allegations were proven true.
But on Monday he said flatly: "I believe the women. Yes."
Mr Moore hit back in a tweet: "The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell. He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp".
Mr Moore, an outspoken Christian conservative, had been a heavy favourite to win the 12 December election against Democrat Doug Jones.
But an opinion poll after the allegations surfaced suggested the race was tightening. Alabama has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter of a century.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41973952
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British doctor 'punches shark' in Australia surfing scare - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The man says he thought about Mick Fanning's famous escape during his own ordeal in Australia.
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Australia
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Charlie Fry said he was "blindsided" by the shark
A UK doctor says he escaped a shark by punching it in the face after the animal injured him in Australia.
Charlie Fry, 25, was at a beach north of Sydney on Monday when the shark "jumped out of the water and hit him in the right shoulder", police said.
Dr Fry said he punched the shark while in the water before climbing back on his board and surfing to shore.
He said he had been inspired by surfer Mick Fanning, who famously fended off a shark during a competition in 2015.
The shark left scratches and a small puncture wound on Dr Fry's arm. Police said the animal was about 2m (6.5ft) long.
"I saw this shark come out of the water and breach its head and I punched it in the face with my left hand," Dr Fry told local Nine Network's Today programme on Tuesday.
"When it happened, I was like, 'just do what Mick did, just punch it in the nose,'" he said.
He described the contact as "a massive thud on my right-hand side, which completely blindsided me". He said he feared for his life during the incident, which happened near shore at Avoca Beach.
A helicopter rescue service photographed what it believed to be a bronze whaler shark
Dr Fry received treatment in hospital and has since been discharged.
A helicopter rescue service photographed what is said was most likely a bronze whaler shark nearby shortly afterwards.
Dr Fry arrived in Australia two months ago and works in a hospital on the New South Wales coast, local media reported.
The beach was closed on Tuesday, council authorities said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Surfer Mick Fanning: "I punched the shark in the back"
There have been 18 shark attacks - including one fatal incident - in Australia this year, according to the Australian Shark Attack File.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41977465
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Gaia Pope: Missing teenager murder suspects released - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The 71-year-old woman and 19-year-old man were arrested following searches at two properties.
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Dorset
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Family friend Rosemary Dinch was the last person to see Gaia Pope before she went missing
A woman and a man arrested on suspicion of murdering missing teenager Gaia Pope have been released by police while inquiries continue.
Gaia, 19, from Langton Matravers, Dorset, disappeared from nearby Swanage, where she had been staying, on 7 November.
Rosemary Dinch, 71, and her 19-year-old grandson, Nathan Elsey, both from Swanage, know Gaia.
Police made the arrests after searching two Swanage addresses on Monday.
Dorset Police said "extensive searches" would continue in the hope she was still alive.
Police said a search for Gaia with the coastguard, volunteers from Dorset Search and Rescue and Wessex 4x4, along with members of the local community, was carried out on Tuesday in the Swanage area.
Gaia Pope was last seen in Swanage, Dorset, on 7 November
Det Supt Paul Kessler said: "We still believe Gaia is somewhere in the Swanage area... I remain hopeful that we will find Gaia alive.
"If the public can help us - anyone who has had contact with her in the last seven days, please contact Dorset Police as you may have information that can help us locate her.
"However, we will continue to conduct every avenue of inquiry which is open."
Gaia was last seen by Ms Dinch, a family friend, at an address in Manor Gardens, Morrison Road, Swanage at about 16:00 GMT.
Before she was arrested she told BBC News Gaia had "pounded" on her door then spent 20 minutes with her.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Det Supt Int Paul Kessler said it is thought Gaia is "somewhere in the Swanage area"
"She was very upset, she slid to the floor at one point, I gave her a cuddle and she responded to me - I have no idea where she is - she just seems to have disappeared," she said.
A statement released by police on behalf of Gaia's family said the continuing search had given them "great comfort in what everyone will understand is a deeply worrying and scary experience for all who love Gaia so deeply".
The family also appealed to social media users to focus on "constructive and positive efforts to find Gaia and not to encourage uninformed speculation which can have a negative impact on the family and be a distraction".
In a direct message to Gaia, the statement read: "We all love you forever. We miss you beyond words. We will find you darling girl.
"The thought of seeing the sunshine of your smile again soon keeps us all going and hoping."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police release CCTV footage of what is believed to be missing Swanage teenager Gaia Pope
Gaia was said to be wearing a red checked shirt with white buttons, grey and white woven leggings and white trainers.
She has severe epilepsy and she went missing without her medication.
On Saturday, Dorset Police released CCTV footage of what they believe was Gaia running past a house in Morrison Road at about 15:40.
The force said Gaia's family were being supported by specially-trained officers.
• None Missing teen 'does not have medication'
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-41980574
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Backlash over Kensington Tories' Grenfell Tower leaflet - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Kensington Conservatives branch asks residents to rate how important the disaster is to them.
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London
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The Grenfell Tower fire is thought to have killed about 80 people
Residents have criticised a "crass and offensive" survey asking them to rate how important the Grenfell Tower tragedy was to them.
The questionnaire sent out by a Kensington branch of the Conservative Party asked for people's views on the fatal fire alongside issues such as parking and recycling.
Labour MP David Lammy described the survey as "deeply troubling".
The Tory group have been contacted for comment.
The leaflet, which seeks to find out what kind of issues are important to residents ahead of the 2018 local elections, was sent out to households in the Courtfield ward - a wealthy neighbourhood in Kensington.
The questionnaire, which is also available online, asks people to rate "how important to you and your family" the disaster and other "local issues" were from "0 - not important at all" to "10 - very important".
The Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives' survey is also available online
Charlie Goodman, 34, who lives in the area, said the Tory group should apologise.
"I think they have acted in a very insensitive manner," he said.
"It's not something one would ever want to quantify, particularly when you consider the other items on the list.
"I would have to rank it at least 100 and make everything else one."
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 Luke Francis 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.
Luke Francis, who lives near Grenfell Tower, posted a picture of the survey on Twitter and had his post re-tweeted more than 4,000 times.
He said: "It went viral. It's been seen more than half a million times now.
"Everyone was equally staggered that anyone could be so crass and insensitive. It's just phenomenal.
"Someone needs to come out and apologise."
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Labour MP David Lammy, who lost a close friend in the fire, said the survey was "offensive and insensitive".
He added: "The Grenfell Inquiry has barely got under way and the same group of politicians who have been in charge of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea appear to be already brushing what happened under the carpet.
"There should be apologies and the individuals involved should certainly be considering their positions. I simply cannot understand how this was allowed to happen."
The Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives are yet to respond to requests for comment.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41984732
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Labour attacks Brexit date 'gimmick' as MPs begin scrutiny - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Several Tories also urge Theresa May to drop exit date plan as MPs begin marathon Brexit scrutiny.
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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. What's going on with the EU Withdrawal Bill?
Several Tory MPs have joined Labour in demanding Theresa May withdraw a key Brexit legislation amendment to set the exact time of EU departure in law.
Ministers say being "crystal clear" about when the UK will leave on 29 March 2019 will give maximum certainty.
But ex-chancellor Ken Clarke said the move was "silly" while Dominic Grieve said it would "fetter" ministers' hands if talks dragged on to the last minute.
Labour has branded it a "gimmick" and said it will vote against it.
The row came as MPs began debating the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill in depth for the first time, a crucial piece of legislation paving the way for the UK's withdrawal by essentially copying all EU law into UK law.
Tuesday's marathon eight-hour debate is the first of eight sessions over the next month in which MPs will pore over the details of the government's Brexit strategy and seek changes.
The government saw off the first challenge to the bill as Plaid Cymru's call for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly to give their consent before the 1972 European Communities Act - which paved the way for the UK to originally join the then European Economic Community - can be repealed was defeated by 318 to 52 votes.
A government amendment to enshrine the Brexit date and time - 23:00 GMT on 29 March 2019 - in law, announced by Mrs May last Friday, will not be debated until the final day of the committee stage next month.
But it dominated the early skirmishes in the Commons as Labour's Sir Keir Starmer said setting a date in law was a "desperate gimmick" that was "about party management not the national interest".
Labour says it is a question of how, not if, the UK leaves the EU that matters
"The government's amendments to their own Bill would stand in the way of an orderly transition and increase the chance of Britain crashing out of Europe without an agreement," the shadow Brexit secretary said.
"Theresa May should stop pandering to the 'no deal' enthusiasts in her own party and withdraw these amendments."
What is happening on Tuesday:
But former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve said that fixing the precise time of withdrawal at this stage would "fetter" the government's hands if negotiations dragged on longer than expected and the process needed to be extended in order to reach an agreement.
Describing it as a "mad" idea that had not been discussed by the cabinet, he said it had been "accompanied by blood-curdling threats that anyone who might stand in its way was somehow betraying the country's destiny".
"I am afraid I am just not prepared to go along with it," he told MPs.
And former chancellor Ken Clarke, the only Tory to vote against triggering Brexit, condemned what he said were "silly amendments thrown out" solely to get positive coverage in Brexit-supporting newspapers.
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Labour's Frank Field said he agreed with the need for a deadline, saying he had never taken on a job without a start date or bought a house without knowing when he would take possession.
He agreed to withdraw his own amendment, specifying a date but not a precise hour of departure, after Brexit minister Steve Baker warned of "legal chaos" if the issue of timing was not "put to rest".
"The government wants this bill to provide as much certainty as possible," Mr Baker added. "We recognise the importance of being crystal clear on the setting of exit day."
Ministers say the main aim of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill is to copy across EU rules into domestic UK law to ensure a smooth transition on the day after Brexit but critics say it is a power grab by the government which will allow ministers to change laws and regulations without going through Parliament first.
Most MPs say they accept that Britain is leaving the EU but some are expected to use the debates to fight against what they call a "hard Brexit" where the UK leaves without a trade deal.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Davis: Parliament will be given time to debate, scrutinise and vote on the final deal with the EU
MPs have tabled more than 470 amendments - running to 186 pages - for changes they want to see before the Brexit bill is passed into law by both the Commons and the Lords.
The government is not thought to be facing the serious prospect of defeat until next month, with a small group of about 10 Conservative rebels reportedly plotting with Labour and other opposition parties.
MPs were told on Monday they would be able to debate and vote on any agreement negotiated with the EU by the government as the Brexit deal would have to become law via an Act of Parliament.
But Brexit Secretary David Davis said the UK would still leave the EU on 29 March 2019, whether MPs backed or rejected the deal - making MPs' vote a take-it-or-leave-it one on the Brexit deal, rather than one which could either halt Brexit or have the deal renegotiated.
Speaking in the Commons, the SNP's Stephen Gethins said MPs were being offered a choice between a "really bad deal and a really, really bad deal" which he said was "no choice at all".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41978013
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The 'human flying without wings' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The man hoping to turn Flyboarding into a full-time job after finishing second in his first competition.
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Flyboarder James Prestwood is able to soar above the water with the aid of a jet ski and a lengthy hose.
He recently finished second in his first Flyboarding competition in Italy and now he's hoping to turn his hobby into a full-time job.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41989338
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Boris Johnson to visit Moscow as part of 'robust' dialogue' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The foreign secretary says dialogue with the Kremlin is important despite their "deep differences".
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UK Politics
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Boris Johnson is to visit Moscow later this year as part of efforts to build a more constructive dialogue with Russia on global security issues.
The foreign secretary has been invited by his counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Items on the agenda are likely to include North Korea, Iran and security for next year's football World Cup.
The Foreign Office said the UK had "deep differences" with Russia but the visit was part of a policy of "sustained and robust engagement".
Mr Johnson was due to visit Moscow in April, but the trip was cancelled following a deadly chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria.
The atrocity was blamed on President Assad's regime, which is backed by the Russians, although the Syrian government has denied using nerve gas.
The attack prompted a military response from the US, which bombed a Syrian air base it suspected of storing chemical weapons.
The UK's relations with Russia have been strained for several years but the two foreign ministers have met on several occasions this year, most recently at the UN General Assembly in September.
The Foreign Office said the bilateral visit, a date for which has not been set, did not mean a return "to business as usual" with Russia following its annexation of Crimea, which prompted EU sanctions, its wider actions in Ukraine and its continued support for the Assad regime.
But it said it was vital in the UK's national interest to keep "channels of communication" open.
"Russia is a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council and there are global security issues we need to discuss from Iran to North Korea," Mr Johnson said.
"Of course we will continue to challenge Russia's approach where we disagree, whether that is Russia's actions in Syria or its aggression towards Ukraine. My visit will provide an opportunity to talk about these issues and more, face-to-face.
"Our relationship with Russia is not straightforward. That is all the more reason to be talking to Russia - to manage our differences and cooperate where possible for the security of both our nations and the international community."
As well as government meetings, the foreign secretary said he would also speak to figures from Russian society and the "next generation".
• None Russia will 'respond harshly' to US
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41614192
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Diamond fetches $33.7m at Christie's auction in Geneva - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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A necklace featuring a huge 163-carat flawless diamond goes under the hammer in Geneva.
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Business
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The 163 carat diamond was the largest of its kind to go under the hammer
A diamond necklace featuring a flawless 163-carat diamond - the largest of its kind to be auctioned - has fetched $33.7m (£25.6m) at a Christie's event in Geneva.
The colourless diamond was taken from a 404-carat stone found in Angola.
The finished piece is made from white gold, diamond and emeralds.
The necklace was designed by Swiss jewellery maker de Grisogono and took more than 1,700 hours to make, Christie's said.
It went under the hammer at Geneva's Four Seasons Hotel following a series of public viewings in Hong Kong, London, Dubai and New York.
The necklace, named The Art of de Grisogono, sold for $33.5m - $29.5m plus $4m premium - exceeding pre-sale predictions of $30m.
The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41933880
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Parliament to get binding vote on final Brexit deal - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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MPs and peers will be given a take-it-or-leave it say on agreement via an Act of Parliament, David Davis says.
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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. Davis: Parliament will be given time to debate, scrutinise and vote on the final deal with the EU
Parliament is to be given a take-it-or leave-it vote on the final Brexit deal before the UK leaves the EU.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said the terms of the UK's exit, such as money, citizen rights and any transition must become law via a new Act of Parliament.
Labour welcomed a "climbdown" but some MPs warned of a "sham" if ministers could not be asked to renegotiate.
Sources have told the BBC some Tory rebels were unimpressed, with one saying the promise was "meaningless".
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the announcement was significant because it represented a big concession to potential Tory rebels and Labour MPs at a highly important moment in the Brexit process.
It comes as MPs prepare to debate key Brexit legislation later this week with the government facing possible defeat on aspects of the EU Withdrawal Bill, which will convert EU law into UK law.
The UK is due to leave the EU in March 2019, irrespective of whether MPs back or reject the terms of the deal negotiated by Theresa May's government.
But updating MPs on the sixth round of talks which concluded on Friday, Mr Davis told MPs they would still play a major role and "there cannot be any doubt that Parliament will be intimately involved at every stage".
The government had previously agreed to give MPs and peers a vote on a Commons motion relating to the final Brexit deal - before it has been voted upon by the European Parliament.
A confident government wouldn't have conceded like this the day before the Brexit debate was due to come back to the Commons in earnest.
This climbdown does not remotely mean that other grievances over the existing Brexit legislation will disappear.
It doesn't mean that the next few weeks will suddenly become plain sailing. And if there isn't a withdrawal deal with the rest of the EU, well, then there can't be a bill that covers the withdrawal bill.
It's only in the coming days that the government will know if they have done enough to get the existing plans through.
And the move also of course adds to a massive load of complicated Parliamentary business that has to be cleared before we actually leave.
Mr Davis said he still "intended and expected" this to happen but went further - agreeing to Labour and Tory MPs' demands for any vote to take place on substantive primary legislation, which would allow MPs and peers to amend the bill before it became law.
The bill, he told MPs, would contain the contents of the withdrawal agreement that the UK hopes to seal in time ahead of its scheduled departure and all key aspects of it - such as the financial settlement between the two sides, the future status of UK and EU citizens and the terms of any implementation period.
"This means that Parliament will be given time to scrutinise, debate and vote on the final deal we strike with the EU," he said, adding that it was not clear when such a bill would be published.
Labour's Keir Starmer said it was a "significant climbdown from a weak government on the verge of defeat".
"With less than 24 hours before they had to defend their flawed bill to Parliament, they have finally backed down," the shadow Brexit secretary said.
"However, like everything with this government, the devil will be in the detail."
Labour's Chris Leslie said what "could have been a very welcome concession instead looks like a sham that pretends to respect the sovereignty of Parliament but falls well short of what is required".
The Lib Dems reiterated their call for the final deal to be put to a referendum while several Tory MPs questioned what would happen if a deal was only agreed at the last minute before the 29 March deadline - a scenario Mr Davis has suggested was conceivable - and MPs could only vote after exit.
Dominic Grieve, the Conservative former Attorney General, said this would not be acceptable and if time ran out then negotiations with the EU should be extended "so all parties are able to deal with it".
And Conservative MP Antoinette Sandbach pressed Mr Davis to reassure MPs how "if the bill intended to ensure a meaningful vote only comes forward after that date, the vote is in any sense meaningful".
Mr Davis responded by saying MPs would have the opportunity to say "either you want the deal or you don't want it" and if the UK and EU could not agree a deal, there would be no legislation.
But, in a meeting with the Conservative chief whip, a group of about a dozen Tory MPs expressed anger at the government's plans, sources have told the BBC.
One of the MPs, Anna Soubry, said the idea of a Brexit Act of Parliament was "'insulting… it sounds in theory very good but there's no guarantee".
She suggested that the promise was "meaningless" and that the government is in "grave difficulty" over passing its Brexit legislation in the coming months.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41975277
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Council tax debt: Concern over use of bailiffs - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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A charity is “deeply troubled” that bailiffs are collecting unpaid council tax and parking fines.
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Business
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Bailiffs were called in to collect debts by councils in England and Wales on more than two million occasions last year, a charity has discovered.
Council tax arrears accounted for 60% of cases sent to bailiffs by local authorities in 2016-17, the Money Advice Trust said.
The Trust, which runs National Debtline, said more could be done for the vulnerable in debt.
The association representing councils said they had a duty to collect taxes.
Enforcement agents, commonly known as bailiffs, were used to chase council tax arrears on 1.38 million occasions out of 2.3 million cases, the "Stop the Knock" report by the Money Advice Trust found.
They were also used on 810,000 occasions for unpaid parking fines, 86,000 times for unpaid business rates, and on 50,000 occasions to recover overpaid housing benefit, the report found.
The use of bailiffs has risen by 14% compared with two years ago when similar research was carried out by the charity.
However, it said that there had been widespread improvement in the way councils used this last resort.
Its concern was, primarily, in the use of bailiffs by smaller councils.
Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, said: "The growing use of bailiffs to collect debts by many local authorities is deeply troubling.
"Councils are under enormous financial pressure, and they of course need to recover what they are owed in order to fund vital services. However, many councils are far too quick to turn to bailiff action."
She said that, in doing so, people could be pushed even further into debt.
"Bailiff action should only ever be used as a last resort, and can be avoided by early intervention," she added.
Some 50 councils had signed up to a protocol aimed at preventing those at risk from getting behind on key payments.
The Trust wanted more councils to sign up to an official policy on how to treat vulnerable residents, and to exempt the most vulnerable from bailiff action completely.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said people facing difficulties should contact their local authority to discuss options such as repayment plans.
Claire Kober, who chairs the LGA's resources board, said: "No council wants to ask people on the lowest incomes to pay more, but councils have a duty to their residents to collect taxes - these fund crucial services, such as caring for the elderly, protecting vulnerable children, keeping roads maintained and collecting bins.
"With councils facing a £5.8bn funding shortfall by 2020, it is essential that these funds are collected so these vital services can be protected."
She said that councils took steps, where possible, to ensure people in financial difficulty were supported.
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "We expect councils to show sympathy for people in genuine hardship and only use bailiffs as a last resort. However, every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher bill for those law-abiding citizens who do pay on time.
"To support those facing financial difficulties we have given councils the powers to establish their own council tax support schemes to best meet their local need."
• None Councils 'too quick' to send in bailiffs
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41974406
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Macron warns Europe not to rebuff Trump and Putin - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Europe needs to be a symbol of tolerance again, the French president tells the BBC.
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Europe
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mr Macron: 'It's very important to me to support those defending an open Islam'
French President Emmanuel Macron says Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are threatening Western values of openness and tolerance, but isolating them from Europe would be counterproductive.
"If you decide just to push them back from Europe and our values, saying 'you're betraying our values', you lose them," he told the BBC.
Many see the US and Russian leaders as resistant to liberal "elite" values.
Mr Macron was speaking in Abu Dhabi, where he opened a new Louvre Museum.
He called it a symbol of tolerance and diversity in the region.
"We're at the epicentre of a series of conflicts and battles inside the Muslim world," he said in an interview at the weekend. "It's very important to me to support those defending an open Islam."
He said the West had made a mistake in abandoning a "grand narrative" around its values and identity, and that France had a role in defending them abroad.
"You need a collective narrative, a common goal, common imagination," he said. "It was the strength of Daesh [so-called Islamic State] - it was a promise of death.
"And I think one of the problems of Western society and Western countries during the past decade was to abandon imagination, ambition, vision.
"No one falls in love with the single market, the financial market, labour reforms or budget perspective," he continued. "[People] are motivated because of a big narrative."
He said it was "paranoia, their [sense of] threat, and their willingness to protect something" that made leaders such as President Putin choose a different path, but that the Russian president was forgetting that part of his country's own civilisation was about openness, and that its future was directly linked to Europe.
Mr Macron took office six months ago, promising to transform France's economy, society, even its identity. Since then he has made 28 foreign trips and set out new proposals for the European Union, designed to give the bloc a collective vision and promote its benefits at home.
I knew this trip would be different to most reporting gigs when they took my passport away on the flight out. I didn't see it again until I was flying back to Paris.
But then, being part of the presidential press corps is an unusual experience for a regular news correspondent. And there were times when it felt more like a school trip than a reporting gig: the press corps bussed en masse from location to location, fed and watered at appropriate times, and handed detailed information about the president's speeches and schedule.
Not once did I order a meal, give a taxi driver directions, or speak to a local person who wasn't a member of the hotel staff.
In return, of course, was the rare chance to speak to Mr Macron one-to-one, and film him up-close in a way we've never done before - startling for a crew that's usually battling to get a decent shot of his face at all.
And while there was a good deal of waiting around - the media has to be in place hours before the president arrives - it was made an awful lot easier by the food.
Wherever we went, the refreshments laid on for the presidential party were surprisingly good. Think perfect miniature French tarts and copious Bollinger champagne. As I say, not your usual reporting trip.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/41986091
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Universal credit: Children's commissioner calls for pause - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Families "hard hit" by the welfare changes, says Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield
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Family & Education
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The Children's Commissioner said the impact of the new benefit was not tested on families
The rollout of universal credit to families with children should be paused, the children's commissioner for England has told MPs.
Anne Longfield told the Education Select Committee there was evidence families with children were being hit hard by the welfare changes.
The impact of universal credit had not been tested on families with children, said Ms Longfield.
The government says the change will make it easier to claim benefits.
The rollout of the new benefit across the UK accelerated last month - with about 50 job centres now being added each month.
It merges six benefits for working-age people into one new payment.
The system, with a built-in six-week wait, has been beset by controversy.
The benefit is paid in arrears, which means everyone has to wait at least four weeks for their money.
The rest of the wait is because of the way the scheme is administered.
So far, about a quarter of all claimants have had to wait more than six weeks to receive their first payments.
"I am worried about the rollout of welfare reforms," Ms Longfield said in her evidence to the committee.
"I am aware that, actually, families with children are being very hard hit, families with more than two children very hard hit, and, actually, lone parents.
"So, I do think we've got a set of families whose lives are quite precarious.
"Often they are the ones in work, and I am not sure that everyone has recognised that the new poor and the new insecure are those in insecure work."
She said the fact that the new system had not been tested on families with children meant "we are moving into rollout not knowing what that means".
"So, one of the things that I will be asking the chancellor to do is to pause universal credit rollout for families with children until we better understand what that means," Ms Longfield said.
She said the change was coming on top of "welfare failures" and families were now having to resort to using food banks.
"I am well aware of the impact of the rules around two children and also the benefits freeze," she said.
"There is cumulative impact and I think at this stage, with such a vulnerable group of children and families, it's the right thing to pause universal credit."
The Department for Work and Pensions says universal credit will boost employment by about 250,000 once it is fully rolled out.
A spokeswoman said: "Under universal credit, people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than the old system.
"The number of children growing up in homes where no-one works has fallen by half a million since 2010.
"Under UC, parents get tailored support to find work that fits with their caring responsibilities and, once in work, have 85% of their childcare costs refunded."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41982789
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Illegal puppy trade surges in UK ready for Christmas - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Record numbers of sick and abused puppies are being smuggled across the Channel into the UK.
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Kent
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The rescued puppies have been quarantined
Record numbers of illegal puppies are being smuggled across the Channel into the UK ready for the "Christmas trade".
In three undercover operations the Dogs Trust seized 100 young dogs in just one week from Folkestone and Dover ports.
But the UK's largest dog welfare charity said the clampdown was "just the tip of the iceberg", and feared people looking for a cheap puppy would fuel the illegal trade.
The pups are found in "shocking conditions", with severe health issues.
This puppy has a skin infection from urine scalding
The Dogs Trust said it had come across seven Cane Corso pups with infected wounds after their ears and tails were cropped and docked, apparently using scissors and vodka.
According to the trust, high demand for "trendy" breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs, Chow Chows and Dachshunds helped to fuel the "sickening trade", which can net bootleg breeders tens of thousands of pounds.
Dogs Trust veterinary director Paula Boyden said: "Buying an illegally imported puppy could potentially cost well-meaning but unsuspecting families thousands of pounds in quarantine and vet bills and emotional heartache for the family if the puppy falls ill or worse, dies.
"We continue to be astounded at the lengths these deceptive breeders and dealers will go to."
Under the Dogs Trust's "Puppy Pilot" scheme, 582 illegally smuggled puppies were rehomed between December 2015 and 18 October 2017. About 40 rescued puppies died from the poor conditions they suffered on the journey to the UK.
In 2016 officials found 688 "illegally landed" dogs, more than treble the recorded number in 2014.
The number of dogs entering the UK to be kept as pets in 2011 was 85,299, and this figure continues to increase year-on-year, with 275,876 entering in 2016.
Between 2011 and 2013 the number of dogs coming to the UK from central and eastern Europe in particular rocketed, with a 780% increase from Lithuania and a 663% increase from Hungary.
Illegally imported puppies are often sick or have been mistreated
Keith Taylor MEP, the Green Party's animals spokesperson and member of the European Parliament's Animal Welfare Intergroup, said the illegal trade is "gruesome and reprehensible".
"With more than 100,000 dogs in rescue centres across the UK looking for a home it is hugely upsetting to see the demand for puppies fuelling such a barbaric criminal enterprise.
"Puppy smuggling and the illegal puppy trade is big business with dealers getting rich while leaving a trail of dead puppies and heartbroken families."
People have taken to Twitter to voice their frustration at the trade.
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Puppies found in the back of a van during an undercover operation
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-41980459
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I'm A Celebrity: Boris Johnson's dad Stanley in confirmed line-up - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The foreign secretary's father, a footballer and some soap stars... it's I'm A Celebrity time again.
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Entertainment & Arts
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I'm A Celebrity... begins its run on ITV on Sunday
Boris Johnson's father Stanley, former footballer Dennis Wise, boxer Amir Khan and Coronation Street's Jennie McAlpine are going to the jungle for this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
Ten personalities will try to last three weeks with each other, and the local wildlife, in the Australian camp.
Other contestants include footballer Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah, The Saturdays singer Vanessa White and Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas.
Stanley Johnson said Boris "may never find out"
Stanley Johnson admitted he had never watched the show, and said he had not told his son, the UK foreign secretary, because he had been instructed to keep his appearance secret.
"Don't tell me he's going to hear about it, it's very unlikely," he said, according to The Sun. "Knowing Boris, he may never find out."
Ant (left) and Dec will be back together after Ant's rehab
Around 10 million people tune in to the show every night.
This year, Ant McPartlin will return to co-host after a stint in rehab for alcohol and prescription painkiller addictions.
Here is the full line-up:
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
• None I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here - ITV The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41984646
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Two arrested over missing Dorset teenager Gaia Pope - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A 19-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman are arrested over the disappearance of Gaia Pope.
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Dorset
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Gaia Pope was last seen in Swanage on 7 November
A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenager who has not been seen for nearly a week.
Dorset Police said a 19-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were arrested in connection with the disappearance of Gaia Pope, 19, who has severe epilepsy.
The teenager, from Langton Matravers, was staying in Swanage when she disappeared on 7 November.
Searches took place at two addresses in Swanage and the man and woman were arrested.
Police said they were both known to Gaia.
The last reported sighting of the teenager was by Rosemary Dinch at an address in Manor Gardens on Morrison Road in Swanage.
Rosemary Dinch, a friend of the family, is believed to be the last person to see Gaia on Tuesday 7 November
The family friend told the BBC Gaia "pounded" on her door and spent about 20 minutes at her house.
She said: "She was very upset, she slid to the floor at one point, I gave her a cuddle and she responded to me - I have no idea where she is - she just seems to have disappeared."
She was said to be wearing a red checked shirt with white buttons, grey and white woven leggings and white trainers and she went missing without her medication.
On Saturday, Dorset Police released CCTV footage of what they believe was Gaia running past a house in Morrison Road at about 15:40.
Det Ch Insp Neil Devoto, who is leading the investigation, said on Monday: "It has been almost a week since Gaia's last confirmed sighting and she has not been seen or heard from since.
"We have looked through CCTV that covers the Swanage area, including transport hubs, and there is nothing to suggest she has left the area.
"Her disappearance is completely out of character and, following our extensive inquiries, we sadly now believe that she may have come to harm.
"We have not yet found Gaia and our searches will continue.
"Our specially-trained officers have updated Gaia's family and are supporting them at this very difficult time."
• None Missing teen 'does not have medication'
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-41976025
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Sumo champ Harumafuji investigated over 'bottle assault' - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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Grand champion Harumafuji is sorry for 'causing trouble' after allegation involving fellow wrestler.
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Asia
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A sumo wrestling grand champion is alleged to have hit a fellow wrestler over the head with a beer bottle in a fresh scandal that has rocked the highly ceremonial sport.
The alleged victim, Takanoiwa, was hospitalised for several days, the Japan Sumo Association has said.
Sumo association officials told AFP news agency that exactly what happened remains unconfirmed.
Takanoiwa, who is also Mongolian, is reported to have suffered a fractured skull. The 27-year-old is part of a so-called 'stable' led by Takanohana, a former grand champion who reported the incident to police, according to Kyodo news agency.
Harumafuji and his stable master, Isegahama, were questioned by association executives on Tuesday.
The grand champion apologised publicly but did not confirm the circumstances of the incident.
"As for Takanoiwa's injuries, I apologise deeply for causing trouble for stable master Takanohana, people affiliated with Takanohana stable, the Sumo Association and my stable master," he told reporters.
Stable master Isegahama and Harumafuji were questioned by association executives on Tuesday
Weighing in at 137kg (300lb), Harumafuji is considered a relatively small sumo wrestler, and is lauded for his technique in the ring.
Sumo's origins lie in Shinto rites performed in temples, and Japanese fans expect wrestlers competing in the ancient sport to live up to strict standards of good behaviour.
Wrestlers are expected to not show emotion after a victory and a rigid hierarchy exists.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Could the next sumo star come from Senegal?
But this case is far from the first time that the sumo world has been hit by scandal and reports of violence outside the ring.
In 2007, a teenage novice died after being beaten up by older wrestlers, with the stable master subsequently jailed for five years over the abuse.
That case exposed a culture of bullying and hazing within the ancient sport's strict hierarchy.
In 2016, a stable master and wrestler were made to pay nearly $300,000 (£230,000) to a wrestler allegedly abused so badly that he lost sight in one eye, according to reports.
Back in 2010, the sport was rocked by alleged links between sumo wrestlers and yakuza crime syndicates. A match-fixing scandal followed in 2011.
In 2010, Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu retired from the sport after reports of a drunken fight in Tokyo.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41982929
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California shooting: Schoolteachers ‘saved’ children from gunman - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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After four were shot dead in California, police praise school staff for saving "countless" lives.
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US & Canada
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Police say a number of students had to be medically evacuated from the school
A gunman who killed four people on Tuesday in rural California fired into an elementary school but was stopped from entering by teachers, police say.
Staff at Rancho Tehama Reserve School went into lockdown, securing school doors after hearing nearby gunshots.
Authorities praised the teachers' actions as "monumental" in saving "countless" lives.
Police confirmed one child was shot at the school after the gunman fired into it. Others were hurt by broken glass.
Police later confronted the gunman in a stolen vehicle, shooting and killing him. He was named locally as 43-year-old Kevin Neal.
It is believed the shooting spree began after a domestic row with the gunman's neighbours in Rancho Tehama, a rural community about 120 miles (195km) from Sacramento, on Tuesday morning.
Police said they believed he went on a "bizarre and murderous rampage" after the dispute escalated and he killed a neighbour.
Officials confirmed the gunman had "prior contacts with law enforcement".
The Tehama district attorney told the Sacramento Bee he was being prosecuted on charges relating to a stabbing and assault in January in an incident involving two of his neighbours.
He had also reportedly been the subject of a domestic violence call on the eve of the gun spree.
A semi-automatic rifle and two handguns were recovered from one of the crime scenes, police said. At least 10 people were injured in the shootings at multiple locations.
Police said he chose most of the victims at random, and reportedly shot into the school but became frustrated after the teachers locked the doors and left after six minutes.
It is believed the school was alerted after a mother was shot at in her car while driving her children to school. She was reportedly seriously wounded but not killed.
The child who was shot has undergone surgery after being struck in the leg and chest, reports say. Other children at the school were reportedly injured by broken glass, and some were evacuated from the school and transported to hospital by helicopter.
Police examine a vehicle that was involved in the string of shootings in Rancho Tehama
"This individual shooter was bent on engaging and killing people at random. I have to say this incident, as tragic and as bad as it is, could have been so much worse," Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said.
Brian Flint said his neighbour "has been shooting a lot of bullets lately, hundreds of rounds, large magazines".
"We made it aware [to police] that this guy is crazy and he's been threatening us," he told the newspaper.
The rampage is believed to have began at about 08:00 locally
The Associated Press spoke to a woman who identified herself as Neal's mother, who said he had told her: "I'm on a cliff and there's nowhere to go."
She said Neal was in a long-running dispute with neighbours who he believed were cooking methamphetamine.
She added that Neal, who was raised in North Carolina, had been working as a cannabis farmer and had recently married his longtime girlfriend.
His sister, Sheridan Orr, told the Associated Press that she believed her brother was addicted to drugs, and had struggled with mental illness and a violent temper.
"We're stunned and we're appalled that this is a person who has no business with firearms whatsoever," Ms Orr said.
She added that she hopes this attack will "make people realise there must be some gates on people like this from getting guns".
"This is the same story we're hearing more and more."
Police have refused to officially confirm the gunman's identity until all his next-of-kin are notified.
US President Donald Trump was criticised online after he tweeted condolences to the wrong mass shooting.
"May God be with the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas," a post on his account said on Tuesday night, though that shooting happened on 5 November.
The tweet was deleted by Wednesday morning.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41991397
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Old £10 note to disappear next year - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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If you still have any, make sure you spend them before 1 March 2018, says the Bank of England.
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Business
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The old £10 note is soon to go the way of the old pound coin
If you still have any old £10 notes, make sure you spend them before 1 March next year.
The Bank of England has announced that the old paper notes, featuring naturalist Charles Darwin, will no longer be legal tender after that date.
Its days have been numbered since the new polymer tenner, depicting author Jane Austen, entered circulation in September.
But the old note can still be exchanged by the Bank after the cut-off date.
Threadneedle Street says polymer, also now used for the £5 note featuring Winston Churchill, is more durable and cleaner than paper notes.
It has persevered with the material despite complaints from religious and vegan groups that the animal fat tallow is used in the production process.
Following consultation, the Bank said in August that it would continue with the use of tallow in future banknotes - saying it "has not taken this decision lightly".
The Bank assessed whether palm oil or coconut oil should be used instead, but concluded that this might not be able to be sourced sustainably. Changing production would also involve considerable extra costs to taxpayers.
The old £10 notes have been in circulation since November 2000, but lost out to the new ones on grounds of security as well as durability.
The Jane Austen notes have a number of features built in that make them particularly hard to forge.
They also have an inscription in raised dots that helps blind and partially-sighted users to identify them.
The end of the old paper tenner follows the official withdrawal last month of the old round £1 coin, which has now been wholly replaced by the new 12-sided version.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41974386
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Duchess of Cambridge's uncle admits punching wife in face - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Gary Goldsmith appeared to knock his wife unconscious following a drunken argument, a court hears.
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London
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Gary Goldsmith pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating
The Duchess of Cambridge's uncle has admitted punching his wife in the face and knocking her to the ground after a drunken row.
Gary Goldsmith, 52, attacked Julie-Ann Goldsmith outside their home in Wimpole Street, central London, in the early hours of 13 October.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard the pair had argued in the back of a taxi before he threw a "left hook".
Goldsmith pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating.
Prosecutor Kate Shilton told the court the couple's taxi driver saw Mrs Goldsmith slap her husband in the face before he retaliated as they got home after a charity event.
She said Mrs Goldsmith had "fallen backwards" after the punch and the taxi driver believed she had been knocked unconscious.
Mrs Goldsmith remained on the floor with eyes closed for about 15 seconds before she woke and staggered to her feet and crying, the court heard.
Ms Shilton said Goldsmith appeared to be "panicked" and when the taxi driver challenged him over his actions, he became aggressive.
The court was told Mrs Goldsmith then asked the taxi driver to call the police.
When at the police station Goldsmith said he had pushed his wife hard but denied hitting her. The court heard he was apologetic for his actions.
Ahead of sentencing, which will take place on 21 November, chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said she was "excluding custody and looking at a community order".
"But I am really looking at how to protect this lady from this man," she said.
Mr Goldsmith is the younger brother of Carole Middleton and attended the weddings of both her daughters - the Duchess of Cambridge and Pippa Middleton.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41984832
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Opposition calls for universal credit changes - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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MPs and peers debate universal credit, with Opposition MPs calling for a reduction to the initial wait for a first payment to one month.
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Parliaments
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As peers discuss the grievance procedure raised earlier in the Commons, Lib Dem Baroness Hamwee says when stories of abuse of power emerged she felt "guilty" because she asked herself "why wasn't I providing support?"
She says: "It took a week to remember many years ago I was subject to a minor act of inappropriate behaviour in the House.
"I realised I hadn't put it out of my consciousness because it was trivial, but because I was so shocked I buried it. That's what our minds do.
"We need to recognise the way people act when they've been subject to something so shocking is not what we might expect."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-parliaments-41971478
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Russia posts video game screenshot as 'proof' of US helping IS - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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The image supposedly shows the US aiding IS, but instead it came from a smartphone game.
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Europe
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The game simulates the attack capabilities of an AC-130 gunship
Russia's Ministry of Defence has posted what it called "irrefutable proof" of the US aiding so-called Islamic State - but one of the images was actually taken from a video game.
The ministry claimed the image showed an IS convoy leaving a Syrian town last week aided by US forces.
Instead, it came from the smartphone game AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron.
The ministry said an employee had mistakenly attached the photo.
The Conflict Intelligence Team fact-checking group said the other four provided were also errors, taken from a June 2016 video which showed the Iraqi Air Force attacking IS in Iraq.
The video game image seems to be taken from a promotional video on the game's website and YouTube channel, closely cropped to omit the game controls and on-screen information.
In the corner of the image, however, a few letters of the developer's disclaimer can still be seen: "Development footage. This is a work in progress. All content subject to change."
The gameplay video, left, with the Russian MoD photo, right
Hours later, the ministry published an updated statement with a different set of images, which it also said proved their claims.
It repeated the claim it was "irrefutable evidence that US are actually covering Isis [IS] combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote the American interests in the Middle East".
Russia alleges the US is co-operating with so-called Islamic State by providing cover to fleeing IS militants. In a Facebook post, the ministry said it liberated the town of Abu Kamal last week alongside the Syrian army.
It said the US-led coalition refused requests to cooperate and "eliminate fleeing Isis convoys".
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It also accused the US-led coalition of carrying out air operations in the area to interfere with possible Russian strikes, and alleged that IS forces were disguising themselves as US-backed SDF fighters.
"The US are actually covering the Isis combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote the American interests in the Middle East," the statement concluded.
A later press release said it had launched a probe into the actions of a civilian employee of one of its subdivisions who "mistakenly attached photos" to the first version of its statement.
Responding to Russia's allegations in remarks carried by Reuters, a spokesman for the US-led coalition Col Ryan Dillon said the Russian allegations were "about as accurate as their air campaign".
"I certainly can't verify, but I've seen the report that one of the pictures came from a video game. So, again that is pretty consistent with what we have seen come out of Russian MoD, as being baseless, inaccurate and you know, completely false," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41991012
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Emma Dent Coad MP accused of writing 'racist' blog post - BBC News
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2017-11-14
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Emma Dent Coad labelled a Tory parliamentary candidate as a "token ghetto boy" in a 2010 blog piece.
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London
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Emma Dent Coad has been accused of writing a "racist" article in a 2010 blog piece
A Conservative London Assembly member has accused a Labour MP of writing a "racist" article about him before she entered Parliament.
Emma Dent Coad wrote a blog piece in 2010 in which she labelled Shaun Bailey a "token ghetto boy".
Mr Bailey said the MP should apologise for the "hate-filled, racist article".
A spokesman for Ms Dent Coat, who was elected to Kensington in June, said she had been quoting Mr Bailey's "own comments about parts of the borough".
In the article Ms Dent Coad called Shaun Bailey the "'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron"
In the piece Ms Dent Coad claimed Mr Bailey, who was a parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith, had "stigmatised" the area he was born in by referring to it as a "ghetto".
"Who can say where this man will ever fit in, however hard he tries? One day he is the 'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron, the next 'looking interested' beside G Osborne. Ever felt used?," she wrote.
After the blog post was highlighted, Mr Bailey said he had never been "labelled a 'token ghetto boy'" before and was "shocked and saddened" by the article.
He said Ms Dent Coad's "use of language should not be acceptable for an elected politician... and she should be ashamed", he said.
"I am proud of where I am from and would certainly not use language like ghetto in a way to disparage the area I grew up in," the London Assembly member said.
Ms Dent Coad's spokesman said it was clear in the original post she had been quoting Mr Bailey's "own comments... plus those of his Conservative colleagues on Kensington and Chelsea Council".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41976865
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Government considers diplomatic protection - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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Foreign Office mulls diplomatic protection for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, after meeting with her husband.
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UK
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Richard Ratcliffe told a press conference he raised the issue of diplomatic protection for his wife
The Foreign Office is still considering whether it will give diplomatic protection to a British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held by Tehran since April 2016 after being accused of spying - charges she denies.
Her husband raised the issue of her being given diplomatic protection in a meeting with the foreign secretary.
The Foreign Office said lawyers would discuss the issue but said the question was whether it would help her case.
Richard Ratcliffe met with Boris Johnson after the foreign secretary said during a Commons committee hearing that Mrs Zhagari-Ratcliffe was in Iran to "train journalists" - which could lead to her five-year jail term being doubled.
He has since apologised for the remarks - made on 1 November - and retracted "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity".
Her family have always maintained she was on holiday with her daughter.
Mr Ratcliffe told a press conference after the meeting that diplomatic protection - which allows a state to take diplomatic action on behalf of a national - would be "important and helpful".
The protection would signal that the UK is treating the case as a formal, legal dispute between the UK and Iran.
But he said the Foreign Office expressed reservations about whether the protection would help his wife's case.
"They have agreed to answer the questions and then for the lawyers to sit down and talk it through. Both legally and then also practically.
"But certainly, I think it is an important thing for us to be pushing for."
The Foreign Office said its lawyers would meet in the coming fortnight to discuss the issue further.
When a British citizen is jailed overseas they normally get basic consular help from the local embassy, including contacting family, legal support and medical help.
Conferring diplomatic protection on the citizen would ratchet up their status, so that diplomats working on the case would no longer treat it as a consular matter but a formal, legal dispute between Britain and that country, conducted under the rules of international law.
The citizen's interests would be taken as those of the state.
Diplomatic protection is very different from diplomatic immunity. The latter is something given to diplomats to ensure their safe passage and protection from prosecution.
Richard Ratcliffe and Boris Johnson met at the Commonwealth office
Mr Ratcliffe said he discussed with the foreign secretary the possibility of a joint trip to Iran before the end of the year.
He said Mr Johnson had no fixed date for his planned visit to Iran, but the foreign secretary was "keen" for him to travel with him.
He also spoke about the health of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who he said had found lumps in her breasts.
"She talks about being on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I absolutely believe that's true.
"I think it's important I don't exaggerate anything in the media and I'm not melodramatic, but she is in a difficult place."
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been visiting Iran with her daughter Gabriella when she was arrested
Mr Ratcliffe's MP, Tulip Siddiq, who joined him in the meeting, said he had failed to obtain a visa to visit Iran over the last 19 months and had not seen his daughter Gabriella, who is living in the country with her maternal grandparents, during that time.
She said they had communicated over Skype but his daughter had lost the ability to speak English.
"So, if he gets to go with the foreign secretary, he gets to see his daughter for the first time in 19 months. And if he's there, he has the right to visit Nazanin in prison as her relative," she said.
Ms Siddiq added that Mr Johnson had made clear he would "certainly" push to see Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe himself in prison if he goes to Iran.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mr Ratcliffe previously rejected suggestions that Boris Johnson should resign over his comments
The Foreign Office said the meeting had been "positive".
It said the British ambassador in Iran had raised the case with the country again, urging for consular access, appropriate medical treatment, a decision on Mr Ratcliffe's visa application and access for him to visit his wife if a trip takes place.
"The foreign secretary concluded the meeting by saying that no stone would be left unturned in the case of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and that of our other dual nationals detained in Iran," the Foreign Office added.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41992068
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Taylor Swift sells 1m albums in four days - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The star now has the best-selling record of 2017 in the US, overtaking Ed Sheeran.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Since 2012, only Swift and Adele have sold a million copies of an album in a single week
After just four days, Taylor Swift has sold more albums in the US than any other artist this year.
The star's sixth album, Reputation, has sold 1.04 million copies in the US since Friday, says Billboard magazine.
That puts her ahead of 2017's previous biggest-seller, Ed Sheeran's ÷, which has shifted 919,000 copies to date.
Reputation also becomes Swift's fourth album to sell a million copies in the space of a week, following 1989, Red and Speak Now.
In fact, only she and Adele have sold a million copies of any album in a seven-day frame since 2012.
Notably, both artists withheld their records from streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music - a move which drives committed fans to buy or download the album.
It has been rumoured that Reputation will be made available on those services later this week.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. First impressions of Taylor Swift's new album
Reputation, which sees the star delve deeper than ever before into the realms of pop and hip-hop, has received largely positive reviews from critics.
The Telegraph called it "a big, brash, all-guns-blazing blast of weaponised pop that grapples with the vulnerability of the human heart as it is pummelled by 21st-century fame.
NPR's critic Ann Powers noted that Swift's lyrics had matured, describing the stand-out track Getaway Car as: "A sure-footed step forward into the vagaries of grown up life."
BBC Music's Mark Savage said it was "her most sonically adventurous album yet", while noting that moments where she lashes out at her detractors "don't really lend themselves to big, singalong choruses".
However, the New York Times' writer Jon Caramanica questioned whether Swift had diluted her appeal by borrowing so heavily from other genres.
"In making her most modern album - one in which she steadily visits hostile territory and comes out largely unscathed - Ms Swift has actually delivered a brainteaser: If you're using other people's parts, can you ever really recreate your self?"
Ed Sheeran is on course to have the year's biggest-selling album in the UK
Reputation is set to debut at number one in the UK, after selling 65,437 copies over the weekend. However, she is unlikely to beat Sheeran in his home territory.
Divide sold 672,000 copies in its first week this March - making it the third-fastest seller in chart history, behind Adele's 25 (800,000 sales) and Oasis' Be Here Now (696,000).
Sheeran's album, of course, was available on streaming services - which accounted for 12% of its sales.
Earlier this week, Spotify's Troy Carter criticised Swift's decision to hold her album back, saying it would encourage piracy.
"It kind of sets the industry back a little bit," he said, while adding: "Taylor is super smart. We are not mad at her for the decision she made."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41995712
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Shot soldier Conor McPherson 'was mistaken by colleague for target' - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Private Conor McPherson died during a night-time "live fire" exercise at Otterburn, Northumberland.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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A soldier killed in a training exercise was shot by a colleague who mistook him for a target, a report has found.
Private Conor McPherson was critically injured during a night-time "live fire" exercise at Otterburn, Northumberland.
The Defence Safety Authority's Service Inquiry report identified a number of Army failings in the run-up to the incident.
The Army has said it "deeply regrets" the death the young soldier, which was "a terrible, terrible tragedy".
Private McPherson, 24, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, was pronounced dead at the scene on 22 August last year.
The report stated that soldiers using live rounds had been stumbling about in the dark.
Lieutenant General Richard Felton, director general of the Defence Safety Authority, said he could not understand why the trainees were subjected to an 18-hour plus day.
It also emerged the opening day of Exercise Wessex Storm at the Heely Dod Range featured nine different shooting sequences.
But Lieutenant General Felton said the safety risk present that night "was neither recognised - nor the potential consequences understood - by the Fire Team, supervising staff or Battalion leadership".
While it was "highly likely" Private McPherson, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, was shot by one of his colleagues, another soldier did not fire a single round because he found it impossible to identify any targets in the gloom.
Lieutenant General Felton said: "The tragic death of Pte Conor McPherson serves as a reminder of the dangers inherent in Military training."
But he added:" Military training must continue to test and challenge, with progression through a unit's training cycle correctly adding complexity and greater levels of Safety Risk.
"To not do so would reduce the value of training and the preparedness of our soldiers to fight and win in future conflicts."
Private McPherson had already trained in France and Kenya by the time he joined the fatal exercise with colleagues from 3 Platoon A Company 3 Scots.
Their final mission that day was to negotiate a firing range, using live ammo as the infantrymen moved towards rigid targets, without any fixed illumination.
A reconstruction ordered by the inquiry found that the LUCIE Universal night vision goggles and ear plugs worn by Pte McPherson were not cleared for use in this type of exercise.
The probe into the incident has identified eight "contributory factors" that made the accident more likely to happen that night, including a lack of effective supervision of the soldier who fired the shot.
The investigating panel said it is highly likely a solder named only as "firer 2" - a private who had been in the military for five and a half years - misidentified Private McPherson as a target and fired the fatal round.
Colonel Jim Taylor of HQ Field Army, Training branch welcomed the inquiry's findings, saying: "It has done outstanding work to identify what went wrong.
"In particular, their reconstruction of the events that night has been invaluable in helping us identify what caused the accident and the factors which contributed to it. We are now carefully considering its recommendations.
"We care about our soldiers above all else and we do everything we can to reduce the risks to them as they conduct the essential training required to prepare them for combat operations."
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said:"The death is still being investigated and Northumbria Police is working with the Health and Safety Executive and the Coroner."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-42003573
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Climate change has shifted the timing of European floods - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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In different parts of Europe, rivers are flooding earlier or later because of rising temperatures, say scientists.
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Science & Environment
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A summertime flood in the Austrian Tyrol in 2005
Climate change has had a significant impact on the timing of river floods across Europe over the past 50 years, according to a new study.
In some regions, such as southern England, floods are now occurring 15 days earlier than they did half a century ago.
But the changes aren't uniform, with rivers around the North Sea seeing floods delayed by around eight days.
The study has been published in the journal Science.
Floods caused by rivers impact more people than any other natural hazard, and the estimated global damages run to over a $100bn a year.
Researchers have long predicted that a warming world would have direct impacts on these events but until now the evidence has been hard to establish.
Floods are affected by many different factors in addition to rainfall, such as the amount of moisture already in the soil and other questions such as changes in land-use that can speed up water run-off from hillsides.
This new study looks at this issue in some depth, by creating a Europe-wide database of observations from 4,262 hydrometric stations in 38 countries, dating back to 1960.
The analysis finds a clear but complex impact of climate change on river flooding.
The blue arrows indicate earlier flooding due to changes in the soil moisture levels. The yellow and green indicate earlier floods due to earlier snow melt
The most consistent changes are in north-eastern Europe around Scandinavia where earlier snow melt due to warmer temperatures is leading to earlier spring floods. Around 50% of monitoring stations are seeing floods eight days earlier than they did 50 years ago.
The biggest changes are seen along the western edge of Europe, from Portugal up to Southern England. Half the stations recorded floods at least 15 days earlier than previously. A quarter of the stations saw flooding more than 36 days earlier than in 1960.
In these regions, the issue isn't snow melt - it's more about saturated soils. Maximum rainfall tends to occur in the autumn and gets stored in the soils. Heavier and earlier rain means that the groundwater reaches capacity earlier.
"It's the interplay between extreme rainfall and the abundance of rainfall," lead author Prof Günter Blöschl, from the Technical University of Vienna, told BBC News.
"In southern England, it has been raining more, longer and more intensely than in the past. This has created a rising groundwater table and higher soil moisture than usual and combined with intense rainfall this produces earlier river floods."
However, around the North Sea, in the Netherlands, Denmark and Scotland, the trend is towards later floods.
The scientists believe this is due to changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the weather phenomenon that pushes storms across the ocean into Europe.
Across Europe, regions experienced different shifts in the timing of floods, both earlier and later
The NAO is driven by differences in atmospheric pressure between the North Pole and the Equator. Recent, rapid changes in temperatures in the Arctic are interfering with these pressure levels and changing the track of the oscillation and storms as well.
According to this study, the storms are arriving later and as a result some river flooding happens later too.
Prof Blöschl says that this study shows clear evidence of the impact of human-induced climate change in many regions - but there are still some areas of uncertainty.
"Where the human imprint is obvious is in the northeast of Europe. It is quite a direct link, with a warming climate and earlier snow melt," he said.
"However, the areas impacted by the NAO are more difficult to attribute to anthropogenic global warming. The jury is still out on that aspect."
The study foresees subtle but significant impacts that could arise from the change in flood timing. There could be effects on river ecosystems with salmon spawning later in the year. There could also be implications for hydropower stations, and for agriculture if fields stay wetter for longer.
The UK has experienced severe flooding on many rivers in recent years, including on the Thames
"The more serious concern is that if warming impacts the seasonality it may also impact the scale of flooding," said Prof Blöschl.
"You could think of timing changes as the harbinger of future changes of flood magnitude. That is the more serious concern. If that happens, flood risk management will have to adapt and that will be different in different parts of Europe."
Other experts believe that the changes in flood timing identified by this study have significant implications for how we understand the risk of river floods and how we deal with them.
"Nearly every major city and town in Europe is built on a river and we protect this urban infrastructure by using past floods as a gauge of the potential risk," said Mark Maslin, Professor of Climatology at University College London.
"The study shows that this approach underestimates the risk, as climate change has made European floods occur earlier in the year, increasing their potential impact.
"This means all the infrastructure that we have built to protect our cities needs to be reviewed as much of it will be inadequate to protect us from future climate change-induced extreme flooding."
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40889934
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Hormone pregnancy test 'no link to harm' - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The use of a controversial hormonal pregnancy test between the 1950s and 1970s did not damage unborn children, a scientific review has found.
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Health
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Women who took the drug will be offered genetic testing
The use of a controversial hormonal pregnancy test from the 1950s to the 1970s did not damage unborn children, a scientific review has found.
The Commission on Human Medicines said the evidence did not support a "causal link".
The inquiry was set up by the UK government amid concerns the drug may have caused defects and miscarriages.
It was used in Britain between 1953 and 1975 - other countries stopped sooner.
However, the commission said that women who used the test and subsequently had babies born with defects would be offered genetic testing to see if any cause could be identified.
An electronic system for reporting side-effects during pregnancy will also be introduced to help identify problems with medicines that may occur in the future.
It is estimated that over one million women used the drug to test for pregnancies.
It worked by triggering a period if a woman was not pregnant.
Campaigners claim it caused birth defects in their children, such as blindness, deafness, spina bifida and heart and limb defects as well as cleft palates.
A previous report by independent experts in 2014 also found inconclusive evidence of harm, but this new review was ordered by ministers after fresh concerns came to light.
Legal action against Schering - the original manufacturer of Primodos - was halted in 1982 because of a lack of evidence.
Schering was subsequently taken over by Bayer.
Dr Alisa Gebbie, chair of the working group which oversaw the inquiry, said many thousands of pieces of evidence were examined during the review, and detailed testimonies had been gathered from families affected.
But she said there was simply not the evidence to suggest the drug caused defects or miscarriages.
She also said the findings should reassure women who still use the hormones - progestogen and oestrogen - that were used in the drug.
"Many women use these same hormones on a daily basis for contraception and heavy periods who may experience an unintended pregnancy. So our findings are also reassuring for them."
Marie Lyon, who is chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests, was prescribed Primodos and later gave birth to a daughter whose limbs were not fully formed. She said she was very angry with the findings.
"They have ignored some of the evidence. It's a cover-up. We had high hopes this inquiry would get to the truth but it hasn't."
She said she would like to see a judicial review of the whole issue.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41996712
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Fire hits high-rise flats in Dunmurry, near Belfast - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A man and a woman are stable in hospital after a fire broke out on the ninth floor of the building.
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Northern Ireland
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One person was rescued from a burning tower block and a number of residents were led to safety after a fire broke out at high-rise flats outside Belfast.
Firefighters were called to Coolmoyne House in Dunmurry at about 17:30 GMT as flames and smoke hit multiple floors.
On arrival, crews were faced with "a well-developed fire on the ninth floor" the NI Fire and Rescue Service said.
The flats were evacuated, and four people were treated by paramedics. The fire was extinguished by 18:10 GMT.
Pictures posted on social media showed flames and smoke at Coolmoyne House
Lagan Valley Hospital said that two people - a man and a woman - were stable after being admitted following the fire.
Geoff Somerville, group commander with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters rescued a man from the flat in which the fire started.
He said they believed the fire was "accidental" and that the man "was making toast at the time".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Geoff Somerville from NIFRS says it's believed the fire was accidental
"He had moved into his bedroom and then heard his smoke detectors operate in his flat and that alerted him to the fire," he said.
"I'm very relieved there's been no loss of life and that's only because of the courageous actions of our firefighters here today."
Tower block residents told a BBC reporter at the scene that they felt shocked but "lucky to be alive".
They added that all they could think about was the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London during the summer.
Susanne Berrill said she lived in the flat above where the fire had started
Susanne Berrill, another tower block resident, told the BBC that she had lost everything in the blaze.
"I've literally only started life again after a big trauma and this has happened," she said, speaking from a local community centre.
The fire started in a flat on the ninth floor of the tower block
Some residents expressed anger and said that they had not heard fire alarms on their floors.
One told the BBC: "The alarms went off on the floor where the fire was but why didn't it go off on all the floors with such a big fire?"
However, Group Commander Somerville said that the fire alarms had worked "as expected".
"The residents should not have concerns about that (the fire alarms)," he said.
"The alarm in the gentleman's flat operated and sounded and that is the correct configuration.
"There is a communal fire alarm system in the hallway that is to operate and automatically open vents to the common hallway and that also successfully operated.
Emergency vehicles were sent to the scene of the fire on Wednesday evening
"There would be no sounders in the common hallway nor should their be.
"It is important of course to emphasise to everybody that each flat would have a self-contained fire alarm system, this individual flat itself had three smoke detectors and they operated and worked.
"Their (other residents) alarms should not go off unless they detected smoke."
He added that the fire service would now assess whether residents can return to their homes but that "some flats and all flats may not be safe to enter tonight".
The blaze damaged flats on the ninth and tenth floors before it was brought under control, according to local community worker Julie Ann Jackson.
"They got everybody out," she told the BBC's Evening Extra programme.
Ms Jackson said safety drills had been carried out at the block, following the Grenfell fire in June.
Some of the flats on the upper floors have been damaged
A total of eleven fire appliances and four ambulances were sent to Coolmoyne House.
The tower block on the Seymour Hill housing estate is owned and operated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
"Staff have been on site following the fire in a flat this evening and are on hand to offer emergency accommodation to any resident who requires it," it said in a statement,
"The cause of the fire is now under investigation by the NIFRS and we will be co-operating with them fully.
"We would like to commend the Northern Ireland Fire And Rescue Service, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland for their immediate response."
Dunmurry resident Sam Waide was driving past Coolmoyne House when he saw what he first believed was steam coming from the top of the building.
He pulled his car over and realised the tower block was on fire.
"It was sort of frightening," he told BBC News NI.
"After what happened in England, you think to yourself, is this another one?"
Mr Waide said emergency vehicles were at the scene "very, very quickly".
A cordon was put in place around the tower block
Robert Cullen was driving towards his sister's house in Seymour Hill when he saw "lots and lots of smoke".
"One side of the flats was all in flames, from about half way up," he told BBC News NI.
He said within minutes, fire appliances started to arrive "left, right and centre".
"As far as I'm aware, everybody got out," Mr Cullen added.
He said that after about 20 minutes, firefighters had doused all the flames and "there was just smoke".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-42001447
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Zimbabwe country profile - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Provides an overview of Zimbabwe, including key dates and facts about this southern African country.
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Africa
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The struggle for independence, land and power runs throughout Zimbabwe's modern history. Veteran President Robert Mugabe dominated the country's political scene for almost four decades after independence from Britain in 1980.
Once the bread basket of the region, since 2000 Zimbabwe has struggled to feed its own people due to severe droughts and the effects of a land reform programme that saw white-owned farms redistributed to landless Zimbabweans, with sharp falls in production.
The fall of Robert Mugabe in 2017 freed up politics and the media, but the country remains cash-strapped and impoverished.
Emmerson Mnangagwa became president in November 2017 following a dramatic week in which the military took charge and Robert Mugabe resigned after 37 years in office.
He was re-elected as president in 2018. Mr Mnangagwa was again re-elected in August 2023 in a poll that observers said did not meet local laws and global standards, gaining 52.6% of the valid votes cast while his opponent Nelson Chamisa came second with 44%. Mr Chamisa rejected the results.
When he first became president, Mr Mnangagwa - known as "The Crocodile" for his ruthlessness - promised a new start for his country's people.
But Zimbabwe is still struggling with high inflation and unemployment also remains rife. Mr Mnangagwa's vow to guarantee human rights also appears hollow, with little changing in this regard since Mr Mugabe's departure.
All broadcasters in Zimbabwe, and many of the main newspapers, toe the government line.
Radio is the main source of information. The state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) operates TV and radio networks and two national private radio stations are licensed.
The name "Zimbabwe" stems from a Shona term for Great Zimbabwe, the medieval city in the country's south-east
1200-1600s - Rise and decline of the Monomotapa domain, thought to have been associated with Great Zimbabwe and to have been involved in gold mining and international trade.
1830s - Ndebele people fleeing Zulu violence and Boer migration in present-day South Africa move north and settle in what becomes known as Matabeleland.
1830-1890s - European hunters, traders and missionaries explore the region from the south. They include Cecil John Rhodes.
1889 - Rhodes' British South Africa Company obtains a British mandate to colonise what becomes Southern Rhodesia.
1930 - Land Apportionment Act restricts black access to land, forcing many into wage labour.
1930-1960s - Black opposition to colonial rule grows. Emergence in the 1960s of nationalist groups - the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) and the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu).
1953 - Britain creates the Central African Federation, made up of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi).
1963 - Federation breaks up when Zambia and Malawi gain independence.
1965 - Prime Minister Ian Smith unilaterally declares independence from Britain under white-minority rule, leading to international isolation.
1972 - Guerrilla war against white rule intensifies, with rivals Zanu and Zapu operating out of Zambia and Mozambique.
1978 - Smith yields to pressure for negotiated settlement. Zanu and Zapu boycott transitional legislature elections. New state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, fails to gain international recognition.
1979 - British-brokered all-party talks lead to a peace agreement and new constitution guaranteeing minority rights.
1982 - Prime Minister Mugabe sacks Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo from the cabinet, accusing him of plotting to overthrow the government.
1983-87 - Gukurahundi campaign, in which 20,000 are thought to have been killed in Matabeleland by Mugabe's Fifth Brigade. The violence ends following a unity accord, when the Zapu party is absorbed into the renamed governing Zanu-PF party.
2008 - Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beats Mugabe in the presidential election but is forced to withdraw from a run-off after his supporters become the target of increased violence.
2009 - Mugabe's Zanu-PF loses parliamentary majority forcing power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai's MDC which lasts until 2013.
2017 - Mugabe resigns after 37 years in power. He is succeeded by Emmerson Mnangagwa.
2022 - Increasing power shortages as a result of decades of under-investment.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14113249
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Dyson to sue former chief executive Max Conze - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The engineering firm, founded by Sir James Dyson, is suing ex-boss Max Conze for alleged leaks.
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Business
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Sir James Dyson thanked Mr Conze when he stepped down last month
Electrical firm Dyson is suing former chief executive Max Conze for allegedly leaking company secrets and using company resources for his own benefit.
Max Conze stepped down in October and was thanked by the British firm's founder, Sir James Dyson.
But the BBC has learned that, according to the company, Mr Conze was sacked for an alleged series of breaches.
Mr Conze denied the allegations and said it would cause an "unnecessary distraction" for Dyson staff.
The allegations include "the disclosure of confidential information, and a breach of his fiduciary duties".
A spokesman for the company said: "The Dyson board has decided to bring a claim against Max Conze at the High Court of Justice in London in relation to his actions while chief executive."
Mr Conze was appointed to the role in 2011 after a stint running Dyson's US business.
His period as chief executive coincided with a huge increase in sales of Dyson's products. Profits at the vacuum cleaner and air purifier maker rose 41% last year to £631m.
The breaches are said to include: "Disclosing confidential product information to third parties, breaching Dyson's confidentiality rules.
"Using Dyson resources and information to evaluate an investment opportunity for his own benefit and/or for the benefit of a venture capital firm, rather than for Dyson's benefit - breaching his fiduciary duties.
"Failing to follow lawful and reasonable instructions regarding his conduct and focus of attention."
In response, Mr Conze said: "I did nothing of the sort. During my six years as CEO of Dyson, the sales and profits will have tripled with the company growing from 2,500 to 10,000 staff."
He said Dyson sold 13 million machines last year, up from five million in 2010. "This couldn't have happened without my total commitment to the business and its people," he said.
Mr Conze added: "This ridiculous allegation is merely trying to distract attention from the claims that Dyson know I am about to issue."
Dyson would not comment on whether the breaches were in connection with its project to build a new electric car, which had been long under wraps and only recently revealed.
The action will be lodged in the High Court on Wednesday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42001793
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Russia posts video game screenshot as 'proof' of US helping IS - BBC News
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2017-11-15
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The image supposedly shows the US aiding IS, but instead it came from a smartphone game.
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Europe
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The game simulates the attack capabilities of an AC-130 gunship
Russia's Ministry of Defence has posted what it called "irrefutable proof" of the US aiding so-called Islamic State - but one of the images was actually taken from a video game.
The ministry claimed the image showed an IS convoy leaving a Syrian town last week aided by US forces.
Instead, it came from the smartphone game AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron.
The ministry said an employee had mistakenly attached the photo.
The Conflict Intelligence Team fact-checking group said the other four provided were also errors, taken from a June 2016 video which showed the Iraqi Air Force attacking IS in Iraq.
The video game image seems to be taken from a promotional video on the game's website and YouTube channel, closely cropped to omit the game controls and on-screen information.
In the corner of the image, however, a few letters of the developer's disclaimer can still be seen: "Development footage. This is a work in progress. All content subject to change."
The gameplay video, left, with the Russian MoD photo, right
Hours later, the ministry published an updated statement with a different set of images, which it also said proved their claims.
It repeated the claim it was "irrefutable evidence that US are actually covering Isis [IS] combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote the American interests in the Middle East".
Russia alleges the US is co-operating with so-called Islamic State by providing cover to fleeing IS militants. In a Facebook post, the ministry said it liberated the town of Abu Kamal last week alongside the Syrian army.
It said the US-led coalition refused requests to cooperate and "eliminate fleeing Isis convoys".
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It also accused the US-led coalition of carrying out air operations in the area to interfere with possible Russian strikes, and alleged that IS forces were disguising themselves as US-backed SDF fighters.
"The US are actually covering the Isis combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote the American interests in the Middle East," the statement concluded.
A later press release said it had launched a probe into the actions of a civilian employee of one of its subdivisions who "mistakenly attached photos" to the first version of its statement.
Responding to Russia's allegations in remarks carried by Reuters, a spokesman for the US-led coalition Col Ryan Dillon said the Russian allegations were "about as accurate as their air campaign".
"I certainly can't verify, but I've seen the report that one of the pictures came from a video game. So, again that is pretty consistent with what we have seen come out of Russian MoD, as being baseless, inaccurate and you know, completely false," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41991012
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